BEST ROMANCE NOVELS OUT THIS MONTH
The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig This is the 12th and final instalment in Willig’s Pink Carnation series, which follow a collection of British and French spies during the Napoleonic Wars as they battle for love and the Crown.
Here, readers finally hear the story of Jane Wooliston, the Pink Carnation herself (think Scarlet Pimpernel), as she travels through Portugal on a particularly dangerous mission. Her partner is Jack Reid, the titular Moonflower and a double agent who, luckily, speaks Portuguese, and whom the normally aloof Jane finds she cannot resist. There is much to enjoy here – the rollicking adventure is gleefully written, the dialogue is quick and charming – but nothing more so than the depth of emotion between Jane and Jack.
The Hotter You Burn by Gena Showalter After a childhood as the town bully, Harlow Glass is the most hated woman in Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma. The down-onher-luck artist has returned home penniless and homeless – readers meet her while she is stealing food from the house in which she grew up, which is inhabited by the exceedingly successful, exceedingly handsome Beck Ockley. What begins as a love-hate relationship quickly becomes emotional and deeply sexy, something Showalter does better than many. Beck’s broken past has made him an expert in onenight-stands, and Harlow is desperate to be worthy of a relationship after years of pushing them away. Showalter gives these two the passionate, hard-won happily-ever-after they deserve.
Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas This is the charming story of Avery Crosslin, a wedding planner who, left at the altar, has sworn off relationships. Kleypas’s hallmark is the Alpha hero who knows what he wants and will stop at nothing to get it, and Joe Travis wants Avery from the moment she mistakes him for a wedding photographer. Avery allows herself what she thinks will be a fling and nothing more. But flings – however satisfying – are not the stuff of romance novels, and Joe is immediately devoted to Avery, determined to win her heart, and her forever. The relationship that ensues is passionate and immensely rewarding, speaking right to the heart of what romance readers love.