Heroines in Romance Novels

Romeo, Romeo by Robin Kaye (2008)

2010-01-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

SINGLE TITLE: Contemporary romance
SETTING: Contemporary US
SERIES: Book One in the Domestic Gods series
HEROINE: 27 year old corporate turnaround expert

Rosalie Ronaldi doesn't have a domestic bone in her body ...
All she cares about is her career, so she survives on take-out and dirty martinis, keeps her shoes under the dining room table, her bras on the shower curtain rod, and her clothes on the couch ...

Nick Romeo is every woman's fantasy - tall, dark, handsome, rich, really good in bed, AND he loves to cook and clean ...
He says he wants an independent woman, but when he meets Rosalie, all he wants to do is take care of her. Before too long, he's cleaned up her apartment, stocked her refrigerator, and adopted her dog

So what's the problem? Just a little matter of mistaken identity, corporate theft, a hidden past in juvenile detention and one big nosy Italian family too close for comfort ...

Accidentally Expecting! by Lucy Gordon (2009)

2010-01-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

CATEGORY: Harlequin Romance
SETTING: Contemporary Italy
SERIES: Book Seven in the Rinucci series
HEROINE: 28 year old photographer

On a trip to Italy Ferne Edmunds is dazzled by lighthearted charmer Dante Rinucci. What she doesn't realize is that it's easy for Dante to live for the moment when every day could be his last….

But when Ferne discovers she's accidentally pregnant, Dante's chance to be called "Daddy" gives him a reason to fight. This baby could save Dante's life….

The Secret Mistress Arrangement by Kimberly Lang (2009)

2009-09-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

CATEGORY : Harlequin Presents
SETTING: Contemporary US
HEROINE: 28+ year old software designer

Time is money to drop-dead-gorgeous tycoon Matt Jacobs. But when he meets beautiful Ella Mackenzie at his best friend's wedding, he decides to break his rule and make the most of his week off work - by spending it in bed with her!

Strong-willed Ella doesn't do sleepovers - but Matt's incredible lovemaking has got her hooked! So when their secret week between the sheets comes to an end, Ella finds herself accepting the sort of indecent proposal she never thought she'd consider..

Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath (1996)

2009-09-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

HISTORICAL: Post Civil War Romance
SETTING: US 1866
HEROINE: 23 year old widow

Refusing to pick up a gun for the Confederacy, Clayton Holland was branded a deserter and imprisoned during the war. When he returned home to Cedar Grove, he was given a coward's welcome, spurned by everyone in town. To Meg Warner, Clay's presence was a constant offense: a betrayal of the cause for which her husband and brothers died.

As a punishment, she commissioned Clay, a talented sculptor, to create a memorial for Cedar Grove's fallen heroes, hoping that every name he carved into stone would carve remorse into his heart. But, as Meg spent months watching Clay work, she began to see strength instead of cowardice. And she discovered that a hero could be found in the most unlikely of men. That passion could be sculpted from a heart hardened by bitterness. And that sometimes love―like courage―whispers instead of shouts.

Once a Pirate by Susan Grant (2000)

2009-09-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

HISTORICAL: Pirate Romance
TIME TRAVEL: Modern day to past
SETTING: Atlantic Ocean 1821
HEROINE: 27 year old Navy pilot from USA who travels back in time

Andrew Spencer sailed the seas seeking revenge, and there were very few merchants' treasures that he hadn't given a jolly rogering. But on this particular voyage, he found his task harder than usual. As a brown-eyed beauty was hoisted from the waves, he found his pirate's soul plundered from without and a fiery need conjured up from within.

The freak storm that caused her plane to go down in the Atlantic sent fighter pilot Carly Callahan's life spinning out of control as well. Pulled from the freezing ocean, she found herself in the hot embrace of an Adonis. But his eyes were cold and hard, and the man's burning lips swore she was someone else before he claimed her as his own. Carly knew she had one chance to go home, but there was so much to see and feel here -- and the best was yet to come.

