June Foreign Releases

La novia del aristócrata - Michelle Douglas

¡De mamá trabajadora a señora de una mansión!

Lord Simon Morton-Blake, un guapo aristócrata inglés, no quería tener una relación seria con nadie en Australia, y menos aún con una madre soltera como Kate Petherbridge. Pero Simon no pudo negar la atracción que sentía por Kate, una mujer llena de vida, ni decirle que no cuando le ofreció su casa para alojarse.

PAMIĘTAJ O MNIE NAJPIĘKNIEJSZA MUZYKA

Jennie Adams: PAMIĘTAJ O MNIE

Zach szybko wyrzuca nową sekretarkę, która zamiast pracować, próbuje go uwieść. Wzywa na rozmowę szefową agencji, Lily, by wyjaśnić, dlaczego poleciła mu tak nieodpowiedzialną osobę. Zgadza się puścić sprawę w niepamięć pod warunkiem, że to właśnie Lily obejmie zwolnioną posadę...

Jackie Braun: NAJPIĘKNIEJSZA MUZYKA

Przez lata Reese i Duncan rozumieli się bez słów, teraz niemal z sobą nie rozmawiają. Są w trakcie rozwodu, ale właśnie otrzymują wiadomość, że ich starania o adopcję zakończyły się sukcesem. W tej sytuacji postanawiają odłożyć decyzję o rozstaniu...

En contacto con la alegre familia de Kate, los rígidos modales de Simon se fueron suavizando poco a poco. Simon nunca había formado parte de una familia feliz, pero comenzaba a darse cuenta de que ya había una dispuesta para él.

Casamento negociado - Jessica Hart

Estava a infringir as regras do jogo ao apaixonar-se pelo seu próprio marido…

Mallory McIver prometera ao seu marido um casamento sem nenhum tipo de implicação emocional, uma espécie de negócio.

Então, Torr anunciou que partia para a Escócia para restaurar o velho castelo que herdara. E esperava que Mallory o acompanhasse…

Mallory casara-se com um executivo sofisticado e citadino, mas ali, no campo, Torr transformou-se num homem forte, habilidoso e muito atraente que estava a provocar-lhe sentimentos proibidos.

PRIMA NOTTE CON IL PRINCIPE di WINTERS REBECCA

LA FAMIGLIA REALE DEI SAVOY

Un vero principe è disposto a tutto, per difendere il suo regno.
Ma non a rinunciare al vero amore.

L'annuncio delle nozze tra l'erede al trono Luca Vittorio V e Alexandra Grigory ha creato grande scompiglio nel regno. La stampa ha già preso d'assalto la capitale e i sudditi non vedono l'ora di festeggiare la nuova, splendida coppia reale. In pochi, però, conoscono la verità: il loro sarà soltanto un matrimonio di convenienza.

Alexandra non riesce ancora a credere di aver accettato l'assurda proposta del principe Luca. A preoccuparla, però, non sono tanto le nuove responsabilità di regina, quanto la prima notte di nozze che dovrà trascorrere al castello in compagnia di un uomo assolutamente irresistibile!

La princesse des sables, Barbara Mcmahon

Prise dans une violente tempête de sable en plein désert, Lisa est secourue par un inconnu qui la conduit jusqu'à une somptueuse oasis. Elle apprend alors que son sauveur n'est autre que le tout-puissant cheikh Touareg Al Shaldor, qui règne en maître sur toute la région... Troublée par l'attitude tantôt empressée tantôt distante de son hôte, la jeune femme comprend bientôt avec effroi que celui-ci n'aurait qu'un mot à dire pour la retenir prisonnière dans son refuge...

Το Κυνήγι του Έρωτα - Fiona Harper

Πρώτο ραντεβού: στην πλατεία ΤραφάλγκαρΌταν μια φίλη της την προκάλεσε να ζήσει πιο συναρπαστικά, απαντώντας «ναι» σε ό,τι της πρότειναν για μία εβδομάδα, η Φερν δεν φανταζόταν ότι θα κατέληγε να πάρει μέρος σ' ένα κυνήγι θησαυρού στο Λονδίνο, συντροφιά με τον παιδικό της φίλο.

Πρώτος χορός: στο Κόβεντ ΓκάρντενΟ ριψοκίνδυνος Τζος δεν έμενε στο ίδιο μέρος, ή με την ίδια γυναίκα, για πολύ. Όμως η όμορφη συμπαίκτριά του τον έβαζε σε πειρασμό να παραβεί αυτό τον κανόνα…

Πρώτο φιλί: στην Εθνική ΠινακοθήκηΟ Τζος συνειδητοποίησε ότι αυτό που έψαχνε, ο πιο πολύτιμος θησαυρός απ' όλους, ήταν η ίδια η Φερν. Πώς θα την έπειθε να του πει «ναι» στην τελευταία και πιο σημαντική πρόταση απ' όλες: να γίνει γυναίκα του...

Special Releases: An Italian Summer

One of the very neat things is writing and reading special projects. This summer, two Romance authors join Kate Hewitt in an anthology entitled AN ITALIAN SUMMER. Here are Jackie Braun and Rebecca Winters to tell you a bit about their stories!

Rebecca: My inclusion in this June anthology is a new novella called THE LUCCHESI BRIDE. It's the story of a darling redhead named Catherine Dalton who finds out her birthfather Mario Conti is alive and living in Italy. She's a western girl from the US and flies over to Italy to meet him. In the process she encounters the hero Alessandro Luchessi who is a business friend of her father's... and it's love at first sight for both of them.

Alessandro has a teenaged son who isn't too thrilled to discover his father has a love interest after all these years. And to add to the mix, Mario's daughter through another marriage is insanely jealous of her American half sister who has won Alessandro's heart. To make things even tougher, Catherine is feeling guilty to have left her stepfather (since her mother's passing). She loves him and doesn't want him to feel betrayed because she has gone to meet her birthfather. Lots and Lots and lots of angst!

Jackie: A VENETIAN AFFAIR originally appeared in Destination: Marriage, an anthology out last June that featured, as the main title implies, destination weddings. I had a ball writing this story, and I still have a bit of a crush on Maxwell Kinnick, the story's flirtatious, confirmed bachelor. I paired him with Dayle Alexander. She's his business partner and seemingly the only woman alive immune to his considerable charm. Dayle has good reason to be immune. She made the mistake of falling for one Lothario. She's vowed never to do so again, which is why it makes sense to accept the proposal of her long-time, uber-reliable beau. So what if she doesn't experience sparks when they're together? She had those once and only wound up burned.

