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Sweet Romance Report: Melinda Curtis shares 5 in her TBR pile

Melinda Curtis
Special for USA TODAY
The Calendar Brides by Ginny Baird.

If you're hibernating because of the cold weather, here are some sweet romances to consider bundling up with. If you haven't heard, sweet romances have no explicit sex, but most still create that heart-fluttering feeling of falling in love. Here are some of the titles in my sweet TBR pile for this month (blurbs courtesy of the publishers):

The Calendar Brides by Ginny Baird. Twelve women with big hearts and slim wallets want to do something special for their grandmother. At 87, the family matriarch has reconnected with her childhood sweetheart and wants to elope to Sicily. The catch is her intended is poor, and Nona D'Amato doesn't have the travel cash herself. When they put their heads together, can her 12 granddaughters help their Nona achieve her dream? And find love themselves?

Crumpets and Cowpies by Shanna Hatfield. Detestable! Arrogant! Insufferable! Rancher Thane Jordan has been called worse. He reluctantly travels to England to settle his brother's estate only to find he's inherited much more than he could possibly have imagined. Lady Jemma Bryan has no desire to spend a single minute in Thane Jordan's insufferable presence much less live under the same roof with the handsome, arrogant American. Forced to choose between poverty or marriage to the man, she finds herself traveling across an ocean and America to reach his ranch in Oregon.

In My Dreams by Muriel Jensen. Crawling on his belly through enemy fire is nothing compared to the murder that ripped Jack Palmer's childhood apart. Now that he's home from his tour of duty, the ex-soldier's most critical mission lies ahead: finding his long-lost sisters. And Sarah Reed can help. The compassionate former pediatric nurse awakens powerful feelings in Jack. Yet Sarah's traumatic loss of a young patient prevents her from wanting a family of her own. Is Jack ready to risk his place in his adopted family for the chance to reunite with his biological one … and claim a childless future with the woman he loves?

At His Command, the inspirational version, by Ruth Kaufman.

At His Command by Ruth Kaufman. England 1453: King Henry VI sends Sir Nicholas Gray to protect the recently widowed Lady Amice Winfield from undesirable suitors. Though Nicholas intrigues her, she yearns to run Castle Rising without a man's control. Nicholas has no interest in marriage, but can't deny he's attracted to Amice. At court, the king and queen choose a new husband for Amice, a highly ranked lord who'll provide connections and coin for the king's depleted coffers that Nicholas cannot. How can Amice marry another man when she's falling in love with Nicholas? (FYI: This romance has been released in two different versions, a "sweet" version with a woman on the cover, shown here, and a version that's sexier, with a man on the cover. The sweet read says "inspirational version" under the title.)

If you're interested in inspirational romance …

Second Chance Reunion by Merrillee Whren. Annie Payton's lost everything she once held dear. The Village of Hope is her last chance to rebuild the life she's frittered away so needlessly. But as she works to regain custody of her children, she never imagines an unlikely advocate in her corner — ex-husband Ian Montgomery. Ian's always willing to help those down on their luck, but his ex-wife's a different story. Her past betrayal is still a painful memory. As the Village's lawyer, he'll represent her — but that's as far as he'll allow his feelings to go. Can Annie show Ian that she's changed in every way but one — the love she still has for him?

Melinda Curtis is an avid reader and a USA TODAY bestselling author. She writes both sweet and steamier romances. Her latest release, Always a Bridesmaid, is a sweet romantic comedy in her Bridesmaid Series. Her website is www.MelindaCurtis.net.

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