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Must-read romances: 'Love's Culture,' 'Still Beautiful,' 'The Christmas Princess'


Join me every week as I share a few shout-outs on romance author goings-on, related events and recommended reads.

INTERVIEW: Angelia Vernon Menchan

Angelia Vernon Menchan is an author and publishing entrepreneur who is about forward motion while remembering history. She is also a wife, mother, nana, mentor and writer of "fictionalized truths."

Michelle: How would you describe your "brand" of writing?

Angelia: I consider myself a writer of the fictionalized truths and I tend to write across genre. I am most known these days for writing serial fiction. I have several ongoing mini serials that are usually 40-80 pages in length and usually release monthly.

Michelle: What has been one of the more interesting research facts in one of your stories?

Angelia: How important it is for African-American women to be seen as desirable in fiction. I recently started writing what I consider multicultural romantic fiction and African-American women love that I portray them as savvy, smart and desirable by men of all ethnicities and demographics. I had not realized how important that is.

Michelle: Which of your books would you pick for a movie version?

Angelia: I would choose two, and they would have to be Mrs. Black and The Blacks: Love and Politics. Mrs. Black is a timeless story of finding love the second time around and focuses on mature love and new beginnings, and The Blacks carries the story forward with familial connections.

Michelle: And the actors?

Angelia: Malcolm Black would be Eamon Walker or Idris Elba, and Cinnamon Black would be Gina Torres.

Michelle: What are your projects for 2015?

Angelia: I am currently working on a book that occurred to me in a dream. It is titled Down South, and the characters are a sister who left home at 18 and is returning, a sister who never left and a mysterious man. This occurred to me in a dream. I will also have more episodes of my mini serials, The Felix Women, St. Maarten Stories, Cinnamon Black Books, and I am releasing a book with Elissa Gabrielle titled Women Most Wanted.

Michelle: Thanks for stopping in for a quick chat, Angelia.

Readers can find out more about Angelia at angeliavernonmenchanserials.blogspot.com.

ROMANCE RECS

Love's Culture by Angelia Vernon Menchan

Love's Culture by Angelia Vernon Menchan is a short love story that not only zooms in on the couple, but also draws in those on the sidelines around these young lives. The attraction is instant, sexually intense and honest between Sadia and Mahad. While family and friends' expectations, betrayal and cultural traditions throw up seemingly insurmountable roadblocks, the difficulties make the romantic journey that much sweeter.

Menchan does a fine job with shifting the lens to capture the characters' unique perspective and motivations. She creates a melting pot of diverse goodness to be served up for a fulfilling read. Well done.

Still Beautiful by Amy Patrick

Amy Patrick invites us to fall in love like a twentysomething. Fresh and fun describe Cinda and Blake. First (true) love underscores this new adult romance with its strong theme of independence.

Patrick wonderfully writes an opposites-attract story with realism and humor. The sparks fly between Blake and Cinda from the beginning, and their battles and minor skirmishes pump the right amount of energy through the story. Who knew internships could be so fun and rewarding?

With Patrick's genius approach to this series, no doubt she's got another hit on her hands.

What it's about (courtesy of Oxford South Press):

Twenty-year-old double-engineering major Cinda Moran is the smart one. Her older sister Kenley… is the pretty one. Their nightmare match-making mom has always made their roles pretty clear, and it's no mystery which daughter she prefers. So while Kenley played the passive dress-up doll, Cinda did the opposite, refusing any attempts to prettify her and make her into "billionaire bait." Instead, she's fiercely focused on academics and her internship at an Atlanta TV station.

And as far as romance goes—please—she's not even sure true love is a "thing". As she does for everything else in her life, Trekkie-girl Cinda's got a logical plan: select a sensible mate, come to a mutually satisfactory agreement, and decide to stick it out for better or worse.

Then she meets Blake Branham. He makes no sense for her at all. He's a reporter at the station, years older, and has ambitions to work at the network someday while she intends to stay put in Atlanta. Even worse—he's a total alpha. With her own Mr. Spock personality, the last thing she needs in her life is a swaggering Captain Kirk taking stupid risks and tempting her to do the same.

And he is tempting. When she's forced to work closely with Blake on live shots and gets to know him outside the station as well, Cinda feels things she's never felt for another guy and starts to wonder… should she boldly go where she's never gone before? Should she give love a chance… even if it's not logical?

Forgive Us This Day (Anniversary Edition) by Barbara Joe Williams

What happens after the I do's? What happens after the courtship, wedding and honeymoon celebration fades. Barbara Joe Williams pulls back the curtain on these particular lives who seem to have it all in Forgive Us This Day.

Bad decisions, temptations, intentions and myriad other vices infiltrate the perfect union. Although we know what is coming, the breakdown is a painful one. The beauty of the story is also in the rebuilding of the marital foundation. Williams turns the screws on the characters' flaws and vulnerabilities that do a fantastic job to power up the tension to the very end.

What it's about (courtesy of Amani Publishing):

Alese Dean-Wayne is a happily married woman, at least she was happy when the New Year's Day started. However, her entire life is about to change over the course of this day. After receiving an anonymous message that her husband has been intimate with one of his employees, she ponders if her long-term marriage is worth saving.

Michael Leron Wayne is a wealthy businessman, devoted husband, and a new father. However, he also happens to be human. After spending just one lustful night with one of his employees, he's consumed with guilt, and contemplates whether or not to confess to his doting wife.

Alese and Michael Wayne have been married for fifteen years and weathered many storms together. They have forgiven each other many times before, but will each one be forgiven for this day?

Author note: This is a rewritten version of the original novel published in November 2004. The special anniversary edition has more main character development and added drama for your reading pleasure.

The Christmas Princess by Patricia McLinn

Patricia McLinn writes a delightful, romantic tale with book four in the Wedding Series, The Christmas Princess, which holds all the coziness of the holiday spirit. The Wedding Series continues with April and Hunter and the unusual assignment — pretending to be a princess — that stands between them. While the request may seem straightforward and doable, especially from Hunter's perspective, the exercise of turning April into this fantasy ignites emotions and feelings that can render him speechless.

McLinn is an expert at revealing the layers enveloping her characters. With each reveal, sometimes exquisitely subtle, we are pulled in deeper to be active participants in the emotionally charged, yet heart-melting romance. This is Happy Holidays with a grateful sigh.

What it's about (courtesy of Craig Place Books):

A Princess for a few weeks …

The coming Christmas season isn't looking great for April Gareaux. Her job is uninspiring, her engagement is off, and she has nowhere to live. Certainly her family would take her in, especially Leslie and Grady Roberts and their circle of friends who have become her extended family. But it's time she stops relying on them.

Then comes an extraordinary offer — spend the holidays in Washington, D.C., with King Jozef of Bariavak as his possible long-lost granddaughter. Even more extraordinary is the man behind the offer and the one who will be beside her through the coming weeks, Hunter Pierce.

This is the last assignment Hunter would pick. Determination and grit have moved him beyond his past in Bariavak. Yet, here it is standing in front of him again, refusing to be ignored. … Just like his reactions to April. How can he fight what he's feeling when they're together all the time.

King Jozef has known tragedy in his life. Now, comes this lovely young woman bringing joy to his holidays. How can he resist dabbling in some royal matchmaking. Wouldn't it be delightful if he could give April a Christmas gift she will never forget …

… Her Prince for a Lifetime.

Michelle Monkou writes for Harlequin Kimani, Evernight Publishing and Boroughs Publishing. Her website is michellemonkou.com. You can also connect with her on Facebook.