Playing for Keeps is the brand-new sequel to Playing by Heart.This new collection contains both of these charming novellas in one volume.InPlaying by Heart, young English professor Arthur Tyler struggles to manage the bed and breakfast he and his wife, Annie, owned before her untimely death. Lonely, he jumps at the chance to offer temporary office space at the inn for the new neighbor of his elderly friend Ginny. It turns out Madeleine Houser is a successful author whose novels Annie had read voraciously. Since Art is always teaching when Maddie is writing at the inn, they’ve never met, but learn to know each other through daily notes and text messages. A major misunderstanding takes a decidedly romantic turn when Art and Maddie finally meet and discover each other’s true identity. Even so, there are obstacles to overcome before their romance can blossom.The love story of Art and Maddie continues in Playing for Keeps. But their fledgling marriage faces challenges when expectations collide. Now, newlyweds Art and Maddie are struggling to find their way together. When Maddie is offered a chance to take a research trip to Paris, it appears a short separation might help them both figure out what happily-ever-after looks like for them. Yet even the beautiful City of Lights is lonely without the man she loves with all her heart, and with five thousand miles separating them, how can they ever work things out when different time zones and frenzied schedules conspire to keep them incommunicado?Playing by Heart, a Carol Award winner and Christy Award finalist, was originally published in 2004. In 2014 the story was revised and published as A January Bride, part of the Winter Brides collection. Now, two decades later in 2024, Raney Day Press is delighted to offer Playing for Keeps, the all new sequel to Playing by Heart, both collected in this two-novella volume.

Will love survive when truth takes aim at their secrets? Sharpshooter Preston Baker has spent a lifetime confronting danger head-on. So when a heartfelt letter arrives from his big sister asking for help, he doesn’t hesitate to put his traveling show career on hold and journey to her remote desert ranch, determined to make amends for past failures. What he doesn't expect is to discover his long-lost little sister and her best friend, Lucy, are both hard at work on the ranch. Unbeknownst to anyone, Lucy Arlidge’s decision to travel to a remote desert ranch was born as much from desperation as friendship. Fleeing San Francisco may have saved Lucy’s life, but the decision left others in danger. To thwart the evil plans of those who pursue her and her family, Lucy must keep her new gem-mining operation concealed and her secrets safe. Preston is drawn to the mysterious woman, despite her plans to marry the neighboring rancher. Lucy’s quiet strength and undeniable beauty beckon him like a campfire in the wilderness, offering light amidst the dark memories and deepest fears resurrected by the presence of his sisters. But as danger closes in, Preston and Lucy must confront their pasts to save not only their own futures, but the lives of everyone they love.

Romance blossoms between friends, work colleagues, and even frenemies in these clean, faith-filled, friends-to-love romances. Each couple overcomes past heartaches, deals with real-life challenges, and finds hope despite an uncertain future with God's help, while discovering their forever love was there with them all along. If you love to read clean and sweet romances where friends become so much more, take a look at this lovely set of eight previously published heartwarming and uplifting romances (plus a bonus novella)! HIS RADIANT BRIDE (from Sweetapple Falls) She's sworn off love. He wants to give his daughter a loving home. Neither of them want to risk their heart. It should be a perfect marriage. But then he falls in love with his bride...friends to lovesingle dad/ teachermarriage of conveniencesmall rural townMORE THAN FRIENDS (from The Macleans) One summer's day at an Edinburgh beach with a dog and a busload of very special kids could change both their lives...nurse/ physical therapistwork colleagues / friendsspecial needs / differently abled childrenbrother's best friendA LESSON IN LOVE (from The Macleans) As they work together on a garden at their church, can two teachers learn God’s lessons in love, or will the secrets she's afraid to share keep them apart?work colleagues/ friendshealth challengescaregivingEdinburghCHERISH ME (from Chapel Cove Romances) Can her reluctant return home reignite romance for a plain accountant and her high school crush, the scarred local cop?small townturning 40high-school sweethearts reuniteopposites attractquirky bookstoreeven quirkier pets!STAND BY ME (from Chapel Cove Romances) He’s big city, she’s small town. He’s a fast-paced CEO, she’s a slowed-down artist. He loves the night life, she loves the quiet life. He’s wealthy, she... well, isn’t. Can such opposites make love work?internet friendshipopposites attractdifferent lifestylesinterracialhealth challengesDOLCE VITA (from A Tuscan Legacy / That Sunflower Summer) A sweeter life of love awaits her. But can she accept it?long term friends and work colleaguesWales and Tuscanyfamily conflict, secrets, and mysteryforgiveness and healingMIDNIGHT CLEAR (from Huckleberry Lake) He could be her Mr. Right. Only she knows the huge past heartbreak she hides means she’s his Ms Wrong.frenemiesteacher/ handymangrumpy/ sunshinematchmaking friendssmall-town Christmashealing from griefINVITATION TO THE BALL (from Love in Store) When the department manager she's secretly crushed on for years invites the shy store florist to partner him to a glittering ball, it's a dream come true! But can she let love in, or will fear and doubt send her running at midnight?friends-to-lovemakeoverCinderella retellingLondonGod-given confidenceBONUS NOVELLA: LAST CHRISTMAS (from The Blue Door) Last Christmas, an argument tore them apart. This Christmas, can they see beyond their trouble pasts past to the future God intends for them?long-term friendsreunion / second chancesLondonChristmas in a homeless shelterfinding a more meaningful life directionI hope you're blessed by these emotional, tender, God-honoring and ultimately uplifting stories.Autumn PS - My stories set in the UK use British English spelling and grammar. This can look "wrong" to US readers!