When work takes Max to Venice and Dayle tags along to scout out wedding locations, the long-simmering attraction they've both denied can no longer be ignored. But is it more than attraction? And just what is Max hiding behind all of that charm? When Dayle learns the answers, she's left with an even bigger question: Venice is the perfect location for her wedding, but who is her perfect groom?

Don't they sound like LOVELY stories? You can find the book for sale at Mills and Boon, and at amazon.

Can This Manuscript be Saved? Susan Meier

Good morning…afternoon…or evening!

I’m Susan Meier. I’ve written over forty books for Harlequin and Silhouette but most of you know me as a workshop speaker…especially an online speaker. CAN THIS MANUSCRIPT BE SAVED is my most popular workshop.

I think there are two reasons for that. First, the material for this class came from my own blood, sweat and tears as I learned how to write AFTER I got published. I’m not exactly proud of that (LOL!!!) but because I did learn all this stuff by working with editors YOU get the benefit of editorial noodle whipping without having to submit bad manuscripts and taking the lashing!

Second, I think all of us have a manuscript somewhere that’s “broken” and we don’t know how to fix it!

So here is the very, very, very condensed version of CAN THIS MANUSCRIPT BE SAVED.



There are seven common reasons books get rejected:

1. Doesn’t fit our line/Isn’t right for the publisher to which it was submitted
2. Not enough emotion (too much emotion/romance if it’s going mainstream or single title)
3. Pacing off/bad
4. Tone wrong
5. Bad characters (FOR A MULTIPLICITY OF REASONS)
6. No conflict/weak conflict
7. Weak story

Unfortunately, those are only symptoms of what’s wrong with your book. Think of going to the doctor. You go in. You say, I have a fever, body aches and I’m throwing up. He doesn’t say, “Oh! You have fever, body-aches and puke disease.” He says, “You have a virus.”

That’s one of the most important things about figuring out what’s wrong with your book. Most of us deal in symptoms and forget the disease. So what does a book “disease” look like?

Well, we write on 3 levels…Story, Scene and Word. You tell a story using scenes and you create scenes with words. Those are the main entry points to fixing (or writing) a book. So if something is wrong with your book, it’s either a story problem, a scene problem or a word problem.

Let’s take them one at a time.

Your story is your premise, (forgiveness is hard, opposites attract, boss falls in love with his secretary, older man falls in love with younger woman, hero and heroine must catch a killer) coupled with your characters’ goals, motivations and conflicts. (i.e.: The hero and heroine must find a killer, but she’s already been charged with the murder and he’s the DA prosecuting her.)

If you’re getting rejections saying, “I wasn’t wowed by this story.” Or “It was okay.” Or…shudder… “It didn’t make sense.” “I didn’t believe the hero would behave that way.” “Hero (or heroine’s) motivation was off.” “The main characters goals weren’t compelling.” You have a story problem.

To fix a story problem, you don’t jump into the manuscript and start changing things willy nilly! You first create a story summary which includes your story’s premise coupled with your characters’ goals motivations and conflicts. You change this SUMMARY first. Then when you jump into the book you have a plan for what the NEW VERSION should look like. This summary will keep you on track but also show you what can stay the same. And sometimes, knowing what NOT TO CHANGE is every bit as important as knowing what to change!

How about scenes? Well, the purpose of a scene is to illustrate a journey step. Journey steps are the steps it takes to take hero and heroine from chapter one – the introduction of terrible trouble, the day/moment everything changed, the inciting incident – to the satisfying conclusion.

Poorly written scenes, scenes in the wrong order and scenes without purpose can cause poor pacing.

Jack Bickham and Dwight Swain give us a magic formula for plotting – which is combining story with scenes. That formula is action/reaction/decision. For every action there is a reaction (consequence) which usually results in somebody making a decision…which results in that person taking action (or getting someone else to take action) which results in a consequence…which results in a decision…and on and on.

To check to see if you’re following an action, reaction, decision formula, you can create a story board to “see” your scenes. Write your chapter numbers across the top of poster board (or spreadsheet in Excel). Print the journey step and number of pages used for the scene on a Post-it and paste it to the poster board under the appropriate chapter. When you’ve done this for an entire book, scenes without a journey step (or scenes with weak journey steps) will become obvious!

Scenes without journey steps aren’t necessary! If you’ve got a lot of them, that might be why your book is “slow”. But there’s another trick to writing scenes that lots of us don’t know. Come closer…it’s kind of a secret…Not every scene has to be the same length! Scenes with “lesser” journey steps can sometimes be a page, or a paragraph or even a sentence. And some “lesser-journey-step” scenes can be combined!

On the flip side…you don’t want to shortchange the scenes that should be your most powerful. Those scenes might be the scenes where you want to “spend” the most pages!

I believe the skill of discerning if a journey step should be illustrated as a sentence or a fifteen-page scene is the master skill of the greats among us!

Now there are other reasons scenes “go bad”. You could have picked a poor way to illustrate your journey steps. You could have simply written the scene poorly. In those cases, you don’t need to “rewrite” an entire book…simply fix those scenes!

Studying your storyboard will show you everything you need to know about your scenes!

And finally…Words.

Think this through. Words are your primary tool for creating scenes, characters and tone. If an editor tells you that your character isn’t likeable…it might be because his or her actions make him unlikeable. But…could it be the words you’ve chosen to describe him make him unlikeable? More to the point…could it be the words you’ve chosen to use as his “reactions” to the events around him that make him unlikeable? Have your words turned your character into something/someone you didn’t intend?

Follow me on this one! It takes some thought.

“Reaction” phrases are an important part of the “word” problem of characterization. Not only can character reactions create a “tone” for your book that you might not want, but also characters are “known” by what they do…how they react. Your characters are only as good as the words you put in their mouths and minds and the words you use to describe them!

So if you sit down tomorrow and read your problem manuscript and discover that you’ve inadvertently created a character you didn’t intend by the words you chose, how can you fix this?

First, create a List of 20 for more creative character reactions, movements and traits.

What do I mean by that? Well, if your character is always reacting in a dark and somber way and your rejection said the book was too depressing. Put a question at the top of a piece of notebook paper that says…WHAT ARE TWENTY DIFFERENT WAYS THIS GUY CAN REACT THAT WILL MAKE HIM BEHAVE AS A STRONG AND DETERMINED PERSON RATHER THAN A DEPRESSING WEIRDO? (Have fun with your question! It has to inspire you!)

Then work to figure out twenty reaction phrases. If he sighs every time he learns bad news, you might replace those sighs with more action-oriented, expressive reactions. For instance, his eyes could glint with anger or glaze over with rage. Or he could make a fist, grit his teeth, snap his toothpick in two.

