Wishing on a Christmas Cowboy

Richardson (The Summer Sisters ) kicks off her Star Valley series with a town-wide deception that provides the perfect setup for introducing a delightful new cast of characters. When Kyra Fowler’s estranged father leaves her a large portion of small-town Star Valley Springs, Wyo., she plans to make some repairs over the holiday season, then sell the land as quickly as possible and use the profit to fund a fresh start in London. Navy Seal–turned-cowboy Aiden Steele has dedicated his life to keeping a promise he made to his late brother-in-law: making sure his nieces and sister are taken care of. To Aiden, that means it’s imperative that the town doesn’t fall into the hands of greedy developers. He enlists all his fellow townsfolk in Operation Save Star Valley Springs, a scheme to stall Kyra’s plans long enough that she’ll fall in love with the town and decide to stay. Soon, however, it’s Aiden who’s falling in love—sparking doubts about the morality of manipulating Kyra. Readers will feel similarly conflicted, and the scheming characters may initially rub some the wrong way. All are redeemable, however—and the many big personalities here spell good things for the series to come. Small-town romance fans will be eager to return to Star Valley Springs. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Oct.)