by Jayne Hoogenberk, eHarlequin Community Manager

I’m back with a great line up of romances to help warm up your Spring and keep you turning the pages til we hit the beach with our summer time must-reads.  Our editors recommend you check out the following favorite authors and new miniseries and continuities, and I can’t wait to talk about them with you in our blogs and forums!

First off the block is Maureen Child’s Man of the Month story for Silhouette Desire, The Last Lone Wolf. Maureen is known for her provocative stories, family sagas and strong sexy heroes, and she’s been giving us some backstory on her hero Jericho and how Daisy Saxon plans to rock his world in the Silhouette Desire Author blog on eHarlequin.  Maureen says “I loved this book and it wraps up a quartet about the latest batch of King (of California) brothers! Oh, there will be more, but Jericho King is one of my favorites, so I’m excited to see him out on the shelves….”  you can read more of her blog here.

Of her new series in Silhouette Special Edition, fan-favorite author Marie Ferrarella says, ”Here we are with the second installment of Matchmaking Mamas. This time it’s soft-spoken Theresa Manetti who is trying to find a mate for her workaholic daughter. Kate has only ventured out into the dating field a handful of times. The last time was not the charm, inasmuch as she became engaged to a high-profile criminal lawyer who enjoyed more than his share of “undercover” work, the undercover in this case being sheets. After that disaster, Kate dedicated herself to building up her career and completely ignoring her personal life.”  Ha! We just know THAT won’t last, but you’ll have to read Fixed Up with Mr. Right? to say I told ya so!

You also won’t want to miss New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Brenda Jackson’s romance double-header this month with Spontaneous (Harlequin Blaze)and Hidden Pleasures (Kimani Romance).  Of Spontaneous she says, “I’ve been anxiously waiting to be able to write Duan Jeffries’s story—and I’m thrilled to introduce him in my very first Blaze novel. My readers first met the Jeffries clan when Reggie Westmoreland fell in love with Olivia Jeffries in my Silhouette Desire book titled Tall, Dark…Westmoreland! Since then, I couldn’t get Olivia’s two older brothers, Duan and Terrence, out of my mind. Terrence made his debut in my Kimani novel Temperatures Rising, and now, finally, it’s Duan’s turn.”  Read the first chapter here. (bring ice!)

And Harlequin American Romance is launching a 6-book continuity miniseries from June (available in May on eHarlequin) to November, called The Codys: First Family of Rodeo. The Codys’ are a wealthy ranching family with strong ties to the rodeo. Six siblings compete in rodeo events and find love in various western settings.  This miniseries is full of drama, emotion, family secrets, pregnancies and babies, weddings, and hunky cowboys! I know, I had you at rodeo, right?

The first three books are:
Walker: The Rodeo Legend by Rebecca Winters (June)
Dexter: Honorable Cowboy by Marin Thomas (July)
Dusty: Wild Cowboy by Cathy McDavid (August)

If Suspense & Adventure is more up your alley, then you’ll be wanting to check out the all-new trilogy from Harlequin Intrigue, Texas Maternity: Hostages kicking off with Delores Fossen’s The Baby’s Guardian and don’t miss Kerry Connor’s emotional and gripping Shivers miniseries title,  Stranger in a Small Town of which she says, “All of my characters mean a great deal to me, but I especially felt for these two people, two lost souls who find a connection when neither expects it.”  Read more here.  Kerry and Delores often blog at eHarlequin and you can catch up with on the Intrigue Author blog.

On a girls weekend in Las Vegas, best friends Alex, Molly, Serena and Jayne (sadly NOT me) are supposed to just have fun and forget men, but they end up meeting their perfect matches in Harlequin Romance’s new Girls’ Weekend in Vegas miniseries.  Check out Book One, Saving Cinderella! by Myrna Mackenzie, followed by Vegas Pregnancy Surprise by Shirley Jump (July), Inconveniently Wed! by Jackie Braun (August) and Wedding Date with the Best Man by Melissa McClone (September).