Once you have twenty good reaction phrases, you can begin to plug those in everywhere he sighs or has any other type of reaction that makes the book (and him) depressing! You’ll not only strengthen his character, you’ll improve the book’s tone.

So if you’ve gotten a rejection that said the tone of your book wasn’t good…go back and take a look at how your characters are reacting!

So what have we said here?

Create a story summary BEFORE you try to fix a book wherein the editor has criticized goals, motivations and conflicts! Then use that summary to guide you on fixing your book.

Create a story board to evaluate scenes, if an editor has said your book is slow, pacing is off, or (God forbid) boring!

Use a list of twenty to create better reaction phrases to fix books with rejections that pertained to characters.

And that’s the quick and dirty version of CAN THIS MANUSCRIPT BE SAVED!

I'll be happy to answer any questions!

susan meier
MAID IN MONTANA, 6/09 Harlequin Romance

June Author Post - Donna Alward

This month marks the release of my sixth book with Harlequin Romance, Hired: The Italian's Bride. I loved writing it, I was thrilled when it was accepted and when I received my author copies and read it (I always read them in book form, because somehow they read differently in print), I fell in love with Mari and Luca all over again.

Mariella Ross is beautiful, efficient, and a bit reserved. It's not much wonder - she's got a dark past that makes her wary of most people. But she loves her job - working at a high class hotel in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. She does a fantastic job of catering to others' needs without having to get too personally involved with anyone.

But when the hotel changes hands and becomes the Fiori Cascade, it comes complete with new owner, Luca Fiori. Italian, young, energetic and oh-so-sexy, Luca is determined to break Mari out of her shell.

Along the way, Mari somehow regains her confidence and Luca realizes what he really wants out of life, and it was a wonderful thing, seeing them fall in love. I'll admit, there is a pivotal scene where Mari just GETS it, and writing it I shed a few tears even as I felt really proud of her.

Ok, so I know it sounds silly to talk about her like she is a real person, but as I'm writing, my characters DO become real and most of the time they end up guiding me through the book, telling me what they want most, what they are afraid of, and hopefully in the end, gathering the strength to go after it.

Here's a small excerpt:

“I can’t sleep with you Luca.” It came out on a rush of breath.

A smile teased his mouth. “Perhaps a kiss.”

He was close enough now that she had to tip her chin up to meet his eyes. It was a struggle to keep them open as his fingertips moved through her hair. “Kiss.”

“Surely you’ve kissed before?”

Mari’s insides trembled. She had, but not for a very long time. Not without utter fear.

“A time or two.”

His face was so close his breath warmed her cheeks. Her fingers tightened around the edges of his jacket. Surely, if she could make it through a first kiss, it would all be fine. “Kiss me, Mariella.”

Their gazes held for a second. He was waiting for her, she realized. He understood she’d been hurt and he was letting her make the first move. It was unexpected. She was used to him bossing her around. Now he was giving her the power and it made him even more difficult to resist.

She leaned into his hand, tilted up her face, and with her heart in her throat, touched her lips to his.

For a split second she let them rest there, testing. Their eyes were open, and the connection between them was so strong it rocked her core. His lips were warm, soft, waiting. She let go of the jacket and rested a hand against his heart and she felt the thunder beneath her palm.
The simple movement changed everything. Her breath came out in a rush as Luca’s hand commanded her head, tilting it gently to the side and he opened his lips. Her lashes fluttered shut. The kiss was deliberate but soft, easing into the passion slowly, building the fire with teasing nips.

For the first time since leaving her old life behind, she threw caution to the wind, wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling him closer.

The moment she did it, everything changed. His hand swept from beneath her hair and dragged her close. His tongue swept into her mouth and she wilted against him. The jacket fell from her shoulders to the floor of the terrace and his hands warmed her skin as they roamed over the bare flesh of her arms.

Glory.

Hired: The Italian's Bride is out in stores on June 9 and available online from booksellers including eharlequin and Mills and Boon.

June Releases

Outback Heiress, Surprise Proposal by Margaret Way

Francesca Forsyth is happy with mud on her boots, working the land. But when she inherits half of her grandfather's empire, Francesca must come out of her shell and become a high-flying businesswoman, professional and smart!

Handsome Bryn Macallan, the joint heir, watches this country girl take the reins with more than a little interest….

Read Excerpt


Honeymoon with the Boss by Jessica Hart

Top tycoon Tom Maddison is used to calling the shots—until his convenient marriage falls through. But rather than waste his honeymoon, he'll take his boardroom to the beach and bring his oh-so-sensible secretary, Imogen, on a tropical business trip!

Imogen's always fancied Tom, but knows he sees her as superefficient…not sexy! Yet on idyllic Coconut Island the white sand and inviting turquoise lagoons are weaving their magic….

Read Excerpt

His Princess in the Making by Melissa James

When Lia Costa discovers overnight that she's a princess and is betrothed to a royal duke, it turns her world upside down! Because regal duty means she can never tell her best friend, Toby, how she really feels….

Firefighter Toby Winder has always secretly loved Lia. But, watching her swap her apartment for a palace, he realizes he must now compete with an entire kingdom for her attention!

Read Excerpt


Dream Date with the Millionaire by Melissa McClone

Dani Bennett isn't looking for a man, but her new job requires her to sign up to blinddatebrides.com. The last thing Dani expects is to be paired with a devastatingly attractive millionaire! Her poor background and blonde-bombshell looks mean she expects Bryce Delaney to take one look and judge her—like all other men.

But Bryce isn't just any man….

Read Excerpt

Maid in Montana by Susan Meier

For single mom Sophie Penazzi, accepting a housekeeping job at handsome Jeb Worthington's ranch is a fresh start for her and six-month-old Brady.

More comfortable with a baby on her hip, dough on her apron and flour in her hair, Sophie knows she is nothing like the glamorous women who inhabit Jeb's world.

Her welcome from the taciturn rancher is far from warm…but that doesn't stop Sophie wishing she could be more than a maid in Montana!

Read Excerpt


Hired: The Italian's Bride by Donna Alward

Mariella Ross has built a new life for herself at the Fiori Cascade hotel, and she isn't going to allow the new owner's devil-may-care attitude to disrupt her hard work! Even if Luca Fiori's laid-back charm and infectious smile are giving her butterflies….

Luca's showing Mari a side of life she's almost forgotten. Overcoming her dark past won't be easy, but with Luca by her side, Mari's beginning to feel that anything might be possible….

