Rachel Branton

Her Dream Didn’t Include Falling in Love Lily dreams of a big house, a place of refuge for runaway girls. She knows what it’s like to grow up feeling unloved, and she now fills every space in her tiny apartment with endangered teens. They don’t have everything they need, but together they have enough. Or so she thinks—until she meets Jameson and glimpses the mysterious something between them that just might mean real love. Jameson, who works as a teen counselor, believes the only way Lily can really help the girls is by certifying as a foster parent and going through the system. But becoming legitimate may mean losing some of the girls to the families who threw them away, and Lily hasn’t worked hard to save the teens only to abandon them now. It seems Jameson will be one more entry on the very long list of things Lily has given up for the girls. What other choice is there when she is all they have? When two of the teens’ fathers come looking for them, and another one’s mother plans to put her daughter in danger, Lily’s life spins out of control. They need a new home—and fast. A safe place. A house without lies. Editorial note: House Without Lies is a clean, contemporary romance with a satisfying ending (no cliffhanger). Feel-good, romantic book that lifts while at the same time addressing serious issues and deeper family connections. You will love Lily and her girls! There are sequels that tell the stories of other characters connected with Lily’s House. As one reviewer says, these are "Ideal for fans of Robyn Carr, Mariah Stewart, Sherryl Woods and Susan Wiggs." Editorial Review "Readers seeking inspirational women's stories with a broader focus than relationship-building moments will find House Without Lies just the ticket. It's filled with many different characters and diverse circumstances, but the overall plot holds true to its intentions and presents a vivid story made all the more immediate by Rachel Branton's choice of using the first person to capture Lily's daily life and feelings. Lily's accustomed to fighting for others: can she fight for herself, as well? An engrossing read, it's also a pleasure to add a note that while House Without Lies is part of a series, it's actually a fine stand-alone story that neatly concludes its plot. Readers will want more, but won't be required to hang off a cliff waiting for resolution – and that's a huge bonus to the first book in this series." –D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review Note: All the stories in the Lily's House series are complete stories without cliffhangers. Reading all of them will catch you up with characters in previous novels, but you do not have to read them in order. Enjoy!

House Without Lies

Tim Petersen

I Don't Want to Eat Bugs

Bugs are for the birds! Lisbon is hungry and it’s hard to wait for dinner. When her animal friends try to help her find something tasty to eat, the real the problems begin! Join Lisbon on her funny misadventures. Each beautiful illustration is designed to inspire the imaginations of children. An activity page at the end of the book allows for more fun as they search for special items in the illustrations. This version of I Don't Want to Eat Bugs has been designed specifically for ebook with a fixed layout and larger text for easy reading. While this is a great read-aloud book for parents, teachers, and other adults to share with children, we have chosen fonts that are similar to the way children form letters for easy recognition as they begin to read on their own. The print book is also available in 8.5” x 11” format. Author’s Note: I Don't Want to Eat Bugs was written for my daughter, who was two when I wrote this story and didn’t like salad, but now she’s four and a half and loves it—if I give her plenty of salad dressing! (But don’t worry—this isn’t a book about eating salad.) Of course birds, cats, and dogs have a very different idea of what's good to eat, but through this fun adventure, Lisbon learns there is also food meant just for her—and it's good, especially compared with all the offerings from her animal friends. My daughter and I privately call this book the "Ice Cream Story" (she LOVES ice cream so there had to be ice cream involved), and now whenever something funny happens, she says, "We should write a new ice cream story about that." And we have! I Don't Want to Eat Bugs is the first book in a planned series called Lisbon’s Misadventures. I’ve written the next three books in the series, and Tim Petersen is hard at work creating the illustrations. Tim is obviously a fabulous artist, and I’m excited to be working with him. You can sign up on my website to learn when the next book comes out (http://teylarachelbranton.com/). Thank you and enjoy!

