Weekend Book Club: Harlequin Romance

It's no secret how much I love the Harlequin Romance series. Yes, I'm biased, as they are the first series that bought me but my love affair with the series has developed over time. I love the varied voices in the series. I love the locations. Most of all I love the varied plots. There's a lot of scope within Harlequin Romance and that's one of the greatest pleasures, picking up a book guaranteed to surprise. The fabulous Wendy Crutcher, RWA's Librarian of the Year, has posted a great blog today at HEROES & HEARTBREAKERS. She outlines why she loves Harlequin Romance and gives some recommendations, including this.

I've read some cracker Harlequin Romances over the years, too many to mention (though Liz Fielding's THE MARRIAGE MIRACLE, her RITA winner featuring a wheelchair bound heroine, is a standout.)

What have been your favourite Harlequin Romances over the years? Recommendations?

High school French good for something

I love the French covers and this one is no exception.

THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID...is out now in France and from my Year 10 high school French, I'm guessing the title is 'Fiance for a day.'

And what's even cooler, it's a duo with my Irish buddy Trish Wylie (who needs to stop going to RWA conferences in the US and come to an Aussie conference one day soon! Trish, you listening?)

Being a bridesmaid in Spain

Isn't this cover so romantic?

Looks like Spain has new covers too. Lovely.

Here's my THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID out now.

The Good, the Bad & the Unread

Thanks to the power that is Google Alert, I've stumbled across a fabulous review today from the good folk at THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UNREAD.

I need to become addicted to another Harlequin series line like I need a hole in the head, but I think it’s now safe to declare that I’m hooked on Harlequin Romance. I think it was in a comment thread here at TGTBTU that someone dropped a Nicola Marsh suggestion in my ear, and if it was you: thank you mysterious commenter! What a delightful read this was!

The conflict that keeps this story chugging along is their past together, and their own personal baggage. There were moments when I just wanted them to sit down and really talk to each other, and they do get around to that eventually. When it does come spilling out into the open, it’s hard to not root for these two crazy kids, and be charmed by them. Lord knows I was.

Thanks to Wendy the Super Librarian!
Here's the full review.

And word of mouth truly is a great way to gain new readers. I recommend books I truly love to others.

What have been your recent book recommendations?

Foreign shores

This month sees the release of 3 of my books overseas.

In Italy, THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID...

In France, MARRIAGE: FOR BUSINESS OR PLEASURE?

In Holland, A TRIP WITH THE TYCOON.

I never, ever tire of seeing foreign covers. It's like getting first printing of a book in my hot little hands all over again!

What makes you buy a book?

When I buy books, I go for author name over covers.

I couldn't care less what's on the covers, it's what's between them that count.

It got me thinking though.

Here's my recent release, THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID, with several different covers.

Which one would make you pick up the book?

Which do you like best?

And do you buy a book based on cover? Author name? Reviews?

Release month giveaways

Today I'm guest blogging over at Jennifer Shirk's.

Come visit for a chance to win a signed copy of my current release, THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID...

Snapshot

Here's a snippet of Bryce in THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID...

