by Linda Fildew, Senior Editor

We have celebrated some significant milestones over the last few years: Mills & Boon’s 100^th anniversary in 2008, Harlequin’s 60^th anniversary in 2009 and now Harlequin Historical reaches its 1000^th book in July 2010 with Christine Merrill’s deliciously sensual Paying the Virgin’s Price, part of our Regency Silk & Scandal miniseries.

1,000 books – 2,000 years of history featured in Harlequin Historical. We encourage a range of time periods so our novels can be set anywhere from ancient civilisations such as Greece and Rome up to the Second World War.

Mills & Boon launched their historical line – Masquerade – in 1977 with novels by such authors as Jane Wilby – Eleanor and the Marquis – and Marguerite Bell – A Rose for Danger. These London-acquired books were published almost simultaneously by Harlequin, although the covers were different for each market.

The UK & US Covers of Eleanor & the Marquis

It was from July 1988 that Harlequin launched what we know today as Harlequin Historical with books mostly acquired from an American author base. The first two were Satan’s Angel by Kristin James (aka Candace Camp) and Kathleen Eagle’s Private Treaty. Both books were Westerns and established early on readers’ love of the nineteenth century frontier settings. There’s something about the rawness of frontier life, living on the edge of danger, that truly captures the imagination. Westerns still form a key part of the present-day program.

Early Harlequin Historical releases

American settings predominated in the early years of Harlequin Historical although, gradually, other periods were added – e.g. Nora Roberts was the first to introduce a Scottish Highland setting with her Rebellion. The Regency period also proved highly popular and so it has remained to this day.

All our authors are skillful at drawing readers into their characters’ world and effortlessly holding them there from first to last page. Emotions run high. How better to spend a few hours of your time! We know how important authentic historical backgrounds are and our authors find just the right balance between the vivid setting and the stirring romance.

We are proud of the variety we offer in Harlequin Historical from classic Regency drawing room tales to ones which explore the risky underbelly of London life. From Medieval warriors and Viking conquerors to Chinese warlords and Byzantine barbarians, we have books – and sexy heroes! – to suit every mood. In the same month as our 1000th book by Christine Merrill we can tempt you with Alaska Bride on the Run by western author Kate Bridges; strong, sexy heroes in Bronwyn Scott’s Regency Untamed Rogue, Scandalous Mistress and Terri Brisbin’s Medieval The Mercenary’s Bride. Mary Nichols has a hero in conflict in Honorable Doctor, Improper Arrangement and June Francis’s hero flirts with danger in Pirate’s Daughter, Rebel Wife. The Chinese Tang Dynasty is an exciting new time period for us, one that we have never published before. We are happy to announce that we are publishing Jeannie Lin’s award winning Butterfly Swords in October.

As well as the six Harlequin Historicals a month – 4 in Retail and 2 available through eHarlequin.com and Harlequin Reader Service – we also have an online exclusive program called Harlequin Historical Undone! These short, sexy, scandalous stories appear in ebook format. These can feature any time period and you will find that we are exploring new areas – look for our vampire Undone! with Marguerite Kaye’s Bitten by Desire and how about some Sheikh delight in Innocent in the Harem by Michelle Willingham and Arabian Nights With a Rake by Bronwyn Scott! These tasty short bites of stories are just the right pick me up read over a lunchtime or before tucking down for the night.

There’s no better time than now to start reading Harlequin Historical if you haven’t already tried one. Get caught up in our latest miniseries Silk & Scandal, I promise you won’t be able to put these seductive books down.

I’d like to thank all of the authors and readers who have contributed to the success of the first 1000 books in Harlequin Historical. Here’s to the next 1000!

by Jayne Hoogenberk, eHarlequin Community Manager

I promised I’d be back this week with more suggested reads for the month of May and here I am!   I’ve been combing our editor recommendations and polling our Community members, and here’s part TWO of my must-read list of books that we’re raving about in our blogs and forums.  You might be surprised to note that more than one of these stories were inspired by real life events!

