Showing results by author "Deanna Lynn Sletten" in All Categories

Diane picked up her mother’s phone. “How do you feel about your mother being let out of prison today after 65 years?” the reporter asked. Diane stared at her mother. “My grandmother is alive?” That one phone call hurled shock waves throughout the entire family. 1955 - Anna Bergman Craine’s life changes in an instant when she commits a crime of passion and is sentenced to life in prison. Leaving behind two young children, she is left alone in the world, never to hear from family or friends again.

She rode with the most famous outlaws of her time. From the deserts of Texas to the sweeping vistas of Wyoming, the refinement of New York City to the lush valleys of Argentina, Etta followed the outlaw men she loved so dearly. Then, she disappeared.

Two strong women, generations apart, living parallel lives. When Marla Madison’s husband dies, she realizes her life has become very small. Her daughter is grown and Marla has spent the past two decades focused on his friends, his interests, and his home. Feeling lost, she throws herself into fixing up the 150-year-old family manor on the lake. She soon discovers an old journal in a secret drawer and is instantly intrigued. The handwritten book tells the tale of another Mrs. Madison from over a century ago, the first woman to live in the lake manor.

Everyone believes Rachel is dead. But she’s very much alive. Rachel Scott Emery’s life unravels when she comes upon an old news article online that states she was killed 35 years ago at the age of eight. Even more shocking is her murderer was her then 16-year-old brother. Realizing she must untangle the mess, Rachel leaves her Tallahassee, Florida, home and goes back to Casita, California, to prove she is still alive. But going home again isn’t easy.

Ryan Collier has lived a quiet life with his golden retriever, Sam, and two orange tabbies since the death of his wife nearly three years ago. Friends and family are encouraging him to move on and find someone new to share his life with, but Ryan feels he will never find someone he can love as much as his wife. Ryan reluctantly gives in and starts going out on weekends, and soon discovers that women have changed as well as the rules of dating.

Rachel Emery hadn’t planned on investigating a murder mystery again after her first and only experience solving a long-ago murder. But when her friend, romance writer Ariel Weathers, called her, frantic about her dead ex-husband stalking her, Rachel was too intrigued and agreed to investigate it. As Rachel digs up information about Randall’s death, new twists and turns keep springing up, taking her in every direction. And when the original case investigator, Jack Meyers, joins in, they seem destined for choppy waters.

Maggie Harrison is a devoted wife and mother, until one day, without planning to, she drives away, leaving behind her indifferent husband and two sulking teenagers. Maggie goes off on a quest of self-exploration, enjoying adventures, meeting new people, and rediscovering her passions. For the first time in years, she dreams of what she wants out of life, and realizes that her deteriorating marriage can no longer continue as it is. Can she and Andrew repair their broken relationship, or is their marriage over?

Poring over a dusty hatbox of photographs in her grandmother's closet, Emily Prentice is shocked to discover her father was married and divorced before meeting her mother. In the summer of 1968, Jack and Libbie fall in love under the spell of their small town, untouched by the chaos of the late '60s. Though Libbie's well-to-do parents disapprove of Jack's humble background, she marries Jack a year after they graduate high school. But soon their happiness crumbles as Libbie's mental state unravels and she is drawn to alcohol and drugs.

1917—Sofiya and her friend Alina are forced to flee Russia as Tsar Nicholas II abdicates and the Bolsheviks take control of St. Petersburg. Their parents send them to America where Alina's distant cousin lives, but soon the girls learn they have traded one danger for another. They are forced to earn a living in the most terrible way, and once again, both girls flee for their lives in separate directions. Years later, trapped in a bitter marriage, Sofiya once again finds herself running away to protect her son and the secret she's been hiding since leaving Russia.

Michael DeCara came home from the Vietnam War a wounded man, both physically and emotionally. He tried putting his life back together but found civilian life difficult after the horror he'd experienced. Raising his young daughter Vanessa by himself after his wife left him, he found it difficult to commit to one job or one woman for any length of time. Then Michael met a young woman who made him feel alive again. But a life-changing event occurred, and he had to choose between his past and the present.

