Anyone who claims they’re not a fan of romance is telling tall tales. It’s essentially a part of every book, film and television show out there. It seems as though it’s less about romance and more about the type of romance that one prefers. To me, the best romance novels are always peppered with a little bit of history, suspense and mystery. Fortunately, the new Harlequin titles out this summer from Mira and HQN really deliver.
Here are the top 3 romantic suspense/mystery novels that are piled on my nightstand this summer:
The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz (Harlequin Mira, June 28, 2016)
This historical romance first won me over with its splashy cover and continued to impress once I learned that the premise is based around a million-dollar bottle of Bourbon with a 150 year history. Cooper McQueen wakes up from a night with a beautiful stranger and discovers that his bottle of Bourbon has gone missing. The thief, Paris, claims the bottle is hers. The label on the bottle claims that it is property of the Maddox family who owned the Red Thread Bourbon Distillery during the tail end of the Civil War. The company went out of business for reasons unknown — except Paris has the answers and unravels a lurid past filled with wealth, power, lies and sins of omission about Tamara Maddox, heiress to the distillery.
Liar’s Key by Carla Neggers (Harlequin Mira, August 30, 2016)
No one writes romantic suspense with international intrigue like Carla Neggers! The latest in her acclaimed Sharpe and Donovan series finds our favorite characters Emma and Colin drawn into a new investigation. Emma is surprised when retired Special Agent Gordon Wheelock makes a visit to her office (he also happens to be an art crimes specialist like herself), and tells her that he’s heard rumors about stolen ancient mosaics. Emma refuses to discuss the rumors, since she knows they involve Oliver York, a well-known art thief who also happens to be the criminal that Emma and Gordon’s grandfather chased for a decade. When a shocking death occurs, the evidence points to a conspiracy between Wendell, her grandfather, and Oliver. Colin knows he can’t stay out of this one when Emma’s loyalties are called into play.
Deadly Fate by Heather Graham (Harlequin Mira, July 26, 2016)
I’m a sucker for paranormal suspense and the latest from Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters series is not to be missed. Clara Avery is an entertainer on the Alaskan cruise ship the Fate. When she goes to nearby Bear Island, she stumbles upon a bloody scene. She runs into Thor Erikson, a soon to be member of the FBI’s elite paranormal unit, The Krewe of Hunters. Clara and Thor soon realize that they both share an unusual ability: they can communicate with the dead. As their romance blossoms, the ghosts of the victims speak to them and bring them together to solve the case –- and help them to prevent a terrible fate of their own.