TAKE SIX AUTHORS, EIGHT STORIES, and STIR GENTLY…
From glittering ballrooms to a Cornish smuggler’s cove; from the wilds of Scotland to a Romany camp—join with the highest and lowest in society as they find love in this thrilling new eight-book Harlequin Historical miniseries. Though the “official” series title is Regency Silk and Scandal, Regency co-authors of this new continuity love fellow “continuista” Louise Allen’s slightly longer description of the project: “The Scandals of the Murdered Baron’s Mystery Gypsy Lovechild’s Forbidden Revenge Quest Involving Virgins and at Least One Earl.” This Saga in Eight Books sounds like the PERFECT antidote to a boring day at the office, no?

Want more details on the Regency Silk and Scandal miniseries?  Read the author’s blog HERE and check out what editor Joanne Grant had to say right here on the Harlequin Blog.

How about a sexy summer anthology featuring two separate stories for twice the delectable scandal?

From June through August 2010, Silhouette Desire is launching a new miniseries called A Summer for Scandal—6 romance-packed stories in 3 volumes and the good news is that the first volume is available NOW on eHarlequin. This month two stellar authors—USA Today bestseller Katherine Garbera and Yvonne Lindsay—contribute sassy stories to our Secrets, Lies…and Seduction anthology, the first in the miniseries. In July, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Brenda Jackson teams up with Olivia Gates for the second installment: In Too Deep.  And topselling authors Catherine Mann and Emily McKay end the miniseries with Winning It All in August. These romances are the perfect summer getaway—powerful, passionate and provocative!  But don’t take MY word for it…read an excerpt HERE

And fan-favorite author Merline Lovelace is back with Risky Engagement. Not only is this part of her popular Code Name: Danger miniseries, but also this book is part of Silhouette Romantic Suspense’s “Military of the Month” promotion within the series AND was inspired by a true life story.  Merline says, “Have you ever planned the perfect vacation, only to have one disaster after another occur? That’s what happened when we jaunted down to Cabo San Lucas with our best pals, Neta and Dave. But even disasters can turn into fun with the right attitude—and they make terrific fodder for books!”   If you’re in the know, you KNOW that Merline always writes a juicy, suspenseful and sexy story and trust me you won’t be disappointed!

Now it also occurs to me that you might be in the mood for a Big Summer Book and lucky for you I have a number of single title suggestions to suit whatever mood you’re in.

Coming in June, we have a gritty debut from author Pamela Callow with Damaged featuring heroine Kate Lange, a struggling lawyer with a twisted family past, whose run-of-the-mill custody case suddenly turns into a murder investigation, with Kate as the murder’s next target. Pam says she was inspired to write Damaged by a criminal case in the United States and says, “drawing on my professional career at blue-chip firms, I wrote Damaged, the first of four planned books in the Kate Lange series. Kate is my everywoman superwoman. The next book in the series, Indefensible, will come out in January 2011. The third, Tattooed, is planned for the Summer of 2011, and the fourth in June 2012.”  You can check out the book trailer for Damaged here or on our Harlequin Books YouTube channel and read the first FIVE chapters of this page-turner here!

Author Diane Chamberlain has been hailed as “the southern Jodi Picoult” and is best known for her emotional relationship novels including the international bestseller, The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes. Her latest story also available in June, The Lies We Told, tests the bond between sisters when disaster and love for the same man comes between them.  Diane is very proud of the book trailer for The Lies We Told, and you can view it by clicking on this link.  Diane says, “In my opinion, it gives the feeling of the book and the central themes (our family stories are not always what they seem and the powerful relationship between sisters) without actually trying to tell the viewer the story.”

A true story of selfless love inspired Debbie Macomber to write Hannah’s List. In this heartwarming story, a young widower named Michael receives a letter from his wife (speaking of remarkable women!) on the first anniversary of her death. In her letter, Hannah urges Michael not to bury himself in his grief but to remarry—and she includes a list of women she’d like him to consider as a second wife. This sweet story is a must-read for fans of uplifting fiction and Debbie’s wonderful storytelling.  To celebrate publication of this new Blossom Street novel, you can enter the Hannah’s List contest for a chance to win $10,000 by telling Debbie “What you would do if you had a ’second chance’ at something special in your life? You can enter the contest at the Hannah’s List website and view the book trailer for Hannah’s List here.