Read Excerpt

Foreign Releases for May

ROMANZE IM SPANISCHEN SCHLOSSvon: REBECCA WINTERS

Glück im Unglück: Bei einem Unfall nahe Toledo wird die hübsche Reiseleiterin Jillian von einem attraktiven Mann gerettet! Don Remi de Vargas lädt sie ein, bis zu ihrer Genesung sein Gast zu sein. In seinem malerischen Schloss La Mancha, umgeben von silbernen Olivenhainen, zeigt der adlige Spanier ihr, wie bezaubernd er sie findet. Aber ist Jillian, die nach einer Enttäuschung nichts mehr von der Liebe wissen wollte, für eine neue Romanze bereit? Zwischen Sehnsucht und Zweifel hin- und hergerissen, fragt sie sich: Darf ich auf mein Herz hören?

ALBUM RODZINNY PLAŻA DLA DWOJGA

Raye Morgan: ALBUM RODZINNYUtrata pracy spędza Callie sen z powiek. Na szczęście Grant, jeden z byłych szefów, proponuje jej nową posadę. Wkrótce składa jej kolejną propozycję, tym razem prywatną i bardzo szokującą...

Ally Blake: PLAŻA DLA DWOJGAMaggie, znana malarka, ucieka z dużego miasta i zamieszkuje w domku przy plaży. Wynajmuje do prac remontowych sąsiada, Toma. Nie wie, że Tom jest sławnym i bogatym architektem, który, tak jak ona, postanowił porzucić wielkomiejskie życie...

A luz do amor por Trish Wylie

De entre todas as cidades do mundo, escolheu Paris para se declarar…
Ronan O’Keefe tinha tudo o que o dinheiro podia comprar, todavia, teria renunciado a tudo para conservar o que estava a perder: lentamente, o milionário playboy estava a ficar cego.Sozinha em Nova Iorque, Kerry Doyle começou a ter dúvidas sobre se devia fazer aquela viagem à volta do mundo, porém, quando conheceu Ronan, decidiu fazê-la... com ele.Ao chegar a Paris, Ronan apercebeu-se de que não queria deixar escapar a bela e divertida Kerry. Talvez o seu segredo o ensombrasse, no entanto, Kerry enchera a sua vida de luz.

Bröllopsklockor av Jessica Hart

Hon älskar sitt nya jobb – och sin chef …
Lucy hade alltid trott att hon kunde klara vad som helst, men det var innan hon mötte sin nye chef. För det är inte helt lätt att fokusera på jobbet med den karismatiske företagsmagnaten Guy Dangerfield i närheten. Trots det är hon fast besluten att visa att hon har det som krävs. Fast det är inte lätt – Lucy hade ju aldrig räknat med att falla …

Under bar himmel av Barbara Hannay

Solnedgång i den australiska vildmarkenfetstil
Ännu en dag är till ända för boskapsuppfödaren Mark Winchester. Det hade kunnat vara en helt ordinär arbetsdag – men de senaste veckorna, sedan han träffade Sophie Felsham på ett bröllop i London, har allting känts lite upp och ner.

En regnig morgon i Londonfetstil
Sophie samlar mod inför det svåraste beslut hon någonsin tagit, packar sin resväska och beger sig mot flygplatsen. Hon har något viktigt att berätta för Mark, mannen hon sex veckor tidigare tillbringade en het natt tillsammans med …

Le secret d'une amoureuse, Melissa James

Julie est bien décidée à ne jamais revoir Matthew McLachlan. Non seulement il lui a menti, mais il s'est bien moqué d'elle en prétendant l'aimer. Aussi est-elle stupéfaite quand, quelque temps plus tard, il tente de la reconquérir en employant les grands moyens : un enlèvement en bonne et due forme...

Une épouse parfaite, Karen Rose Smith

A la mort de son père, Clay apprend avec effarement qu'il ne pourra hériter ses biens que s'il se marie dans les plus brefs délais. C'est donc contraint et forcé qu'il jette son dévolu sur Gina, une douce et délicate jeune femme employée par son père, avec l'espoir de pouvoir mettre fin rapidement à cette union de convenance...

Amor de oficina (TRAMA: CENICIENTA) por Jennie Adams

Su jefe tenía unos planes muy especiales para ella ¿En qué estaría yo pensando? Como si un vestido nuevo y un par de zapatos prestados, cargados de esperanzas y sueños, fuera a ser suficiente para que el guapo de mi jefe se fijara en mí. Después de todo, hace tres años que apenas ni me ve. ¿Por qué iba a fijarse ahora?

Pero la noche pasada, cuando Jarrod me llevó a casa después de esa fiesta, todo pareció distinto, y por un momento de locura pensé que me iba a besar. Bueno... el lunes otra vez a la oficina y todo volverá a la normalidad...

UN CLIENTE SPECIALE di ALWARD DONNA

Accoccolarsi davanti al camino è uno dei piaceri più grandi per Maggie Taylor. Finora, però, neanche quel fuoco scoppiettante è riuscito a scaldare il suo cuore solitario.

Maggie non potrebbe chiedere di più dalla vita: la sua esistenza scorre tranquilla, e la gestione di quel piccolo Bed & Breakfast sulle montagne canadesi la rende una donna realizzata, almeno sul piano professionale. Avere un uomo accanto a sé è l'ultimo dei suoi desideri e i batticuori dell'amore sono ormai solo un lontano ricordo. Finché, un giorno, un misterioso cliente fa il suo ingresso in hotel. Nate Griffith è l'uomo più bello che Maggie abbia mai visto, le sue labbra sembrano promettere un mondo di incantevoli delizie. Qualcosa di quello sguardo tenebroso, però, la spinge a difendersi con ogni mezzo dal suo irresistibile fascino.

More Fantastic News

In keeping with awards season...we at the blog want to congratulate this year's Ruby Finalists! The Rubies are handed out at the annual RWAus Conference and award excellence in romantic fiction from Down Under.

Romance Writers of Australia has announced the finalists in the 2009 Romantic Book of the Year. This year a record 144 books were entered in 4 categories.

This year's Harlequin Romance nominees for Romantic Book(s) of the Year are:

SHORT SWEET CATEGORY:
Claire Baxter - The Single Dad's Patchwork Family
Melissa James - A Mother in a Million
Marion Lennox - His Island Bride (Medicals)

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are Babies Romantic?

Please welcome Harlequin Romance author Nicola Marsh with this week's Author Post!

This month, Harlequin Romance presents 6 fabulous ‘baby’ books, under their ‘Baby On Board’ miniseries. Which got me thinking…are babies romantic?

