by Susan Stephens, author of Ruling Sheikh, Unruly Mistress (Harlequin Presents Extra, July 2010)

Writing about two brothers, both sheikhs, and both rulers of neighbouring countries, gave me the opportunity to explore two very different personalities. Sheikh Razi al Maktabi, my hero in Ruling Sheikh, Unruly Mistress, is the younger brother. Protected as a child by his elder brother Ra’id, Razi is now highly successful, both in business and in bed. We have no idea what he might be capable of until we see him tested.

Razi is one of those urbane, confident men, who seems unattainable but deep down Razi is searching too. Fortunate to have true friends he has known all his life, Razi is well aware that a man in his position can attract false friends too, and that the women who cross his path sometimes see no further than his money and status.

Razi is a strong, determined man, who, knowing that his playboy life is at an end, is determined to devote himself to his country to the exclusion of everything else. Razi is deeply kind and compassionate beneath his apparently unbreachable shell, and for this reason I gave him a vulnerable heroine – curvy chef, Lucy Tennant — a quiet girl, with a vivid inner life.

Lucy learned that she had nothing interesting to say growing up in a large, noisy family, where she was the only girl, and where her brothers and parents were brilliant academics. But that didn’t stop Lucy dreaming. In fact, the less she spoke, the more she dreamed, until one day she stole away from the family home without anyone really noticing.

Starting at the very bottom in a professional kitchen, Lucy worked her way up until finally she is offered a job as a chef, catering for a top class chalet company. It is here that Lucy is destined to meet a man who will change her life forever. Having decided to keep his identity a secret, Razi is intrigued by the quiet, dutiful girl who is oblivious to celebrity and all its trappings.

Intrigued, yes, but Razi will return to rule his magical island, which means putting all his personal desires aside. Will the quiet girl accept being sidelined, or will circumstances force Lucy Tennant to embrace her inner strength?

—–

Sounds like Lucy is a true romantic, Susan! And you know what they say about having to watch out for the quiet ones

What does everyone out there think? What is the appeal of quiet heroines vs. sassy and outspoken ones?

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

The Balfour Brides

A proud, powerful dynasty…

Absolute scandal has rocked the core of the infamous Balfour family

The glittering, gorgeous daughters are in disgrace…

Banished from the Balfour mansion, they’re sent to the boldest, most magnificent men to be wedded, bedded…and tamed!

That is the premise for the new continuity series from Harlequin called The Balfour Brides! Eight books starring eight of the Balfour daughters, who share a habit for scandal….and scorching romance!

Can’t wait to try it out? Luckily this month a new FREE online read has started at eHarlequin.com called Scandal at the Balfour Ball by Michelle Reid that’s a prequel to the miniseries! It stars Meredith Ferrera, a Balfour cousin, and much of the action in the online read dovetails with future books. Here’s a blurb about the online read:

After barely a year of marriage, Alessandro and Meredith Ferrera’s relationship is already strained by careers that force them to live in different countries for weeks at a time. So it doesn’t take much to raise Alessandro’s suspicions about what his bride is up to with his best friend Marco when he’s not around!

Meredith Ferrera doesn’t know what’s gotten into her husband. When she calls him in Milan to tell him some important news, she’s discouraged by his surly attitude and veiled accusations. And when he fails to show up in London to escort her to the ball hosted by her illustrious Balfour relations, she quickly discovers the room is abuzz with rumors about the state of their marriage…

Click here to start reading Scandal at the Balfour Ball (first 2 chapters are already up ). The story is also being posted at MillsandBoon.co.uk.

The first book of the Balfour Brides series, Mia and the Powerful Greek by Michelle Reid, goes on sale in North America in August but you can order it now from eHarlequin.com or the eHarlequin ebook store. The series is already started in the UK as The Balfour Legacy series (with some really gorgeous covers!), and the first couple books in the series can be purchased at the Mills & Boon website. In fact, some of you may have taken up their special offer from a while back and ordered the whole series already!

The US editions of the rest of the series are as follows:

MIA AND THE POWERFUL GREEK – by Michelle Reid

KAT AND THE DARE-DEVIL SPANIARD – by Sharon Kendrick

EMILY AND THE NOTORIOUS PRINCE – India Grey

SOPHIE AND THE SCORCHING SICILIAN – by Kim Lawrence

ZOE AND THE TORMENTED TYCOON – by Kate Hewitt

ANNIE AND THE RED-HOT ITALIAN – by Carol Mortimer

BELLA AND THE MERCILESS SHEIKH – by Sarah Morgan

OLIVIA AND THE BILLIONAIRE CATTLE KING – by Margaret Way

Have any of you read a Balfour book yet? What do you think?

