What's our love language? Books! February brings plenty of Texas-connected titles for readers to adore. Whether your heart yearns for mystery or mayhem, flirtation or fantasy, we've got it.
Kellye Abernathy
After a devastating sickness shatters their close-knit beach town, six kids are drawn together during the unpredictable autumn equinox. Among them are fourteen-year-old Lorelei, who yearns to be an oceanographer, and her younger brother, Tad, who possesses an otherworldly curiosity.
When Lorelei has a strange and almost deadly encounter in a sea cave, her loyal boyfriend, Casey, cannot reconcile her fantastical experience with the rational world. Condi, Lorelei’s best friend, understands ocean magic but can't share what she knows. Kait, a girl from Ireland, regrets her impulsive move to America—all because of an odd occurrence involving her dead boyfriend’s lost surfboard. Isaac, the new kid in town who despises the ocean, must face the truth—a vast and powerful magic lives in the deep.
The Doctor Was a Woman: Stories of the First Female Physicians on the Frontier
Chris Enss
"No women need apply." Western towns looking for a local doctor during the frontier era often concluded their advertisements in just that manner. Yet apply they did. And in small towns all over the West, highly trained women from medical colleges in the East took on the post of local doctor to great acclaim. In this new book, author Chris Enss offers a glimpse into the fascinating lives of ten amazing women, including the first female surgeon of Texas, the first female doctor to be convicted of manslaughter in an abortion-related maternal death, and the first woman physician to serve on a State Board of Health.
Lorraine Heath
American Leonora Garrison has come to England in desperate search of investors to keep her family business afloat but instead finds surprising pleasure when she visits an exclusive ladies’ club and dares to kiss a stranger, who leaves her yearning for more.
With a libertine for a father, Viscount Wyeth vowed to live his life above reproach, with nary a hint of disgrace. Until one night, he takes a mysterious beauty into his arms, a lady who tempts him to cast his sterling reputation aside in favor of more wicked pursuits.
When caught in a compromising situation that places everything they hold dear at risk, they must determine how best to win. However, in this scandalous game, nothing except love takes all.
Mi Carnal Frank: A Family Memoir and Biography of U.S. Congressman Frank Mariano Tejeda Jr.
Juan Tejeda
Written by Frank’s brother, Juan Tejeda, Mi Carnal Frank tells the story of the Tejeda family and Frank’s life from birth to a premature death at age 51.
Utilizing interviews with family and close friends along with 127 photos, documents, and newspaper articles, Mi Carnal Frank chronicles Frank’s life.
Readers journey through Frank's early years being raised by poor Mexicano parents on the southside of San Antonio and his Marine Corps service and combat duty in Vietnam. From there, readers witness Frank's college years and his 20-year career as an elected public servant, first as a Texas State Representative, then a Texas Senator, and as U.S. Congressman.
Joel Burcat
Reap the Wind is The Perfect Storm meets The Firm.
Three lawyers flee Houston heading to Cincinnati in a rented Lincoln Town Car. They must drive across Texas and the Midwest in the midst of the worst climate change-induced hurricane of the century so Josh Goldberg can be with his girlfriend who is giving birth to their baby. They have to survive a hurricane, tornado, hailstorm, driving rain, and each other to get there.
Josh’s travel companions are his best friend—an alcoholic, drug-addicted lawyer—and his boss who connives to derail his plans so she can get to Philadelphia for a business meeting with a Norwegian billionaire. The odyssey is dangerous on many levels and may be a suicide trip.
Gretchen McCullough
Shahrazad’s Gift is a collection of linked short stories set in contemporary Cairo—magical, absurd and humorous. The author focuses on the off-beat, little-known stories, far from CNN news: a Swedish belly dancer who taps into the Oriental fantasies of her clientele; a Japanese woman studying Arabic, driven mad by the noise and chaos of the city; a frustrated Egyptian housewife who becomes obsessed by the activities of her Western gay neighbor; an American journalist who covered the civil war in Beirut who finds friendship with her Egyptian dentist. We also meet the two protagonists of McCullough's Confessions of a Knight Errant, before their escapades in that story. These stories are told in the tradition of A Thousand and One Nights.
Ann Swann
Laynie and Trace were more than just friends, they were in love. But when tragedy struck, Trace’s parents felt compelled to move as far from Beach Way as possible. Laynie was left behind, heartbroken, and alone. But she was no quitter. She picked herself up and made a wonderful life for herself. She heard he’d done the same down in Texas. Now he was back, standing in the doorway of her precious flower shop, taking up all the space just like he used to do.