Well that about wraps things up for this month, did I miss something?  What are YOU reading and loving this month?  And were you paying attention?  Can you tell me which of my recommended books were inspired by true life stories?  I have a treat for you if you can correctly identify them in the comments section below.  I’ll be drawing at random from your comments for a chance to win a copy of Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove cookbook! Submit your comments by 11:59pm EST Monday, May 31st. Only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. For full contest details, click here.

Jayne

Community Manager
eHarlequin.com

by Joanne Grant, editor of the Harlequin Historical Silk & Scandal miniseries

I am here to tell you some very exciting news about a brand new Regency continuity in Harlequin Historical that starts in June 2010, but before I get into the details I thought I’d share with you the story of how the Silk & Scandal continuity came to be…

Over the last few years there have been a number of exciting and dramatic continuities commissioned for our contemporary series such as The Royal House of Karedes and the subsequent sequel, Dark-Hearted Desert Men (that launched in April), in Harlequin Presents, and The Brides of Bella Rosa in Harlequin Romance, which also begins in April. So we decided it was time to give Harlequin Historical a turn!

Once we had settled upon which authors we would like to approach, we were faced with the challenge of what we wanted our continuity to be about. We had strong ideas about what we love most about Regency historicals, and with eight books to play with we knew we could get many of these elements in, such as: roguish rakes, virgin brides, marriages of convenience, but we needed something to gel the continuity together – we needed the actual continuity element! That is when we decided to approach the authors. It was a brave move – our most recent continuities had been “bible-driven”, but we had confidence in our authors that they would “wow” us.

The authors brainstormed, and brainstormed some more, and I met with Louise Allen to discuss the ideas, but I knew we weren’t quite there yet. It is our jobs as editors to continually push authors for more – more innovation, more excitement and in this case, more scandal! And it seems that little word “scandal” was the light bulb moment for the authors. What followed was a flurry of activity between the authors, as they developed their ideas further, whilst we waited patiently. And boy, was it worth the wait!

When I was finally introduced to a scandalous back story involving a love triangle, a scorned gypsy lover, a murder, a curse, and a hanging with a silken rope, I was definitely intrigued, but when I was introduced to the continuity character – I was sold!

He was a man so dark and mysterious that there was debate amongst the authors as to whether he was too bad, and should remain a villain, but I have a soft spot for seemingly irredeemable alpha males, an anti-hero. Especially when they are sexy, seductive and as at home in a gambling hell hole as in a society ballroom. A man so shady that you know that beneath his stern, all-penetrating gaze, lies a complex mixture of emotions that can only be released by the right woman, and when that right woman comes along – the results will be explosive! A man so intriguing, that he will keep readers reading for eight books…yes, this was what the continuity needed, and so Stephano Beshaley AKA Stephen Hebden, was born and the Silk & Scandal continuity was created!

In a nutshell, each story in the miniseries has a passionate, intense, central relationship but with Stephano as the linking thread. He is a darkly dangerous, yet sexy stranger, out for revenge, delivering a silken rope as his calling card. Through him, a long-forgotten past is stirred to life, and the notorious events of 1794 which saw one man murdered and another hanged for the crime, are brought in to question. The final book is Stephano’s story when all is revealed!

Silk & Scandal

From glittering ballrooms to a Cornish smuggler’s cove; from the wilds of Scotland to a Romany camp – join with the highest and lowest in society as they find love in this thrilling new eight-book miniseries!

Has this whetted your appetite? I do hope so and if you just can’t wait to read book one (on sale NOW on eHarlequin.com), then we have just the thing! All six authors have collaborated on an online read, Seduced by the Dark Stranger. This serial introduces some of the heroes and heroines from the continuity and there is also a brief cameo by Stephano. You can read a new chapter in this story every Tuesday and Thursday in May! Also available this month is Christine Merrill’s Harlequin Historical Undone! prequel: Taming Her Gypsy Lover, a scorching read that takes readers back to 1794, when the scandal that is the basis for the continuity has just happened!