Tara Levine hates everything about cowboys, from their boots and spurs to their funny stiff hats. But when she goes to the Silver A Ranch to ask for a favor in behalf of the abandoned girls at Lily's House, she meets Crew Ashman—and finds herself falling hard. Everything about Crew is different than she expected. But there’s a secret in his past that is driving them apart, and if he won’t share it with her, she’ll take matters into her own hands. Because maybe, just maybe, this cowboy might be the one who’s strong enough to stay. Rylee Williams didn’t want to be a bridesmaid at her estranged sister’s wedding, the sister who'd grown up with the family she was supposed to have. So why does she find herself in a dress two sizes too big and with no date for the wedding? Maybe it’s time to give up on her family once and for all. But a greased pig contest and handsome cowboy Beck Seeger might just change her mind—both about sticking it out and taking a chance at love. Tara and Rylee have been best friends since they met as teens at Lily's House. Now the foster sisters discover that sometimes love with a cowboy needs a little help from a horse and a pig.

Cowboys Can't Lie

Tell Me No Lies

Caring for the animals at Safe Haven Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary has filled the holes in Zoey Morgan’s life and soothed the memories that haunt her. It helps that she works with Stephen Carey, whose uncle owns the sanctuary, and Declan Walker, who is as wild and untouchable as the animals they help. When a storm hits, flattening buildings and flooding roads, the sanctuary goes into lockdown. Zoey learns that her younger sister is lost in the storm, and she will risk anything to find her. So will the man who loves her—if she’d let him. Can he slip past the walls Zoey has built to hide her secrets? All Ruth wanted was to open a little cafe and do what she does best, but the price tag is years out of reach. Then a not-so-chance meeting with a gorgeous photographer and help from her hodgepodge family might just put the goal in reach. Except now both her future and her heart are at risk—will the cost be too high? You first met Zoey and Ruth as runaway teens in House Without Lies. Now they are all grown up and finding love in this two-story romance.

Hearts Never Lie

What if everything you ever thought was true about your past, wasn't true at all? Liana Winn has always felt like an outsider in her family. As a child she was adopted by relatives after her parents’ plane accident in India, but now that she is as an adult, her disjointed memories—and nightmares—of the past continue to make it impossible for her to bridge the wide gulf she still feels with her adoptive family. She is plagued by questions about her parents’ deaths and wonders if that event is the reason for her inability to form deep personal relationships. Although her adoptive brother Christian has become her greatest friend and supporter, she even has difficulty bonding with him. Needing someone means love, and losing those you love hurts too much. When Liana meets successful businessman, Austin Walker, who has risen above his own difficult childhood on a Wyoming farm, she’s certain their business will not extend to friendship. Yet she cannot deny their powerful connection and the feeling of hope he offers for romance. But the ghosts of the past will not rest for Liana, and while searching for answers, she makes a shocking discovery that just might mean the end of everything she’s ever believed. Editorial Reviews Take Me Home is about healing, redemption, and self-discovery. This powerful women's fiction piece will resonate strongly with any reader interested in stories of personal heritage and Ukrainian orphanages, adoption, and connections with those who would be accepted as family. –D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review Note: All the stories in the Finding Home Series are complete stories without cliffhangers. Each novel is about a separate couple. There are tie-ins with the series, of course, but you do not have to read them in order. Enjoy!

Take Me Home

One decision frozen in time. A choice that can never be altered. After fighting her way through a bitter and hurtful past, Mercedes Johnson has painstakingly carved out a life of quiet contentment on a Wyoming farm with her husband, Wayne, and their three sons. Together she and Wayne have survived the worst trials a couple can face, and their relationship has grown as solid and lasting as the farmland beneath their feet. If their relationship is not everything Mercedes might have hoped for, it is enough. All that changes when the birth father of Mercedes’ oldest child returns to Riverton. Dr. Brandon Rhodes, a renowned heart surgeon, has plans for the son he has never met. Resentful at the secret Mercedes has kept for thirteen years, he threatens the carefully balanced life she and Wayne have created. Just how far is he willing to go to gain what he feels is rightfully his? As Mercedes uncovers the truth of Brandon’s intentions regarding their son and the lies surrounding the past, she is torn between what is and what might have been. One choice, one decision, has led her to this place. How can she live with the consequences?

