Texas Forever (Tylers of Texas #6)

This old-school but lively romance from Dailey is a fitting conclusion to her Tylers of Texas series (following Texas Free). Nineteen-year-old Erin Tyler has just lost her mother to cancer and a close friend to a freak accident. She’s also on the verge of becoming engaged to Kyle, the son of a neighboring ranch manager. When she meets dark and brooding Luke Maddox, recently hired at her father’s ailing Rimrock Ranch in Texas, Erin knows that what she feels for Kyle isn’t real love. As she grapples with this, a mysterious assailant threatens her. Drama crops up in unlikely places, including two unexpected murders, and lively secondary characters add charm. Dailey follows the formula of 1980s western romantic thrillers—lots of ma’ams, scoundrels, cowboy hats, and successful red herrings, and very little sex—but infuses the standard-issue characters with enough backstory and dimension to give them real appeal for modern readers. Twists and surprises will keep the pages of this warm-hearted romance turning. Agent: Richard Curtis, Richard Curtis Assoc. (Sept.)