What is the first romantic suspense novel that you ever read? Do you remember? I snuck my way into romantic suspense by reading books by Jayne Ann Krentz and Nora Roberts back when I was a teenager.  At first, the books would just have light edges of romantic suspense, but then I started to look for more intense tales. I quickly discovered that I could not get my fill when it came to these stories! I still reread some of the “classic” romantic suspenses that first hooked me on the genre. I love a reread—those are the comfort reads that can pick you up on a bad day or just give you a little sigh of happiness when you need it.  A few classics for me? MIDNIGHT BAYOU by Nora Roberts is one book that I’ve had on my shelf for ages. I’ll be honest, though, pretty much every book I read by Nora winds up on my keeper shelf. MIDNIGHT BAYOU is a mysterious, sensual read that sucked me right into the story. Another classic romantic suspense on my keeper shelf? THE PRIVATE EYE by Jayne Ann Krentz.  Jayne Ann Krentz writes fabulous alpha heroes and strong, determined heroines. …

People who entered the Courtyard without an invitation were just plain crazy! Wolves were big and scary and so fluffy, how could anyone resist hugging one just to feel all that fur? ― Anne Bishop, WRITTEN IN RED   Let’s talk about furry heroes. There are a million or more books about heroes who shift between a human form and some animal form. What I want to discuss here, are heroes who don’t shift – guys who are furry 24/7. There are more stories like that out there than I first thought, like those by Poppy Rhys, SJ Sanders, Jade Waltz, and others. There’s something for everybody – paranormal historical, fantasy, scifi, action, romcom-esque, and more. The first romance I read with a hero who was permanently furry, was WILLA’S BEAST by Ruby Dixon. This may have also been my first Ruby Dixon book. I was browsing online for some sexy scifi romance, when I stumbled upon WILLA’S BEAST. Sometimes, with a “Beauty and the Beast” theme, the hero can occasionally behave as beastly to the heroine as his beastly appearance might have you assume. That was not the case here. In this story, the “beast” – Gren – is…

So many fabulous books! This spring has offered us an entire gardenful of wonderful offerings with more to come. I had to wait out a long library queue, but I was finally able to listen to Christina Lauren’s latest offering: THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT.  You don’t have to have read 2021’s terrific THE SOULMATE EQUATION to enjoy the new book, but it follows up on the premise proposed in that first book, in which clever scientists create a program to help singles find each other through genetically matched DNA. Oh-so-clever TV producers decide to capitalize on the popular new dating app and create a reality show in which a romance writer gets matched with genetically chosen heroes, and the viewers get to pick which one she rides off with into the sunset. What could possibly go wrong? But more importantly, for Felicity, known as “Fizzy” to her myriad fans, can the wacky idea help her get her writing mojo back? Fizzy needs a second chance, and THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT, produced by grumpy Connor Prince, who just wants to get back to serious filmmaking, may provide the answer. Or will Connor turn the practical experiment into something far more personal?…

If the characters are chasing a bad guy, if they are facing life or death stakes, if danger is stalking them…then I am absolutely addicted. Long before I started writing romantic suspenses, I was an avid reader of the genre. (And, of course, I still am a crazy avid reader!) What draws me to romantic suspense? I love the balance of danger and romance. One minute, your heart is racing because you’re worried about the hero or heroine, and then, a few pages later, you’re feeling an emotional high because you can see the characters falling for each other. And, sure, considering that I am more than a bit of a crime addict (too many podcasts are in my life), it only stands to reason that I’d be drawn to books with a suspenseful edge. However, I need a happy ending in my stories, and romances can always guarantee me that I will end a story with a smile on my face. There are several romantic suspenses that are currently on my radar as summer reads. First up, Kaylea Cross has written a heroine who is a former assassin (talk about dangerous), and I am so looking forward to her…

For this month’s selections, we’ll begin with historical figures brought up in luxury who must grapple with dramatic change, then switch to two who are offered a chance to claim a heritage that isn’t theirs.  What would one do to remain, or become, rich and famous? Bryn Turnbull’s THE LAST GRAND DUCHESS reveals the end of Romanov rule from the point of view of Olga Nikolaevna, the last tsar’s first-born daughter.  Though she and her three sisters were raised in luxury, because of their brother’s hemophilia and the royal family’s attempts to hide his condition, as well as the tsarina’s efforts to protect the boy by consulting the increasingly controversial Father Grigori Rasputin, Olga’s early social interactions are restricted to her sisters and the teas given by her aunt for a select few from the court of Saint Petersburg.  In timelines that alternate before and after the abdication, we see the world of the sheltered, immature Olga widen when World War I begins and the sisters volunteer as nurses at a hospital for wounded officers.  Along with (fictional) romantic entanglements, Olga’s exposure to the wider world makes her aware for the first time of the conditions in a Russia rife…

