Romantic Suspense

           Romantic suspense novels are popular with many readers because of their pleasing combination of the elements of romance, mystery, and thriller. Here are some recently published selections.

            Beyond the Sunrise, written by Mary Balogh, tells the story of teens in a love that cannot be because the hero is of illegitimate birth. Eleven years later, during the Napoleonic wars, they meet again as spies on opposing sides. Despite this, their passion still lives.

            The Devil’s Own, is written by Sandra Brown. In the book, the heroine Kerry must rescue nine orphans from a South American war zone. She asks Linc, who she thinks is a mercenary soldier, to help them escape; not knowing that he really is a renowned photojournalist.

            The book Facing Fire: Bad Boys Under Cover is written by HelenKay Dimon. It is the story of Josiah, a member of an elite black-ops group “The Alliance”, who meets up with Sutton, a Baltimore private eye. They have a common goal: to capture a killer who has murdered the relatives of both of them.

            In Curious Mind: A Knight and Moon Novel, written by Janet Evanovich, financial analyst Riley and genius Emerson join forces to uncover an embezzlement scheme at the bank at which Riley works.

            Beautiful Storm, written by Barbara Freethy, is the story of news photographer and storm chaser Alicia, who thinks she has witnessed a murder occur during lightning flashes. However, the police cannot find the body. Alicia investigates on her own with the help of Michael, a member of Miami’s Cuban-American community. 

Christmas in August

            Escape the August heat with some cool holiday romances – popular at any time of year.

            What Happens at Christmas, written by Victoria Alexander, is about Camille, Lady Lydingham, who is planning her engagement to a prince at Christmas. But fate intervenes when a former love interest with plans of his own shows up.

            The Christmas Cat, written by Melody Carlson, has protagonist Garrison in a dilemma when he has to find homes for the six cats left to him by his late grandmother. He is able to relocate the cats and find friendship and romance too.

            Home for Christmas: a Sanctuary Island Novel is written by Lily Everett. Magazine writer Libby has a plum assignment: set the stage for returning Army Ranger and single father Owen for his first Christmas with his daughter. Romance also intervenes.

            Marry Me at Christmas, written by Susan Mallery, features bridal boutique owner Madeline who is hired to arrange a Christmas wedding. The bride’s brother? Movie star Jonny Blaze. Madeline falls head over heels in love.

            The Heart of Christmas is written by Brenda Novak. The heroine is Eve, the manager of a B&B in Whiskey Creek. She feels like a fifth wheel because she is the only single among her married friends at Christmas. Then a handsome stranger comes to town.

            Evergreen Springs is written by RaeAnne Thayne. It features physician Devin who arranges for her patients to access the hot springs owned by rancher Cole, a single father. All she has to do is help his children have a happy holiday.

 

Eligible: A Novel

            Billed as “a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice”, this contemporary version of Austen’s classic novel is written by Curtis Sittenfeld. As the original book is considered a satirical study of that era’s social customs, so is Eligible one of our time.

            Here we meet a 38-year-old Liz Bennett, an unmarried career woman living in New York City, where her sister Jane also lives.  They left their parents and three younger sisters back in their hometown of Cincinnati, but return to help out when their father undergoes heart bypass surgery. They find that the family’s lives are chaotic: the three younger sisters don’t work, Mrs. Bennett has an online shopping addiction, the family house is falling apart, and Mr. Bennett doesn’t have health insurance for himself and the family. The two eldest daughters try to help out as best they can. On the social front, Jane meets Chip Bingley, a physician at the local hospital and former contestant on the reality show Eligible, a take-off of the show Bachelor. Liz, in turn, meets neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy and takes an instant dislike to him. Eventually they become running partners and engage in “hate sex”.

            Many of the original characters are here with some updating and/or alteration. We become caught up with modern-day issues such as single parenting, eating disorders, transgender relationships, racism, and more. Although Eligible doesn’t completely follow the plot and the storyline isn’t as tender as that in Pride and Prejudice, its satirical bent makes it a hysterical read.  

