Romance: Fighting for true love

A mixed martial arts fighter loses the battle for his heart in Holding Strong, the latest in Lori Foster’s Ultimate series. Denver Lewis thinks daycare worker Cherry Peyton is sexy, beautiful and a definite flirt. The fact that her flirtations with other men bothers him so much has made him steer clear of her. With an important fight in the offing, he doesn’t need the distraction of a known tease. However, his resistance only lasts for so long, and when he and Cherry finally kiss, he knows he must have her. Cherry fell for Denver early and is ecstatic that they’re together—until ugliness from her past arrives. She hopes to handle the situation on her own, but she quickly learns the importance of trust. Will Cherry and Denver manage to defeat her ghosts and find their happy-ever-after? This story is a winner, proving that nobody writes a studly hero better than Foster.

DANGEROUS DELIGHT
In Molly Harper’s The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire, 20-year-old human programmer Gigi Scanlon works for the World Council for the Equal Treatment of the Undead. The hours aren’t ideal, but the perks are great, and Gigi is accustomed to dealing with vampires since her sister, brother-in-law and friends are blood-drinkers themselves. However, complicating her job is the distraction of Nik Dragomirov, the mysterious vamp who gave her one searing kiss and then disappeared. Now he’s back and running hot and cold when it comes to Gigi. She’s attracted to Nik big time, but there’s the pesky fact that he can easily turn from sweet seducer to dangerous assailant. When they learn that a witch has cursed Nik, it’s a race to break the spell before it forces Nik to put a very permanent end to their growing love. Entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny, this paranormal romance is a great addition to the Half-Moon Hollow series.

TOP PICK IN ROMANCE
Eloisa James continues her best-selling Desperate Duchesses series with Four Nights with the Duke, a jewel of a love story. Mia Carrington is desperate to find a husband in order to secure the guardianship of her orphaned nephew, so she turns to Vander Brody, the Duke of Pindar, her adolescent crush and the one man she can blackmail into a quick marriage. Being cornered by Mia enrages Vander, but to save his family name he agrees to her stipulations—up to a point. Assuming that her old obsession with him is fueling the situation, he’ll exact revenge by allowing her only four nights a year in his bed. When the truth comes out—that Mia only wants a convenient marriage that can quickly be annulled—he’s only more annoyed. The maddening yet lovely woman moves in with her ward, and Vander easily bonds with the child, leading him to believe that the marriage might work after all. However, the machinations of an unscrupulous relative threaten all they have begun to build together. Sexy, sweet and with secondary characters who will wiggle their way into readers’ hearts, this historical romance is amusing, smiles-all-around entertainment.

This article was originally published in the April 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.