State of Romance: Happy ever after in Connecticut

On this day in 1955, contralto Marian Anderson performed Verdi's Un Ballo In Maschera, becoming the first person of color to perform at the Met. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, the National Medal of Arts in 1986 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. Marian retired to Danbury, Conn., where she became an "ordinary" citizen of the town. In honor of Marian Anderson, we visit Connecticut, whose state motto is Qui transtulit sustinet (He who transplanted sustains).

Romance thrives in Greenwich with Nora Roberts' Brides Quartet — Vision in White, Bed of Roses, Savor the Moment and Happy Ever After. Lucy Monroe finds 3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys while Vicki Lewis Thompson likes to Talk Nerdy to Me.

YA fans will appreciate Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall and Jessica Warman's Where the Truth Lies.

Connecticut's colorful history comes to life in Johanna Lindsey's Gentle Rogue, Emily French's The Wedding Bargain, Barbara Dan's MacGregor's Bride and Maureen Lang's Bees in the Butterfly Garden.

Cozy mysteries have taken root in the Constitution state, including Rosemary Harris' Pushing Up Daisies from her Dirty Business series, Annette Blair's A Veiled Deception from her Vintage Magic series, Laurien Berenson's A Pedigree to Die For in her Melanie Travis series and Jenn McKinlay's Books Can Be Deceiving from her Library Lover's series.

Let's not forget the American classic — Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court!

Add to the list of romance books set in Connecticut by using #StateOfRomance on Twitter.

Next week we visit Wisconsin, the Cheesehead State.

Kim Lowe is an Air Force veteran, Air Force spouse and romance book blogger at SOS Aloha. You can reach her at sos.aloha@yahoo.com.