Daughter of the Game by Tracy Grant (2002)

2009-09-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

HISTORICAL: Historical Mystery Romance
SETTING: England and Spain 1819
SERIES: Book One in the Charles and Melanie series
HEROINE: 26 year old married mother

On a cloud-shrouded night in November 1819, six-year-old Colin Fraser vanishes from the safe cocoon of his family's Berkeley Square home. For his father Charles, an idealistic MP, former intelligence agent, and grandson of a duke, and mother Mélanie, a beautiful war refugee and society's most charming hostess, it is a tragedy that will rip their extraordinary marriage asunder and force them to question everything they believe in. Colin's captors are demanding a bizarre ransom: an exquisite ring surrounded by the promise of power. The search for it will pull the Frasers into a maze of intrigue that winds through the lowest and highest levels of London secrets -- revealing layer upon layer of deception and betrayal, and a shocking truth that binds Charles and Mélanie inextricably together ... even as it threatens to destroy them both.

Under Fire by Jo Davis (2009)

2009-08-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

SINGLE TITLE: Romantic Suspense
SETTING: Contemporary US
SERIES: Book two in the Firefighters of Station Five series
HEROINE: Thirties old widowed exotic dancer and nurse

Zack fights fires and saves lives, yet his own thirst for life has run dry - until he comes to the rescue of a sharp-tongued exotic dancer named Corrine Shannon who soon has the normally shy hero burning out of control.

But just as they are consumed by flames of passion, they find themselves under fire from two relentless enemies with fifty million reasons to succeed. Can they withstand the heat while trying to save their own lives - or will their newfound romance be extinguished as fast as it began?

The Tycoon's Christmas Proposal by Jackie Braun (2008)

2009-08-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

CATEGORY: Harlequin Romance
SETTING: Contemporary US
HEROINE: 29 year old personal shopper

With the dreaded holidays nearing, the last thing widowed businessman Dawson Burke needed was a personal shopper who wanted to get personal. What part of 'I want to be left alone' didn't Eve Hawley understand? She just seemed intent on getting him into the Christmas spirit....

Eve could see Dawson had stopped wishing on the future, and he didn't know how lucky he was to be surrounded by loving family. But once she'd helped him find the joy he'd been missing, Eve couldn't help wishing Dawson would give her the best Christmas present of all--by proposing to her.

All Through The Night by Connie Brockway (1997)

2009-08-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

HISTORICAL: European Historical Romance
SETTING: England 1817
HEROINE: 25 year old widow and thief

In the glittering world of Regency England, Anne Wilder played a dangerous game. A widowed lady by day, by night she became a masked thief preying on society's elite. She roved high above London's black rooftops, compelled by phantoms from her past to take ever greater risks. Until her restless spirit led her into Colonel Jack Seward's trap. . . where seduction was her only way out.

She'd played him for a fool, taking advantage of his hungry response to escape from his clutches. But as Jack hunted for his thief, his heart fell captive to a self-possessed widow. Torn between illicit passion and tender love, Jack is duty-bound to capture the audacious criminal, even if it means ripping society apart to do so. Now he stalked her through the ton, never realizing the lovely widow who captured his heart was the same woman who roused his most violent passions. A love that defied king and country.

Sweet Baby by Sharon Sala (1998)

2009-08-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

SINGLE TITLE: Romantic Suspense
SETTING: Contemporary US
HEROINE: 31 year old photographer

It all happened a long time ago, so long ago that Tory Lancaster no longer remembered being a little girl who came home to an empty house. Tory is a woman now, trying to leave behind a legacy of abandonment and sorrow, desperate to love but forever afraid to trust.

Only in Brett Hooker's arms does she find peace, but there's something Brett doesn't know, something even she doesn't know.

Tory Lancaster is about to come face-to-face with her past, a past haunted by a mysterious tattooed man and the doll that was her only friend. With Brett's help she can meet the past head-on--if it doesn't drive them apart. So many secrets, so little time, and all for the love of...sweet baby

Unleashed by Lori Borrill (2008)

2009-08-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

CATEGORY: Harlequin Blaze
SETTING: Contemporary US
HEROINE: 27 year old purse designer and boutiques owner

Purse designer Jessie Beane has some bad habits when it comes to men. So she's going to boost her sexual karma - by indulging in an extra-naughty, one-night stand?

