Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath (1996)
HISTORICAL: Post Civil War Romance
SETTING: US 1866
HEROINE: 23 year old widow
Refusing to pick up a gun for the Confederacy, Clayton Holland was branded a deserter and imprisoned during the war. When he returned home to Cedar Grove, he was given a coward's welcome, spurned by everyone in town. To Meg Warner, Clay's presence was a constant offense: a betrayal of the cause for which her husband and brothers died.
As a punishment, she commissioned Clay, a talented sculptor, to create a memorial for Cedar Grove's fallen heroes, hoping that every name he carved into stone would carve remorse into his heart. But, as Meg spent months watching Clay work, she began to see strength instead of cowardice. And she discovered that a hero could be found in the most unlikely of men. That passion could be sculpted from a heart hardened by bitterness. And that sometimes love―like courage―whispers instead of shouts.
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James (2009)
SINGLE TITLE: Contemporary romance
SETTING: Contemporary US
HEROINE: 32 year old lawyer
When it comes to the laws of attraction, there are no rules The battle between the sexes is about to make these two lawyers hot under the collar. Opposites collide when two lawyers try to make partner at the same firm. Payton Kendall is a feminist to the bone. Cocky J.D. Jameson was born privileged. But when they're asked to join forces on a major case, they gain a newfound awareness of each other's personal assets. The partnership spot will be offered to only one of them, though. The competition heats up. Sparks fly. Let the games begin.