Linda Lael Miller Books to Ride Off Into the Sunset With 

Though Miller is known for her western romances, we cannot deny the genius that is her Black Rose Chronicles series. In the first installment, Forever and the Night, senator’s aide Neely Wallace is introduced to the charming and reclusive millionaire Aidan Tremayne. 

Eventually, she comes to the realization that he is, in fact, a centuries-old vampire. For anyone who has been personally victimized by the formulaic vampire tropes of the early 2000’s fear not—this book is hailed for being a true love story, with the vampire details almost on the back-burner.

The second book in the Black Rose Chronicles series is the story of Maeve Tremayne, Aidan’s sister. This book takes place over several centuries, as Maeve can travel through time, but begins with Maeve meeting Dr. Calder Holdbrook during the American Civil War, where they are both tending to the sick and wounded in the battlefield. 

Along Maeve’s romantic ride of (several) lifetimes, a rogue vampire, Lizette, has threatened to destroy everything unless Maeve can take her down. 

In Time Without End, the third book in the Black Rose Chronicles, we get to know star-crossed lovers Valerian and Brenna more personally. The two suffered a terrible accident in the 14th century, and while Valerian was turned into a vampire, Brenna’s suffering was fatal. 

But once every 100 years, Brenna is reincarnated as a human and Valerian falls in love with her again and again, though their union is cursed and Brenna never survives. This time though, Valerian is determined not to lose her again, whatever it takes. 

In the final book of the Black Rose Chronicles, we meet Kristina, the daughter of Maeve and Calder. While she is the daughter of vampires, she herself is not a vampire, though she does have magical powers. She tries to live as humanely as possible, but she is over 130 years old – and also a suffering widow who has vowed to never love another. 

Until she meets Max Kilcarragh, another widower with two young daughters. She realizes that he is the man she’s been waiting for her whole life, but outside forces threaten to dissuade their union. 

Getting into what Miller is best known for, Once a Rancher is the story of Slater Carson, businessman by day, cowboy by night. He knows the value of a hard day’s work, so when he sees rebellious teen Ryder heading down a dangerous path, he offers him a job on his ranch. It just so happens that Ryder’s temporary guardian is the gorgeous new resort manager, Grace Emery. 

But Grace doesn’t have time for romance; and her attraction to Slater is making her job of taking care of her ex-husband’s rebel son much more difficult than it already is. But she’s about to find out just how far Slater will go to prove that love is always worth fighting for. 

Drake Carson is the epitome of a cowboy; in charge of his family’s ranch, he knows this life all too well, and isn’t looking for anyone’s opinions on how to run it. But then Luce Hale, a researcher studying how wild horses interact with ranch animals and ranchers, is invited to stay with his family. And she starts offering her so-called expert opinion every chance she gets. 

They’re at odds from the very beginning, especially about the rogue stallion that’s been stealing the ranch mares. But when Drake finds out Luce is in danger, everything begins to change. 

In the late 1800s, if you were sentenced to the gallows, it was the end for you. That’s why Holt McKettrick up and left his bride and family on the spot when he got news that his best friend and the man who raised him like a father were in line for the gallows. 

He never anticipated meeting a woman like Lorelei Fellows when he made it there, though. Setting fire to her wedding dress in the town square probably didn’t help her make her point like she wanted, but she’d had enough of men and their vile schemes. All she wanted was her own little piece of Texas. And with Holt McKettrick as her neighbor, she may just get it. 

This is the story of Lizzie McKettrick, the little girl that Holt found out was his in McKettrick’s Choice. Now 19 years old, Lizzie is coming back home to Indian Rock for the holidays to become a schoolteacher. Accompanying her is Whitley Carlson, who she is hoping will propose sometime over the holiday. 

But then the train they’re taking home is buried in an avalanche, allowing Lizzie to see Whitley's true (and money-hungry) colors. She and Morgan Shane, a doctor aboard the train who is also headed to Indian Rock to become the town doctor, take charge of the situation and make sure all the train passengers are well-cared for. 

She decides that if they all get out of this alive, she won’t marry Whitley…but whether or not they’ll make it home for a McKettrick Christmas, and whether or not she’ll marry Morgan Shane are two mysteries you’ll have to read to discover. 