Sometimes the only one standing in the way of your happiness is you. Debbie Adams has never thought of herself as beautiful or witty. Her short, curvy stature has always made her feel self-conscious. One March day, frantic to get in shape before a friend’s wedding, Debbie forces herself to go biking. As she rides along the icy lake path, she’s startled by a runner and slips and falls. Regaining her bearings, she looks up into a pair of warm, brown eyes and the most handsome face she’s ever seen. Could this tall, extremely fit, and good-looking man be her destiny?

When his estranged wife Jess has a terrible accident, leaving her lying in a coma, Clay Connors returns to his family to care for his two daughters. He has been separated from his family for nearly two years. His eldest daughter Maddie is resentful over his being absent. Sadly, his youngest daughter Jilly barely remembers him.

In the charming Lake Harriet neighborhood where we first met Kristen, Ryan, and their dog Sam in Walking Sam, two people are struggling to put their lives back together with the help of a rambunctious dog named Bailey. There’s one neighbor who isn’t thrilled about Bailey - the hermit across the street. And try as she might, Lisa can’t keep the dog from digging his way out of the yard and running to the hermit’s house. But after one particularly nasty clash with the hermit, Lisa discovers that maybe the man across the street isn’t as terrible as she’d once thought.

Claire Martin's life is perfect, or at least she tells herself it is. She owns a successful clothing boutique, has a steady, dependable boyfriend, and a beautiful grown daughter who is about to be married. Sure, Claire's husband of 20 years left her for a younger woman four years ago, but that is all in the past. Now, Claire is looking forward to her daughter's Bahama wedding and spending a week in paradise. The only thing Claire dreads is her ex-husband and his wife will also be on the island. Claire is determined to make the best of it, though.

Carly Stevens loves to have fun, but her carefree lifestyle has finally caught up with her. Broke and in debt, she heads to Montana to spend the summer with her sister, Andi Brennan, at the Brennan ranch. Her sister agrees she can stay on two conditions - she works to pay down her debt and changes her wild-girl ways. Reluctantly, Carly agrees, but it isn't long before she breaks her promise and finds herself in a bind, and Randy comes to her rescue. Carly begins to see the "crusty old cowboy" in a different light.

Colt Brennan is a sweet, shy cowboy who has spent his life working the family ranch in Montana. He's never thought about doing anything different until the vivacious Carly Stevens steals his heart. On Carly's invitation, Colt leaves everything behind to live with her in Seattle. Although he wants much more with Carly, he finds her slowly pulling away. Colt feels an instant connection with Carly's roommate, Beth Owens, and is intrigued by her quiet kindness and inner strength. Colt finds himself caught between the woman he thinks he loves and the woman he feels a deep connection to.

Charlotte Parsons is devastated over losing her brother in the Vietnam War. Desperate to learn more about the war, she joins a group of college women who send letters to soldiers and befriends Joseph Russo, a young soldier. But a few months after they begin corresponding, his letters stop coming, and Char moves on, still confused as to why so many young lives are being lost so far away from home. Two years later, Char begins college in her small Illinois town of Grand Falls. Then, a stranger comes to town and changes everything.

Mallory Dawson is planning the winter wedding of her dreams. But one month before her wedding, she runs into the man she once loved, who she hasn't seen in 10 years. James Gallagher fled to California 10 years ago to start over after the love of his life, Mallory, refused to marry him. But when his dad passes away and his mother becomes ill, he returns home to help run the family business. Seeing Mallory again brings a flood of memories back.

Ali Jenson's life changed forever the moment her mother died. The 16-year-old was suddenly swept away from the life she knew in California to live with her estranged grandfather in the deep woods of northern Minnesota. Ali's life has never been easy, but it seems her grandfather is trying his best to make it even more difficult. Her only hope is to get through the summer and her last year of high school so she can return to her old life in California.

1934 Young Kathleen Carver dreams of becoming a movie star despite her fathers warnings that she wouldn't want that life. As she grows, she becomes more determined and her strong personality and independent soul won't let her give up. After college, she stays out east and works in the theater. Then her big break comes—Hollywood is calling—and she goes home to California to become the star she always knew she'd be. But there are bumps along the highway to stardom, heartbreak, losses, and scandals. And secrets—so many secrets to keep.