All That I Love

Keisha doesn't have time for a man she thinks abandoned her, but this time Xander is staying to fight.Keisha Jefferson's dreams of marrying the man she loved and becoming an attorney like the father she lost were cut short one stormy night when her choices slipped from her grasp. Four years later, she's ready to take on the world again, though her dreams have changed, especially those involving love. When another storm brings Xander Greenwood back into her life, he's every bit as attractive as before-and as devastating to her heart. While her life was spinning out of control, he's made good, a poor boy from a small town now turned doctor. But this time, Keisha won't fall into his trap. She wants nothing to do with the man who didn't love her enough to fight for her. Xander has sacrificed much to achieve his goals, but he'd give it all up for one more chance with Keisha. If only he can get past her secrets to understand why she left him. Yet the truth he discovers threatens to unwind all the progress he's made with her. Can he find his way back, or will he lose her again-this time forever? Welcome to the small town of Forgotten, where people are more concerned about who you are now than what you might have left behind. Each of the novels in this series are stand-alone books, and you can read them in any order. However, characters are like one big extended family and often appear in many of the books, so by reading all of them, you can catch up with what your favorite characters are doing now. What people are say about the series: "Kiss at Midnight is evocative, revealing, and hard to put down. Its realistic dilemmas and character growth powers a story that is compelling and involving." -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review "This clean romance has just the right amount of mystery to keep you turning the pages. The ending is completely satisfying with exactly the right blend of sweet and passion to thrill lovers of wholesome romance."

Reason to Breathe

A feel-good romance for fans of Robyn Carr, Leeanna Morgan, and Debra Clopton. Hailey Waters steps off a bus with no memory of why she came to Forgotten or what she’s running from. And maybe it doesn't matter. She’s determined to make a new life in this small town where strangers are friendly and helpful—especially veterinarian Dylan Morgan. But Dylan keeps prying for answers she doesn’t have. He’s a hero, always saving animals and people, and maybe she doesn’t need one of those right now. He’s more likely to break her heart than to solve the riddle of her past. Dylan has returned to the small town he never should have left. He’s tired of women with secrets, the kind of women who always leave. When he finds Hailey in his friend’s barn, his training makes him uniquely qualified to be what she needs most—if he can keep the way he’s beginning to feel about her out of it. Because more and more he’s sure her secrets will tear him apart. But he can’t walk away or let her go. So maybe it’s time to take matters—and love—into his own hands. Welcome to the small town of Forgotten, where people are more concerned about who you are now than what you might have left behind. Each of the novels in this series are stand-alone books, and you can read them in any order. However, characters are like one big extended family and often appear in many of the books, so by reading all of them, you can catch up with what your favorite characters are doing now. Editorial Review "It's easy to root for Hailey as she struggles to find her place . . . This clean romance has just the right amount of mystery to keep you turning the pages. It also brings in other attention-grabbing elements: a beloved dog about to give birth (and later, her adorable puppies), a B&B owner with secrets of her own, veterinarian house calls, characters you'd like as your own neighbors, and a charming, small-town festival. The ending is completely satisfying with exactly the right blend of sweet and passion to thrill lovers of wholesome romance." -Catia Shattuck, Senior Reviewer My Book Ratings What readers are saying about Rachel Branton “Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down . . . I can’t wait for the next book in this series because Rachel is a great writer.” “Excellent read! Truthful and honest, written to inspire and entertain!” “Clean romance with mature topics.” “What can I say she writes great stories . . . and now Lily’s House which reminds of Robyn Carr’s series, wholesome but still dealing in real life situations and challenges. Rachel’s characters just grab you and you want to stay in their world to see what happens next.”

A Sweet Small Town Romance

Kiss at Midnight

Keisha doesn’t have time for a man she thinks abandoned her, but this time Xander is staying to fight. Keisha Jefferson’s dreams of marrying the man she loved and becoming an attorney like the father she lost were cut short one stormy night when her choices slipped from her grasp. Four years later, she’s ready to take on the world again, though her dreams have changed, especially those involving love. When another storm brings Xander Greenwood back into her life, he’s every bit as attractive as before—and as devastating to her heart. While her life was spinning out of control, he’s made good, a poor boy from a small town now turned doctor. But this time, Keisha won’t fall into his trap. She wants nothing to do with the man who didn’t love her enough to fight for her. Xander has sacrificed much to achieve his goals, but he’d give it all up for one more chance with Keisha. If only he can get past her secrets to understand why she left him. Yet the truth he discovers threatens to unwind all the progress he’s made with her. Can he find his way back, or will he lose her again—this time forever? Welcome to the small town of Forgotten, where people are more concerned about who you are now than what you might have left behind. Each of the novels in this series are stand-alone books, and you can read them in any order. However, characters are like one big extended family and often appear in many of the books, so by reading all of them, you can catch up with what your favorite characters are doing now. What people are say about the series: “Kiss at Midnight is evocative, revealing, and hard to put down. Its realistic dilemmas and character growth powers a story that is compelling and involving.” –D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review "This clean romance has just the right amount of mystery to keep you turning the pages. The ending is completely satisfying with exactly the right blend of sweet and passion to thrill lovers of wholesome romance.”