More Seasonal Romance: Winter Themed Love Stories for Adults

     Here are some more seasonal romance novels recommended by librarian Nicole:

Blue: A Novel is written by perennially favorite author Danielle Steel. It tells the story of Ginny Carter, whose husband and son are killed in a car accident days before Christmas. She tries to avoid her grief by becoming involved in human rights work in New York.

Vision in White, written by Nora Roberts is about Mackensie “Mac” Elliot, a wedding photographer who is most at home behind the camera. But her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into the bride-to-be’s brother . . . an encounter that has them both seeing stars.

A Virgin River Christmas is written by Robyn Carr. Last Christmas Marcie Sullivan said a final goodbye to her husband, Bobby. This Christmas she’s come to Virgin River to find the man who saved his life and gave her three more years to love him. Fellow marine Ian Buchanan dragged Bobby’s shattered body onto a medical transport in Fallujah four years ago, and then disappeared as soon as their unit arrived stateside. Since then, Marcie’s letters to Ian have gone unanswered.

Deep Kiss of Winter is written by Kresley Cole. Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela – the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can’t be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure. Can they conquer an agony of frustration and slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

Seasonal Romance: Winter Themed Love Stories for Adults

            Librarian Nicole presents a selection of romance novels that will bring some heat to your winter days and nights. They include:

Echo Lake, written by Carla Neggers, is set against the scenic backdrop of a New England winter. This is a captivating tale of family, friends, and the possibility of new love.

Winter Street: A Novel, written by Elin Hilderbrand, is a heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays. Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, a small house fire, many shots of whiskey, and endless rounds of Christmas caroling.

Winter Stroll: A Novel is also written by Elin Hilderbrand. While preparing for Christmas at the Winter Street Inn, Kelley Quinn and his family find the holiday season thrown into chaos when three of their exes show up.

A Small Indiscretion: A Novel is written by Jan Ellison. At nineteen, Annie Black trades a bleak future in a washed-out California town for a London winter of drinking and abandon. Twenty years later, she is a San Francisco lighting designer and happily married mother of three who has put her reckless youth behind her. Then a photo from that distant winter in Europe arrives inexplicably in her mailbox, and an old obsession is awakened. 

Pride and Prejudice Revisited

            The classic eighteenth-century novel Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, has inspired many other books; some of which update the storyline and others which continue the adventures of its well-known characters. Here are some of these titles, for Jane Austen aficionados and neophytes alike.

            The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, written by Bernie Su, explores the life of the twenty-four-year-old graduate student who still lives at home with her two sisters and is posting her views on YouTube for her thesis project, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Then she meets the arrogant William Darcy.

            Longbourn: a Novel, is written by Jo Baker. It presents the story of Pride and Prejudice, but as seen through the eyes of the Bennet servants, fleshing out their characters and focusing on their life events.

            The Pursuit of Mary Bennet, written by Pamela Mingle, tells the story of the socially awkward Bennet sister and her chance at love. To escape another one of Lydia’s scandals, sisters Mary and Kitty are bundled off to Jane and Bingley’s house where Mary meets Henry Walsh, an eligible bachelor who seems genuinely interested in her.

           
           Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: the Classic Regency Romance – Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem is written by Seth Grahame-Smith. In this altered tale, Elizabeth Bennet battles zombies who rise up from the plague-stricken dead. Joining forces with Elizabeth, a highly skilled warrior, is the equally talented-in-combat Mr. Darcy.   

            Death Comes to Pemberley is written by P.D. James, a well-known mystery writer. Who should unexpectedly arrive at the Darcy’s ball but Elizabeth’s disgraced sister Lydia, who claims that her husband Wickham has been murdered. Mayhem is the result until the situation is masterfully handled by Mr. Darcy.

          
          The Darcys Give a Ball: a Gentle Joke, Jane Austen Style is written by Elizabeth Newark. Here the children of the original characters – Elizabeth, Jane, Georgianna Darcy, Charlotte Collins, and others – come into their own as they find romance.

