By Bridget E. Baker

Purple Puppy Publishing, 2022. 310 pages. Romance

Kristiana Liepa was supposed to use the money to save her family farm. She was NOT supposed to spend it all to save a massive, black stallion. But when she saw how he was being treated, what's a vet to do? She had no idea that gorgeous beast was really a powerful (and morally gray) magician who had been cursed by a witch, or that she was the only one who could reverse the curse. And she couldn't possibly have known how that one rash decision would irrevocably change her life . . . and his.

What do you do when you find out the Horse you bought to save from being treated cruelly instead of saving your farm is actually a magical shifter trapped in horse form?  Fall in love with him, of course!  But don't forget about your billionaire ex-boyfriend who's back on the dating market, because he's ready to solve all of your financial troubles and get back together with you, too!  With plenty of romantic tension, a love triangle, and many horse races, this book is sure to leave both romance and horse-lovers satisfied. While the romance isn't exactly squeaky clean, much of the romantic encounters are left mainly to the reader's imagination, leaving it on the mild side of things.  This book is also the first in its series, so make sure to stay tuned for the next one!

Country Strong

By Linda Lael Miller

HQN, 2020. 376 pages. Romance

Cord Hollister is a true cowboy at heart. As a man who has devoted his life to training horses under the big skies of Montana, he thrives on the stability of ranch life. But when a girl arrives in Painted Pony Creek with a shocking secret, Cord's orderly life is upended. She's the spitting image of the first woman who broke his heart--a woman he hasn't seen in years--and he'll do whatever he can to help her. He just can't do it alone... Shallie Fletcher left heartbreak where it belongs--in the past. And she's done everything she can to reinvent herself and move on. But when an opportunity arises to partner with a therapeutic riding program for kids, Shallie can't resist seeking out Cord for lessons. Back in school, he was the crush she couldn't forget, even though he only had eyes for her best friend. Seeing him now floods her with memories... and fills her with hope. Could the one who got away be the one who stays?

Bears Behaving Badly

By MaryJanice Davidson

SourcebooksCasablanca, 2020. 377 pages. Romance

Werebear shifter Annette Garsea is a caseworker for the Interspecies Placement Agency. When a selectively mute and freakishly strong Teen werewolf is put in her custody, Annette has to uncover the young girl's secrets if she's to have any hopes of helping her. And not even the growling of a scruffy private investigator can distract her from her mission ... Bear shifter David Auberon appreciates Annette's work with at-risk teen shifters, but he's not sure if her latest charge is so much a vulnerable teen as a predator who should be locked up. All that changes when he, Annette, and her motley band of juveniles find themselves dodging multiple murder attempts and uncovering a trafficking cartel that doesn't just threaten the kids, but risks discovery of the shifters by the wider world of homo sapiens.

ERB