Monday, August 31, 2009

September Releases



"You can count on me. You don't have to be alone."

Diana Collins can't believe she's hearing these words from her former secret crush, Cameron Van Kirk. Popular, gorgeous and from the richest family in town, he was always out of her league.

Now Cameron's back after ten years, and he's telling Diana—who is pregnant and alone—that he wants to help her.His duty is to his family dynasty. Hers is to her baby, whose secret she's keeping. What's Diana to do?

For just one night, sensible Lily McLachlan had thrown caution to the wind and fallen into Prince Alexandros's arms.

A year later, Alex wants to claim his secret royal son, and Lily's hand. Lily is faced with becoming Alex's convenient bride when all she really wants is her prince's heart….


After agreeing to be a surrogate mother for her best friends, Mattie Carey can't wait to give them the biggest gift of all. She's put aside her dreams of finding Mr. Right and has set her mind on her new role.

Moving to Sydney, the last person Mattie expects to meet is her perfect man. Jake Devlin, her temporary flatmate, is cheeky, charming, intriguing… But it's so not the right time for Mattie to fall in love….

· Remember why you turned him down all those years ago: because infamous playboys like Drake Llewelyn are trouble with a capital T!

· He plays to win. You can't afford to take a gamble on love and lose, no matter how much he says he's changed.

· So arm yourself against his movie-star looks, devastating charm, intoxicating smile…

Oh, no! This is going to be so much harder than I thought!

Determined to forget her husband's infidelity and bring her confident, fiery self back, Tamara Rayne is in India on a trip of a lifetime. Love isn't on her itinerary, so she hardly notices when blast from her past Ethan Brooks boards her train….

The maverick entrepreneur has wanted Tamara ever since he met her. Under the shimmer of the Indian sun, Ethan decides he's waited long enough….


Alice's plain-Jane world is turned upside down when she's hired to organize tycoon Cameron Hunter's company ball.

She's shocked by an invitation on her doormat, and the next thing she knows, she's dancing in her oh-so-delicious boss's arms in a stunning dress!

Alice knows that on Monday morning everything will go back to normal. But for now, she's going to enjoy every second….

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Foreign Releases


El jardinero y la princesa (Miniserie: HEREDEROS ITALIANOS)
Por Rebecca Winters

Ambos buscaban el amor verdadero

La princesa Regina Vittorio se marcharía pronto de su adorado reino de Castelmare para convertirse en la reina de otro país. Gina había dedicado su vida a los deberes propios de su cargo, pero a medida que el día de su boda se iba acercando, sólo deseaba pasar un momento más con el hombre al que verdaderamente amaba.

El jardinero real Dizo Fornese había sido testigo de cómo la princesa Regina se transformaba en una belleza, igual que las rosas que él cuidaba en palacio. Sabía que ella era intocable, pero aún le quedaba una oportunidad de arriesgarlo todo y reclamar a su princesa.


BARBARA McMAHON NICOLA MARSH
DRUGA MIŁOŚĆ CENNY SPADEK

Barbara McMahon: DRUGA MIŁOŚĆ

Laura, właścicielka znanej galerii, szykuje wystawę prac zmarłego narzeczonego. Nie ceniła Jordana jako artysty, zawiódł ją również jako partner, ale wierzy, że w ten sposób ostatecznie pożegna się z przeszłością. Właśnie wtedy wkracza w jej życie bliźniaczy brat Jordana, Jed...
Nicola Marsh: CENNY SPADEK
Życie Rileya jest podporządkowane karierze zawodowej, nie ma w nim miejsca na rodzinę. Może dlatego opieka nad narzeczoną i dzieckiem brata wydaje mu się początkowo jedynie uciążliwym obowiązkiem. Jednak im więcej czasu im poświęca, tym bardziej docenia rodzinne więzy...

A noiva do aristocrata por Michelle Douglas

De mãe solteira a senhora de uma mansão!

Lorde Simon Morton-Blake, um bonito aristocrata inglês, não queria ter uma relação séria com ninguém na Austrália, sobretudo com uma mãe solteira como Kate Petherbridge. Porém, Simon não podia negar a atracção que sentia por Kate, uma mulher cheia de vida, nem dizer-lhe que não, por isso ofereceu-lhe a sua casa para ficar.

Em contacto com a alegre família de Kate, as posturas rígidas de Simon foram-se suavizando a pouco e pouco. Simon nunca fizera parte de uma família feliz, no entanto começava a aperceber-se de que, afinal, havia uma família que o receberia de braços abertos.



Tre amiche, tre dolci storie romantiche
e un unico lieto fine:
le nozze con l'uomo perfetto.