Historical romance author Tracy Sumner appeared recently on a Fresh Fiction Video Club (4/19/23) and spoke lovingly of a writer who had inspired her: the incomparable LaVyrle Spencer. I immediately felt compelled to revisit her work myself and dove into VOWS. What a lovely story. Published in 1988 about a young couple living in 1888 Wyoming Territory, the book stands the test of time and delivers a heart-wrenching story of a love that refuses to quit, even when the lovers themselves see no road to happiness. Emily’s family needs her, and she’s been promised to family friend Charles for as long as she can remember. Tom has come to town to start his life anew after fleeing heartbreak back East. Love is most definitely not in the cards for Emily and Tom, and they don’t even like each other when they first meet. But as time goes on, they are powerless against the magnetic force that pulls them together and demands they take a second look at their own expectations and decisions. LaVyrle Spencer delighted me when I first read her decades ago, and her work continues to do so today. Take a second look and be delighted again yourself,…

Just as spring wakes up the plants and flowers that slumbered through winter to burst into new bloom and new life, the tremendous upheaval wrought by WWI would change forever the world, and a woman’s place in it.  No longer would a girl be restricted to marriage, spinsterhood, or a few “suitable” professions, like nursing or teaching.  With men gone to the war, women by necessity took up occupations they’d never before been permitted to perform—and there would be no going back.   This month’s selections explore some of the fields into which they ventured and the effects their trailblazing efforts had on their own lives and those of the women who would follow.  Welcome to the beginning of the modern world for women! We begin with two girls who practiced a familiar occupation in a very different venue in THE SEA NURSES by Kate Eastham.  Before the war, Iris worked as a nurse-stewardess on the luxury liner HMS Britannic. But after the cruise ships are requisitioned by the government and refitted for war use, Iris joins as nurse on a hospital ship.  Another nurse who joins her is Evie, a Scottish fisher girl who made her living fileting herring…

What a difference a few days of sunshine and warm temperatures can make! My dog is old, and our walks are sometimes far too slow for my liking, but the beauty bursting forth in every direction makes our slow pace gratifying. An added bonus: more time to listen to audio books! But speaking of spring, my travel plans were derailed by the tornadoes sweeping across the country, and I send my deepest sympathies to anyone who was affected. Instead of my intended itinerary, I made a long-planned and long-postponed pilgrimage to Boonsboro, MD, where the incomparable Nora Roberts set up shop a while back. The town, located not far from the Civil War Antietam battlefield, is not a major metropolis, but it is home to the lovely bookshop, Turn the Page Bookstore, that Nora and her husband have kept open for years. I bought books (who’d have guessed!), candles, a t-shirt, and a few winsome charms. You’ve read a Nora Roberts or a J.D. Robb book – of course you have. But go back and read another. Last year’s NIGHTWORK, was terrific, and during my visit I was catching up on audio with Eve and Roarke in one of their…

I had never heard of Orcs until I watched the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Pretty rough and scary looking creatures. Not the stuff of romance novels – or are they? Since being seduced by monster-themed romance novels, I’ve come across a wide array of stories featuring orc heroes. I’ve found stories ranging from rom coms to medieval fantasy – light and fun, and others that have strong elements of suspense. For fans of contemporary and paranormal romance, there are books like Sweet Monster Treats trilogy. My favorites are the first in the series, COOKIES FOR MY ORC NEIGHBOR by Michele Mills, and CANDY FOR MY ORC BOSS by Ava Ross. In the Michele Mills book, the orc hero epically fails at avoiding the human heroine he pines over. He doesn’t think she could ever except his bestial nature. In reality, he’s a marshmallow at heart, and she secretly pines for him too. Swoon. The Ava Ross book is perfect for fans of billionaire romances. At the opening of the story, Chasity has a one-night stand with a sexy supernatural stranger. It’s phenomenal but she never expects to see him again, until he turns out to be…

You can never get enough of Sherlock Holmes in my book. Man, woman, or just Holmes-esque, a Conan Doyle style mystery is one I won’t pass up. Imagine my delight to have three such novels to write about—eek! All three authors are hugely talented and each story is so vastly different from the other, the reader can’t help but enjoy each journey in a completely different manner. It’s like traveling through time, across the pond, or better yet, inside an iguanodon! Okay, inside an iguanodon may not be very comfy but nevertheless, the trip is out of this world. Holmes Coming by Kenneth Johnson was released November 1, 2022 and is written in a traditional style with modern day twists. Hubert Holmes, aka Sherlock Holmes, whose name wasn’t “sexy enough for author Conan Doyle,” develops a method of cryonics in the Victorian England and preserved himself to solve crimes in the future after his archenemy, Moriarty, dies at his hands. Without the stimulation of worthy challenges, Holmes’s occasional uses of addictive drugs, had turned into a habit and his new endeavor of prolonged sleep turns into his very own detox program. His humorous, (and grotesque) awakening in the modern era…