State of Romance: Looking for love in all the bayou places

On this day in 1941, the United Service Organization — USO — was incorporated to provide services, programs and entertainment for U.S. service personnel and their families. The first USO facility was also built in 1941 near Fort Polk in DeRidder, Louisiana. In honor of the USO, we visit the Pelican State.

Paranormal looms over the bayous in Sydney Croft's Riding the Storm, Diana Rowland's Mark of the Demon, Christine Feehan's Hot Blooded, Sherrilyn Kenyon's No Mercy, Lara Adrian's Deeper Than Midnight, Emma Holly's Hot Spell and Kathy Love's Any Way You Want It.

Romantic suspense gives readers Cajun thrills with Karen Robards' Ghost Moon, Nina Bruhns' If Looks Could Chill and Jana DeLeon's Rumble on the Bayou.

Creole humor adds a unique twist to cozy mysteries from Stephanie Bond's In Deep Voodoo and Spencer Quinn's The Sound and the Furry.

Louisiana is also called the Sugar State with large plantations hosting historical romance in Lisa Kleypas' When Strangers Marry, Kat Martin's Creole Fires, Pamela Morsi's The Love Charm and Sandra Hill's Frankly, My Dear.

Sandra Hill also offers contemporary romance with Tall, Dark, and Cajun. Rachel Gibson is Blue on You. Robin Wells is Still the One. Farrah Rochon is Always and Forever.

Add to the list of romance novels set in Louisiana using #stateofromance on Twitter.

Next week State of Romance visits Missouri, the Show Me 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.