We are so pleased to host Jeannie Moon on this week’s edition of Inspired By.  Jeannie Moon’s Until You is available now for purchase. Here, Jeannie shares the five books that have inspired her most as an author.

Writing as much as I do I sometimes get lost in my own head. Ideas just circle and circle and I need to read something wonderful to come back down to earth. My drug of choice, is romance. I have a go-to stash of books for when I need to get lost in a story. I love deep emotions, great characters and stories that grab my heart. Here are my five reads for when I need a happy ever after…

5. Virgin River by Robyn Carr

This is the first book in a series that focuses on the fictional, small, Northern California town of Virgin River. This is a town populated by former Marines, so the testosterone level is at Defcon 5. In the first book we meet Jack, a retired sergeant and now bar owner, who has his lightning strike when he meets Melinda.  Mel is a nurse midwife who moved to town to escape horrific memories from her time in LA. He falls for her almost immediately, and even though she resists, Jack is so damned perfect and honorable, it’s impossible for Mel not to love him. 

4. Fools Rush In by Kristan Higgins

Millie Barnes returns home to Cape Cod to practice medicine and make the unrequited love of her life fall in love with her. Joe Carpenter is a perfect physical specimen and Millie has been obsessed with him since she was a teenager. What Millie begins to realize is that Joe is not the man of her dreams, but a certain cop, who has always been an important part of Millie’s life, is exactly what her heart needs. One of Kristan’s other books was almost sitting in this spot. The Next Best Thing is a first class tearjerker, but no matter how many times I read Fools Rush In, I was always root for Millie to get her HEA. 

3. Three Wishes, by Barbara Delinsky

Tom Gates is a famous author who has lost his way. Bree Miller is a small town woman who offers him redemption. The two of them combine in a story that has me bawling every time I read it. It is deeply emotional. The ending is unexpected, and heart wrenching, but it’s all about the power of love to heal even the most broken hearts and lives. It’s not a true romance, but if I need a good, cathartic cry, I reach for Three Wishes.

2. This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

This book combines two of my favorite things, football and children’s literature. SEP does this by having a romance develop between playboy quarterback Kevin Tucker and penniless heiress and children’s author, Molly Somerville. Molly has had a crush on Kevin forever, so when circumstances throw them together at a camp Kevin has inherited, the crush flares and real feelings develop between the two. I like this book because Kevin has a vulnerable side and the story is not just about him saving Molly from herself, Molly saves him, as well.

1. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

I love this book. I read it and decided I want to be Jennifer Crusie when I become a grown-up author. This is the story of Cal and Min. He is gorgeous, successful and has no trouble getting the women to fall all over him. Min is successful, but she’s a curvy woman a world filled with super model types. She lacks confidence and is pretty down on relationships. They meet, the stars align and the chubby girl has a wonderful love story with the gorgeous guy who can’t resist her. The characters have depth, the dialog is rapid fire and there are tears to go along with the laughs. If you have never read romance before, read this one. You’ll be hooked.