Happy New Year! 2009
marks Harlequin's 60th anniversary--and Intrigue's 25th!
This year, our newsletter questions will celebrate all that's
suspenseful and wonderful about Harlequin Intrigue.
February in the
month for romance. Intrigue heroes are known for being diehard
protectors, men of justice and loyalty, men who are larger than life
when it comes to saving their country or city, saving the woman they
love, and just plain ol' saving the day. But... even the toughest of
Intrigue heroes have that vulnerable spot inside them that only the
right woman can reach. So, whether he's a man of brains or style, or
he's a tough guy right down to his toes--what's the most romantic thing
one of your heroes has ever done for his Intrigue heroine?
Paula Graves:
In Forbidden Touch, Maddox took
a job as a waiter at a cocktail party in order to watch out for Iris,
who was putting herself in danger to look for her missing friend. For a
guy who lived his life in cut off jeans and t-shirts, living the island
life on his own terms, getting dressed up and playing servant was a
pretty big sacrifice.
Rita Herron:
In Platinum Cowboy, my February
release, Lora Leigh Whittaker blames my hero, billionaire rancher Flint
McKade, for her father's death because she believes that he stole her
father's property and her homestead out from under him. Lora Leigh has
never known another home and remembers her mother's birdhouses out
front, a cherished memory. She goes to work for Flint as his
veterinarian to expose him, but ends up admiring his work and learning
that he's a stand-up guy. To convince her of his love, he gives her back
the deed to the property. Lora Leigh insists he got it fair and square,
but he declares his love, and as a wedding gift and in honor of their
family, they will turn the land into a bird sanctuary.-
Julie Miller:
To me, romance doesn't have to be soft music
and candlelight--it's the idea of showing he cares, even when it's not
the perfect moment, setting or situation.
In my June Intrigue, Pulling the Trigger, Native American
tracker and former Army Ranger Ethan Bia looks big and bad and tough. He
saves the day when Mother Nature and some very bad men make tracking a
fugitive in the mountains of Colorado a deadly game. But what he gives
the heroine is much more important than protecting her life. Though she
kicks butt, profiles murderers and fires a gun with the skill of any
man, Ethan is there for his heroine, FBI Agent Joanna Rhodes, when she
needs him most of all. There are some glimpses of romantic moments
throughout this story of young lovers parted by a violent crime--and
then reunited years later by another crime. But my favorite romantic
moment is close to the end of the book when Ethan--injured and unsure of
their future together--leaves the hospital and finds his way to the
police station to simply be there for the moral and spiritual support
that he alone knows she needs to face off against the man who's a
nightmare from her past. Just showing up when you need him--that's a
pretty romantic gesture in my book.
Dana Marton:
In my March release Desert Ice Daddy,
the hero Sheik Akeem gives the heroine a special diamond ring. He also
commissions a jeweler to set his grandfather's diamonds into various
pieces of jewelry for her. But major bling aside :-) I think the most
romantic moment in the book is his touching, no-frills proposal at the
end.
Mallory Kane:
I'm afraid I'm prejudiced. I think all my heroes have done incredibly
romantic things for their heroines--notably protecting them with their
own lives. But I guess the latest best thing I can think of is what Cade
Dupree, the hero of High School Reunion, my December 2008
Intrigue, did for Laurel Gillespie. She had the most serious crush on
him in high school, and when she goes back to Dusty Springs for her high
school reunion, Cade, now Police Chief, takes her to the reunion dance
and gives her the magically romantic date she never had with him in high
school. Of course, as happens in Intrigues, their romantic evening is
interrupted by murder, but for the rest of her life, Laurel will
remember dancing in Cade's arms.
Sylvie Kurtz:
I think the most romantic things are not the
grand gestures, but the small every day things. Although Noah, in Honor
of a Hunter, jumped onto his white jet to go rescue Faith from a
cyberstalker, it's the way he installed a new lock in the middle of the
night and the way he cooked her an ordinary dinner and the way he held
her when she was scared that touched her heart. Valentine's Day is the
official day of love, but a true lover shows his love every day in
little ways.
Joanna Wayne:
What an interesting question. Since I've been writing cowboy heroes of
late, I'd have to say all my guys are very romantic. And, needless to
say they all risk their lives to save the heroine at some point during
the book. But in looking over my March Intrigue, Cowboy Commando,
I guess the most romantic thing my former Navy SEAL hero does is carry
wine and appetizers in his saddle bag and take her horseback riding down
to the water's edge. But for most of the book, he's just trying to keep
her safe and protect his heart from getting broken by the only woman
he's ever loved.
B.J. Daniels:
When I think of a romantic, self-sacrificing
deed one of my heroes has done for a heroine, Jud Corbett comes to mind.
Jud, one of five Corbett brothers who hit Whitehorse, Montana
beginning in April, draws the shortest straw in a marriage pact
between the brothers. Jud being Jud, he promises the family a
wedding. The catch is, it just won't be his wedding. Then Jud sets out
to find one of his brothers the perfect Montana cowgirl. Since all five
brothers are resistant to marriage, Jud picks the brother he thinks
needs the most help--Shane, the Texas Ranger now recuperating at the
family ranch in Montana.
For Jud, it's the most romantic thing he can do for the heroine -- who
by the way is perfect for brother Shane in the April release
Shotgun Bride. Meet the rest of the Corbetts in Whitehorse in
May, June, September and December.