Considering I’ve had 2 of them since selling in 2003, and have had to handle sleepless nights, teething, viruses, croup, tantrums, etc…I’d probably say no.

My ‘babies’ are gorgeous and lovable and I squish them a hundred times a day but as a reader, when I pick up a book to escape, I want passion and glamour and high stakes and romance, loads of romance, without a baby’s cry interrupting the hero and heroine at a delicate moment.

So imagine my panic when I saw a big baby on the cover of 8th book, ‘INHERITED: BABY’.

Yes, the baby was gorgeous but how could readers be attracted to that story? Wouldn’t the memory of all those pooey nappies and sleepless nights for many readers drive them away?

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

Now I have another baby book out this month, THE BILLIONAIRE’S BABY.
Not a baby in sight on the cover, just a handsome man for my lovely hero Blane (the first hero of mine in 17 books to make me cry while writing) and his heroine, Camryn.

Their embrace is romantic. His protective hand over her bulging tummy is romantic.

The fact they love each other enough to have a baby is romantic.

Is that the appeal of baby books?

The ‘aww’ factor of an alpha hero being vulnerable to his child?

The love of a mother for her baby?

What do you think?

Great news for Harlequin Romance!

Typically at this time of year, various award competitions announce finalists and winners. Our author loop has been all abuzz with the great news flooding - yes FLOODING - our way lately, and so it's high time we shared it with our readers!

Congrats to Jennie Adams who won this year's Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice award for Best Harlequin Romance with The Boss's Unconventional Assistant!

In addition to Jessica Hart and Barbara Hannay's RITA finals, the lists are up for the National Reader's Choice Awards, the Bookseller's Best Awards, and the Golden Quill Awards.

And what a showing!

In the NRCA's Traditional Category:

Jackie Braun - Expecting a Miracle
Jessica Hart - Last Minute Proposal
Lucy Gordon - The Italian's Cinderella Bride and The Italian's Passionate Revenge
Michelle Douglas - The Loner's Guarded Heart


In the BBA Traditional Category:

Christmas Wishes, Mistletoe Kisses – Fiona Harper
Her Millionaire, His Miracle - Myrna Mackenzie
The Italian’s Cinderella Bride – Lucy Gordon
Newlyweds of Convenience – Jessica Hart

And in the GQ Traditional Category:

The Soldier's Homecoming - Donna Alward
Saying Yes To The Millionaire - Fiona Harper
Executive Mother-To-Be - Nicola Marsh
The Rancher's Doorstep Baby -Patricia Thayer
The Millionaire's Proposal - Trish Wylie

And also in the Novella category:

Snowbound Bride (Christmas Weddings)- Shirley Jump

Other good news includes an Honorable Mention for Donna Alward's The Soldier's Homecoming in Love Romances and More's Golden Rose Awards in the Best Category Romance of 2008 Category.

Congrats to all our Romance authors!

May Releases

Adopted: Family in a Million by Barbara McMahon

When Zack Morgan discovers he's a father, and that his little boy was given up for adoption, he decides to find him. He has to know his son is okay.

Life is a struggle for single mom Susan Johnson, but she loves being Danny's mother. When Zack unexpectedly comes into their lives, he lights up their world.Zack intended to keep his distance, but he's found the family of his dreams. Only, Susan has no idea who he really is….

Read Excerpt

Hired: Nanny Bride by Cara Colter

Playboy tycoon Joshua Cole doesn't expect to be confronted with a frumpy nanny and a howling baby in his expensively furnished office. But the child is his nephew, so he steps in to help!

Dannie Springer has been hiding behind her staid nanny uniform since she got her heart broken. Yet over the weeks with Joshua, she starts to see the man beneath the designer suits—and she is secretly wishing he could see the real her….

Read Excerpt

Italian Tycoon, Secret Son by Lucy Gordon

Stranded after an avalanche, Mandy Jenkins and Renzo Ruffini awaited rescue and found comfort in each other's arms. A year on, Mandy still longs for the carefree Italian she fell in love with but believed was lost forever—until now!

Discovering that Renzo has survived, Mandy goes to him—for he has her heart and she has his son! But Renzo has lost his memory. How will he react when he finds out the truth? Will he claim his English bride and his son?

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Blind-Date Baby by Fiona Harper

Dear Noah,

It seems like just the other day that I met you on blinddatebrides.com. My daughter signed me up because she felt I'd sacrificed my life to bring her up alone. But you can still be forty and…flirty!

I couldn't believe my luck when my blind date was a tall, dark, handsome stranger—yet you were that and so much more….

But now things have gone further and faster than I could have imagined because—well, we're pregnant! Noah—we need to talk.

Love, Grace

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The Billionaire's Baby by Nicola Marsh

Billionaire Blane Andrews has come to Melbourne to win back his wife. He walked away from Cam, believing he wasn't good enough. Now he's risen to the top, but he wants the one thing money can't buy.

As Blane romances her, Cam realizes that the magic in their marriage never faded. Yet she can't give Blane the baby he's always wanted. This time she must say goodbye….

But hold on to your dreams, Cam! Miracles can happen, and Blane's penthouse might need a nursery after all….

Read Excerpt


Doorstep Daddy by Shirley Jump

Maverick writer Dalton Scott demands solitude—not a baby on his doorstep! But he can hardly shut the door…. Though absolutely out of his depth, he's amazed when he finally gets the little girl to stop crying!

Then beautiful single mom Ellie arrives, distraught that the babysitter left her precious child on Dalton's doorstep!

Can this chaotic pair make him realize that too much of his life has been stored in fiction? With Ellie he could start a whole new chapter….

Read Excerpt

April Foreign Releases

Germany:

IM STURMWIND DER HIGHLANDS von: JESSICA HART

Ein Leben ohne Liebe in den Highlands kann Mallory sich nicht vorstellen. Und doch scheint genau das ihr Schicksal zu sein, denn sie muss ihrem Ehemann Torr McIver auf seine einsam gelegene Burg nach Schottland folgen. Wider Erwarten lernt sie den ernsten Unternehmer dort von einer ganz anderen Seite kennen: humorvoll, männlich, faszinierend! Verliebe ich mich etwa gerade in meinen eigenen Mann, fragt sich Mallory erstaunt. Aber das darf nicht sein! Schließlich will Torr nur eine Vernunftehe mit ihr führen. Denn er begehrt eine andere, die scheinbar so fern – und doch so nah ist …

Spain:

Cuando te encontré/Abre el corazón (TRAMA: SEDUCTORES. EL AVENTURERO) Linda Goodnight/Liz Fielding

Cuando te encontré - Linda Goodnight

Un apuesto desconocido había aparecido en su vida…

Una cabaña aislada en las Rocosas era el sitio perfecto para que Melody Crawford se ocultara del resto del mundo. Con sus dos fieles perros, arriesgaba su vida sin miedo para rescatar a personas extraviadas… pero el resto de su existencia era un misterio.