The Creeds are descendants of the legendary McKettrick family, and known in Stillwater Springs, Montana for raising hell. Logan Creed, after years of meandering, has finally decided to settle down back home to use his dusty law degree, bring his neglected family ranch back to life, and have Creeds of his own. 

Briana Grant, a single mother and neighbor of Logan, has heard her gorgeous neighbor’s story, so she’s glad that he’s chosen to be kind to her boy, especially after her ex moseys back into town. And he only proves himself further when an unknown culprit vandalizes Briana’s home, and Logan shows her and the entire town what he’s capable of. 

Notorious for taming both bulls and women, “rodeo’s bad boy” Dylan Creed likes his life in the fast lane. But when the daughter he doesn’t know very well is abandoned by her mother, he returns home to Stillwater Springs ranch, and repurposes all that energy to take care of his toddler. 

Town librarian Kristy Madison is shocked when Dylan turns up for story time with a toddler in tow. He’d broken her heart before – along with the hearts of many others – but if Kristy can keep the toddlers at the library in line, she’s certain she can wrangle Dylan’s heart, too.

Tyler Creed can handle angry farm animals, Hollywood big-shots, and the pressure of fame, but what he can’t handle is being in a room with his estranged brothers. Yet somehow, all three of them are back at Stillwater Springs at the same time, working to restore the old ranch…and their family. But it doesn’t help that they’re barely talking. 

Lily Kenyon knows all about estranged family members. Similarly to Tyler, Lily has come home to set down some family roots for her daughter. Tyler Creed was the last person she expected to see, but she’s hoping that now that he’s gone and lived his dream, he may just consider settling down with the girl who’s loved him since childhood. 

Badge and gun hidden, Sam O’Ballivan was tasked with posing as the new schoolteacher in a school in Stone Creek, Arizona and bringing the rough ranchers’ children under control. He began by calling on Maddie Chancelor, a postmistress whose younger brother desperately needed some discipline. 

Oddly enough, Maddie happened to be a graceful and proper woman, unlike her brother. Working undercover capturing rustlers and train robbers always kept Sam on the straight and narrow, so he's never been distracted by love. But there was something about the postmistress that may just make his mind wander. 

The past always has a way of catching up with you, no matter how hard you try to keep it buried. And for schoolmarm Lark Morgan and Marshal Rowdy Rhodes, they’re trying hard—to keep their secrets, and to deny their attraction to one another. You would think it would be easy, considering each thinks the other isn’t at all who they say they are. 

But Rowdy and Lark have one thing in common: the dangers that are coming for them, including the gang of train robbers that Ranger Sam O’Ballivan expects Rowdy to nab. As the troubles of the past and the troubles of the present collide, the two must give up their pride and secrets for the truest thing of all: love. 

Evangeline Keating came West for one reason and one reason only: to build a new life for her young daughter after the passing of her husband. Marrying a stranger from Montana territory just happened to be her best chance. After a difficult winter journey, she arrives at Springwater Station – but her husband-to-be is not the one to pick her up. 

Scully Wainwright wanted no part in this arrangement either; but he couldn’t leave a defenseless woman and her daughter unguarded, especially with the wolves and Native Americans lurking – but his ranching partner is not due back till the spring. But in playing house with Evangeline while awaiting for her betrothed to arrive sparks a passion between them as boundless as the open frontier. 

Horrified by the idea of being forced into marriage to an aging magistrate, Bliss Stafford escapes her New Zealand home. But by chance – and her father’s pistol – she is thrust into the arms of handsome, headstrong rancher Jamie McKenna, who she weds. 

All it takes is one touch to ignite her innocent longing, but Jamie’s heart is being held captive by a secret, bitter sadness. But bold and courageous Bliss is determined to face the secrets of his past, and open his heart to their fateful happily ever after. 

Workaholic Clare Westbrook has just learned the terrible news that her boss, Harvey Kredd, notorious for leading unethical business practices, has been murdered. She had been working at Kredd and Associates to pay off the law school loan Harvey had given her, but now that he's dead, she’s gearing up for indentured servitude. 