One glimpse into the eyes of a stranger changes everything. On the first day of her new life, Tawnia McKnight finds herself in Oregon, her fifth state in ten years. Another new job, new friends, a heartache left far behind. Maybe in Portland she can at last find what she is looking for. Maybe she can even forget Bret Winn. But when a tragic bridge collapse rocks the city, Tawnia is thrust back into the life of the man she thought she’d never see again. And with him is a stranger, a stranger with inexplicably familiar eyes. Soon Tawnia finds herself drawn into a web of confusion and deceit. Where did the eccentric Autumn Rain come from and why does she look so much like Tawnia? Though Autumn’s agony over her missing father seems real, there is much in her past that cannot be explained. Even more troubling for Tawnia is Bret’s interest in Autumn, despite Tawnia’s own attraction to the mysterious firefighter who once saved Autumn’s life. Danger looms as Tawnia tries to unravel clues to both the past and the current tragedy in Portland. Will she find what she is looking for, or will everything she cares about slip once again from her grasp?

Then I Found You

A Search for Answers Reveals a Mystery Ten and a half years ago Halla Jenkins climbed out a window at her parents' house, fell in a mangled heap to ground, and fled. Eventually, she found Lily's House and a real family. Now as a successful online reporter and a blogger with a quarter million followers, she doesn't think much about her roots. But the man she's fallen for online and dreams of making a future with has questions, and how can she tell him the answers when she doesn't know them herself? She never planned to confront her parents, but she is desperate to know what really happened. The chance of meeting Oliver in person for first time makes it all worth the risk. Elsie Reynolds has had the same best guy friend for ten years. Sure there were a few times when he forgot they were only friends, but setting him up with one of her foster sisters always fixed that problem. For the most part, being friends was all either of them ever needed. But now Payden is moving on, and Elsie isn't quite sure how she feels about losing him. Especially if it's to the sweet-looking new teacher at the school where he works. Maybe kissing him is just what she needs to get them back into the friend zone. Kendall Brenwood was already an adult when she found Lily's House, but it changed the direction of her life, and she is finally living her dream, helping others as a nurse. Only sometimes does she grieve what she lost, even though she knows she made the right choice. When a new resident at the hospital catches her eye, she isn't sure she's ready to find love. Why won't he take no for an answer? Would he still want her if he knew her secret? She's about to find out. Join these three roommates from Lily's House as they take the road less traveled and find . . . love.

No Secret Or Lies

When Romance Takes A Deadly Turn With her trust fund in jeopardy, Tessa Crawford enters into a relationship with a mysterious neighbor that soon turns into something more passionate—and dangerous—than either of them could have imagined. Two days before her wedding, Tessa Crawford’s world crumbles, leaving her hurt and betrayed. Worse, if Tessa doesn’t marry and receive her trust fund, her younger sister will lose her house and the homeless girls she helps will have nowhere to go. But Tessa can't marry just anyone, can she? Gage Braxton, the guy from next door, is willing to help her out, but rumors hint that he's an ex-con. Tessa soon finds herself attracted to a man who has no intention of ever falling in love or of passing on his terrible legacy. When Tessa stumbles across evidence that may be proof of Gage's innocence, suspects begin to line up. Someone is willing to kill again to see that the truth remains buried, and if Tessa doesn't hurry and solve the old murder, she will lose not only her chance at love but may become the murderer's next victim. Rachel Branton has created an exciting, romantic story with a new take on a theme that never gets old.

Rachel Branton

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