State of Romance: Love is a battlefield in S.C.

This coming weekend will be the 154th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Sumter in South Carolina, which ignited the American Civil War. Located in Charleston Harbor, this national monument offers an interactive history lesson for the tourists who flock to the Palmetto State for its coastline, golf courses and plantations. In remembrance of Fort Sumter, we visit South Caroline for State of Romance.

For contemporary romance, Hope Ramsay offers the quirky town of Last Chance, starting with Welcome to Last Chance. Ramsay will celebrate the series' ninth book, Last Chance Hero, in June. Kieran Kramer spotlights Southern life in Sweet Talk Me, You're So Fine and Trouble When You Walked In, coming in August.

Navy SEALs invade South Carolina in JoAnn Ross' Freefall (High Risk series) and Suzanne Brockmann's Forever Blue (Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series). Brockmann breaks away from the military with a movie star in Heartthrob. Christina Dodd searches for a valuable painting in Tongue in Chic (Fortune Hunter series). Christy Reece seeks redemption in Second Chance (Last Chance Rescue).

Historical romance comes to life with Cindy Holby's Fallen, Kat Martin's Captain's Bride and Karyn Monk's The Rebel and the Redcoat, Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Just Imagine, Karen Robards' Nobody's Angel and Kathleen E. Woodiwiss' The Flame and the Flower.

Women's fiction creates buzz in Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair — both novels that were made into movies. Ann Brashares celebrates friendship in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Dorothea Frank explores the Lowcountry in Sullivan's Island, Plantation and Shem Creek. Mary Alice Monroe looks Skyward for a family's healing.

Southern hospitality creates a humorous backdrop for cozy mysteries in Laura Child's Death by Darjeeling (Tea Shop series), Leann Sweeney's The Cat, The Quilt, and The Corpse (A Cat's in Trouble series), Kendel Lynn's Board Stiff (Elliott Lisbon series) and Cathy Pickens' Southern Fried in her series of the same name.

Add to the list of romance books set in South Carolina by using #StateOfRomance on Twitter. Next week we celebrate opening day of baseball season with a trip to Iowa, the Hawkeye 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.