Then the company hires Tony Sonterra, a slimeball multimillionaire homicide detective and local hearthrob – and Clare’s old flame. He’s not above using a murder investigation to weasel his way back into her life, but she’s got enough to worry about with raising her niece, Emma. 

And top it all off, Emma’s father has just been released from prison, and he’s determined to see his daughter. And Clare’s convinced he is the one who murdered her sister, not that the police would believe her. 

With Tony on her side, she thinks she may have a shot at putting him away for good. But then another murder, clearly aiming for Clare, rocks the firm and Tony is more focused on saving her than putting away James Arren. With no real leads, far too many suspects, and mounting violence, Clare will just have to work with the devil she knows – but he may just be attractive enough to make it work…

Clare Westbrook is back, now the owner of her own law firm, but that’s not the only change in her life: not only is she pregnant with Tony Sonterra’s baby, but she’s engaged to marry him, finally taking the plunge and burying her lifelong fear of commitment. 

They’re leaving Phoenix for small-town Arizona so that Tony can replace the town’s missing police chief and take down a lethal desert crime ring. And Clare, as a special investigator in the DA office, is assigned to find the missing child whose mother was murdered. But it’s a hot case that puts both Clare and her unborn baby in danger. Secrets always catch up with you, and they have a way of dimming an otherwise very bright future. 

In the wilderness of a small lumber town in 1880s Oregon, a handsome, cultured, and mysterious man caught the eye of the beautiful Tess Bishop. As she gets to know Keith Corbin, she learns that his terrible grief has dissuaded him from the rich privilege of his former life in an attempt to escape those memories. 

Bravely, she helps him hide his identity, and joins him on his journey – but she’ll prove to be the one thing worth healing from the sorrow that kept him on the run. 

The night before Kristin Meyers was to marry the Crown Prince of Cabriz, she didn’t think she’d have anything more than pre-wedding jitters. And to make matters worse, her childhood friend Jascha has become cold and distant – and it only gets worse when angry rebels attack his palace, and Kristin gets caught in the crossfire. 

When Zach Harmon arrives, everything changes. The ex-secret service agent is the only one who can get her out of there, but it’s hard for her to see him again after tragic circumstances ripped their love apart. She may survive the rebel attack, but will she survive being heartbroken by Zach yet again? 

While exploring the ancient, exotic kingdom of Riz as one last adventure before sailing home from Washington Territory from Europe, Charlotte Quade was snatched, bound, and dumped (completely naked!) into the ship’s cabin of the man who had caught her eye as a young girl in Seattle: Captain Patrick Trevarran. 

Though he had once retrieved her, as a rebellious teenager, from the riggings of his ship, he was no gentleman now; in fact, he regarded her with exasperation and shipped her off to the harem of a sultan friend with no hesitation. When they were reunited by chance, he made it clear that he wanted only to tease her. 

But through their joint adventure, Charlotte discovered a man torn between recklessness and devotion deep inside. And she became determined to win him over. 

In Medieval England, Glorianna, Lady of Kenbrook, waits for her husband Dane St. Gregory, whom she has not seen since childhood, to return home. But she is shocked when he returns with another lady lady on his arm, set to marry him and to send Glorianna to a nunnery. 

The Dane’s mysterious sister-in-law Elaina coaches Glorianna on how to win the Dane’s heart back, and the two fall deeply in love. But their newfound happiness doesn’t last long; Glorianna unwittingly opens a time-traveling portal, trapping them centuries apart. And only their love for each other and the strength of their longing can bring them back to each other. 

Focusing on the female experience during wartime, The Yankee Widow truly speaks to Miller’s affinity for the American Civil War. In it, we meet Caroline, the young wife of Jacob, a Union soldier away at war. When she finds out that Jacob has been injured, she travels to Washington City from her and her daughter’s home right outside Gettysburg to bring his body back home with her. 

But as she’s traveling on the night before the deadliest battle of the war, troops and looters are roaming about, and she must be careful about who she trusts. She tries to protect her loved ones while also tending to the needy around her, including two strangers from opposite sides of the war. While one of them easily captures her heart, she must remain invulnerable in such unprecedented times when so much is at risk.