Kimberly Rocha's TOP TEN "Best of the West" for 2015

If you've been reading Romance for long, you've heard of the book club, Book Obsessed Chicks. 

Kimberly Rocha is the founder, as well as reviewer-blogger. She lives on Long Island with her family who patiently moves out of the way on book club night.  They lend a hand for the Book Obsessed Chicks annual BBQ, bringing authors and readers together on Long Island, NY.   

Kimberly is also a talented photographer with an infectious laugh.  She contributes the monthly column “Western Roundup” to the Romance at Random blog, romanceatrandom.com.

She's also a voracious reader and respected reviewer. Each year, she publishes a "Top 10" list of her favorite Western romances, both contemporary and historical. We've been finding some great reads on these lists, as well as fantastic authors to feature on Get Lost in a Story. 

Let's see what she has in store for us this year...

Kim's TOP 10 BEST OF THE WEST for 2015

1. Texas Rebels: Egan by Linda Warren

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Big-city art instructor Rachel Hollister isn't back home in Horseshoe, Texas, for more than a few hours before she's lost and stranded in the woods surrounding Rebel Ranch. But Rachel's bad luck takes a sudden turn for the better when a ruggedly handsome cowboy manages to save her life, not just once, but twice, in the same day.

Rancher Egan Rebel can't resist helping someone in need, even an enemy—or the daughter of one. It was Rachel's father who unjustly sentenced Egan to prison years ago. As attracted as he is to Rachel and her bright, creative energy, Egan can't forgive the man who stole his freedom. Can Egan let go of the past, or will he turn his back on the only woman he's ever loved?

2. Fugitive Hearts: E.E. Burke 

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FUGITIVE HEARTS the fourth book in the Steam! Romance and Rails series is an exciting follow-up to A DANGEROUS PASSION. Claire Daines has a lot on her plate with a husband who suffers from his memories of the war, the boy she has taken in due to his poor circumstances and the fact that her husband goes behind her back to sell her hotel. Even a strong woman can only take so much until breaking. Frank Garrity has also suffered loss in his lifetime and has ended up using alcohol as his solace. He does his job well but beyond that, his life doesn't have a whole lot of meaning until Claire Daines disrupts it.

Both Claire and Frank are strong and intriguing characters with fascinating beginnings. Billy is also a pivotal part of this story and for someone so young, he has a lot going on. FUGITIVE HEARTS is a well-written and engrossing tale that takes place during a very unsettling time in U.S. history. Ms. Burke has gone and effortlessly captured the aura of Westward expansion within the railroad and has made it her own. E.E. Burke has given the reader excitement and romance wound up in a gripping tale called FUGITIVE HEARTS.

3. Texas Prey: Barb Han

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TEXAS PREY, the first in the Mason Ridge series by the very talented, Barb Han is a fast paced and wonderfully scripted tale. Her characters are interesting and have depth, they are real and emotional.

Rancher Brody Fields stops cold when he receives a plea for help from Rebecca Hughes. The onetime love of his life, who was abducted along with her brother fifteen years ago, now believes the kidnapper has returned to tie up loose ends. Rebecca needs Brody's help bringing the kidnapper—or killer—to justice.

This story, teeming with hope is just the sort of read this reader is looking for. TEXAS PREY had me biting my nails and then finally succumbing to tears. 

I thought I was going to get away without those tears, how silly was I?

4. Wild Cowboy Ways: Carolyn Brown

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Sometimes all love needs is a little luck.

Allie Logan isn't the type to land a hot hunk of cowboy. Truth is, she's given up on dating since shedding her no-good ex. But the new owner of the most ramshackle ranch in Texas might just change her mind about that. He's six-foot-plus of tall, dark, and charming—the kind of guy who could make a girl throw caution to the wind . . . or the kind of guy who could break her heart.

Blake Dawson hopes he can make Lucky Penny Ranch finally live up to its name, but the property needs a ton of work. Allie and her carpentry skills are his best shot at getting things in order. Besides the fact that her brown eyes and dangerous curves have him roped and tied. Now Blake only needs to convince her that a wild cowboy can be tamed by love—and she's just the one to do it.