What was he doing here, after all this time?
DiAnn Mills
In 1935, socialite Eva Fortier witnesses her grandfather’s murder and must flee New York to ensure her safety. Leaving behind a life of wealth, she seeks refuge in the secluded high desert area of Ghost Ranch, New Mexico.
Navajo doctor Tahoma Benally has his hands full caring for his people’s medical needs. He certainly doesn’t have time to fall in love. But when Tahoma’s father asks him to help fulfill a vow he’d made to Eva’s father, Tahoma has no choice but to oblige. In the process he finds himself drawn to the woman he’s promised to protect.
With an elusive killer stalking Eva, and barriers of race and culture standing between her and Tahoma, does love stand a chance of blooming in the desert?
Visions (Olivia Osborne Crime Series, Book 3)
Lisa Compton
After unleashing the magic of her ancestors, Olivia Osborne finds herself plagued by visions just as she and Silas Branch are thrust back into a case they knew was never finished.
Under the moss-covered trees of a small town in Florida exists an ancient evil that hungers for more. Following the death screams of a young girl, Olivia uncovers the secrets of a killer. Larry Wayne Pittman confessed his crimes, but he has one final request before he meets his fate. He has a message for Olivia Osborne that will change her life and unlock her own secrets.
Olivia’s visions aren’t an evolution but a side-effect, and she cannot protect what she does not understand.
A Day Ago (Prequel to the Mylas Grey Mystery Series)
Luana Ehrlich
Although Attorney Mylas Grey prefers investigating crimes to defending murderers, he likes his salary with the McKinney Law Firm too much to change professions. But then, the unexpected happens one Saturday morning in May. The law firm owner suddenly dies of a heart attack, giving Mylas a chance to make a life-changing decision. That is, unless a killer puts an end to his future plans . . . and his future.
Ranch Girl and the Orphan Lamb Adventure
Brenda Ethridge Ferguson
Ranch Girl and the Orphan Lamb Adventure takes the reader back to America’s rural roots where family, a best friend, and a special pet has a place in the world of adventure. Kelsi Fairgate craves excitement in the coming summer, though she lives on a remote Texas ranch. All looks hopeless until her parents bring in an orphan lamb from the sheep pasture, and Kelsi has a grand idea. Her parents usually give such animals away, but they allow Kelsi two weeks to change their minds. In a world of lonely summers, can Kelsi convince her parents to let her keep the lamb?
Eddie Vega
Somos Nopales has been called beautiful, powerful, and chingón. It's the poetic journey of the son of a Mexican immigrant written as he navigates a world where American, Mexican, and Mexican-American cultures collide, co-mingle, and occasionally cooperate. The book serves as a tour into a Nepantlero heart, moving in and among the in-between spaces where the poet often finds himself. Along the journey, readers will meet Vega's family along with other characters who enrich the South Texas narrative. Poems touch on subjects including: identity, immigration, family history, and Chicano culture.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
There are so many Texas-connected books publishing this month that we couldn’t feature all of them. The following books also publish in February:
CHILDREN'S, MIDDLE GRADE, & YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
ABC Farm Animals by Jessica Anderson
The Cusser Club by Randall Northcutt
Emergence (Black Demon Tales, Volume 1) by David Bowles
Florescent (The Thirteen Origins) by Hector Gonzalez
Matagorda Magic by Kimberly Ridley
The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi
Samson & Domingo by Gume Laurel
Where is Poppy? by Caroline Kusin Pritchard
Witch, Please... by Sarah Noffke and Michael Anderle
NONFICTION / POETRY
The Army Under Fire: The Politics of Antimilitarism in the Civil War Era by Cecily N. Zander
