Romances

This is a selected list of titles.  For additional titles look in the fiction section alphabetically under the author’s last name.  Titles that are available at North or South community libraries or in large print, compact disc (CD) or cassette (CASS) are noted.

Contemporary Romances

These novels are essentially love stories with contemporary settings which may focus on the attempts of a woman to find success and happiness both professionally and romantically.

Anderson, Catherine – Bright Eyes

When the son of his beautiful, yet quirky, neighbor vandalizes his property, Zeke sets out to help the troubled boy and falls for his mother, Natalie Patterson, whose lack of self-confidence prompts Zeke to gain her trust and love, until fate gets in the way.  (LP)

Chapman, Janet – The Seductive Imposter

Rachel Foster wishes Sub Rosa -- the seaside mansion she helped her father build and the scene of a terrible tragedy -- would crumble into the sea. But Keenan Oakes, Sub Rosa's new owner, is moving in and stirring up the dark secrets of the cliff-perched manor....  (N, S)

Child, Maureen – A Crazy Kind of Love

The finest plumber in California, Michaela "Mike" Marconi has given up looking for lasting love, until she gets more than she bargained for when she confronts Lucas Gallagher, the millionaire who has purchased the land that she wants for herself. 

Corgiat, Jerri – Sing Me Home

Lilac O'Malley Ryan doesn't even recognize country music star Jonathan Van Castle when he bursts into her store. And she's bewildered by what seem like tongue-tied attempts at charm. She just wants to make a sale-and get him out the door. But it turns out to be a lot harder getting that to-die-for smile out of her mind... 

Crandall, Susan – Promises to Keep

New doctor Molly Boudreau finds her life turned upside down when a mysterious pregnant woman is murdered just after giving birth and risks her career and her life when she flees with the infant to her own hometown, only to come face to face with Dean Coletta, a sexy reporter and the brother of the child's late mother.

Cruise, Jennifer – Bet Me

Agreeing not to pursue a relationship after one date, unlikely lovers Min Dobbs and Cal Morrisey are thrown together again in the wake of such factors as a jealous ex-boyfriend, a determined psychologist, and a bizarrely intelligent cat.  (N, S, CD)

Dempsey, Diana – Too Close to the Sun

While trying to restore her family's reputation for winemaking, Gabby DeLuca, a winemaker for Suncrest Vineyards in Napa Valley, is distracted by the arrival of sexy financier Will Henley, who, determined to acquire Suncrest, just might be her, and her family's, salvation.  (N, S)

Gibson, Rachel – The Trouble With Valentine’s Day

Kate Hamilton should know. Dumped by her boyfriend, stressed out by her job, she's returned to Gospel, Idaho, for some rest and small-town fun. But when her first attempted seduction of a hunky stranger is completely rejected, she wonders what else could go wrong?  (N, S)

Grace, Carol – An Accidental Greek Wedding

In Greece to serve as the maid-of-honor for her best friend Sofia's wedding to Alex Woods, the man she herself has loved for years, Jane Atwood joins forces with Alex to search for the errant bride when Sofia runs off with a mystery man just before the ceremony.  (N, S)

Macomber, Debbie – A Good Yarn

Four women going through difficult periods in their lives form a powerful bond of friendship when they meet at a knitting class held at A Good Yarn, a quaint yarn store in downtown Seattle.  (N, S, LP, CD)

Roberts, Nora – Chesapeake Blue

Returning as a successful artist to the home of the family that adopted him, Seth Quinn is intrigued by independent newcomer Dru Whitcomb Banks, who is hesitant to trust Seth, while dark secrets from the past threaten the entire Quinn family.  (N, S, CD, LP)

Historical and Period Romances

Historical and Period romances are set at various times in the past.  The settings and events in historical novels are as accurate as possible while the period romance is basically a love story with a historical setting.

Bittner, Roseanne – Into the Prairie

Jonah Wilde journeys into the prairies of Indiana with his wife and toddler son in the hopes of building a farming empire, a dream that is compromised by an encounter with the Shawnee, who claim the land.