Bryce was in his element.
Great party, great food, interesting people, sparkling conversation; and a stunning woman by his side.
Eve chose that moment to enter the room and his gaze zeroed in on her, his gut instantly tightening with longing as he watched her sashay between tables towards him.
She was something else.
He’d dated models and soapie starlets exclusively following the bust-up with Jackie but none of them held a candle to this beautiful woman.
It was so much more than her appearance. Her quiet confidence, her subtle class, combined with a killer brain had him wanting to get to know his faux date a lot better.
Reaching his side, her glossed lips curved in a tentative smile, a smile that tugged on his heartstrings, a smile that insisted he sweep her into his arms and show her exactly how gorgeous she was with a kiss to end all kisses.
But it wasn’t the time or place. Or was it?
She wanted to convince her friends they were dating, what better way than to…
“Whatever you’re thinking, get it out of your mind right now,” she said, the flare of heat in her eyes making a mockery of her words.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
He whipped out her chair, placing a hand in the small of her back to guide her down, not surprised by the slight stiffening.
Eve may have made it clear she didn’t want anything from this dating deal beyond what they’d agreed but her body didn’t lie and right now it was begging him to put their platonic agreement to the test.
“The girls are very impressed.”
“With me?”
“No, with my new Blackberry.” She rolled her eyes as he laughed. “What do you think?”
“I think I’m going to have a lot of fun convincing your friends we’re a couple.”
“You’ve already done a good job so far.”
“Bet I can do better.”
He ran a finger down her bare arm, lingering in the hollow at her elbow, savouring her sharp intake of breath as he continued downward to caress her pulse point, the frantic beating a clear indication he was having the same affect on her as she was on him.
“I think you’ve done enough.”
Her voice sounded shaky but she didn’t move away and emboldened by her nearness, her intoxicating vanilla fragrance so reminiscent of the delicious dessert she’d concocted the other night and the heat simmering between them, he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him.
“Not nearly enough,” he murmured as his gaze locked on hers, daring her to stop him, hoping like hell she wouldn’t.
“This isn’t part of the deal—”
He kissed her, driven by an all-consuming need to discover how she responded to him as a man, how she felt in his arms, how she tasted.
He’d aimed for a gentle testing kiss, an affectionate kiss between a couple just getting to know each other. However, when she angled her head ever so slightly and parted her lips on a small, satisfied sigh, he lost it.
Completely.

(And for the Dan McPherson fans out there, Dancing with the Stars is back on soon!)

Three Times a Bridesmaid...

If you're in Australia/NZ, THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID... is on shelves now!

Set in my fabulous home city Melbourne, you'll read about familiar sights like Chapel Street, the Melbourne Aquarium, Albert Park Lake and the CBD.
Fun!

Triple release month!

Rather surreal but this month I have 3 releases!

In the UK, a re-release of A TRIP WITH THE TYCOON, my RT finalist for Best Harlequin Romance 09.

And in the USA, THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID... hits shelves along with OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED.

Fancy some flirty reading?

Go grab them!

OZ cover revamp

Some of the Harlequin series have had cover revamps in Australia lately, with Sweet being one of them.
With more of a mainstream feel, I love them.

Here's my first in the new covers.

THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID...hits OZ shelves in June, but can be bought right now online!

Speaking of online, OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED hit the eHarlequin Top 10 Bestsellers last week, and did the same over the weekend for ebooks. Yay!

Three Times a Bridesmaid...

Here's what ROMANTIC TIMES magazine had to say about my upcoming release (out in the UK next week!)

THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID … (4 stars) by Nicola Marsh: Successful events coordinator Eve Pemberton doesn’t have time for a personal life, and with the wedding of her last single friend fast approaching, she scrambles to find a date. She asks her old friend, ad exec Bryce Gibson, for help. Playing at love leads to the real thing, but can they find a way to overcome their issues and give each other a real chance? The plot’s a familiar one, but it works well here because the characters are nicely rounded and the hero in particular is very charming.

For those who can't wait...

For those who can't wait until my double release hits the shelves May in the UK and June in North America, both my upcoming releases are available NOW!

For Harlequin Romance, THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID, here.

For Harlequin Modern Heat, OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED, here.

I'm waiting rather impatiently myself for my UK copies to arrive because I can't wait to gobble up Liz Fielding's latest. I adore Liz's books so to be paired with her is beyond exciting!

Fan girl moments

Occasionally on Twitter, I have giggly fan girl moments when my Tweet appears above or below Nathan Fillion or Harlan Coben or Hugh Jackman.

(I know, small things amuse me!)

Now I'm having another fan girl moment.


The moment I knew my upcoming Romance THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID... was appearing in the same volume as Liz Fielding's latest, A WEDDING AT LEOPARD TREE LODGE, I shot off an email to Liz in great excitement!

I love Liz's books and to be paired with her...yep, having another distinct fan girl moment!!!

In her shoes...

As promised, here's the US cover for THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID...

So wonderfully romantic!

Though the hero looks nothing like that semi-naked pic of Daniel MacPherson I've posted here many times, the guy who inspired my hero Bryce Gibson.

But hey, I'm happy. And any time we need to check out the inspiration behind Bryce, we can always trawl the archives...

In the meantime, I don't think any of you want to be in my shoes today.
I'm off to the vascular surgeon, in the hope something can be done.
Wish me luck!