Detective Rick Marshall is the perfect candidate - a hot cop with a creative and insatiable libido. Unfortunately, Jessie's poor excuse of an ex uses the opportunity to rob Jessie's apartment and steal Rick's car.with key evidence in the trunk!

Jessie and Rick don't have time to waste.. They need to find that car now. And if spending time together gives them the chance to unleash their voracious appetite for each other, then they'll be certain to enjoy every salacious minute..

Games of Pleasure by Julia Ross (2005)

2009-08-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

HISTORICAL: European Historical Romance
SETTING: England 1828
SERIES: Book Two in the The Wyldshay series
HEROINE: 20ish year old courtesan

Riding home after a rebuffed marriage proposal, Lord Ryderbourne notices a small boat dangerously adrift. Impulsively, he plunges his horse into the sea and saves the boat’s unconscious occupant – a beautiful, bruised, and nearly naked woman.

Hiding a terrible secret, Miracle Heather has no desire to be rescued, especially by a virile young aristocrat. Yet Ryder drags her to shore, wraps her in his cloak, and carries her to a nearby inn, where he insists on taking care of her. A skilled courtesan, she knows of only one way to repay his gallantry, and Ryder is helpless to resist her seduction. The ensuing night of passion shakes them both to the soul, but fearing the pursuers at her heels, she flees before he wakes.

Irresistibly drawn after her, Ryder soon follows, but Miracle cannot risk losing her heart. No honourable future is possible for a duke’s son and a lady of the night. With her life in danger, they agree to travel north together on England’s hidden byways as comrades, not lovers. Yet even as their journey leads them both into the unknown, desire threatens to defeat principle.

Hot Under Pressure by Kathleen O'Reilly (2009)

2009-08-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

CATEGORY: Harlequin Blaze
SETTING: Contemporary US
SERIES: Book One in the Where You Least Expect It series
HEROINE: 32 year old divorced boutiques owner

Boutique owner Ashley Taylor hates flying. Especially when there's a sugar-fueled little hellion on board. But then David McLean (sexy!) sits next to her, and suddenly Ashley finds herself hoping the delay will last forever - and that David won't notice her comfy pink bunny slippers (sadly, the opposite of sexy).

David does notice Ashley, and when the flight is delayed overnight, they can't get to the airport hotel fast enough. Off with the slippers and in with the zing! Fortunately, America is filled with cities - L.A., New York, Miami - and nothing says "smoking-hot passion" like an intercontinental affair!

Ladies' Man by Suzanne Brockman (1997)

2009-07-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

CATEGORY: Bantam Loveswept
SETTING: Contemporary US
HEROINE: 36 year old divorced Yale professor and actress with children

The moment she spies the rugged hunk in the faded jeans at the airport, Ellen knows she should run for cover. Instead, she throws caution to the wind and plunges into a sizzling affair with the gorgeous cop. Between romantic dinners, sensual limo rides, and a perfect night of passion, Ellen is living every woman's fantasy. Until she's caught in the sights of a deranged stalker, and the divorced single mother is suddenly turning to N.Y.P.D. detective Sam Schaefer for her very survival.…

Soon Sam's taking a bullet meant for Ellen, and racing against time to stop a killer from hitting his target. Keeping Ellen safe will take everything he's got. Earning her trust could be a mission impossible, as two wary hearts team up for a summer they'll never forget - and a sizzling adventure that could get them both killed…or give them everything they've ever wanted.

The Firefighter's Chosen Bride by Trish Wylie (2007)

2009-07-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

CATEGORY : Harlequin Presents
SETTING: Contemporary Ireland
HEROINE: 29 year old working at a music distribution business

Circumstance has left Finn McNeill without a place to stay. Which means her only option is the spare room of rugged firefighter Shane Dwyer. Soon Finn's burning question is--should she act on the attraction smoldering between them?

The tension's simmering, the chemistry's sizzling and the flames of passion are licking at their heels! Perhaps one secret white-hot night will be enough to put out the fire?

Winter Garden by Adele Ashworth (2000)

2009-07-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

HISTORICAL: European Historical Romance
SETTING: England 1849
HEROINE: 29 year old French spy for Britain

Though a celebrated French beauty in 1849, Madeleine DuMais's cleverness is her greatest asset -- and one she puts to good use as a spy for the British. When her expertise is needed in the south of England to break up a smuggling ring, Madeleine willingly puts her life on hold to help the crown...