John North, un antiguo militar, necesitaba su ayuda, ya que Melody conocía aquellas montañas traicioneras mejor que nadie. Melody enseguida lo consideró un intruso, pero él se sintió irremediablemente atraído por esa mujer de belleza enigmática. En el fondo de su corazón ella necesitaba confiar en John, y éste haría todo lo posible por derribar sus barreras beso a beso.

Abre el corazón (TRAMA: SEDUCTORES. EL AVENTURERO) - Liz Fielding

Estaba perdida en una isla con un hombre que podría ser el amor de su vida.

Miranda Grenville era una superviviente, una belleza independiente y orgullosa. De vacaciones en una remota isla paradisíaca, se vio sorprendida por un terremoto y, atrapada bajo las ruinas de un antiguo templo, descubrió que no estaba sola: el arqueólogo Nick Jago estaba atrapado con ella.

En esa situación se vio obligada a depender de alguien, algo que iba contra su naturaleza, pero, a pesar de no querer confiar en él, empezó a sentir algo por aquel aventurero.

Poland:

POWTÓRKA Z MAŁZEŃSTWA FRANCUSKI WDZIĘK

Melissa McClone: POWTÓRKA Z MAŁŻEŃSTWA

Kate i Jared muszą wspólnie roztoczyć opiekę nad córeczką zmarłych przyjaciół. Chociaż są w trakcie rozwodu, postanawiają dla dobra dziecka pozostać małżeństwem, przynajmniej formalnie. Uda im się wyjaśnić wiele nieporozumień, ale czy uratują związek?

Claire Baxter: FRANCUSKI WDZIĘK

Beth coraz rzadziej wspomina pewne lato we Francji i romans z przystojnym Pierre’em. Teraz ma inne problemy, walczy o swoje udziały w rodzinnej firmie winiarskiej. Koncern, do którego należy większość akcji, przysyła swego przedstawiciela. Jest nim Pierre...

Portugal:

A flor do amor (Minissérie: Os irmãos Rinucci) por Lucy Gordon

Ele desejava protegê-la... Ela precisava de ser livre!

Celia Ryland era uma mulher independente, que decidira não permitir que a cegueira de que padecia afectasse a sua forma de vida.

O bonito italiano Francesco Rinucci jamais conhecera uma mulher tão livre e cheia de vida como Celia e, de repente, percebeu que desejava apertá-la entre os seus braços e proteger a sua bela rosa inglesa dos perigos do mundo…

Embora estivesse a apaixonar-se por Francesco, Celia tinha de o fazer ver que amar alguém também implicava deixá-lo livre…

Italy:

LA VALIGIA DELLA FELICITA' di WYLIE TRISH

Per ritrovare il sorriso ci vorrebbe una novità... Ronan O'Keefe, milionario affascinante e scrittore di guide turistiche, ha tutto ciò che il denaro può comprare, eppure non è soddisfatto della propria vita. Anche quell'ennesimo viaggio non ha alcuna attrattiva per lui, almeno fino a quando non mette piede sull'aereo e...

...meglio se con i capelli lisci come seta e con un fisico mozzafiato!

La sua vicina di posto è un sogno a occhi aperti; bellissima, dolce ed effervescente. Di lei, Ronan sa solo che si chiama Kerry Doyle e che sta partendo per una vacanza di tre mesi in giro per il mondo. Senza pensarci troppo, le fa una proposta: viaggiare insieme e annotare ogni sensazione ed emozione. Il risultato di quella strana avventura diventerà un bestseller. O un'indimenticabile storia d'amore?

France:

Patron ou amant ?, Jennie Adams

En pénétrant dans le bureau de Zachary Swift, l'un des plus intraitables businessmen de Sydney, Lily, directrice d'une agence d'intérim, est très mal à l'aise. L'une des assistantes qu'elle a placées dans l'entreprise de M. Swift n'a-t-elle pas failli ruiner la réputation de Secrétaires Express en tentant de séduire ce patron très en vue ? Cependant, la jeune femme est loin de deviner l'étrange compensation que son client a l'intention d'exiger d'elle...

Hungary :

Rebecca Winters: Országomat egy nőért!

A csinos amerikai lány, Darlene egy gyűrű alapján kinyomozza, hogy örökbe fogadott fiának Valleder hercege az apja. Darlene elutazik a mini államba, hogy találkozzon Alexandre herceggel. A férfit villámcsapásként éri a hír, hogy van egy tizenkét éves fia. Hogy jobban megismerje a gyereket, meghívja anyát és fiát a kastélyba. Alexandre és Darlene egyre közelebb kerülnek egymáshoz, csakhogy ez szigorúan tilos, mivel a hercegnek mennyasszonya van, és a házasság fontos politikai érdekeket szolgálna…

INTRODUCING.....NINA HARRINGTON!

Brand new Romance author Nina Harrington has her debut coming up, so we thought it would be fun if she popped in to talk a little about herself and her very first Harlequin Romance, ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID! Take it away Nina!

Nina Harrington grew up in rural Northumberland, England, and decided age eleven, that she was going to be a librarian, because then she could read all of the books in the public library whenever she wanted!

Since then she has been a shop assistant, community pharmacist, technical writer, university lecturer, volcano walker, and Industrial scientist, before taking a career break to realise her dream of being a fiction writer.

When she is not creating stories which make her readers smile, her hobbies are cooking, eating, enjoying good wine, and talking, for which she has had specialist training.

Nina’s first book for the Mills and Boon Romance Line is called ‘Always the Bridesmaid’, and will be published in July 2009.

Tell us about your road to publication.

If you are sitting comfortably, this story begins three years ago.

My history with Harlequin started in 2005 when I discovered that the Romantic Novelists Association [RNA] in the UK ran a scheme for New Writers where an experienced published author will give you a critical critique and revision notes for your manuscript before you submit to an agent or publisher.

I had just complete a witty Romantic Suspense story aimed at the Silhouette Bombshell line, with a very Lara Croft heroine and exploding yachts and motorcycle chases. I knew that it was heavy on the action adventure and light on the romance, so this was an ideal opportunity to have some feedback before submitting to Silhouette.

