State of Romance: Heading north and south for love
We have visited all 50 states, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands, Paris and London on this year-long journey for State of Romance. Our states are influenced by our international neighbors. It is only fitting, then, that we explore our northern neighbor, Canada, and southern neighbor, Mexico. Think NAFTA for the romance reader!
Canada extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. It also reaches northward to the Arctic Ocean. Its common border with the U.S. forms the longest land border on Earth. Canada governs 10 provinces and three territories; I offer you a sample of romances from the Great White North.
Contemporary romance offers hot romance in the cold weather. Suzanne Stengl brings fated lovers together On the Way to a Wedding in Alberta. Saskatchewan is the place for Small Town Girl from C.J. Carmichael. Elizabeth Hay finds love Late Nights on Air in the Northwest Territories. Newfoundland is home for Victoria Barbour and her 21st Century Rake. Carol McPhee sails to Nova Scotia with A Spirited Liaison.
History comes alive in Quebec with Lisa Ann Verge's Heaven in His Arms. Deborah Hales lands in New Brunswick with The Bonny Bride. Breaking away from Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery offers adult romance with Kilmeny of the Orchard on Prince Edward Island. The Yukon gold rush leads to marriage by mistake in Kate Bridge's Klondike Wedding.
For books I have read, Toni Anderson dives into Dangerous Waters, book one of the Carver Brothers, for a compelling romantic suspense on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Lynsay Sands brings a book editor to Toronto to meet her bestselling romance author in Single White Vampire, book three of her Argeneau series. Who knew vampires could engage in physical comedy, especially at the RT Booklovers Convention? Kathryn Falk, watch out for your veins!
Heading south now …
The United Mexican States, Estados Unidos Mexicanos, is a federation of 31 states. The country's diverse landscape and ancient cultures create the perfect backdrop for romantic suspense. Karen Robards searches for Wild Orchards while Caridad Pineiro seeks The Fifth Kingdom. Jane Graves is Flirting With Disaster in the Mexican wilderness. Lisa Hendrix brings enemies together in Runaway Bay. Barbara Delinsky searches for a "runaway" corporate executive in Cancun in First Things First. Iris Johansen balloons to Mexico in The Bronzed Hawk. Kat Martin lands in a steamy jungle in Hot Rain.
Again, for books I have read, Pamela Clare finds the Breaking Point in Ciudad Juarez with a DEA agent and investigative journalist on the run. My own heart was thumping as I crossed the desert with them. In her RITA award-winning historical romance, Betina Krahn's The Book of True Desires opens on the veranda of the Tampa Bay Hotel built by railroad magnate Henry Plant. The adventurous heroine is saddled with her grandfather's "butler" for their journey into Mexico to search for Mayan stone carvings. The Tampa Bay Hotel is now home of the University of Tampa — my alma mater!
Add to the list of romances set in Canada and Mexico by using #StateOfRomance on Twitter.
Next week is our grand finale with a surprise location!
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.