Arriving in the quaint resort town of Winter Garden, Madeleine meets her partner in subterfuge. Thomas Blackwood is unlike any man she has ever met. His quiet confidence and mysterious intensity send shivers of pleasure coursing through her ... shivers that slowly melt into a desperate passion. As duty gives way to desire, surrender holds its reward. And Madeleine will never recover from the touch of Thomas's hands on her body -- and the touch of his heart on her soul…

Virtue by Jane Feather (1999)

2009-07-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

HISTORICAL: European Historical Romance
SETTING: England 1815
HEROINE: 22 year old gamester

They called it their "double act." And in Europe's most exclusive gaming halls, Judith Davenport and her brother Sebastian used the technique to dupe unwary noblemen out of their pocket money. First, Judith lured them to the card tables with her ravishing smile. Then, employing her fan in an elaborate code, she made sure that Sebastian's luck never ran out. It was a dangerous game played in preparation for one desperate purpose: to avenge their father's tragic death.

But the Davenports never bargained for the penetrating scrutiny of a certain strikingly handsome lord who had come to see for himself the woman who had all of Brussels at her feet, including his besotted nephew. Marcus Devlin the honorable marquis of Carrington, wasn't fooled for an instant by Judith's air of innocence -- or by her flirtatious way with a fan. Instead he was amused, infuriated, and intrigued enough to draw the bewitching schemer into a daring gamble of his own ... where the stakes were nothing less than the lady's heart.

In Bed With Her Italian Boss by Kate Hardy (2008)

2009-07-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

CATEGORY : Harlequin Presents
SETTING: Contemporary UK
HEROINE: 26 year old office manager

Having just been fired, Francesca has three immediate requirements: a coffee, an extremely calorific pastry and a new job. Stopping off at her favorite café, Giovanni's, she manages to pick up all three!

Working for darkly handsome Giovanni Mazetti is fantastic--except Fran discovers the job comes with a tantalizing caveat: pretending to be his adoring girlfriend! Soon their kisses start happening in private as well as in public, and although Fran knows it's all a game to Giovanni, she can't help wishing his feelings were for real….

Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella (2003)

2009-07-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

SINGLE TITLE: Chick lit romance
SETTING: Contemporary UK
HEROINE: 25 year old marketing assistant

Emma is sitting on a turbulent plane. She's always been a v. nervous flyer. She really thinks that this could be her last moment. So, naturally enough, she starts telling the man sitting next to her - quite a dishy American, but she's too frightened to notice -all her innermost secrets. How she scans the backs of intellectual books and pretends she's read them. How she does her hair up like Princess Leia in her bedroom. How she's not sure if she has a G-spot, and whether her boyfriend could find it anyway. How she feels like a fraud at work - everyone uses the word 'operational' all the time but she hasn't a due what it means. How the coffee at work is horrible. How she once threw a troublesome client file in the bin. If ever there was a bare soul, it's hers. She survives the flight, of course, and the next morning the famous founding boss of the whole mega corporation she works for is coming for a look at the UK branch. As he walks around, Emma looks up and realises... It's the man from the plane. What will he do with her secrets? He knows them all - but she doesn't know a single one of his. Or... does she?

Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer (1989)

2009-07-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

HISTORICAL: American Historical Romance
TIME PERIOD: Modern era
SETTING: US 1941
HEROINE: 25 year old pregnant widow with children

In town, they called her "Crazy Widow Dinsmore." But Elly was no stranger to their ridicule--she had been an outsider all her life, growing up in a boarded-up old house under the strict eye of her eccentric grandparents. Now she was all alone, with two little boys to raise, and a third child on the way.

He drifted into Whitney, Georgia, one lazy afternoon in the summer of 1941, hoping to put his lonely past behind him. He yearned for the tenderness he had never known, the home he'd never had. All he needed was for someone to give him a chance.