Grace Marlowe non si è mai sentita tanto imbarazzata. Qualcuno, a sua insaputa, l'ha iscritta al sito www.ilpartnerperfetto.com e ora ha un appuntamento al buio con uno sconosciuto!
L'imbarazzo, però, dura lo spazio di un attimo. Noah Frost, l'uomo selezionato come suo compagno ideale, è infatti alto, bellissimo e con uno sguardo seducente capace di sciogliere anche il cuore più gelido. Persino la sua compagnia è elettrizzante, e la serata penosa e sgradevole che Grace aveva immaginato sta per trasformarsi nell'evento più romantico di tutta la sua vita!



Lucy Gordon: Kalitkába zárva

A csinos Holly szabadságát tölti Olaszországban, és jóhiszeműen vállalja, hogy eljuttat egy csomagot Londonba. Kisvártatva rádöbben, hogy nyomában a rendőrség. Matteo Falluci bíró a segítségére siet, de cserébe azt kéri, hogy Holly költözzön oda fényűző villájába, és gondoskodjon anyátlan kislányáról, Lizáról. Hollynak nincs sok választási lehetősége, elfogadja az ajánlatot, és beköltözik az „aranykalitkába”. Hamar hangot talál Lizával, de nyomasztja Matteo hideg távolságtartása, annál is inkább, mivel ő napról napra jobban vonzódik a férfihoz. Ám Holly nem olyan lány, aki egykönnyen feladja…



WITTE ROZEN / EEN ZAAK VAN GELUK
ALLY BLAKE, SHIRLEY JUMP
Witte rozen
Siena lééft voor haar werk - voor een vaste relatie voelt ze niets. Wanneer ze voor een belangrijk sollicitatiegesprek terugkeert naar haar geboorteplaats, ontmoet ze daar de o zo serieuze huisvader James en zijn zoontje Kane. James is duidelijk gecharmeerd van haar, en zij voelt zich ook tot hém aangetrokken. Maar kan ze voor deze lieve zorgzame man haar vrijheid en carrière opgeven?
Een zaak van geluk
Omdat ze zelf niet bepaald een gelukkige jeugd heeft gehad, besluit Carolyn mee te doen aan een prohject voor kansarme kinderen. Tot haar schrik staat haar jeugdzonde, met wie ze jaren geleden een huwelijk van vier dagen heeft gehad, ineens in levenden lijve voor haar. Hij is net als zij advocaat en deelnemer aan het project. Het weerzien is des te schokkender omdat het waar blijkt te zijn wat ze zeggen: oude liefde roest niet!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Free Online Read!


Great news! In September, Nicola Marsh has a release titled A Trip With The Tycoon. Now you can read a free "prequel" to that story at Eharlequin - Nicola's Online Read One Indian Summer!

There is a new chapter every week - the first chapter is up now! Here's a teaser:

Once upon a time in Goa, a lovely maid dreamed of finding romance and adventure, just like in her beloved Bollywood films…

Khushi longs to escape the boredom of her life as a hotel housekeeper, but she learned long ago never to believe in dreams. So when she stumbles—literally!—upon a handsome Australian tourist with flashing eyes and a way with words, she knows the sparks between them can come to nothing.

With one week left in his yearlong tour of India, Harrison Rayne is not looking for romance. But he can’t deny the special connection he feels to the beautiful Khushi, and soon he knows they are meant to be together forever! Can he convince her that love at first sight happens in real life, too?


Don't miss this great read - go HERE to read chapter one!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Great news and a new home




First of all, congratulations to Romance author Marion Lennox. Marion also writes Medicals, and her book His Island Bride took the R*by Award for Sweet Short at the Romance Writers of Australia conference this past weekend.





Next, you'll see on the right sidebar a place where it says to visit our eharlequin blog - that's because your favourite authors are now blogging several times a week at eharlequin.com! You can click on that link to get there or just click here, and there's the option to subscribe in as well. It's a lot of fun and today you get to see a very different side of Romance author Fiona Harper!

Join us for blogs on our newest releases, day to day fun and definitely lots of surprises.

And come back here for up to date news on what's happening at Harlequin Romance!

Monday, August 10, 2009

August Author Post: Behind the Scenes of Bachelor Dad On Her Doorstep


Please welcome Michelle Douglas!



The initial spark for a story can come from anywhere – from daydreams (from night-time dreams too, for that matter), a news story, overheard snatches of conversation, a picture, a song. The inspiration for Bachelor Dad On Her Doorstep came from a setting: the Australian Blue Mountains where I spent a week on a writers’ retreat.

Actually now I think about it, it wasn’t really inspiration – I didn’t have a sudden vision or a revelation that brought the book to life for me, and the story certainly didn’t arrive fully formed. It’s just... I enjoyed my week in the mountains so much that I was determined to set my next book there. It’s hard to map the genesis of a book, but I’ll try and give you some idea of the process involved for this particular story.

