Normally, in this article, I would tell you guys about some of the great books I picked up at the latest conference I attended. Unfortunately, this year’s RWA conference in Dallas coincided with the only two performances of SNOW WHITE in which my little munchkin masterfully played the role of Lady Lucinda, a lady in waiting for the evil queen.
Since I was unable to attend the 2007 Romance Writers of America Conference, a monster thank you goes out to authors Marcia James and Lina Gardiner for their RWA coverage in articles about the book signing and the awards night, or we wouldn’t even have an RWA issue this year. So, thank you, thank you, thank you. While I didn’t get to bring home another armful of books to add to my TBR pile, I’m luckily in no danger of running out of books to talk about. So, I went through my stack and found a couple of books that I thought would go nicely with the theme of this issue – Romance – here’s a few that I came up with:
HEIRESS FOR HIRE by Erin McCarthy  A 2007 RWA RITA Finalist
Chicago socialite Amanda Delmar thought spending the summer in Cuttersville – Ohio’s most haunted town – would be a hoot, until dear old Dad cut her off. Now Amanda has to do the unthinkable and get…A JOB. Luckily, the good folks of Cuttersville will always help someone in need. Even the ghost in Amanda’s cottage is pelting her with pennies. Farmer Danny Tucker would be more amused by Amanda’s attempts at holding down a job if he weren’t so turned-on by the skinny, bronzed blonde. A simple man with simple needs, Danny knows that courting Amanda would be anything but. Besides, another girl has turned Danny’s head: an eight-year-old daughter he never knew he had. One who takes quite a shine to Amanda and her couture-clad poodle… Hiring Amanda to baby-sit his baby girl may not be the smartest thing Danny has ever done. But seeing how she brings a smile to his shy daughter’s face makes it all worthwhile. Now all Danny has to figure out is how to keep Amanda at arm’s length, when she has already wriggled her way into his heart…
MAN WITH A PAST by Kay Stockham  A 2007 RWA RITA Finalist
Joe Brody: Out of prison but still serving time – all because no one in his hometown believes he’s innocent. He’d leave the place in his dust, but his father – the only family he has left – needs him. Ashley Cade: Widowed with a toddler to take care of. She’s moved here to make a fresh start – but being accepted into the inner circles of a close-knit town isn’t easy. Especially after she hires the town pariah as a handyman. Joe and Ashley: The attraction between them is powerful. But is it enough to overcome the whispers that Ashley has begun to hear?
SUDDEN PLEASURES by Bertrice Small  The 2006 Author of the Year from the New York City RWA Chapter
“The reigning queen of…erotica, romance, love and lust,” New York Times bestselling author Bertrice Small returns with a novel about a woman whose life takes a sudden – and seductive – turn… Ashley Kimbrough has everything a woman could want: a successful business, close friends and a satisfying sex life in the Channel – a secret women-only network that allows viewers to live out their wildest fantasies. She isn’t interested in marriage – until she learns that she’s in danger of losing her inheritance. She also isn’t interested in self-made millionaire Ryan Mulcahy, a handsome man with the body of a Celtic warrior and the face of an Italian model. But then he proposes a marriage of convenience, since he is in a bind of his own. Ashley knows her life will be perfect with Ryan, with expectations for companionship only…never passion or love. Still, sudden pleasures are not quite what you expect them to be… THE DANGERS OF DECEIVING A VISCOUNT by Julia London  Three time RWA RITA Finalist
Lady Phoebe Fairchild is well aware that the ton would be appalled to learn of a young lady of quality involved in a trade. Therefore, when circumstances force her to design ball gowns for the sisters of William Darby, the Viscount of Summerfield, she assumes the fictitious identity of Madame Dupree. Phoebe’s discomfort in her position as hired help is nothing compared to her visceral attraction to the viscount, who invites her to be his mistress. But as their desire for each other grows and the risk of exposure becomes even greater, Phoebe is in danger of losing her reputation, her livelihood – and her chance of becoming the bride of the man whose passion has claimed her forever. THE HUSBAND TRAP by Tracy Anne Warren  2007 RWA RITA Winner for Best First Book
Violet Brantford has always longed for the passionate embrace of Adrian Winter, the wealthy Duke of Raeburn. Problem is, he’s set to marry Violet’s vivacious, more socially polished look-alike twin sister, Jeannette. But when Jeannette refuses to go through with the ceremony mere minutes before it is to begin, soft-spoken Violet finds herself walking down the aisle and taking vows in her sister’s place. Soon shy Violet is a high-society wife, trying to keep her real identity a secret while living out the fantasies of her wildest dreams. Adrian thinks he knows exactly what he’s gotten himself into: Jeannette may be flighty and, well, a bit self-involved, but she’s the picture-perfect wife to carry on the Winter name. Yet this marriage of convenience brings the groom more than he bargained for when he finds his sweet, innocent wife surprising him at every turn. And though he never planned on true love, Adrian is definitely in danger of losing his heart. | 