It doesn’t sound right, does it? In fact it sounds downright mean to suggest you’d enjoy someone else’s pain. But that’s what romance writers (and, I’d propose romance readers), enjoy.

OK, I’m not actually saying that we get a kick out of someone else’s pain. But, when a hero is tortured by their past, it makes him ripe for the plucking by some enterprising romance author.

A wounded hero is so interesting – all those hidden layers to discover. Their behaviour is affected by what’s gone before, often in an attempt to protect themselves or someone they care for from further hurt. Or perhaps it’s colored their assessment of others, making them ready to jump to conclusions about people’s motives and methods.

I’ve written wounded heroes before. The man who’d lost his family as a child in traumatic circumstances, driven to regain the trappings of his family’s past wealth and possessions and home, in lieu of having a family himself. The hero who’s lost his memory of the woman he loved. The one who’s determined to wreak vengeance on the person who destroyed his mother. The man who’ll do anything to save his child rather than watch her suffer. I’m sure if you think through the Presents titles you’ve read you’ll find plenty of men with pasts – pasts that have made them suffer and change.

Recently I had the absolute pleasure of discovering another wounded hero. I was lucky enough to be asked to write the final book in the Dark Hearted Desert Men series to follow books by Carol Marinelli, Jennie Lucas and Trish Morey.

Tahir, from my July Presents ‘Scandal: His Majesty’s Love-Child’ isn’t driven by vengeance or the need to build a world to replace the one he’s lost. He’s is the consummate loner. He’s made and lost and made again several fortunes. He has wealth, power, prestige, women who vie for his attention, a jet setting life of business, extreme sports and high stakes gambling. Yet it all means nothing to him. He’s discovered that despite his ‘success’ in the material world, he cares for none of it. If you want to find out what he’s like then visit my website http://www.annie-west.com and you’ll find an excerpt on the book page.

Oh, what a joy he was to write! Though he had it all, Tahir instantly grabbed my sympathy. Beneath the uber sophisticated gloss was a man suffering from his past. Yet a man who didn’t take out his dissatisfaction on others. He was still, at core, a decent man, though he’d be the last person to think so. Even when he believes his actions are tainted by selfish need, he behaves with honor. And I loved him for that!  As Tahir became alive on the page the more I wanted him to find the happiness he’d been cheated of. I couldn’t wait for him to discover the one woman who could redeem him and help him lay the ghosts of his past.

Fortunately for him, he finds that woman even in the most unlikely of places. Stranded in the desert after a chopper smash, he’s saved by a woman who doesn’t fit his glamorous world. Yet Annalisa brings out feelings he’d thought long buried. She makes him long for what he’s denied himself – love. Even when he returns to the ‘real’ world – to life in a palace, he discovers Annalisa has changed his life, as he’s changed hers.

I love romantic heroes of all sorts, especially if they’re one of the strong alpha heroes we find in Presents. But there’s something about a wounded hero that really grabs me. Maybe it’s my nurturing instinct, wanting to protect him from past and present hurts, even though he’s the epitome of the strong, capable man we all admire. Or my delight in cheering someone who’s survived bad experiences and yet keeps going, refusing to be bowed. Maybe too there’s something about having a soft spot for a bad boy, and wanting to be the one who helps him change his ways.

What about you? Do you enjoy stories about wounded heroes? Do you triumph when they overcome the odds and find happiness? Do you have any stand out favourites?

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

I love that word “forbidden”.  To me it conjures up images of wayward yearnings and dangerous desires, and a compelling tightrope walk between enforced restraint and sheer recklessness.

On one side of the tightrope lies safety.

On the other, the possibility of satisfaction beyond belief.  But at what price?

Sheikh Rafiq Al’Ramiz, in Forbidden: The Sheikh’s Virgin, the third story in the Dark-Hearted Desert Men miniseries, knows all about that tightrope walk between restraint and recklessness. He knows he could play safe – and he’s determined at first to take just that course. Why should he have anything to do with the woman who took his heart so many years ago and then smashed it so cold heartedly on the rocks of her marriage vows to another?

Except after his return to Qusay, restraint soon finds itself replaced by the desire for revenge. Sera is now a widow. And why shouldn’t Rafiq make her feel as uncomfortable with the situation as he does? What’s stopping him now taking what was so rightfully due to him so many years ago? And what price might he ultimately pay if he does?