I was surprised and delighted when the manuscript was recommended for a ‘second read’ where stories, which are almost at publication quality, are reviewed by another author before being recommended to a publisher.

In January 2006 I revised the text and sent the story off to the Richmond office.

Unfortunately my timing was terrible, and the Bombshell line was not taking new submissions at that time.

However, the editors were kind enough to critique the manuscript, AND best of all, said that they liked my voice, and offered to work with me to a new book. I had been working on another romantic book, and the best fit for this story was the ‘Tender Romance’ Line.

My first attempt in 2007 had WAY too many secondary characters and subplots to meet the guidelines and I quickly decided to move to a new idea where I could start fresh. I studied the line, analysed the work of my favourite authors and restructured the draft so that the emotional journey of the characters came first.

Congratulations on becoming a Mills & Boon author! How did you feel when you received the call?

Thrilled. Excited. Happy. Terrified!

I think that my road to that moment was more of a steep learning ramp rather than a curve, but in January 2008 I submitted a manuscript for the Romance Line to HMB Richmond office.
When the revision letter arrived in June, I was delighted to see that the editors thought the story had potential and the suggestions they made would clearly make it a more compelling book.

The revised manuscript was mailed last week of August and on Monday morning 1st September the telephone rang.

The HMB editor I had been working with from the Richmond office wanted to buy my book and a second!

And as an extra bonus? It was my birthday the following day.

Exactly six years and one day since I gave up my paid job as an Industrial Chemist to write full time.

I was alone in the house at the time, but before the day was out, I think my news was circulated across my pals in the Romance Community worldwide.

What can readers look forward to from your first Mills & Boon Romance ?

‘Always the Bridesmaid’ [ Romance, July 2009] is the love story of a damaged young woman who has created a new home for herself after a life-changing event. Six days before her best friend’s wedding, the bride’s millionaire brother turns her new life upside down, and in the process she rediscovers that there is someone who believes in her.

The story is set in a London bakery and includes a lot of delicious patisserie and chocolate!
I love this story, and hope you do to.

‘Always the Bridesmaid’ will be published in July 2009 from bookstores in the USA. In the UK and elsewhere is it available Online and through the Reader Subscription Service.

What’s next for Nina Harrington?

My second book for Harlequin Mills and Boon Romance is called ‘Hired: Sassy Assistant’ and will be published January 2010.

Sneak Peak?

I love cooking, so here is the recipe for my second book.

Take one rugged handsome doctor who has just flown in from the Himalayas.

Add a pretty country artist who wants nothing to do with him or his lifestyle.

Mix together at a prestigious London venue, then bake in front of a warm log fire for ten days in a small English village complete with thatched cottages and dogs. And cake.

Going forwards, I want to continue to write women’s fiction filled with warmth, hope, love and laughter. I want to entertain women like myself, who are working hard in busy lives with families of all kinds to support.

As a reader, I chose to watch romantic comedies on TV and in the cinema, and read about love and life in the limited personal time I have. I want to laugh and have fun, and for me, there is no better way of doing so than through the characters and positive relationships in the pages of a book.

As a writer, I know that in this modern world, we are bombarded daily by the media through TV, radio, mobile phones, DVDs, CDs, cinema, newspapers, magazines, gaming and of course the siren call of the internet. For someone to choose to pick up a romance novel, or in fact, any work of fiction, that novel has to be special – is has to offer the reader something that they cannot experience through any other medium – and that includes your favourite soap operas!

When you watch TV with your family, I feel that you are inviting the stories into your personal home through the medium of that TV screen.

But a book? Unless you are reading aloud, a book is a one to one relationship between the author, the characters, and the person holding the book and experiencing the story inside their head. And that is very special, because every single reader will come to that story with expectations founded on their unique lifetime of personal experience.

I would be thrilled to think that anyone who reads my work comes away with the sense of hope and love, all wrapped up in a warm smile.

That is my objective.

But then again, nobody said that this was going to be easy!

Jackie Braun - Deadlines, Sleep and Starvation!

Marrying the Manhattan Millionaire is my 14th Harlequin Romance and my 18th book published through Harlequin Enterprises.

I wish I could say the process has gotten easier with each book I’ve written, but it hasn’t. I still struggle with my characters, the plot, pacing, you name it, every single time.

Don’t tell my talented and endlessly patient editor this, but I’m still not sure I know what I’m doing.

My husband, an engineer by trade, recently asked me why I always start working evenings and weekends in a frantic push to finish a book when my deadline begins to loom.

To his very logical mind I should be able to set a page count per day, hit that number in my allotted time, and have things wrapped up before my quiet home office is invaded by a pair of energetic boys in the afternoon.

Ah, if only it were that simple for me.

Some days I have been known to turn out more than a dozen in record time. On others, I can spend hours to eke out a few pages that will require major revisions.

I adore my husband and was only marginally offended by his question. After all, hunger probably motivated it. See, the closer I get to deadline, the more likely it is my family will be eating cold cereal for dinner. (During a recent deadline we actually ran out of cereal, milk and clean bowls and spoons.)

While writing this book, however, I recall cooking my share of decent meals at crunch time. In fact, making meals didn’t prove to be as big an issue for me as getting sleep, especially at the start.

During the proposal stage, I sent my editor an idea that didn’t quite fly. I planned to revise it, but then, in the wee hours of the night, I awoke with a totally new story in mind. I hopped out of bed and jotted down notes.

That story became Marrying the Manhattan Millionaire.

I may not know what I’m doing, but when it comes to my priorities this much I’ve figured out: My love of story-telling will outrank making meals and getting the doctor-recommended eight hours of shut-eye every time.

Giving you an edge - with Melissa James

A big HRA blog welcome back to Melissa James with a post on how unorthodox stories and characters can give you an edge - if you're trying to break into publishing or needing something fresh for your 10th, 20th, or even 50th book!

Unorthodox Stories and Characters...the Edge You Need?

A recent phone call from my editor got me thinking. Being asked for “unorthodox families” in my next book, it made me think: what makes a family? In my brother’s family, for example, there are stepchildren, natural children and an adopted child, all of whom love him and call him Dad. In romance stories, so many different stories have been written, from tried and true, adaptations on fairy tales and Greek mythology, oddball comedy and action adventure. So what makes a family – or a story – unorthodox? I began thinking this as I folded washing tonight, and turned on the TV...and the movie “The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down A Mountain” was on.

