Romance

Graham, Janice. Firebird. Berkley, 1999.

In Firebird Janice Graham provides us with a different kind of love story - one which involves love in both a physical and spiritual sense. Implausible? Not if one accepts that life is just not about the physical or concrete, but that our core is separate from the physical skin we are encased in. Ms. Graham is well equipped to deal with such an issue and experiencing her novel is, indeed, experiencing God and the soul He creates. Firebird tells the story of Ethan Brown, a small town lawyer with stronger ties to being a rancher. Engaged to Katie Anne he has doubts about her and their marriage. Attending the funeral of her mother, Annette Zeldin returns home and, in trying to settle her mother’s estate, she meets Ethan Brown. The attraction is strong and the two fall in love and begin a passionate affair. Ethan breaks off his engagement to Katie Anne; however, she quickly schemes to get him back and in doing so Ethan marries the woman he does not love. Tragedy, however, strikes both Annette and Katie Anne and, as a result, Ethan is torn between the woman he sees as his wife and the being which lies underneath. Sounds confusing but it is not when the reader reads this novel. It is what I would describe as metaphysical fiction….a love story with a definite twist! Graham surprises us, even as she redeems her flawed characters' lives in ways we could not have imagined! Her writing is poetic, visual, riveting, and imaginative. I loved her book!

Leigh, Lora. The Breeds series.
Megan’s Mark. Berkley Sensation, 2006
Harmony’s Way. Berkley Sensation, 2006.

The Genetics Council spent untold amounts of money and many decades experimenting to create the perfect soldier: emotionless, efficient, silent, without mercy. The result is a merging of animal and human DNA. Eventually the experiments are discovered and many in the world are horrified by what the Genetics Council has done, fighting to free the men and women, called Breeds, that the genetic experiments have produced. Megan’s Mark and Harmony’s Way take up the story some years afterward as Braden Arness, a lion Breed, finds that Megan is the one woman willing to stand up to him, and Harmony Lancaster, also a lion Breed, discovers Lance Jacobs is the only one who can tame the killer within her. These steamy novels are packed with harrowing action, hunky men, and hot sex.

Lyles, Whitney. Here Comes the Bride. Berkley Trade, 2006.

In the sequel to Always the Bridesmaid, the engagement comes early. The question is whether that will actually lead to a wedding. When Ethan finally pops the question to Cate, he attached the ring to her cat's collar and it promptly goes missing. Enter Ethan's ex-girlfriend who decides to move back to town and make a play for him and his cousin who seems to be trying to undermine their relationship. Not to mention all the problems of renovating your home while trying to plan a wedding and your mother threatening to boycott the wedding because you bought that house and moved in together. Oh, yeah, and there is a really good-looking surfer who keeps flirting with Cate. This sequel reminds us that often the end of a good romance novel leaves lots of questions unanswered—for example, do they actually make it to the "I dos"?

Macomber, Debbie. Buffalo Valley. Mira, 2005.

Vaughn Kyle was recently honorably discharged from military service. After sending resumes and applications to several companies he accepted a job with mega store company Value-X. When visiting his parents in North Dakota during the holiday he was expected 'to visit' Buffalo Valley to get a feel for the town and attitude toward Value-X. Everyone believed that his reason for being there was to meet Hassie Knight, an old family friend. He met Hassie and Carrie Hendrickson who ran the local pharmacy which would be ruined if Value-X successfully opens a store in town. Vaughn struggles with feelings about new friends, small town traditions and a big corporations threatening a way of life which is good and rewarding for many people. Debbie Macomber does a good job of conveying the emotions felt by all parties involved in this dilemma facing the town, Vaughn, Carrie and Value-X.

Matheson, Richard. Bid Time Return/Somewhere In Time. Ballantine Books, 1976.

A terminally ill man falls in love with a famous turn of the century actress. The only trouble is that they are separated by a span of about seventy five years. What is a man to do? Why travel back in time, of course. That is just what Richard Collier does in order to be with the beautiful Elise McKenna, the woman of his dreams. Or does he? Does he really travel back in time, or is it merely the delusion of a desperately ill man who seeks to find meaning for his existence? Does his tenuous hold on life in the present mirror his equally tenuous hold on life at the turn of the century? Is his death ultimately the only way for these unrequited lovers to be united, at last?

This is a beautifully poignant love story in which the longing the protagonists have for each other is palpable. A bittersweet sadness permeates the pages of this book, as Richard and Elise pass through life, each a shadow on the consciousness of the other. One only hopes that they find in the hereafter, what they were denied in this life. This wonderfully imaginative and inventive book draws the reader into its fantastical web. A veritable page turner, it is a classic story of a love which will not be denied. Read the book, and then see the movie, "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. You will not be disappointed.

Neels, Betty. Daughter of the Manor. Harlequin, 1954; reprint edition 2004.

LLeonora, the daughter of the manor, spends her time helping out around the house and stretching things so that she can help her parents keep up the pretense that they are still wealthy. She is engaged to a London businessman. But when she forms a friendship with the new doctor in town, she begins to question her true feelings. Betty Neels was a prolific British writer. In fact, she published 134 romance paperbacks. Her books feature doctors as the male protagonists, often Dutch, and are very light, "clean", quick reads. For readers who like Pilcher, this is a little similar, but much lighter.

Perry, Michael.Truck: a love story. HarperCollins, 2006.

This is the story of a man who loves his truck which is an older model truck. It is written as a diary-each chapter covers about a month. As the year goes by and he works on his labor of love lots of things happen to him. One of those events is meeting a woman and then they fall in love. Among the events of that year were setting his hair on fire and being attacked by wild turkeys and deer-hunting in swamps in northern Wisconsin. Fans of Michael Perry will love this tale. If this is the first Michael Perry for you, you will enjoy this and want to read his other titles.

Ward, J.R. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
Dark Lover. Signet Eclipse, 2005
Lover Eternal. Signet Eclipse, 2006
Lover Awakened. Signet Eclipse, 2006
Lover Revealed. Onyx, 2007.

Vampires live along side us, but they are not the fiendish monsters we are used to. They live as normally as possible and take no real sustenance from humans as they must feed from the opposite sex of their own kind to get true nourishment (although we make great snacks from time to time). Selective breeding within the vampire population created the Black Dagger Brotherhood, giving them immense physical and mental strength and rapid healing abilities. They are further united by their mission to protect the vampire species from the Lessers, de-souled humans under the control of the Lessening Society’s terrifying leader, the Omega. These warrior brothers, though not often related by blood, are a secretive group and only accept new members by vote of the Brotherhood itself. At present there are six brothers: Wrath, Rhage, Zsadist, Phury, Vishous, and Tohrment. Each brother is powerfully strong and achingly wounded and each requires a very special woman to love them and be loved in return.