It’s a rocky road – or maybe more appropriately, an emerald strewn road – if this couple are to ever find their happy ever after.

I loved writing Forbidden: The Sheikh’s Virgin, the third installment in the Dark-Hearted Desert Men mini-series. I hope you love it too!

PS: Already in its second week at #3 on the Borders Group Series Bestsellers List, Forbidden: The Sheikh’s Virgin has just debuted in the USA Today Bestseller List at number 96!

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

Here’s a picture of me with one of my co-conspirators, taken in London in 2008 – that’s Trish Morey on the left.

Last month, Carol Marinelli’s book, Wedlocked: Banished Sheikh, Untouched Queen, told the story of a king who discovered he was not the trueborn heir of Qusay. This month, The Dark Men of the Desert series continues as his three royal cousins are forced to decide who will take the throne!

My hero is the eldest, Kareef Al’Ramiz.

It was fascinating to write the story of a powerful man – a half-barbarian sheikh just returned from the desert – who knows he loves and wants only one woman, right from the very first page.

After thirteen years in New York, Jasmine has returned to Qusay to marry a wealthy older man for the sake of her family. That makes her absolutely forbidden to Kareef, as is his knowledge that he must marry a virgin princess who can give him an heir. But as honorable as Kareef is, how can he surrender Jasmine to another man’s possession? Especially since they share a secret that could destroy everything for them both….

I loved writing this book, especially since it meant working with Carol Marinelli, Trish Morey and Annie West. They are so great!

While writing Kareef and Jasmine’s story, I drew a map of Qusay just for fun. For various reasons related to Annie’s plot, we ended up turning this map upside down, so it’s not really accurate anymore (and I’m not sure how much the other girls really used it anyway), but I thought you might get a kick out of seeing it!

The fictional desert island kingdom of Qusay (just turn it upside down *g*)

Like Carol, I am eagerly awaiting the final two books in the series, Forbidden: The Sheikh’s Virgin by Trish Morey in June and Scandal: His Majesty’s Love-Child by Annie West in July. I am dying to see how it all turns out, and see if all four sheikhs have happy endings – and are ultimately tamed by the strong, loving women they deserve.

Happy reading,

Jennie

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

A little over a year ago, my editor—hi, Jo!—contacted me with an question. Would I like to do something different for Presents?

I think she probably already knew my answer. I adore writing for Presents. I also adore trying things that are different but what, exactly, would the “different’ part involve?

Jo said Presents was thinking about doing a mini-series called Men Without Mercy. I said loved the title! It was pure Presents. Yes, she said, and the books would be pure Presents, too. Alpha heroes. Independent heroines. Lots of sexy passion and soul-deep romance–but with a retro twist.

I think I said something really smart, like “Huh?”

She said a retro twist meant a Presents in which a 21^st century heroine comes face-to-face with a 20^th century man.

A tough-minded heroine. A gorgeous, sexy, powerful, arrogant hero from a decade in which tough-minded women just didn’t exist. It sounded wonderful. When Jo asked if I’d like to do the first book, I said something along the lines of “Just try and stop me!”

“What ifs” began dancing through my head. I knew I needed two strong people, a powerful setting, a conflict (or two!) deep enough to keep them apart. And, of course, a meaningful way to deal with that retro twist.

Hmm.

What if my heroine was a graduate student in anthropology? It’s dawn on the morning of the summer solstice. She’s with her colleagues at an ancient sacred site in a Montana canyon. The old ones who once inhabited the canyon believed this event, at this place, held mystical powers. My heroine doesn’t believe that, of course. She’s a scientist.

And what if my hero owns the enormous, very successful ranch that contains the canyon? The site was sacred to his ancestors—he’s part Comanche, part Sioux, part plain-vanilla Westerner—but not to him. Not anymore. He’s turned his back on the old legends  after his experiences as a Special Forces warrior. In fact, he’s  about to sell his land. Still, something impels him to ride out to view the solstice one last time on this particular morning.

My story was coming together. My characters were coming alive. They whispered their names to me. She was Sienna Cummings. He  was Jesse Blackwolf. And they told me one more thing.

For Sienna, the year is 2010. For Jesse, it’s 1975.