            The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet is written by Colleen McCullough, author of The Thorn Birds. After the death of Mrs. Bennet, Mary sets off to pursue adventure and romance. Meanwhile, the other family members have some brushes with scandal before all is resolved.

Some Romance for Christmas

 Get in the holiday spirit when you read some of these new romance books.

 

 Christmas Bliss, written by Mary Kay Andrews, presents an anxiety-inducing time for antique shop owner Weezie as both her wedding date and her friend BeBe’s delivery date draw near and scandal threatens to erupt.

 

 A Virgin River Christmas, written by Robyn Carr, tells the story of Marcie, a widow of an Iraq War Marine, who seeks out Ian, the man who originally rescued her husband and returned him to medical care, allowing him three more years to live. She finds Ian to be an emotionally scarred man who she is able to rescue.

 

 A Wreath of Snow: a Victorian Christmas Novella, is written by Liz Curtis Higgs. In the late 19th century, on a train ride in Scotland, we find Meg Campbell, a schoolteacher, running away from her estranged family’s Christmas celebration. She runs into Gordon Shaw, an equally troubled young man. Can their futures intertwine?

 

Winter Street: a Novel, is written by Elin Hilderbrand. It is about Kelley Quinn, owner of the Nantucket Winter Street Inn, who plans a holiday celebration with his four children and his second wife Mitzi at the inn. Mayhem erupts when the children bring their romantic problems along with them and his wife is caught in a compromising position with another man.

 

Our First Christmas is a compilation of four Christmas love stories: Under the Mistletoe by Lisa Jackson, A Ranger for Christmas by Mary Burton, A Southern Christmas by Mary Carter, and Christmas in Montana by Cathy Lamb.

 

'Twas the Night After Christmas is written by Sabrina Jeffries. The Earl of Devonmont Pierce Waverly and a vicar's widow Camilla Stuart, who also is his estranged mother's paid companion tangle after Camilla lures him home for Christmas by pretending his mother is on her deathbed. What starts as Camilla's good-hearted attempt at reconciliation ends with romance between her and the Earl.

 

Angels at the Table: a Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy Christmas Story, is written by Debbie Macomber. This is a fantasy in which four angels accidentally cause a chef and a food critic to meet a year before they were destined to meet and marry. The relationship flops, but eventually the angels are able to get things right and get them together again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Sizzling Stories: Erotic Novels for Adults Only

Here are some more erotic novels, both classic and new.

Fear of Flying: a Novel is written by Erica Jong. Even in a time when women are still sexually repressed, Isadora Wing wishes to “fly free” with a man who completes her every fantasy.

Tremble: Erotic Tales of the Mystical and Sinister is written by Tobsha Learner. Erotica for the modern woman: nine tales of the dangerous and divine. Prepare to stimulate your senses and explore the deepest longings of the human heart. In a Welsh village, a young woman’s sensuality is awakened by an outrageous inheritance; a drought-stricken Oklahoma town is offered salvation by a traveling rainmaker; a Sydney record producer struggles to satisfy his wife and his mistress – until one of them takes matters into her own hands.

Sugar is written by Jenna Jameson and Hope Tarr. An ex-porn star moves to New York, hoping to escape her salacious past, but soon meets a returned war hero –now prominent investment CEO – who gives her a new sexual awakening.

The Submissive is written by Tara Sue Me. Longing to make her secret fantasies a sensual reality, librarian Abby King offers herself to Nathaniel West, a sexy and skilled dominant seeking a new submissive, and as he introduces her to a new world of pleasure, she longs for something more with this man who remains cold and distant.

Naked is written by Raine Miller. Student and model Brynne Bennett is captivated by Ethan Blackstone, the businessman who purchases her nude portrait, but the passionate relationship that develops may not be able to withstand the secrets they both carry.

Sizzling Stories: Erotic Novels for Adults Only

For February, the month of romance, Monika presents a selection of erotic novels for your reading pleasure.

Dirty Rotten Liar is written by Noire. When Mink LaRue is called away to be with her dying mother, interrupting her con on the rich Dominion family, Dy-Nasty Jenkins, who looks exactly like Mink, tries to take up the mantle and steal the money for herself.

