Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

      Tita, a young girl growing up on a ranch under the iron fist will of her matriarchal mother Elena in turn-of-the-century Mexico, cooks for the family, under the watchful eye of the head cook Nacha. Denied her true love, Pedro, who marries one of Tita's sisters, her heartbreak turns to inconsolable sorrow and as an outlet, she pours her emotions into her unique and remarkable recipes that inspire love, longing, passion and sorrow in all who consume them. Combining the earthy and mystical, exciting, vibrant characters, succulent recipes and a tragic tale of the denial of true love and its consequences, this is a spellbinding story that is both quirky and compelling.

 

Tell Me Lies by Jennifer Crusie

     Divorce, adultery, and murder are just a few of the scandals that shock the small town of Frog Point, Ohio, and its inhabitants, especially Maddie Faraday. Viewed as the "nice girl" in high school, Maddie's adult life has enough spice in it to single-handedly turn Frog Point's gossip mill. Although she is misled by her best friend, betrayed by her husband, and talked about by the entire town, Maddie manages to discover the painful truths about her life, the strength to protect her eight-year-old daughter, and comfort in the arms of another man.

 

 

 

The Looking Glass by Richard Paul Evans

      This is the story of Hunter Bell, a Presbyterian minister turned gambler, and the founder of the mining camp Bethel. Venturing into a blizzard to chase away wolves, beautiful young Quaye McGandley meets Hunter Bell outside of his cabin. She is an Irishwoman, sold into marital slavery, and brought to America against her will. Hunter nurses her back to health and the story of their love begins. Get out the hankies you will need them.

 

 

Dark Prince by Christine Feehan

     Raven Whitney seeks peace and an escape from her troubles in a small Carpathian village. There she establishes a psychic link with Mikhail Dubrinsky, a lonely nobleman who is also the head of the Carpathians, a clan of proud and noble vampires. Not the evil vampires of Hollywood stereotype, but a Carpathian, a proud and noble people. Both Raven and Mikhail learn to adapt to each other's ways, and fall deeply into a love for the ages. There is only one small problem: some of Raven's fellow traveler's are vampire killers, and they want to eliminate all the Carpathians.

 

 

 

On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah

     Annie Colwater, a 39-year-old wife and mother, must redefine her self-identity after her husband informs her that he's in love with a younger woman the same day their only child leaves for school abroad. Alone, she returns to her childhood home in Mystic, Washington, where she is reunited with her fist love, Nick Delacroix. Annie is able to heal her own life by caring for Nick and his six-year-old daughter, Izzy, who are both grieving over the death of Nick's wife. As Annie and Nick heal, their old romance rekindles, but a sudden turn of events leaves Annie faced with the painful decision of going back to her old life or remaining in Mystic.

 

 

A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson

     Ellen Carr's militantly suffragette family is appalled at her love for the domestic arts. But while these talents earn her the position as housekeeper in an eccentric Austrian boarding school, it is her kindness and warmth that earn her the devotion of the neglected students and oddball staff except for Marek, the mysterious groundskeeper. But Marek is himself hiding a dangerous secret; and as the Nazi shadow falls, even love may not be enough. Lyrical charm, drenched with atmosphere, and leavened by a wicked wit.

 

 

 

Kill and Tell by Linda Howard

     Karen Whitlaw's life is changed when her father was found murdered in the streets of New Orleans. Her Dad had left her family years before; Karen barely knew the man, yet now it seems that Karen's life is in danger too. With the help of New Orleans detective Marc Chastain, Karen learns the secrets of her father's past; and together they find the people behind his murder. This is sensual romantic suspense, and will be enjoyed by people who like spice to their romance. It is definitely explicit.

 

 

Perfect Partners by Jayne Anne Krentz                                                                                                                                         Rosalie Toja, Brentwood Public Library

      Naive and somewhat frumpy, Letitia Thornquist leaves her liibrary position in the Midwest and heads for Seattle to oversee her newly inherited sporting goods company much to the dismay of the current CEO, Joel Blackstone. Sparks and tempers fly as these two clash, but the results are predictably funny and passionate as Joel, in the process of trying to "show Letitia a thing or two," discovers that there is a lot he can learn from her.

 

 

The Bride and the Beast by Teresa Medeiros

     In the misty Highlands of 1761 Scotland, the guilt-ridden villagers of Ballybliss are terrorized by a Dragon, a curse brought on by their betrayal of their laird fifteen years earlier. Only sensible, plump Gwendolyn Wilder dismisses their superstition; yet it is she who is condemned to be sacrificed to the beast. Captivated by her warmth and beauty, an all-too-human Dragon takes her captive in pampered comfort. Yet the revelation of the Dragon's identity, and his deadly obsession with revenge, threatens the passion that begins to burn between them. A sensual reworking of the classic fairy tale, drenched in dark passions and sparkling with wit.