I have written books in which the words seemed to flow out of my fingertips but I’ve never had an experience like the one I had writing BLACKWOLF’S REDEMPTION. I could hardly keep away from the computer! I love these characters and I needed to tell their story… and now, I invite you to join Sienna and Jesse on a journey of the heart that will be, I promise, unlike any you’ve taken before.

With love,

Note: Borders True Romance blog is also talking about the Men Without Mercy series today! Click here to read what they thought about Blackwolf’s Redemption. ~Amy

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

Next month Sandra Marton has a new book out in Presents and whilst that is an exciting event in itself, this is no ordinary Presents (if there is such a thing!). The first thing you will notice is that the title, Blackwolf’s Redemption, is slightly different, some may even say, it has a retro feel to it. You may then notice that it is flashed as part of a new miniseries, Men Without Mercy – intrigued? Well let me introduce this exciting miniseries and tell you how it came to be about!

MEN WITHOUT MERCY

Arrogant and proud, unashamedly male!

Step back in time and experience a time when men were men

and women knew just how to tame them!

These are Harlequin Presents with a retro twist…

Let me go back to the beginning. The editorial team are always looking for new innovative ideas from other cultural influences, such as film, TV and books, and around the time we were brainstorming ideas for 2010 publication, Britain had a new heartthrob. Was he tall, suavely handsome, well-dressed and with a silver tongue to charm the ladies?

Well, actually no – he was quite the opposite. He was slightly scruffy, grumpy, with a less than PC attitude to life and women, but his arrogant attitude and rugged looks had a rather sexy allure. We’re talking about Gene Hunt, from the hit TV series Life on Mars (coincidentally, the actor who plays him, Philip Glenister, was spotted near the London office just this Monday by our Editorial Director!).

For those unfamiliar with the show, in a nutshell a 21^st century policeman is transported back in time to 1970s Britain, where he meets DCI Gene Hunt – a completely unreconstructed alpha male from days of yore! In the second series, Ashes to Ashes, the action moved to the 1980s, when a 21^st century female is thrown back to meet the uncompromising Gene Hunt, and gradually tension of a different kind started to simmer, and this got us thinking…

What would happen if a 21^st century Presents heroine came face-to-face with a completely unreconstructed Presents alpha hero from the past?

And that is how Men Without Mercy was conceived! Yes, we would need to include a little, (dare we say) time travel to make it possible, but as long as the story, relationship and passion was pure Presents – why not? We would only want to publish a few and we had to tread carefully, we didn’t want an influx of ‘paranormal Presents’ – that would be missing the point, so we kept the concept close to our chests and stealthily approached our first author, who we knew would love the challenge and would execute the concept with panache…

Come back tomorrow to hear more from Sandra Marton about this exciting project and what finally became Blackwolf’s Redemption!

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

When I wrote the final book in The Royal House of Karedes series, I was tying up a lot of threads and also giving a little link into a new series.

Well, that was what I was supposed to do.

The thing is, when you write, there is no chance of a little link.

You write that little link and it’s like rain on soil and that little link starts to unfurl and that little link has become the Jack and the Beanstalk of little links and it’s right outside your window and PLEASE let me write it.

You see – I knew, more than Xavian did, all the challenges he faced – I knew this was so much harder for him than it first appeared and that he needed the most supportive, wonderful heroine.

Wedlocked: Banished Sheikh, Untouched Queen was to be the first in the Dark-Hearted Desert Men series and I did get to write it.

Except…..

The heroine that the series required was just a little bit different to the one I had envisaged for Xavian. I like writing about real women and I had been given a Queen!

Where was calm and reassuring when I needed it for my hero?

Layla had troubles of her own – she had a Kingdom to run and she certainly wasn’t going to leave it on hold while Xavian got his act together!

She had as much drama going on as him.

The more I worked on, the more I liked her and found out that she was, of course, a real woman too, with the same, albeit different, versions of the problems we face. Pretty soon I realized that Layla was exactly the woman needed.

This is what I love about continuity – it’s your own story, but there are other ideas in the ring that push you towards a different path than the one you might have taken.

There are also the discussions with your editor and the other authors — Jennie Lucas, Trish Morey and Annie West – together we worked out jewels and characters and the fun bit for me will be reading their books and seeing what happens when Xavian and Layla left the building!

Happy reading

Carol Marinelli x

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

Last year Harlequin Presents was delighted to introduce you to The Royal House of Karedes. We had so much feedback from readers who said how much they enjoyed entering the Karedes world. I can’t tell you how thrilling it was when all eight books hit the desks of Romance HQ, and seeing how the authors brought the stories and characters to life was almost magical.

