Their New Year’s Beginning by Michelle Major

Posted April 30, 2022 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Special Edition, Owned or Purchased, Romantic Suspense, Series, Series Connection, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

At the stroke of midnight,

A stranger’s kiss changes everything

Brian Fortune doesn’t think he will ever find the woman he kissed at his brother’s New Year’s wedding. So when the search for the provenance of a mysterious gift leads him into a local antique store a few days later, he’s stunned to find Emmaline Lewis, proprietor—and mystery kisser!

Surprise turns to shock when he realizes that she’s also six months pregnant. Brian has never been the type to commit—and he’s really not ready to become a family man in one fell swoop! But suddenly he knows he’ll do anything to stay at Emmaline’s side—for good…

Titles in The Fortunes of Texas multi-author series include — Their New Year’s Beginning by Michelle Majors – A Soldier’s Dare by Jo McNally – Anyone But A Fortune by Judy Duarte – Cinderella Next Door by Nancy Robards Thompson – A Fortune in the Family by Kathy Douglass – Finding Fortune’s Secret by Allison Leigh –

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Their New Year’s Beginning
Series:  The Fortunes of Texas #1
Author:  Michelle Major
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  December 28, 2021
Publisher:  Harlequin Special Edition
My Rating:  4 stars

Their New Year’s Beginning starts off The Fortunes of Texas series with an engaging romance and a touch of mystery, in more ways than one.

Brian Fortune is in town for his twin brother’s wedding, and to babysit his twins while the happy couple is on their honeymoon.  Brian lives in New York City, has a high-powered job, and has no intentions of settling down or leaving the city.  At the wedding reception, Brian was attracted to a lovely redhead, one who seemed a bit elusive, and when he finally tracked her down the clock struck midnight – so, of course, there was that New Year’s kiss that he had to deliver.  A kiss that rocked his world enough that he forgot to ask the lovely lady’s name before she slipped away.

Emmaline Lewis held that New Year’s kiss close, but she also refused to give in to the temptation of thinking it was more than an obligatory kiss from the person next to you at that moment in time, a tradition – and she’d keep that thought strong because she has far more to deal with than an elusive gentleman, no matter how handsome he is.  Emmaline is six months pregnant, although you’d be hard-pressed to realize it by simply glancing at her.  She’s recently inherited her grandfather’s antique shop, been told by her baby’s daddy that he wants no part whatsoever in claiming or raising a child, and is constantly bombarded by her mother’s opinion on how the townsfolk will treat her once they know she’s expecting.  A lot is going on in her life right now, and adding a mysterious stranger into the mix just doesn’t make sense.  Until that stranger shows up in her shop.

I enjoyed Their New Year’s Beginning as it sets up the rest of this series with the wedding gift mystery, as well as having ties with the previous series.  (I guess I should start calling any Fortunes series a continuity that is divided up into mini-series since we meet so many recurring characters throughout them all.  But, series is what they are in my mind.)  Anyways.  While I loved Brian’s understanding of Emmaline’s situation, I wanted to give her mother a good, stern talking to for adding stress to her daughter’s life by naysaying how everyone will shun her… it’s not the 1700s!  In fact, Emmaline’s friends and acquaintances rallied around her, threw her a baby shower, and simply accepted her as she is – baby and all.  Which I loved.  Brian’s twin nephews often stole scenes with their adorable antics.  Yet it was watching Brian come to see just what finding the right woman could do to a man that really gave me the most enjoyment in this story.  And the mystery of the wedding gift continues onwards.  I loved seeing two unlikely people take a chance on their feelings and let love, true love into their lives.

I own a Kindle edition of this title

Available in print or for your favorite e-reader

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