Owens, Robin D. HeartMate. New York: Berkley, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-425-21240-0).
Owens captured attention with her RITA-winning Planet Celta-based series featuring opinionated, telepathic, and extremely entertaining animal companions. HeartMate introduces Rand, who survived and prospered against great odds, eventually reclaiming his heritage as the head of a ruling family. His life will not be complete, however, until he finds his HeartMate. When he discovers Danith Mallow, he and his familiar know she is his destiny. Now he just has to convince her and her jewelry-loving cat.
Sinclair, Linnea. Gabriel’s Ghost. New York: Bantam, 2005 (ISBN: 978-0-553-58797-5).
Written by one of SFF romance’s brightest stars, the RITA-winning novel Gabriel’s Ghost is a richly nuanced, multidimensional love story between a cashiered fleet captain and her nemesis, the enigmatic mercenary Gabriel Ross Sullivan. A galactic quest for justice on behalf of an endangered race, intrigue at the highest levels of imperial government, and Sully’s own dark secrets make this an emotional, riveting quest adventure as well.
Stuart, Anne. Cinderman. New York: Harlequin, 1994 (ISBN: 978-0-373-16525-4). o.p.
Stuart achieved grandmaster status by always pushing the envelope, and Cinderman epitomizes her outrageous, slyly humorous, totally entertaining perspective. When Suzanna, a brash reporter, invades sexy genius Dr. Daniel Crompton’s top-secret lab and is caught in an explosion meant to kill him and steal his work, they join forces to escape their rich and powerful enemies until they master their new superpowers–invisibility and mind-reading, among others.
Resources
To learn more about romance and the major appeals of the genre, consider these resources.
Books
Bouricius, Ann. The Romance Readers’ Advisory: The Librarian’s Guide to Love in the Stacks. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2000 (ISBN: 978-0-8389-0779-5).
One of the first books to explore the ways librarians can work with fans of the genre, this early title in ALA’s Readers’ Advisory series includes chapters on creating a romance-friendly library and becoming romance savvy.
Charles, John, and Shelley Mosley, eds. Romance Today: An A-to-Z Guide to Contemporary American Romance Writers. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 2006 (ISBN: 978-0-313-32841-1).
This guide surveys the current romance world by summarizing the work of key American writers. It includes more than one hundred profiles, with author-verified biographies, bibliographies, and brief critical essays of each writer.