Blake, Jennifer – Challenge to Honor

When her brother challenges New Orleans's most infamous swordsman to a duel, Celina Vallier boldly confronts opponent, Rio de Silva, determined to thwart what would be her brother's certain death. The legendary maitre d'armes agrees. . .for a price--Celina's innocence.  (N, S, LP)

Brisbin, Terri – The King’s Mistress

Once Lady Marguerite of Alencon was Henry Plantagenet's favorite, but now that the king has grown weary of her, he decides to reward one of his most faithful nobles, Lord Orrick of Silloth, with a wife worthy of his standing. Orrick, however, is not thrilled about being gifted with the king's former mistress but realizes that he has little choice.  (S)

Cabot, Patricia – Kiss the Bride

Destined to inherit a fortune upon her remarriage, lovely widow Emma Chesterton finds herself the target of an assortment of motley suitors and fortune-hunters, until the arrival of James Marbury, Earl of Denham.  (N, S)

Chadwick, Elizabeth – Falcons of Montabard

When his seduction of the king's mistress goes awry, famed twelfth-century Barfleur warrior, Sabin FitzSimon, is forced to join Sir Edmund Strongfist on a crusade to the Holy Land, a journey during which he is challenged to save the fortress of Montabard and its newly widowed chatelaine.

Howell, Hannah – Highland Conqueror

In order to escape the brutal control of her uncle, Lady Jolene Gerard sets Scottish prisoner Sigimor Cameron free in exchange for his help, a daring act that places their lives in danger as they are forced to confront murderous villians and their powerful feelings for each other.

Kelley, Jocelyn – A Knight Like No Other

In twelfth-century England, St. Jude's Abbey is no ordinary holy sanctuary: it trains young women in the knightly arts. When Avisa, the most skilled of them, is asked by the Queen to safeguard her royal godson, the honor is both dangerous and seductive.

Small, Beatrice – Philippa

The oldest child of Rosamund Bolton and heiress to the Friarsgate manor, Philippa Meredith never expected to be turned down by the man she sought to marry, but her sudden change of fortune brings her back to take her rightful place in the court of Queen Katherine of Aragon and into the arms of Crispin St. Clair, Earl of Witton.

Inspirational Romances

Inspirational romances are love stories infused with religious values and beliefs.

Aiken, Ginny – Song of My Soul

Falsely accused of a train robbery and murder, Adrian Gamble has been forced to make a new life under an assumed identity in 1893 Colorado. Intrigued by Phoebe Williams, widow of the town preacher, Adrian wants to tell her everything and have a chance at a normal life.

Blackstock, Terri – Blind Trust

An unexplained eight-month disappearance of Sherry Cranston’s fiancé leads to murder and a flight for their lives.  (LP)

Blackwell, Lawana –Widow of Larkspur Inn

A young widow determines to overcome her great loss, then discovers unforgettable characters and romance in a quaint English village in the late 1860s.

Hicks, Barbara Jean – An Unlikely Prince

To Suzie Wyatt, longing for a fairy tale romance, the stuffy history professor next door seems more frog than prince, until seven rambunctious toddlers--the charges in Suzie's new daycare center--lead the pair into each other's arms.

Higgs, Liz Curtis – Whence Came a Prince

Before Jamie McKie can claim his inheritance, he must first outwit his devious Uncle Lachlan, confront the two men he fears most--his brother Evan, and Alec, the father he blatantly deceived--and face the two women carrying his child.

Lewis, Beverly – The Revelation

A story of love, faith, and second chances featuring five Amish courting-age sisters and their extended family that is both heartrending and uplifting.  (LP Only)

Rivers, Francine – Redeeming Love

Francine Rivers skillfully retells the biblical love story of Gomer and Hosea as a tale set against the romantic backdrop of the California Gold Rush.  (N, S, LP, CASS)

Regency Romances

Regency novels are primarily set during 1811-1820 and are essentially novels of manners and social customs.