 

 

The Wild Child by Mary Jo Putney 

     Identical twin brothers; a wealthy mad heiress; dark secrets and deceptions abound, as romance blooms and honor dies. Kyle Reinborne bribes his twin brother, Dominic, to take his place at Warfield Manor, where he is to pay court to his intended bride, Lady Meriel Grahame. The deception was only for a few weeks, and the mad Lady Meriel would never notice the difference; but Dominic faces complications he never dreamed of.

 

 

 

Affair by Amanda Quick

      In this quickly paced light read with a clever sense of humor, Charlotte Arkendale has been supporting herself and her sister in Regency England by investigating the suitors of women who have recently come into money. When one of her clients is killed, she becomes worried that one of the rejected suitors was the killer. She hires Baxter St. Ives as her man-of-affairs to help her investigate. What she does not realize is that Baxter is not what he seems. As they explore the mystery at hand, Baxter and Charlotte discover a deep passion for one another.

 

 

 

Mystique by Amanda Quick

      Sir Hugh the Relentless arrives at the castle of Lady Alice's uncle and, impressed by her appearance and ability to run a household, finds himself offering marriage to the feisty beauty who holds the secret to his missing family heirloom. Desperate to escape her rotten-to-the-core uncle, she agrees to form a business partnership with Hugh, in order to obtain an education for her brother and a dowry to live out her own life studying "natural philosophy". Their mutual respect and desire soon bring them together, but they face the greatest challenge of all, as they must break an ancient curse, find a murderer and destroy a villain from the past before he destroys them.

 

 

 

Picking up the Pieces by Mary Sheepshanks 

     Kate Rendlesham, a recently widowed woman in her fifties, has spent her life keeping up appearances for the sake of her family and her powerful, unfaithful husband. Kate, in a new relationship, her daughter Joanna, in a crumbling marriage, and granddaughter Harriet, estranged from a distant Joanna, must each face a broken marriage and learn how to pick up the pieces. An intelligent and delightful story, told with gentle wit and good humor.

 

 

A Price for Everything by Mary Sheepshanks 

     Sonia, Lady Dunstan, dreams of restoring the crumbling Dunstan house to its former glory. Her philandering husband Archie opposes her plans, so Sonia plots to get help from the Heritage At Risk Association. Things don't go exactly as Sonia plans her four children seem to be growing up overnight, her mother-in-law descends on the household for an unwelcome visit, her put-on-hold art career takes off, and Sonia finds herself falling in love with the Association's handsome director Simon. A crisis awakens Sonia's realization that there is a price for everything and that she must choose wisely.

 

 

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

     Noah Calhoun is back from World War II, living in and renovating a 200-year-old Southern mansion. At night he reads Walt Whitman and strums his guitar on his porch with his dog, reminiscing about the summer he spent with the girl of his dreams so many years ago. That girl, Allison Nelson, lives in another town and is now engaged to a prominent lawyer, ready to settle down into a life of comfort and contentment. When Allison sees a newspaper article about Noah, she decides to visit him to either rekindle the romance of a lifetime or seek the closure they never had. Will Allison remain with her boring but wealthy fiance or risk it all on true love?

 

 

The Hellion by LaVyrle Spencer 

     Set in the modern-day South, two teen lovers are reunited after twenty five years of separation. The woman is a successful business person, the man a rich playboy with hidden potential. Deliciously lightweight stuff, this is the author you should seek when contemplating an indulgent few hours in a bubble bath with a box of chocolates on the side.

 

 

Thief of Hearts by Katherine Stone

     Heart surgeon Caitlyn Taylor, her honorary brother and fellow surgeon Patrick Falconer, his mysterious evil twin Jesse, and psychiatrist Amanda Prentice, all become intertwined in a suspenseful plot, characters who are beautiful, as well as rich and famous, settings in a large L.A. hospital and a remote estate on Maui, mixed with dark secrets from everyone's past. An enjoyable contemporary romance by a popular physician/author .

 

 

 

The Hearts and Lives of Men by Fay Weldon

     Helen Lally, the stunning 22-year-old daughter of an impoverished artist, has caught the eye of Clifford Wexford, an ambitious, eligible, devil-may-care art dealer. In the space of nine months in swinging London of the 60s, they meet, fall instantly in love, and produce a beautiful daughter Nell. Then the wicked world intrudes. Clifford falls prey to Angie, the scheming heiress, who fills his ear with lies about Helen (gullibility being so important to soap opera and romance); the perfect marriage ends in divorce; and little Nell, due to her parents' recklessness and other character flaws out of which they will have to mature, is lost. Engaging, wicked, and very very witty.