Rush is written by Maya Banks. A first entry in a new trilogy by the author of the Sweet series features three wealthy and powerful men including Gabe, whose resolve to make his fantasies come true with his best friend’s once-forbidden younger sister leads to an intense sexual odyssey that becomes subject to a cruel betrayal.

My Education is written by Susan Choi. Warned about the controversial and womanizing activities of Professor Nicholas Brodeur before her arrival at his prestigious university, graduate student Regina Gottlieb is nevertheless captured by his charisma and good looks before falling prey to his volatile wife in ways that resonate throughout subsequent years.

Ours to Love is written by Shayla Black. When beautiful London McLane gets involved with billionaire playboy brothers Xander and Javier Santiago, she becomes a pawn in a killer’s twisted game to destroy everything the brothers hold dear.

Pride and Pleasure is written by Sylvia Day. Thief taker Jasper Bond was not what heiress Eliza Martin was expecting when she placed her advertisement for an investigator, so it is up to Jasper to prove to her that he is the man to find the person threatening her and possibly more.

Decadence is written by Eric Jerome Dickey. Successful writer Nia struggles with her turbulent emotions and contemplates her prospects for marriage and parenthood while immersing herself in a hedonistic role-playing resort that challenges her grasp on reality.

On Dublin Street is written by Samantha Young. When Jocelyn leaves her tragic past behind and moves to Scotland, she meets Braden Carmichael, who is determined to get Jocelyn into his bed, despite Jocelyn’s hesitancy to get into a relationship.

Holiday Fiction: Christmas Romances

    Anytime is the right time for romance, especially at Christmas. Here are some new stories, some written by your favorite authors.

    Candlelight Christmas: the Lakeshore Chronicles is written by Susan Wiggs. Logan, a single father with a son, invites family and friends to his home at Willow Lake for Christmas. Then he meets his sister’s best friend, Darcy, also a veteran of a broken marriage. Can this romance survive? (Christmas recipes also included).

    Christmas in Snowflake Canyon is written by RaeAnne Thayne. Wealthy Genevieve is running from her philandering fiancé; her father insists she marry him or he will disinherit her. Then she meets up with returning wounded veteran Dylan. Will he be her true love?

    The Dogs of Christmas is written by W. Bruce Cameron. When Josh takes ownership of some abandoned puppies he consults with staff of the local animal shelter for advice. This is where he meets Kerri, a volunteer. Romance ensues.

    Merry Christmas, Cowboy is written by Janet Dailey. Denver police officer Paula Lewis volunteers at the Christmas House to help local children, where she is drawn to local rancher Zach Bennett, as they work together to help a young boy.

    No Place like Home contains four Christmas novellas in one book: Linda Lael Miller’s The 24 Days of Winter; Mary Carter’s The Christmas Carousel; Laura Florand’s A Rose in Winter; and Kat Martin’s Christmas Angel.

Daddy's Gone a Hunting

   Mary Higgins Clark, the mistress of romantic suspense, has produced yet another novel featuring a young woman entangled in a dangerous situation. By now we know that the heroine will survive and succeed through the use of her intelligence and high moral standards. But it’s always fun to let the momentum of the plot (short chapters, rotation of characters narrating the story) and lushly descriptive settings create an exciting reading experience.

     In this story, Hannah Connelly is beside herself with worry when her twin sister Kate is found in the explosion/fire of their family’s antique reproduction factory building, along with Gus, a disgruntled craftsman, now retired. Gus is killed and Kate is critically injured. Did Gus cause the massive destruction? Kate? Who else could it be? The reader eventually finds out; also, two other minor mystery plots involving missing persons are featured and the solutions brought to light. We get three mysteries for the price of one.