I promise to be back with more NEXT week, until then, tell me more of what you like to read and which stories you’re looking forward to most!

Happy Reading,

Jayne

Community Manager
eHarlequin.com

by Meg Lewis, Assistant Editor of Harlequin Romance and Cara Colter, author of Rescued in a Wedding Dress.

He’s bending down on one knee, looking into your eyes and taking a gorgeous little box from his jacket pocket….

It could only mean one thing! That moment you’ve been waiting for—he’s going to propose! Most of us girls have imagined our perfect ‘proposal scene’ at some point…

Well last February, we on the Harlequin Romance team launched a competition where the prize was not only a diamond necklace but also the opportunity to see their ultimate proposal come to life… in the pages of a Harlequin Romance story! The contest was part of our celebrations for Harlequin’s 60th anniversary. We also published a special collection of books that month: Diamond Brides. Every story featured some of those beautiful, sparking gems we all love! Read about the stunning collection here.

The competition generated much excitement and we were flooded with wonderful ideas. Our readers really are a romantic and imaginative bunch and it was a pleasure to read all your entries!

The winning idea really stood out to the judges because it was highly romantic, special and creative, and featured a beautiful setting. What was it? Well, to find out you’ll just have to read the fantastic Rescued in a Wedding Dress by Cara Colter—out this month!  (There may be a hint on the cover, though!)

And now over to Cara Colter, who’s going to share her experience of including the winning proposal idea in her story, Rescued in a Wedding Dress:
Read the rest of this entry

Still reeling from all of the love? Or perhaps it was a quiet long weekend with not much to-do? Whatever your sentiments about the big V day, we know you’re a romantic at heart, so you’ll still appreciate all of the great editorial we have for this month. Here’s Jayne, our Community Manager, with a look at what’s really hot for the month of February (and beyond!)

by Jayne Hoogenberk, eHarlequin Community Manager

You gotta know that Cupid’s in the house, or at least knocking at the door of the Blaze series with a title like Her Sexy Valentine.  And reader-favorite Stephanie Bond proves that love comes when and how you least expect it in this sizzling story of coworkers turned lovers, and if you’re wanting even more sugar and spice, follow it up with ManHunting, a sultry Blaze anthology by New York Times bestselling authors Betina Krahn, Joanne rock and Lori Borril.

 

You might want to check out A Valentine’s Wish by Betsy St. Amant. One of the first Valentine’s stories by Love Inspired AND by an up and coming new author. This is a story of friends who come to realize that they’re really in love with each other. Set in atmospheric New Orleans, it’s a sure pleaser!

For a different kind of Valentine read you’ll want to pick up The Man from Nowhere by New York Times bestselling author Rachel Lee.  This is a very moving page-turner about a “man from nowhere” who watches the heroine from afar to protect her because he “sees” her murder.  Now that’s a Valentine who’s got your back!

May I just say, Ladies ‘Start Your Engines’ with this great NASCAR anthology by Vicki Lewis Thompson and Nancy Warren and Dorien Kelly called Racing Hearts.  As Vicki Lewis Thompson says “I’m a NASCAR convert. I confess that until diving into this story, I knew very little about NASCAR. But as the proud owner of a hot little two-seater sports car, I was more than willing to learn about fast cars and the daredevils who drive them.”  She’s got MY vote and I can’t wait to dive into the stories either!

If you’re hunting for out-of-this-world romance, Silhouette Nocturne will have you howling for more with a scrumptious and unearthly bonus story in two full-length titles from the Wolf Moons miniseries where werewolves fights against evil and fight for love. Check out Red Wolf and Wolf Trap for two stories for the price of one,  just in time for Valentine’s Day

And rounding out the highlights, I’d be totally remiss not to mention something we haven’t seen in a while with The Fun Factor – a new Romantic Comedy miniseries launching in Harlequin Romance in March with Oh-So-Sensible Secretary by Jessica Hart. It might be a March title, but you can get books a month in advance on eHarlequin.com, just one of the benefits of being an online shopper! Now our editors say they’re really excited about this miniseries, and that it has a real feel good guarantee and that’s good enough for me! The next book is Tipping the Waitress with Diamonds by Nina Harrington (May)

So I hope I’ve given you room for thought if not a passel full of recommendations for Valentine’s reading, enjoy!

by Jayne Hoogenberk, eHarlequin Community Manager

With the New Year comes new series, and I thought I’d share the scoop on some of the exciting, new, not-to-be-missed continuities and miniseries to be found starting up this month.