Don’t miss a single title in the Silk & Scandal continuity:

Book 1: The Lord and the Wayward Lady by Louise Allen, June 2010

Book 2: Paying the Virgin’s Price by Christine Merrill, July 2010

Book 3: The Smuggler and the Society Bride by Julia Justiss, August 2010

Book 4: Claiming the Forbidden Bride by Gayle Wilson, September 2010

Book 5: The Viscount and the Virgin by Annie Burrows, October 2010

Book 6: Unlacing the Innocent Miss by Margaret McPhee, November 2010

Book 7: The Officer and the Proper Lady by Louise Allen, December 2010

Book 8: Taken By the Wicked Rake by Christine Merrill, January 2010

And here are some of the book covers! More will be revealed as they become available.

by Courtney Milan, author of Proof by Seduction (HQN January 2010)

Historical romances are all about the fairytale. They are set in a time when carriages were pulled by a team of eight spotless white horses, when servants did all the dishes, and when gowns were personally made to fit you and accentuate your glowing inner beauty.

This is in sharp contrast to the way things are for me today: the car is making a weird grinding noise, I’m doing the dishes, and fashions are designed to make my butt look big. Naturally, I love the escape that historical romances provide (and I always hope that if I look busy enough when I’m reading one, my husband will do the dishes instead).

But when I set out to write one, I found that I couldn’t just write about the fairytale. I can never fully escape into a heroine’s life if she’s never known deprivation. If someone has already done the heroine’s dishes, if her personal maids can cinch her into a corset that makes her appear to have a sixteen-inch waist, and if every time someone threatens to make her life difficult, she can snap her fingers and order a servant to solve the problem… well, what does she have that I can relate to?

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The heroine of my debut novel, Proof By Seduction, was very much my answer to this conundrum. Nobody has ever snapped their fingers for her. She’s faced economic deprivation. She’s won, because she’s now telling fortunes to the wealthy as a way of making a living. She’s not wealthy herself, but she is comfortable.

When my wealthy hero enters the picture, he doesn’t offer her a carriage pulled by eight spotless horses. Instead, he threatens her comfort by telling her he will expose her as a fraud. And in order to prevail, my heroine is going to have to take him–and all his servants–on, all while wearing a dress that might make her butt look big.

And that’s a fairytale I can relate to.

Courtney Milan

Editor’s Note: We finish our series about eBook Blogger Bundles with Wendy, the Super Librarian whose bundle is Blogger Bundle Volume III: Super Librarian Selects the Harvey Girls (containing The Doctor’s Wife, The Lawman’s Bride and The Preacher’s Daughter.)

by Wendy Crutcher, the Super Librarian.

I rediscovered the romance genre over ten years ago when I took my first professional library job, and I quickly developed an insatiable appetite for historical romances. Joining various e-mail loops, doing some reviewing, and starting my own blog in 2003, led to the accumulation of a TBR pile that can be seen from space and a reputation for being a champion of historical western romances.

So it’s really no surprise that I’m hopelessly devoted to the Harlequin Historical line. While the western once ran amok in the romance genre, the number of titles has dwindled in recent years. Harlequin Historical is one of the few places where I can routinely get my western fix, and I’ve discovered many wonderful writers through them.

Cheryl St.John is easily my favorite of the bunch. She really has a knack for making her characters sing. These are people with pasts, and typically a fair amount of emotional baggage, but who don’t wallow or throw pity parties for themselves. She routinely writes determined, yet vulnerable heroines, and pairs them with strong heroes. The best part, is that being romance novels, the reader knows that no matter the odds, no matter the terrible things that may have happened in their pasts, the author is going to make everything alright in the end. Nobody really does this better than Cheryl St.John, whose stories exemplify the term “comfort read” for me.

When Harlequin asked me to propose an eBook bundle from their expansive backlist, I knew I had to include a bundle of nothing but Cheryl St.John Harlequin Historical titles. She’s written many wonderful books over the years, but I think a good place to start is with her loosely-connected Harvey Girls trilogy. They are textbook examples of why I enjoy her stories so much. I hope you enjoy them as well.