The Time Traveler's Wife

            Written by Audrey Niffenegger, this novel is a combination of fantasy and romance, with a touch of late twentieth/early twenty-first century cultural history thrown into the mix. The reader is asked to believe in time travel as a result of a chromosomal mutation that causes main character Henry DeTamble to travel to different points in his life; the process is activated by stress, and Henry has no control over when it occurs. The other main character, Clare Abshire, the love of Henry’s life, first meets him at the age of six and then again at various points of her life until the age of twenty (to Henry’s twenty-eight) when both meet in their present, form a romantic relationship and marry.

We continue to follow their encounters at different points in time (Clare getting there the traditional way and Henry through time travel); experiencing their joys and their sorrows, companionship and loneliness, under these unusual circumstances. Although tragedy eventually ensues, we are left with a hopeful late-in-life encounter between the two, causing the reader to wonder what exactly the true nature of time is.             

Christmas Fiction

Some holiday romances:

A Fool’s Gold Christmas, by Susan Mallery, is about injured dancer Evie Stryker and her return to her hometown of Fool’s Gold and her estranged family. In a “bah, humbug” mood, Evie is talked into staging the town’s winter festival and then she plans to leave. But an unlikely attraction to her brother’s best friend results in a Christmas miracle.

The Christmas Singing: A Romance from the Heart of Amish Country, by Cindy Woodsmall, portrays the celebration of Christmas among the Amish, while telling the story of Mattie Eash, for whom Christmas has painful memories since her fiancé Gideon abruptly broke up with her three years ago. Although her move to a new town has brought her a new life as a cake decorator and a new love, Mattie unexpectedly must return home where she meets up with Gideon again.

An O’Brien Family Christmas, by Sherryl Woods, presents the reader with two romances within the O’Brien family as they celebrate Christmas in Dublin, Ireland. Playboy Matthew falls for older woman Laila but then she breaks off their romance. Can he win her back? Then matriarch Nell meets up with an old boyfriend and the sparks fly. Will these two couples end up happily ever after?

Christmas and mysteries:

Twelve Clues of Christmas, written by Rhys Bowen, features Lady Georgiana Rannoch, who is 35th in line to the British throne and in need of funds, in this Depression-era story. She is able to hire herself out as a paid hostess at a country Christmas house party. The holiday festivities begin; until the murder victims begin to pile up. Christmas recipes and period party instructions are included.

Merry Christmas, Alex Cross, by James Patterson, shows us Alex Cross at home with his family after finding the thief who stole from his church’s poor box. Then, he gets another phone call summoning him to investigate and solve a complex hostage situation.

I'll Walk Alone

Octogenarian author Mary Higgins Clark has successfully published a long string of light mystery/romances over the years, skillfully blending succinctly drawn characters with continuous plot progression. I’ll Walk Alone features protagonist Alexandra “Zan” Moreland , a divorced, thirty-something interior decorator whose three-year-old son Matthew was kidnapped while with his sleeping baby sitter in Central Park two years ago. In addition to the desolation she feels from this loss, Zan also worries that she is losing her mind when it is discovered that large sums of money have been removed from her accounts by her, something that she knows she has not done. When a recently discovered photograph provides proof that Zan kidnapped her own child, even her friends and associates believe it to be true, although they suspect that Zan suffers from a split personality. Pursued by the press and the police, she struggles to prove her innocence and rescue her son. After some plot surprises, the reader is rewarded with the conventional happy ending and an enjoyable read.

The Shadow of Your Smile

Here is another in a long line of light mystery/romance novels from writer Mary Higgins Clark. In this book, the potential announcement of a long-suppressed family secret threatens to disrupt two undertakings. One is the effort to achieve beatification for Sister Catherine, a now-deceased nun who possibly had brought about two medical miracles. Jeopardizing the success of this endeavor is the suspicion that Sister Catherine had given birth to a child out of wedlock in her youth; a child that subsequently was given up for adoption. The second undertaking is the survival of the Gannon Foundation, nearing bankruptcy because of mismanagement by greedy heirs. Pediatrician Monica Farrell unknowingly is involved with both of these situations. Is she also the granddaughter of Sister Catherine? The criminals eventually are exposed and romance is revealed. The plot moves along smoothly and the characters are likeable, except for the villains who are suitably corrupt.