Texas Thunder

Raye, a veteran author of vampire and Nascar romances, opens her new Rebel Moonshine contemporary series with love in the heart of present-day Texas. Elijah Sawyer and Archibald Tucker of tiny Rebel, Tex., were once the best of friends and business partners in their thriving moonshine business. But the men had an argument that resulted in them tearing the moonshine recipe in half. Generations later, their descendants are sworn enemies. After Callie Tucker’s grandfather dies while trying to perfect his version of the recipe, Callie inherits his home, but she only has 30 days to pay the property taxes and avoid foreclosure. She joins forces with her equally broke ex-boyfriend, sexy Brett Sawyer, to hunt for Brett’s half of the original recipe for an investor who is willing to pay $10,000. Their continued search forces them into close proximity, and when the sexual tension culminates in a sizzling encounter, they must decide whether they can look past their families’ fraught history—and their own stormy past—to really connect with each other. Fast paced and smoothly plotted, Raye’s lighthearted series starter deftly evokes a variety of emotions while building multifaceted characters. (Sept.)