Building Antebellum New Orleans by Tara Dudley
Eschatology in Crayon Wax by Joshua Robbins
Gather 'Round: Gatherings in Texas and the Southwest by Kristina Downs
Houston and the Permanence of Segregation by David Ponton III
More Finish Lines to Cross: Notes on Race, Redemption, and Hope by Cary Clark
More Historic Homes of Waco, Texas by Kenneth Hafertepe
Norsemen Deep in the Heart of Texas by Gunnar Nerheim
Occupy Whiteness by Joaquín Zihuatanejo
On the Way: My Life and Times by Frank Denius
The Other Side of Nowhere by Roy Morey
Roots, Heart, Soul by Todd Richards & Amy Paige Condon
Run It Like A Business by Audrey Bergauer
Shearing Sheep and Angora Goats the Texas Way by Robert Aguero & Arnoldo De León
Six Constitutions Over Texas by William J. Chriss
Soul Farmer by Dena Jansen
Struggle for a Free South Africa by Derek Charles Castsum
The Texas Archive War: Houston and Lamar Battle for the Capital by Lora-Marie Bernard & Lindsay Scovil
We've Got Issues by Phillip C. McGraw
MYSTERY / THRILLER / FANTASY
All the Rage in Texas by Russ Hall
Beyond Enemies by Marisa Wolf
Deadly Wildflowers by Rayna Morgan
Death by Flapper by Brittany E. Brinegar
A Hoot And A Hex by Leanne Leeds
The Itch of Scandal by Christa Nardi
Legacy of Hate by L J Morris
Lost in Uncertain by Kristi Copeland
The Murder Plague by Scott Michael Powers
The Mystery in Moonshine by Lindsay Emory
Once Upon a Murder by Samantha Larsen
Outlaw by Jack Stewart
Rage in the Wilderness by Kathryn Lane
Sleuths, Sabotage, and Sandcastles by Brittany Brinegar
Swamp Spies by Jana DeLeon
The Wife You Know by Chad Zunker
The Wilderness Trap by Jodi Linton
ROMANCE
Barbara's Beau by Kirsten Osbourne
Between Us Birds by Jacqueline Grandey
The Bounty Hunter's Sister by Jovie Grace
Butter My Biscuit by Lyla Parish
Carolina Crossing by Kit Hawthorne
Catching Rose by Virginia Barlow
Charmed in an Arranged Marriage by Dorothy Sheldon
Cloudy with a Chance of Love by Olivia Sands
The Cowboy Billionaire's Playbook by Sylvia McDaniel
The Cowboy's Prize by Jamie K. Schmidt
The Cowboy's Road Trip by Stella Bagwell
Defending Their Future by Jenna Brandt
The Duke's Unexpected Love by Alexa Aston
First Kiss Anthology
Fortune in Name Only by Tara Taylor Quinn
Gentlemen & Gloves Anthology by Bianca Blythe & Cecilia Rene
Honor Versus Lies by Judy McGonagill
The Joan Wilder Effect by Lori Wilde
Killing Booth by Lani Lynn Vale
Kiss Me February by Brokerah Brumley
A Lady's Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell
Little Drop of Blood by Clio Evans
Little Lies & Valentines: A Dark Stalker Romance by Lashell Rain
Lone Star Rescue by Delores Fossen
May the Froth Be With You by Ginny Sterling
Mine to Protect by Kameron Claire
Put a Ring Around the Rosie by PG Forte
Ranger Loyalty by Lynn Shannon
Recapturing Her Heart by Jennifer Slattery
Reputation by Jenna Hartley
Rocky Road by Becky Wade
The Serious Date by Laura Domino
Sheriff's City Girl by Olivia Reign
Texas Cowboy Sweetheart by Rebecca Crowley
Texas Ever After by Sherryl Woods
The Trouble with a Valentine's Cowboy by Debra Clopton
Waiting for Midnight by Mari Carr
Where Love Lasts by Eliza Ester
Wrangling a Lucky Cowboy by Katie Lane
OTHER FICTION
An American Band by Travis Burkett
An Angel Called Peterbilt by Gorg Huff, Paula Goodlett, & Eric Flint
The Blueprint by Rae Giana Rashad
The Book of Ile-Rien by Martha Wells
Catch a Falling Star by James J. Griffin
Coming Home by Julieann Dove
The Desperadoes of Gallows Gulch by Clay Houston Shivers
Little Hatchet by Phil Oakley
Meant for Me by Tay Marley
Never Let Them See You Bleed by William W. Johnstone & J.A. Johnstone
Once a Homecoming Queen by Joan Moran
The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill
The Unlikely Twins and More Stories by Ed Fair
While the City Sleeps by Elizabeth Camden
The Worst Rescuers in the Federation by Skyler Ramirez
The Young of Other Animals by Chris Candor
Want to make sure your forthcoming Texas-connected titles are included in our feature? Email us at Publicity@LoneStarLiterary.