Abrams, Nita – The Spy’s Kiss

Surrounded by scandal, Serena Allen retires to her uncle's country house, where she encounters Julien Clermont, a dashing aristocrat who seems too good to be true, especially when important foreign documents go missing.  (S)

Balogh, Mary – Simply Unforgettable

En route to Bath, England, to teach at Miss Martin's School for Girls, Frances Allard seeks refuge from a snowstorm at a nearby inn and finds unexpected passion with Lucius Marshall, unaware that Lucius is the heir to the Earl of Edgecombe.  (N, S, LP, CD)

Bergin, Louise – The Spinster and the Wastrel

When Sir Nigel Montfort dies, leaving his estate to Miss Courtney, she establishes a school. Left out of the will, his prodigal nephew Gerard is outraged-until he learns lessons in love.

Beverly, Jo – Skylark

After the death of her beloved husband, Lady Skylark, fearing that her son's life is in danger due to his large inheritance, turns to a man from her past, Stephen Ball, for protection, an alliance that leads to danger and passion.  (N, S)

Blayney, Mary – The Captain’s Mermaid

Lavinia Stewart has resigned herself to a quiet life taking care of her dissolute brother Desmond’s two children, Harry and Sara, but she takes great pleasure in small indulgences, especially a quiet swim.

Caskie, Kathryn – Lady in Waiting

Meet the matchmaking Feathertons' maid, Jenny Penny, who agrees to pose as highborn lady to snare the affections of a wickedly handsome Scottish viscount. But Jenny is hiding an even bigger secret. She is also the notorious creator of an aphrodisiac cream that suddenly has all of Society abuzz...and tingling.  (N, S)

Chase, Loretta Lynda – Miss Wonderful

Rather then succumb to temptation with the fairer sex, reformed rake Alistair Carsington journeys to Derbyshire, a secluded country town, to keep out of trouble, but his plans go by the wayside when he meets the infuriatingly irresistible Miss Mirabel Oldridge.

James, Eloisa – Much Ado About You

In Regency England, four orphaned sisters become wards of an earl, but when Tess, the eldest sister, tries to arrange matches for her sisters, things take a turn which make it almost impossible to avoid a scandal.  (N, S, LP)

Richardson, Evelyn – A Lady of Talent

Sebastian, Earl of Charrington, is betrothed to a suitable match, but dreams of a beauty in a painting. When he commissions the artist to paint his bride-to-be, he discovers that the work was a self-portait, and that the woman of his dreams is very real indeed.

Romantic Suspense

Romantic suspense novels are fast-paced tales filled with action, mystery, suspense and romance.

Brockman, Suzanne – Flashpoint

Having joined a covert special operations company after his release from the CIA, Jimmy Nash journeys to Kazbekistan to obtain critical intelligence linked to national security and meets his match in fellow operative Tess Bailey.  (N, S, CD, LP)

Brown, Sandra – White Hot

Returning to her Louisiana hometown after the suicide of her younger brother, Danny, Sayre Lynch examines the turbulent relationship between Danny and their favored older brother and begins to suspect that Danny was murdered.  (N, S, LP, CD, CASS)

Chamberlain, Diane – The Bay at Midnight

Haunted by the murder of her sister four decades ago, Julie Bauer must confront the pain of the past when a mysterious phone call sheds new light on the events of that terrifying night.  (N, S, LP)

Chapman, Janet – The Dangerous Protector

Willow Foster is committed to protecting Maine’s precious coastline.  She’s equally committed to avoiding her one-time fling, Duncan Ross.  But when Willow goes home to uncover the mystery behind a worrisome lobster catch, she learns that pub owner Duncan holds some mysteries of his own.  (S)

Garwood, Julie – Slow Burn

When a woman returns to her tiny hometown after a long absence, she is stunned to find herself implicated in a decades-old murder and is left in the position of not knowing whom she can trust, or whom she should fear the most.  (N, S, LP)

Graham, Heather – Killing Kelly

Actress Kelly Trent becomes the victim of an obsessed fan who confuses her with the evil character that she plays on TV, and, after several attempts on her life, she teams up with a sexy former cop to catch a determined killer.  (N, S, LP)

