I’ve been a resident of Texas for four years now, and I love living here. I’ve visited major cities and many small towns, but there’s still a lot of the state I haven’t explored yet. Thankfully, there are books, especially in my preferred genre of romance, that allow me a glimpse of places without leaving my favorite reading nook in my home in San Angelo. Here are three romance novels set in Texas, written by Texan authors, that are on top of my TBR mountain:

Redemption, Texas, is the fictional town where Emily March sets her new series, Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas. According to Emily, Redemption is a mash-up of Fredericksburg, Utopia and the Sabinal Canyon, Mineral Wells, and Eternity Springs, her fictional Colorado mountain town.

I reviewed Jackson, the first book in this series, in June last year on my blog, Carpe Diem Chronicles, and wrote, “For me, the setting played a big part in making me enjoy this book as much as the development of the relationship between Jackson and Caroline.”

Tucker, Book 2 of the McBrides of Texas, tells the story of the titular character, Tucker McBride, a former US Army Ranger, and Gillian Thacker, a wedding planner. Tucker sets up his wilderness skills training school next to Gillian’s bridal shop in downtown Redemption. It’s a love-at-first-sight/opposites-attract romance with low heat. It’ll be available for purchase February 25.

Hebbronville, Texas. Holly Castillo’s Texas Navy SEALs series is set in the real Texas town of Hebbronville. It's roughly an hour north of the border, and the closest city is Laredo. Driving through there, the old phrase "blink and you'll miss it" applies. It's off of the main highway, and it used to rely heavily on the railroad for shipping cattle, grain, and other agricultural products.

A SEAL Always Wins, Book 2 of Holly’s Texas Navy SEALs series, features Enrique Ramirez, the Navy SEAL, and Elena Gomez, a talented horse trainer. This romantic suspense is spicy, so make sure y’all have a glass of milk ready when you read it. A SEAL Always Wins is available for purchase February 25.

San Antonio, Texas. The Durango Street Theatre series by Emily Mims is set in a community theater (loosely based on the Woodlawn Theatre) in San Antonio and features big-city life in Texas. Wade’s Dangerous Debut, the third installment in this series is proof of the breadth and depth of romance stories that come out of Texas.

This is a male/male romance between Wade Baxter, an emotionally damaged urban cowboy who is the star of the community theater, and Owen Aldrete, a physically scarred former bomb squad cop. If you want your romance inclusive and diverse with lots of explicit sexy times, make sure you pick up Wade’s Dangerous Debut. It’s available now from your favorite book e-tailers.