Would you like the true version or the pretty one?

Hmm... I was afraid you’d say that. Well, for what it’s worth, the as true as I can make it version of how I came to write this book...

Bachelor Dad On Her Doorstep is a coming-home story because the town where I stayed – Katoomba – reminded me of the town where I grew up. Now, sure, this area is a tourist hotspot, but there’s not an overabundance of jobs. From what I could see there were a lot of disaffected youth in the town. This impression led to... What if I was one of these disaffected youth? What would I do? What if I left then returned years later, what would I see? Ooh, minor light bulb moment – What if I made my heroine a former disaffected youth of the area?

I stayed in Katoomba but my favourite place in the mountains is Leura – seriously cute, plus it has one of my all-time favourite bookshops. So I based my fictitious town of Clara Falls on Leura (hey, I wanted to write about the gorgeous town rather than the gritty one). And as it’s a coming-home story, the reason I gave for my heroine coming home is to run her mother’s (wait for it...) bookshop. (Yes I know this is not a huge leap, but remember... you’re getting the real story, not the pretty one).

Okay, that’s the heroine taken care of. Now for the hero. Well if this is a coming-home story he has to be someone from her past. I love characters who have a history. So, I set about giving them plenty of history. Yep, oodles of history – angsty, heartbreaky history. Hmm, this is a romance too though, don’t forget to give them points of connection. Umm... (brain ticking over and over). I know! There are lots of gorgeous art galleries in these mountains, probably as a result of all those gorgeous views. So I made my heroine and hero, each in their own way, artists.
Suddenly my story had the exact flavour I wanted for it – scenes came rushing into my head, brain synapses fired and I knew I was ready to write. I know I’ve made the process sound more ordered and organic than it really was (not to mention speedy); and honesty impels me to add that it wasn’t always an easy book to write. But I love my characters and this book will always remind me of the magical week I spent in the mountains.

READ AN EXCERPT:

‘This place was never the same after you left.’

Mrs Lavender's voice hauled Jaz back. She gave a short laugh. 'I can believe that.'
Those dark eyes, shrewd with age, surveyed her closely. 'You did the right thing, you know. Leaving.'

No, she hadn't. What she'd done had led directly to her mother's death. She'd left and she'd sworn to never come back. It had broken her mother's heart. She'd hold herself responsible for that till the day she died. And she'd hold Connor responsible too. If he'd believed in Jaz, like he'd always sworn he would, Jaz would never have had to leave.

She would never have had to stay away.

Stop it!

She shook herself. She hadn't returned to Clara Falls for vengeance. Do unto others…that had been Frieda's creed. She would do Frieda Harper proud. She'd save the bookshop, then she'd sell it to someone other than Gordon Sears, then she'd leave, and this time she would never come back.

'You always were a good girl, Jaz. And smart.'

It hadn't been smart to believe Connor's promises.

She shook off the thought and pulled her mind back, to find Mrs Lavender smiling at her broadly. 'How long are you staying?'

'Twelve months.' She'd had to give herself a time limit—it was the only thing that would keep her sane. She figured it'd take a full twelve months to see the bookshop safe again.

'Well, I think it's time you took yourself off and got to work, dear.' Mrs Lavender pointed across the road. 'I think you'll find there's a lot to do.'

Jaz followed the direction of Mrs Lavender's hand, and that was when she saw and understood the reason behind the tradesman's van parked out the front of the bookshop. The muscles in her shoulders, her back, her stomach, all tightened. The minor repairs on the building were supposed to have been finished last week. The receptionist for the building firm Richard had hired had promised faithfully.


A pulse pounded behind her eyes. 'Frieda's Fiction Fair'—the sign on the bookshop's awning—was being replaced. With…

'Jaz's Joint'!

She shot to her feet. Her lip curled. Her nose curled. Inside her boots, even her toes curled. She'd requested that the sign be freshened up. Not… Not… She fought the instinct to bolt across the road and topple the sign-writer and his ladder to the ground.

'I'll be seeing you then, shall I, Jazmin?'

With an effort, she unclenched her teeth. 'Absolutely, Mrs Lavender.'

She forced herself to take three deep breaths, and only then did she step off the kerb of the island. She would sort this out like the adult she was, not the teenager she had been.

She made her way across the road and tried not to notice how firm her offending tradesman's butt looked in form-fitting jeans or how the power of those long, long legs were barely disguised by soft worn denim. In fact, in some places the denim was so worn…

The teenager she'd once been wouldn't have noticed. That girl had only had eyes for Connor. But the woman she was now…

Stop ogling!