Starting off the year in American Romance is Kayla’s Daddy by Laura Bradford. This is Laura’s first book for Harlequin! Not only is this a wonderful story about a long-lost letter that kindles one romance and rekindles another, it’s the first book in American Romance’s 12-book, year-long thematic continuity, BABIES & BACHELORS USA. A whole year worth of adorable babies and hunky heroes!

And if we’re not talking babies in American Romance, we’re talking cowboys!! Hill Country Hero by Ann DeFee has a hunky hero who’s a cowboy and a football player! This author’s fun stories always have a sense of humour—and this one is set in everyone’s favourite part of Texas, the Hill Country.

Bestselling author Lynne Graham is back with a fabulous new trilogy in Harlequin Presents with PREGNANT BRIDES. She popped over to the I Heart Presents blog to discuss Book One, Desert Prince, Bride of Innocence and why she loves to make her character suffer…interesting reading! Also available this month from Presents is the all-new AT HIS SERVICE miniseries featuring Cinderella heroines and billionaire heroes, all beginning with the passionate rags-to-riches story Powerful Italian, Penniless Housekeeper by India Grey. I don’t know about you but I LOVE to escape into Presents…glamorous settings, passionate men and more money than you can imagine…. The perfect recipe for romance!

Also, USA Today bestselling author Marie Ferrarella leads an all-new 6-book continuity about a fertility clinic and the romance conceived there with Prescription for Romance in the new THE BABY CHASE series in Silhouette Special Edition.These contemporary romances from the Silhouette Special Edition line will strike a chord with you as heroines find the balance between their work lives and personal lives on the way to true love!

Meet six gorgeous men in Harlequin Romance this month in the new INTERNATIONAL GROOMS miniseries. Each title is set in a different country or setting and the authors have created different tips, travelogues and information on the settings that you can read about in their blog… This month also features a debut author, and Cara Colter’s “proposal” book, which features the winning proposal from the eHarlequin Competition “Diamond Proposal” contest we hosted last year. We are making the romantic month of February…the month of Harlequin Romance!

From Superromance and Romantic Times Career Achievement award winning author C.J. Carmichael, we have a three-book miniseries, THE FOX & FISHER DETECTIVE AGENCY, running from January to March. The titles are: Perfect Partners, The P.I. Contest and Receptionist Under Cover (available in March). I’m told these books have a light mystery element and are solid, satisfying reads. More than a romantic relationship, it’s mainstream romance with the promise of happy ever after!

If you’re in the mood for a little intrigue then check out the BODYGUARD OF THE MONTH, a new 12 month continuity starting off with The Socialite and the Bodyguard by Dana Martin. These stories feature rugged, tough bodyguards who are more than capable of protecting their innocent women. Tune in every month for edge-of-your-seat reads and a new powerful bodyguard adventure available from Harlequin Intrigue.

You can find more spine-tingling reading with Twin Targets by Marta Perry. This book is the first book in a new six-book Love Inspired Suspense continuity series, PROTECTING THE WITNESSES, which focuses on looming danger and forever love in the witness protection program. With a flood of unsolved murders, those connected to the program are running scared.

And if your tastes run to Historical the editors also recommend The Duke’s Redemption by Carla Capshaw, a terrific story about a British nobleman who comes to South Carolina to find his brother’s murderer and falls in love with a young colonial woman—who might just be a spy!

I’ll be back next week with some more series to check out until then, what series are you most looking forward to this year?