Hooper, Kay – Chill of Fear

Diana Brisco has come there hoping to unlock the mystery of her troubled past. Instead, she is assailed by nightmares and the vision of a child who vanished from The Lodge years ago. And an FBI agent is trying to convince her that she isn’t crazy but that she has a rare gift, a gift that could catch a killer.  (N, S, LP, CD, CASS)

Howard, Linda – Killing Time

Twenty years after a time capsule is buried under the front lawn of a small-town courthouse, the capsule is dug up and its contents stolen, an event that coincides with the murders of the contributors to the time capsule.  (N, S, LP, CD, CASS)

Lowell, Elizabeth – Always Time to Die

The powerful Quintrell family of New Mexico has spent decades in the public eye. Now the recent death of the clan's patriarch, a former U.S. senator, has placed his son, Governor Josh Quintrell, squarely in the spotlight as he prepares his run for the highest political office in the land. It is not a good time to be rattling skeletons in the family's closets.  (N, S, LP, CD)

Quick, Amanda – Lie by Moonlight

Believing her four young orphan charges to be in mortal danger, tutor Concordia Glade places their safety in the hands of private inquiry agent Ambrose Wells, who endeavors to protect them from a notorious crime lord.  (N, S, CD, AV)

Robards, Karen – Superstition

Sparks fly between a police chief and a reporter who are thrown together when a brutal killer comes out of hiding after fifteen years.  (N, S, LP)

Stuart, Anne – Black Ice

Living paycheck to paycheck in Paris, American book translator Chloe Underwood would give anything for some excitement and passion — even a little danger. So when she's offered a lucrative weekend gig translating at a business conference in a remote chateau, she jumps at the chance to shake things up.  (S)

Time Travel/Fantasy Romances

Time travel romances feature protagonists who are transported from one time period to another.

Finney, Jack – Time and Again

Simon Morley moves into the Dakota apartments and returns to the year 1882 under hypnosis, where he falls in love and refuses to change records for the government agency controlling his experiment.  (N, S, LP, CASS)

Gabaldon, Diana – A Breath of Snow and Ashes

In 1772, on the eve of the American Revolution, Jamie Fraser is asked by the governor to help protect the colonies for King and Crown, but, thanks to his time-traveling twentieth-century wife, Claire, Jamie is aware of the ultimate result of the rebellion.  (N, S, CD)

Garcia y Robertson, Rodrigo – White Rose

Savoring her new life as Lady Robyn of Pontrefract after being sent through time to medieval England, Robyn anticipates her marriage to Edward Plantagenet but finds their home challenged by the rebellious Tudor army and an imminent French invasion. (N, S)

Howard, Linda – Son of the Morning

Grace St. John, translator of ancient languages, finds a document that gives the location of the treasure that Niall of Scotland brought home as Guardian of the Treasure for the Knights Templar in the 14th century, and she is transported to his time to protect the relics, including the Holy Grail, after an evil group kills her husband and brother.  (LP Only)

Kauffman, Donna – The Charm Stone

The spirit of Connal MacNeil has been waiting centuries for his betrothed to appear on Scotland's roaring shores. Josie's arrival with the MacNeil charm stone is his dream come true.

Kurland, Lynn – A Garden in the Rain

Highlander Patrick MacLeod is transported through time to present-day Scotland where he finds his destiny in the form of Madelyn Phillips, a beautiful tourist who is fleeing from her past.  (N, S)

Moning, Karen Marie – The Immortal Highlander

Stripped of his immortality and rendered invisible by a curse, Adam Black seeks help from Gabrielle O'Callaghan, the only woman who can see him, but their subsequent romance is challenged by a dangerous conspiracy.  (N, S, LP)

O’Day-Flannery, Constance – Time After Time

Grieving over the death of her beloved husband, widow Kelly Brennan finds herself swept back in time to post-Civil War New Orleans, where she encounters the handsome Daniel Gilmore, a charming widower who bears striking resemblance to her late spouse.  (S)

Roberts, Nora – Time and Again

After time traveler Caleb Hornblower crash-lands in the twentieth century, he relies on Liberty Stone to help him survive; and Jacob Hornblower heads back into the past to rescue his stranded brother, only to find himself falling for Sunbeam Stone.  (N, S)