She stopped by the ladder and glanced up. Then took an involuntary step backwards at the sudden clench of familiarity. The sign-writer's blond-tipped hair…

It fell in the exact same waves as—

Her heart lodged in her throat, leaving an abyss in her chest. Get a grip. Don't lose it now. The familiarity had to be a trick of the light.

Ha! More like a trick of the mind. Planted there by memories she'd done her best to bury.

She swallowed and her heart settled—sort of—in her chest again. 'Excuse me,' she managed to force out of an uncooperative throat, 'but I'd like to know who gave you the authority to change that sign.'

The sign-writer stilled, laid his brush down on the top of the ladder and wiped his hands across that denim-encased butt with agonising slowness. Jaz couldn't help wondering how it would feel to follow that action with her own hands. Gooseflesh broke out on her arms.

Slowly, oh-so-slowly, the sign-writer turned around…and Jaz froze.

'Hello, Jaz.'

The familiarity, the sudden sense of rightness at seeing him here like this, reached right inside her chest to twist her heart until she couldn't breathe.

No!

He took one step down the ladder. 'You're looking…well.'

He didn't smile. His gaze travelled over her face, down the long line of her body and back again and, although half of his face was in shadow, she could see that she left him unmoved.

Connor Reed!

She sucked in a breath, took another involuntary step back. It took every ounce of strength she could marshal to not turn around and run.

Do something. Say something, she ordered.

Her heart pounded in her throat. Sharp breaths stung her lungs. Connor Reed. She'd known they'd run into each other eventually, but not here. Not at the bookshop.
Not on her first day.

Stop staring. Don't you dare run!

'I…um…' She had to clear her throat. She didn't run. 'I'd appreciate it if you'd stop working on that.' She pointed to the sign and, by some freak or miracle or because some deity was smiling down on her, her hand didn't shake. It gave her the confidence to lift her chin and throw her shoulders back again.

He glanced at the sign, then back at her, a frown in his eyes. 'You don't like it?'


'I loathe it. But I'd prefer not to discuss it on the street.'

Oh, dear Lord. She had to set some ground rules. Fast. Ground rule number one was that Connor Reed stay as far away from her as humanly possible.

Ground rule number two—don't look him directly in the eye.

Monday, August 03, 2009

August Releases!

This month we have some great releases in store!

Cattle Baron: Nanny Needed by Margaret Way

It's a media scandal! Flame-haired beauty Amber Wyatt has gate-crashed her ex-fiancé's glamorous society wedding! Groomsman Cal McFarlane knows she's trouble, but when Amber loses her job, the rugged cattle rancher comes to the rescue. He needs a nanny, and if it makes his baby nephew happy, he's willing to play with fire….

Read Excerpt


Hired: Cinderella Chef by Myrna Mackenzie

Darcy Parrish had learned the hard way how to take care of herself. After the accident that had shattered her spine, she made a new life as chef at Patrick Judson's estate. The position was temporary, but her movie-star-gorgeous boss seemed to have other ideas.

Darcy's sassy charms soon had Patrick hooked. He wanted to get closer to this beautiful and gifted woman who created masterpieces with her hands. The biggest obstacle was Darcy herself….

Read Excerpt


Greek Boss, Dream Proposal by Barbara McMahon

On board his luxury yacht, Nikos Konstantinos isn't looking for love. But sharing the breathtaking beauty of the idyllic Greek islands with his pretty new chef is driving him crazy!

Independent, free-spirited Sara Andropolous knows Nikos is a Mediterranean dream, but he's her boss, and she won't risk her business. And there's another, secret reason why Nikos is the most unsuitable man she could fall for….

Read Excerpt


Miss Maple and the Playboy by Cara Colter

Primary-school teacher Beth Maple is cautious and conventional. Until stand-in dad Ben Anderson appears at the school gates. Beth is besotted!

With his confident swagger and good looks, Ben is dangerously out of her league. Yet being around him makes her feel truly alive….

Read Excerpt




Boardroom Baby Surprise by Jackie Braun

When pregnant Morgan Stevens arrives at wealthy businessman Bryan Caliborn's office looking for her baby's father, two things become apparent: she's mistaken him for his late brother and she's in labor—in the boardroom!

Now Morgan's a single mom, and she's bowled over by the take-charge tycoon's support. But surely the once-burned bachelor is just doing it out of duty….

Read Excerpt


Bachelor Dad on Her Doorstep by Michelle Douglas

Back in her hometown for the first time in years, Jaz Harper is determined to face old flame Connor Reed with dignity. She won't be hurt again. But Jaz hasn't reckoned on Connor having become even more irresistibly handsome—or a bachelor dad.

As Connor's daughter bonds with Jaz, Connor realizes Jaz's warm nature is slowly melting away the hardened demeanor he's built up over the years….

Read Excerpt