Now that’s an unorthodox movie: if you haven’t seen it, it’s about a town who believes Hugh Grant has a map they need for the town’s survival, and they keep deceiving him to keep him in the town until they can wangle it from him. “Harold and Maude”, “Napoleon Dynamite” and “The Princess Bride” are all oddball movies, to name a few...and they’re among my favourite movies. I like the unorthodox, the screwball, the unique take on life. I like characters like Greg House, the family in the old movie “You Can’t Take It With You” (highly recommended!) and Love Actually. I love the family dynamics in “While You Were Sleeping”.

Why can this give you an edge in your writing? Think about it. In a company swamped by submissions every week, what does it take to make your manuscript stand out? Deep emotion, of course; an unforgettable setting, a strong hero and feisty heroine, yes...but what about an unusual plotline? What about a story about something that touches your soul or your funny bone? I’ve based many books now on documentaries I’ve watched (A Mother in a Million was based on a documentary about missing people), a real family experience (Long-Lost Father’s daughter, Casey, is based on my niece, and my brother’s unusual but loving family), or facts gleaned from university readers (my first book, Her Galahad).

And another thing too often overlooked by writers is the secondary characters. As a regular contest judge, I so often see secondary characters are really rather cliché and boring, used only as a vehicle to further the relationship.

But why can’t they be entertaining, as well? The Princess Bride is a classic romance – but would it be such fun without Inigo “There isn’t a lot of money in revenge” Montoya, Fezzik the Giant, Prince Humperdinck or even the booing old crone?

And in books, even characters that never come on stage can entertain! Think of Bradley in Jennifer Crusie’s classic “Getting Rid of Bradley”. Think of characters that never talk, such as Fred the dog in “Anyone But You.” When you treat every character as a personality on their own, one that can last in the reader’s mind long after the book’s gone (I haven’t read either of those books in years), you give the entire book a life, a sparkle beyond the romance alone. And both those books were less than 60,000 words! So it’s not a matter of space; it’s a matter of character strength. Making each word count, bringing each character to life is so important.

For example, Liz Fielding’s excellent book “Reunited: A Marriage in a Million” had a secondary character who, on the surface, seemed hard, cold – Miranda. Yet she totally intrigued me. She remained so true to herself in the book, even as her brother (the hero) changed. She was grumpy, feisty, opinionated and yet obedient. What made her tick? We hardly know until her book...and she was just as fascinating then. Her conflict and character unfolded slowly, like a sunflower turning with the movement of the day. “Wedded In a Whirlwind” is a book I’d totally recommend for great characterisation as well.

I had quite a lot of kind feedback from my book “A Mother in a Million”, especially that readers loved the children. The hero had three kids, each with a distinct personality and a conflict that added to the romance’s problems. Tim, at only 8, had a terrible conflict: he’d promised his mummy he’d look after the family till she came back. 3 years later his mummy’s still missing, and he’s still the family watchdog. His fear that his father would find another woman, and knowing his little sister and brother desperately needed a mother, pulls at him until he can’t bear it, and disappears over and over, terrifying his father, Noah. Cilla is 5, and climbs trees when she can’t take the tension. She’s shy and sucks her thumb, but comes out of her shell for the heroine, Jennifer. Rowdy, the youngest, is only 3, but, undamaged by his mother’s disappearance, has a cute wisdom that changes the characters’ perceptions of each other – and his acceptance of the harder aspects of life show his personality.

The moral of this ramble is: each story should have a new perspective on life – and each character should have a unique personality. As the author, it’s your job to create a world where each person is true to themselves, whether for good or bad, quirky or sad, dark or hilarious. We all have quirky characters in our lives somewhere, and the best books (and characters) are drawn from life....or an overheard conversation on a bus or in a café. Be observant, look out for the traits that make each person unique, and adding that kind of strength to your current book’s secondary characters, and indeed the primary characters, may not only keep your book far from the cliché that bring forth rejection, but it just might keep an editor hooked from start to finish.

Melissa's latest book is THE REBEL KING, out this month and the first of her Suddenly Royal series!

April Releases

Diamond in the Rough by Diana Palmer

Sassy Peale is desperate to help her family, but her meager salary doesn't stretch far. Then she meets John Callister, and she thinks her new friend is an honest-to-God cowboy—rugged and trustworthy.

But John isn't a ranch hand, he's a millionaire from one of Montana's most powerful families! And when Sassy finds out who he really is, she's certain the arrogant millionaire is just playing with her. John has to convince Sassy that he's the man she first thought he was—a diamond in the rough.

Read Excerpt

The Cowboy and the Princess by Myrna Mackenzie

Watch over a princess for the summer? Keep Her Royal Highness out of trouble? Not happening. But when the princess's brother asks reclusive rancher Owen Michaels for help with defiant Princess Delfyne, Owen can't say no.

He should say no. Delfyne is regal. Gorgeous. Kind. And dangerous to this tormented cowboy's heart. Owen will have to fight his hardest to keep love away—because, despite their strong attraction, Delfyne is betrothed to another man!

Read Excerpt

Secret Baby, Surprise Parents by Liz Fielding

Grace McAllister thought being a surrogate for her sister would be a truly selfless act. But secretly Grace longed for the baby inside her to be her own, conceived in passion with the only man she had ever loved. But that could never be.

Josh Kingsley couldn't bear to watch the baby grow big in Grace's belly, unable to share in the magic. He wished she and the child were his to take care of. But when tragedy struck, Josh rushed to be there for Grace and baby Posie. Could they be his life, his family?

Read Excerpt


Nine-to-Five Bride by Jennie Adams

Marissa Warren was not at all concerned about turning thirty—joining that online dating Web site was just a bit of fun! So what if she hadn't found her Mr. Right yet? She was in love with her fabulous job, and happy being single. Though her sexy new boss did make her go wobbly at the knees….

But Rick Morgan was so not Mr. Right! He was more Mr. Tall, Dark and Dangerous…and if he asked her out on a date, Marissa would definitely say no…wouldn't she?

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The Rebel King by Melissa James

Fireman Charlie Costa knows all about duty and saving lives. But when he learns he is a prince who must marry to secure his country, he's shocked! He doesn't want to be king, or to marry Princess Jazmine…no matter how beautiful she is.

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Marrying the Manhattan Millionaire by Jackie Braun

Successful executive Samantha Bradford never underestimates the opposition. So when her ex-fiancé and business rival, Michael Lewis, comes back to town, she thinks she's ready for all his tricks. The confident swagger. The devastating smile. The irresistible sex appeal. And the uncompromising determination that had pulled them together—and then pushed them apart.

Now they're both bidding to land the same huge account. The stakes are high…and the buzz of working together is intoxicating. But the real merger on the table is more than strictly business….

Read Excerpt