So, luckily we left a thread in The Royal House of Karedes that still needed to be tied up! And how exciting it was to see the world of the Dark-Hearted Desert Men being shaped! Everything we’d loved about the Calistan sheikhs of The Royal House of Karedes was poured into this new 4-book linked miniseries. The pages are jam packed with smouldering desert princes, simmering tensions and blistering sensuality. The mysterious Sheikh Xavian who appeared at the end of the last Karedes book, The Desert King’s Housekeeper Bride by Carol Marinelli, is of course the missing brother of the Calistan King Zakari and now it’s time for his story to be told.

But every secret has repercussions, and in this case a whole new kingdom will be in jeopardy if Xavian’s real identity is disclosed. What will happen when Xavian, King of Qusay, discovers that he’s living the wrong life? And who will step in and take his place on the throne? The Dark-Hearted Desert Men miniseries reveals all!

For anyone who hasn’t read Karedes there’s a quick recap of everything you need to know at the beginning of the Dark-Hearted Desert Men books, so not to worry. Or, if you don’t want to miss out on the fabulous Royal House of Karedes series, you can download the ebooks at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com. It’s a collection you’ll treasure!

I can’t wait for you to read the Dark-Hearted Desert Men quartet, and hope that you, like me, will be captivated by this desert kingdom and its characters, brought skilfully to life by four hugely talented authors: Carol, Jennie, Trish and Annie will take you to places that you could only ever have imagined. Secrets and scandal swirl with the desert sands and four gorgeous sheikhs take you on a journey that’s truly unforgettable. And the romance…well, it’s brimming from the pages. It’s impossible to resist!

Be sure not to miss the exciting, brand-new Harlequin Presents mini-series

DARK-HEARTED DESERT MEN

A kingdom torn apart by scandal; a throne left empty; four smouldering desert princes…Which one will claim the crown – and who will they claim as their brides?

Book 1. WEDLOCKED: BANISHED SHEIKH, UNTOUCHED QUEEN by Carol Marinelli – April 2010

Book 2. TAMED: THE BARBARIAN KING by Jennie Lucas – May 2010

Book 3. FORBIDDEN: THE SHEIKH’S VIRGIN by Trish Morey – June 2010

Book 4. SCANDAL: HIS MAJESTY’S LOVE-CHILD by Annie West – July 2010

Note: Return to IHP on Monday to read a guest-post by Carol Marinelli on WEDLOCKED: BANISHED SHEIKH, UNTOUCHED QUEEN!

The Desert King’s Housekeeper Bride is the last in the Karedes series and my very first sheikh.

I was delighted when my editor invited me to be part of the series, especially when I found out that I’d be writing a sheikh romance. I was also thrilled when I saw who the other authors in the series were.

I couldn’t wait to get started.

Until I started!

My brain went into gridlock. I thought of all the fabulous authors in the series and their amazing books. I thought of all the other wonderful sheikh romances the readers love and I admit that I had stage fright, writers block… I had the lot!  I tried to type, to just push my way through it, but I kept stressing about tiny details – like, do they have fridges in the desert?   Honestly, I am an Olympic level procrastinator!

Well, a friend gave me a good talking to, as good friends do, and finally, when I got past the white noise in my head, I got my first real glimmer of Zakari.

For those that have read it, the image that came to mind was the first time Effie laid eyes on Zakari!

Finally I could see Zakari and his surrounds — I felt as if I were standing behind Effie and witnessing what she could see and it was at *that* moment I fell in love, not just with Zakari, but with sheikh romances. Suddenly, the book I had had so much trouble starting, I didn’t want to finish, I wanted to stay with the characters for a little while more.

There is something truly wonderful about  a sheikh romance , I’m completely hooked now. They’re sexier, richer, more alpha…. they’re just … more!

Pass me a fan!

The Karedes series has been a joy to work on. I spent a wonderful weekend refusing to move from the sofa, with my stash of books, some chocolate and wine, and I read all the books from start to finish (except my own) and again, I didn’t want the fantasy to end but luckily for me it didn’t have to!  In April the first or a new series – Dark- Hearted Desert Men comes out.  The first book, Wedlocked: Banished Sheikh, Untouched Queen will answer any lingering questions I may have left you with in the final book of Karedes.

So, even though it’s the end of a great series, it’s not all over yet!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on sheikh romances. If you’re a fan – and if you are, what makes them special for you?

Love to all

Carol x

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book