Dear Reader,

My dad was an impulsive businessman. If he was shown an investment property and was driving through town and saw great interest rates posted in a bank window, he went in and opened an account. If I operated like that, I’d be bankrupt, but Lady Luck smiled on Dad and made him a wealthy man, although you wouldn’t know it by his lifestyle. Quirky? Yes. And after he passed, we found several quirky bequeaths in his will.

When I began talking to Harlequin about creating a new series for Heartwarming, Dad and his last wishes were still very much on my mind. And so Harlan Monroe was born, a man who’d created quite an empire but had unusual ideas about money and how to pass on the important aspects of his legacy to his twelve grandchildren.

Kissed by the Country Doc introduces some of the twelve as seen through the eyes of Ella Bowman Monroe. Three years ago, orphaned Ella fell in love with one of Harlan’s grandchildren instantly—not that any of the other Monroes believed in love at first sight. Now widowed, Ella doesn’t know how she fits in with the Monroe clan. Enter jaded Dr. Noah Bishop. There’s something about Ella he can’t resist. Is it love at first sight? I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

I hope you come to love The Mountain Monroes as much as I do. Happy reading!

Melinda Curtis