Heart of Deception by Taylor Chase (1999)

2009-07-08T05:43:00.000-07:00

HISTORICAL: Elizabethan Romance
SETTING: England 1586
HEROINE: 30 year old leader of the criminal underworld

Amid the treachery and turmoil of Elizbethan England, Rafe Fletcher returns from war to rescue his kinsmen accused of plotting to kill Queen Elizabeth and place Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne. Racing to save his relatives' lives and restore the family's honor, Rafe has only one hope to find the truth: to infiltrate a cutthroat gang of thieves ruled by the notorious brother-sister team of Nick and Vivian Swift.

Rafe thinks Vivian will be easy to hate. But unlike any woman he's ever met, Viv draws him with a tantalizing power he finds irresistible. Proud and daring, Viv awakens a fire deeper and more consuming than any Rafe has ever known. To taste the passion of the fiery beauty's embrace, however, could expose his secret and finish his family. And for Viv, succumbing to her own exquisite desire could mean downfall too, for she harbors her own dark mystery. Rafe and Viv know that to give in to love may cost them their very lives. Yet how can they resist?

After The Kiss by Karen Ranney (2000)

2009-07-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

HISTORICAL: European Historical Romance
SETTING: England 1822
HEROINE: 25-ish year old widow

Margaret Esterly is desperate - and desperation can lead to shocking behaviour! Beautiful and gently-bred, she was the essence of prim, proper English womanhood - until fate widowed her and thurst her into poverty overnight. Now she finds herself at a dazzling masked ball,determined to sell a volume of scandalous memoirs to the gala's noble host. But amid the heated fantasy of the evening, Margaret boldly, impetuously, shares a moment of passion with a darkly handsome gentleman . . . and then flees into the night.

Who was this exquisite creature who swept into Michael Hawthorne's arms and then vanished? The startled, yet pleasingly stimulated Earl of Montraine is not about to forget the intoxicating woman of mystery so easily - especially since Michael's heart soon tells him that he has at last found his perfect bride. But once he locates her again, will he be able to convince the reticent lady that their moment of ecstasy was no mere accident . . . and that just one kiss can lead to paradise?

Beyond Breathless by Kathleen O'Reilly (2007)

2009-07-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

CATEGORY: Harlequin Blaze
SETTING: Contemporary US
SERIES: Book One in the Red Choo Diaries series
HEROINE: 32 year business woman in the financial industry

Nicknamed "The Porcupine," Jamie McNamara has a tough-as-nails attitude that makes her a force to be reckoned with on Wall Street. So it's a shock even to her when she seduces a sexy investment broker in a Hummer limo on the way to a business meeting. But when her erotic escapade becomes the topic of the "Red Choo Diaries" sex blog and threatens to destroy her steely persona, Jamie realizes a fling isn't always frivolous.

Used to getting what he wants, gorgeous man-about-town Andrew Brooks knows a good thing when he sees it--and he sees and wants Jamie. Her drive and passion have him consumed. He's determined to transform their passionate limo encounter into a long-term merger--and he's prepared to negotiate!

Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James (2009)

2009-07-05T03:03:00.000-07:00

SINGLE TITLE: Contemporary romance
SETTING: Contemporary US
HEROINE: 32 year old lawyer

When it comes to the laws of attraction, there are no rules The battle between the sexes is about to make these two lawyers hot under the collar. Opposites collide when two lawyers try to make partner at the same firm. Payton Kendall is a feminist to the bone. Cocky J.D. Jameson was born privileged. But when they're asked to join forces on a major case, they gain a newfound awareness of each other's personal assets. The partnership spot will be offered to only one of them, though. The competition heats up. Sparks fly. Let the games begin.

Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn (2009)

2009-07-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

CATEGORY: Harlequin Blaze Historical
SETTING: England 1887
HEROINE: 26 year old widow

Mariah Eller was only trying to save her inn from being trashed. So how did the widow manage to attract the unwanted - and erotic - attention of the Prince of Wales? Not that being desired by royalty is necessarily bad. Only, Mariah much prefers the prince's best friend. Jack St. Lawrence is very tempting, and very loyal. And he knows that the prince gets involved only with married women. So he figures sexy Mariah is safe.until the prince demands Jack find her a husband! The problem? Jack and Mariah can't fight their sizzling attraction. And once they give in to their desires, the situation is even worse. Because the prince's man has found a husband for Mariah. Himself.