In this inspirational romance, a pregnant woman with amnesia begins to fall in love again with her estranged cowboy husband.Suffering amnesia after a car accident, Rebecca Hamilton arrives back in Serendipity, Texas, pregnant and seeking the baby’s father—her estranged husband, Tanner. Returning to the ranch house they once shared is her best chance at regaining her memories. But will recalling the tragic reason they separated only drive a bigger wedge between Rebecca and the man she’s falling for all over again?

"Not Like the Other Girls" is a touching and emotional novel that takes readers on a journey through the life of Kathleen Johnson. Raised by her loving grandparents on a Southern farm, Kathleen's life is filled with faith, love, and determination. Drawn to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps of helping people, she decides on a nursing career. There, she meets and falls in love with the perfect guy, Matthew Hollings, and soon finds herself walking the aisle and making a lifetime commitment to loving him. But when she discovers his dark secret, she is forced to return to her grandparents' farm to figure things out and decide what to do.To her surprise, she encounters a farm hand from her past, whom she must forgive in order to move forward. As her faith wavers and she finds herself in unknown territory, she must make a choice to trust without faltering or sink below the waves of fear.Heartbreak and secrets are at the center of this captivating novel, but ultimately it is a story of redemption and how God seeks out the brokenhearted to call His Own. "Not Like the Other Girls" reminds readers that though we may be a product of our past, our future is a fresh, clean slate waiting to be written.

He's back in town after a successful country music career. She owns a bordering farm to the family land he wants to buy...and she outbids him at the auction. Can Tex and Abigail rekindle their old flame, or will the issue of land ownership come between them?Tex Young has spent the last two decades traveling around the world with his brothers as part of Country Quad, a successful cowboy boy band. He's stepping back from the band and returning to his roots in Coral Canyon, where the Young brothers all grew up.Their father sold the family ranch several years ago when none of them wanted it, and Tex, along with his son, rolls into town the day before an auction for the land. He wants it. He talks to some of his brothers, and they decide to try to get the ranch back.Abigail Ingalls has other plans for that land, as it borders her small farm, which she's labored on with her disabled brother for the past two decades...after Tex left her in Coral Canyon so he could go live the country music star life. The land isn't taken care of, and she wants to add it to what she owns and create an oasis out of weeds.Abby and Tex both show up at the auction, and they both want that land. The sparks between them are as hot as they were twenty years ago, but Tex tells himself it's because the uppity town librarian outbid him and bought his family ranch.So he devises another plan to get the ranch back...and that includes taking his gorgeous, former girlfriend to dinner a time or two. Can Tex and Abby build a real, lasting relationship now that they're both back in Coral Canyon for good? Or will Tex's plan to get his family ranch back end up breaking both of their hearts?