5. Lone Wolf Lawman: Delores Fossen

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A Texas Ranger must protect the daughter of a serial killer from becoming his next victim…

Breaking into the home of the woman who shared his bed three months ago isn't Weston Cade's usual MO. But the Texas Ranger is on a personal vendetta to catch a killer, and Addie Crockett is the man's biological daughter. The beautiful rancher also happens to be carrying Wes's child…

Addie can't remember her birth father, but she'll never forget the lover who took her to bed -- and then disappeared. Now she has to trust Wes with her life. And the life of their unborn baby. As desire reignites, Addie quickly discovers that with this lawman by her side, she just might escape the target on her back

6. Lucky Shot: B.J. Daniels

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When hotshot reporter Max Malone gets a rare shot of Buckmaster Hamilton with a blonde woman near Beartooth, Montana, he chases down one of the senator's daughters to verify that the woman is his supposedly long-dead first wife. But Kat Hamilton won't give him the time of day, let alone any information about her mother.

With his tousled blond hair, sexy stubble and an old straw cowboy hat topping off his long, lean frame, Kat can just tell Max isn't used to female sources denying him anything. But when her own life is put in jeopardy, it's Max who comes to her rescue. Seems someone is prepared to kill to keep the past in the past. Kat can't deny she needs Max to find out what happened to her mother, but will getting closer and closer to each other lead them to the truth... or to danger?

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7. The Widow’s Choice: Hildie McQueen

Comely widow Charlotte Kennedy is in over her head. Between running a huge ranch and keeping a cruel rancher at arms length, she doesn't need the added distraction of romance. 

Colter Valley calls to Rafe Preston, who decides to purchase land and settle there. When he accepts a temporary job at a beautiful widow's ranch, he has no idea how much it will impact his plans.

Passion, deception and treachery, blend into a beautiful love story, set in 1860s Montana Territory.

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8. Contract to Wed: Holly Bush

I simply love this book. I can honestly admit that I have never been let down by one word that Holly Bush has ever written. 

Ms. Bush's writing is solid and fraught with emotion. Taking a much hated character and turning the tides on her is an undertaking that Holly Bush has done with success. 

Max and the menagerie of colorful characters in his Hacienda, makes Contract to Wed a story not to be missed.

9. Adam: Beth Williamson

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Devils on Horseback: Generations, Book 1

Sometimes the universe has to turn your life sideways so love can find its way in.

As the oldest of five, Adam Sheridan’s life is full of obligations. He longs to do something, anything, besides working his family’s flour mill in Tanger, Texas. His mama always says the universe moves in its own sweet time. Apparently the universe was waiting for his wagon load of flour to overturn so he could meet the woman he was destined to love.

Eve Tate is a woman from nowhere with a shady past and an uncertain future. When she is left behind in Adam’s care, she reinvents herself again to be his perfect mate. Little does she know who she was will haunt who she tries to be. And, just like the couples of old, Adam and Eve must find a way to live together—or lose everything they have

10. A Cowboy of Her Own: Marin Thomas

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A Cowboy Of Her Own by Marin Thomas is a superbly written ending to an amazing series. Every single character Ms. Thomas writes is an old friend the reader wants to help find his or hers HEA. The Cash family are real people, with real issues that make her books so delightful to read. Watching the Cash Family grow from just the siblings to all the significant others and their offspring and then-some is a wonder to watch. 

Porter has been a favorite from the very beginning, with his easy-going manner, his loyalty to his family and his great sense of humor, it's a sublime feeling to see him come full circle and get all he dreams of. I will miss this family and this series, but I know that, Ms. Thomas has so much more in store for her readers. I so highly recommend A Cowboy Of Her Own. It is a story that will stick with you.

As this year draws to a close and we enter 2016, we wish for you, our readers, many happy hours with books from your favorite authors and the joy of discovering new stories to get lost in!