These selections are definitely steamy. All of them have a “happily ever after,” but with lots of erotic getting-to-know-you first!

Occult

In J. R. Ward’s “Black Dagger Brotherhood” series: Dark Lover, Lover Awakened, Lover Eternal and Lover Revealed, vampires are the good guys. They are lethal if you’re a bad guy, and driven to insatiable passion when looking for a mate. The newest of this series of urban fantasy is Lover Unbound.

Jacob by Jacquelyn Frank, features a lonely modern-day librarian, who falls out of her apartment window and into the arms of the demon Enforcer Jacob, and consequently into his world of passion and deadly conflict.

Susan Carroll’s “Dark Queen” series (which was originally planned as a trilogy) takes place in 16th century France. The beautiful “good witch” sisters of Faire Isle must fight the dark magic of Catherine de Medicis in The Dark Queen, The Courtesan, The Silver Rose, and The Huntress. The women’s mysterious magic inspires tormented longing by various dashing warriors involved in the quest to fight the forces of darkness. In an earlier work by Carroll, The Bride Finder, the mysterious Anatole St. Leger must take a wife to secure his birthright, but becomes tormented and torn that he actually falls in love with the woman selected by the family bride finder. He had hoped to keep his unusual and frightening psychic powers secret, but love often reveals all …

Historical Fiction

You can’t miss Philippa Gregory’s riveting Tudor Novels series, of which I enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl the most. Fascinating historical detail combined with court intrigue and forbidden pleasure produces scenes of very steamy stolen moments of desire. Centered around the court of Henry the VIII, the series includes The Constant Princess, The Boleyn Inheritance, and The Queen’s Fool.

Jade Lee’s exotic Tigress Series is set in 19th century China. Tempted Tigress is her most recent work. An English woman is abducted by the handsome and mysterious Chinese Emperor’s Enforcer for the illegal opium trade, and must face humiliating bondage along with searing desire for her captor. And the Enforcer himself cannot ignore the “qi” flowing between his own body and that of this white woman …

Contemporary

The Antonakos Marriage by Kate Walker, from the steamy “Harlequin Presents” line, is set in contemporary Greece. Skye Marston is being blackmailed into marriage, but she is determined to enjoy one night of passion first. When she reluctantly arrives on the Greek island to meet her prospective bridegroom and his family, she encounters Theo Antonakos, a stormy sexual powerhouse of a man, who is not accustomed to resistance …

Once Upon a Seduction by Jaime Sobrato is a fast-paced thriller of a romance. Skye Ellison is surprised to find herself on a road trip to Vegas with rich, sexy Nico Valleti, in order to retrieve the money her ex-con ex-boyfriend stole from them. Is this another case of her notorious ability to always make the worst decision when it comes to men?

Selected by Stephanie Tournas (9/07)

Categories: Book Buzz, Book Reviews, Booklists, Romance, Staff Picks