Top Ten Love & Romance Books

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1 - Black Rose - Nora Roberts

The second offering in the garden trilogy from the Nora Roberts stable continues the tradition of selling well and entertaining many. The heroine is Rosalind Harper, a widow who runs a garden business from her Tennessee estate. Her mansion turns out to be haunted by the "Harper Bride" and she hires genealogist Dr. Mitchell Carnagie to track down the ghost's story. The relationship between Rosalind and Mitchell produces sparks, and not just of the romantic kind - the ghost doesn't take too kindly to this turn of events! As Rosalind and Mitchell try to unearth the story between the story combines romance and a few scares as well.

2 - It's in His Kiss - Julia Quinn
Julia Quinn's brand new offering deserves to be high in this month's list - not only is it selling well, but it offers one of the freshest and most entertaining readings. Hyacinth Bridgerton offers her somewhat questionable services as an Italian translator to Gareth St. Clair. Grandson to Lady Danbury, Gareth's only substantial possession left to him by his dissolute father is a dairy which holds the promise of revealing his past and future. The romance between Gareth and Hyacinth is intertwined in unraveling the mystery of the diary, which plays out in delightful ways throughout this story.

3 - Oceans of Fire - Christine Feehan
Christine Feehan has fun with the latest novel in her quirky paranormal romance stories. Oceans of Fire continues were Drake Sisters series, with Abigail Drake as a witch who has a PhD and can talk to dolphins. While off swimming one day near her home in Sea Haven California, Abigail witnesses a murder and the killers see her too! This sets off a chain of events that bring a former love back into her life, Interpol agent Aleksandr Volstov, who is hot on the trail of the Russian Mafia who are responsible for the killing. Oceans of Fire offers a good read that will heat up the summer...

4 - One Night with a Prince - Sabrina Jeffries

Jeffries continues her historical romance series with the story of the third illegitimate son of the prince regent. Gavin Byrne is the son of the prince and an Irish actress, and he has worked his way up to own a gentleman's gaming club. Lady Christabel Haversham enters his life, seeking his help in recovering some letters stolen from her mother. Gavin agrees, in the secret hopes of using them to discredit his princely father as revenge for abandoning his mother many years earlier. As Christabel and Gavin team up in search of these letters, they begin to get swept away by the cover story they've concocted - that Christobel is Gavin's mistress. After a bit of a slow start, One Night with a Prince clips along nicely.

5 - Mad Money - Linda L Richards
Mad Money is a wonderful debut novel from Linda L Richards that mixes lots of suspense, action and romance together in a tale that will have you turning the pages ever faster. The first of a new series of books about Madeline Carter, Mad Money follows the exploits of this one-time New York stockbroker. Madeline's life takes an abrupt change after a friend is gunned down, and she decides to move to Los Angeles to start a fresh life as a day trader. But, events from her past won't let go and spark a splendid story that mixes murder, insider stock manipulations, famous L.A. movie people and, of course, the sizzle of romance. A stock tip from her former lover, Ernie, is the catalyst for Madeline's adventures as she tries to figure out why the deal went sour.

Richards has crafted a witty and fast-paced novel with added tensions, because it is not at all clear just whom Madeline can and cannot trust. Not even her new love interest, Steve, is above the reader's suspicion. With a galloping end to the book, readers will look forward eagerly to the next installment.

6 - When We Meet Again - Victoria Alexander

This regency romance we meet Miss Pamela Effington. While traveling with her rich Aunt Millicent, Pamela is charmed and seduced at a masked ball by Prince Alexei of Avalonia. Four years later, the Prince flees to London after Russia annexes Avalonia and ends up renting a flat in a London townhouse that Pamela inherits. As the Prince had never seen Pamela's face o the night of the ball, the stage is set for a rekindling of the romance. Alexander pens a humorous story that sweeps the reader along with the characters.

7 - Something Blue - Emily Giffin

Giffin follows up her first novel, Something Borrowed, with a continuation of the tale from another character's perspective. In the first book, the heroine was the naughty but sweet Rachel and we meet her in the events leading up to the rather bitchy Darcy's wedding. In Something Blue, Darcy takes center stage and her bitchiness has not dimmed one iota. However, the tale Giffin weaves takes through Darcy's journey of self-discovery as she learns that she just cannot continue acting that way. Darcy's someone you can love hating, and Giffin crafts an engaging set of circumstances to carry the reader along with Darcy. It's fun and even has a good lesson to tell along the way.

8 - Summer of Roses - Luanne Rice

Luanne Rice offers a follow-up book to Summer's Child in this engaging and endearing Summer of Roses. The story picks up years later, after a pregnant Mara Jameson has fled to Nova Scotia and changed her name to Lily Malone. Rice paints a rich cast of characters set in a windswept sea-side community. The storyline shifts as Lily returns home to find her grandmother may have been put in hospital thanks to carbon monoxide poisoning, and she beings to fear that Edward will is trying to track her down...

9 - Blue Dahlia - Nora Roberts

The initial offering in the Nora Roberts garden trilogy remains popular among her fans. The book does have a slow start but the story ends up engaging as it unfolds. The heroine is Stella Rothchild, a widow with two young boys, who starts a new job as manager of a nursery in Memphis. Stella's boss Roz owns an old mansion and things start to move along once Stella moves into this house because it turns out to be haunted.

The mansion's gardener, Logan Kitridge, soon adds some interest to Stella's life, but the growing romance appears to really annoy the ghost of the Harper Bride...

10 - Jamie - Lori Foster
Those who enjoy Foster's Visitation series will enjoy Jamie, the fifth in this line. The hero of the story, Jamie Creed, is a psychic who can read minds and see into the future. As people try to exploit him for his gift, Jamie faces a new dilemma with the arrival of Faith Owen. Jamie is shocked to discover that Faith used to work at the research institute where he had been mistreated in the name of science. But he finds himself unable to send Faith away and their relationship deepens from the purely physical to something much more meaningful.

The Romance Notes Top Ten list is based on book sales, reviews, and includes both soft and hard cover books.

Top ten romance books - monthly top ten list with reviews, plus new releases of romance novels.
Unless otherwise noted, all material is (c) copyright Andrew Heard, 2005