National Romance Awareness Month

According to www.NationalDayCalendar.com,  August is National Romance Awareness Month. Most people take this time to do something extra special for their partner or spouse--romantic getaways, couples massages, and candlelit dinners. It is also the time to indulge in reading some good ol' romance novels. To that end, we would like to highlight some of the new romance novels we offer here at the library.

First up is This is Our Song from the Shaughnessy Brothers series by Samantha Chase. Riley Shaughnessy knew that distinguishing himself from the rest of his large family would require him to do something big. He worked hard to make a name for himself as a musician and he's now a bona fide rock star. Unfortunately, he is in a bit of a slump and the relentless demands of his fans are not helping his creativity any. Savannah Daly is a hardline entertainment reporter who knows all about Riley's reputation. She is just there to get her interview so she can write her story, but she is spending an entire month with the Shaughnessy's and anything can happen--like falling for the guy behind the rock star persona.

Next, we have Talk Cowboy to Me by Carolyn Brown. The Fourth of July is coming up and there are definitely fireworks between Adele O'Donnell and Remington Luckadeau. These two are locked in a battle to buy the Double Deuce Ranch; and neither one is backing down. Adele is ready for a fresh start for herself--and her children--since her divorce. She fell in love with the Double Deuce the second she walked onto the property. Remington has decided to shed his carefree playboy persona and step-up to raise his orphaned nephews. He thinks the Double Deuce is just the place to raise two boys, but Adele is as determined as Remington to buy this ranch. Who knows what will happen when the sparks fly between these two.

The Most Dangerous Duke in London is a period romance by Madeline Hunter. Adam Penrose, Duke of Stratton is a dark and brooding member of London's elite Society of Decadent Dukes. He is said to have a thirst for vengeance and has set his romantic sites on Clara Cheswick, the beautiful daughter of his family's sworn enemy. There is a problem, however; Clara is more interested in publishing her women's journal than getting married--especially to a man said to be dead-set on revenge. Her reporter's instinct tell her there may be a story behind this supposed quest for justice, but Adam's persistence with a proposal of marriage seems to be unnerving the usually collected Clara. Could these two be courting danger?

Finally, we have an anthology by Julia Quinn, Elizabeth Boyle, Laura Lee Guhrke, and Stefanie Sloane called Four Weddings and a Sixpence. Four friends from Madame Rochambeaux's Gentle School for Girls find an old sixpence in their bedchamber and decide that this will be the lucky coin for each of their weddings. "Something Old" introduces Beatrice Heywood as well as the premise for the book. In "Something New," Anne Brabourne's ever-vigilant guardian decrees that she must marry by her twenty-first birthday, but love comes in the most unexpected of ways. Cordelia Padley has invented a betrothed to keep her family from constantly pestering her in "Something Borrowed." When they call her on her bluff, she will have to borrow a fiance that will convince them she is truly in love. "Something Blue" sees the sixpence stolen by a rake just before Lady Elinor Daventry has a chance to walk down the aisle. It will take all of her charms to convince the thief to give it back before her wedding. In "...and a Sixpence in Her Shoe," Beatrice Heywood never really believed in the power of the coin, but it seems to have worked for her friends, so she is willing to try to believe--if only it would stop sending her to the wrong man!

RITA Romance Awards

The RITA awards are given for the best in published romance fiction. They are given out by the Romance Writer’s of America and named after that organization’s first president, Rita Clay Estrada. In 2008 out of the 12 categories, we own books in seven categories.

Best First Book
“Dead Girls are Easy” by Terri Garey
Nicki Styx has a brush with the afterlife and it leaves her with the ability to see dead people. Now her days consist of cleaning up the messes lefty by the dearly departed, leading ghouls into the Light, and trying to keep her boyfriend from finding out her new “talent.”

Historical Romance

“Lessons of Desire” by Madeline Hunter
This is the latest in the Rothwell series. Phaedra Blair sits in prison unjustly arrested. Lord Elliot Rothwell ensures her release but she must promise not to publish a manuscript that could destroy his family name and he’s not above bribery, threats, or bedding her to get his way.

Inspirational Romance

“A Touch of Grace” by Linda Goodnight
Journalist Gretchen Barker grieves for her sister, whose body was found near Ian Carpenter’s New Orleans mission. She mourned her problems and the family trouble that started them, but he minister’s professions of help make her suspicious.

Paranormal Romance

“Lover Revealed” by J.R. Ward
Ex-cop Butch is the only human allowed into the Black Dagger Brotherhood. However, Butch is no mere human, a fact suspected by his vampire colleague and confirmed by the sinister plans of a fringe group. With the help of Marissa, a vampire, Butch’s destiny comes to light.

Regency Historical Romance

“The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever” by Julia Quinn
Miranda Cheever fell in love with the aristocratic Nigel Bevelstoke when she was 10 and he was 19. Now 20, she is still in love with him but her play for him is thwarted by the indiscretions of his late wife. Nigel is unwilling to risk another chance at love, even if it means hurting his close friend Miranda.






Romantic Suspense

“Ice Blue” by Anne Stuart

Museum curator Summer Hawthorne considered the exquisite ice-blue ceramic bowl given to her by her Japanese nanny a treasure of sentimental value—until somebody tried to kill her for it. International operative Takashi O’Brien has received his directive—take the bowl at any costs.

Young Adult Romance
“Wicked Lovely” by Melissa Marr

Set in a small city south of Pittsburg, Aislinn and her grandmother have followed strict rules all their lives to hide their ability to see faeries because faeries don’t like it and they can be very cruel. Only the strongest faeries can withstand iron, so Aislinn prefers the city with its steel girders and bridges. But now Aislin is being stalked by two of the faeries who are able to take on human form and are not deterred by steel. What do they want from her?