Each month I compile a list of the new romances received the previous month by the library. (You can find paper copies of this list at the end of the romance shelf.) Every time I do this bibliography, a few titles catch my eye. Here are the October romance purchases which got my attention.

Sinful in satin by Madeline Hunter

Something wicked by Michelle Rowen

I don't want to rush things, but romance anthologies and novels for the 2010 holiday season are on order now.

Wonderful by Jill Barnett

The bridal season by Connie Brockway

Educating Caroline by Patricia Cabot

Mr. Impossible by Loretta Chase

Happy hour at Casa Dracula by Acosta, Marta

Touch of evil by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp

Kiss of midnight by Lara Adrian

Night bites by Nina Bangs

Yours always by Gabriella Anderson

Step into darkness by Naomi Bellis

Beyond compare by Candace Camp

A woman scorned by Liz Carlyle

Tough enough by Michele Albert

Skintight by Susan Andersen

A time to die by Beverly Barton

The unsung hero by Suzanne Brockmann

Skintight by Susan Andersen

Body & soul by Jennifer Archer

Born to be wild by Patti Berg

Just like a man by Elizabeth Bevarly

Animal husbandry by Laura Zigman

The bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

Bridget Jones's diary : a novel by Helen Fielding

Chocolat : a novel by Joanne Harris

Do you like deliciously dramatic novels like those of Jodi Picoult? Does a touch of romance a la Danielle Steel or Nora Roberts make it just that much better? If so, dig into these authors.

• Patricia Gaffney
• Emily Grayson
• Kristin Hannah
• Mary Alice Monroe
• Luanne Rice
• Anita Shreve
• Nicholas Sparks

Want more? Try the books in Barbara Taylor Bradford and Nora Roberts readalikes or If you like Nora Roberts and Julie Garwood

We have a fabulous Romance Collection at the Canton Public Library, even if I do say so myself. I've purchased our Romance books for over a dozen years, and I can still always find something exciting and new.

Michigan author Joss Ware has created an unusual setting for her new romance series — a dark, post apocalyptic world. If you like zombies mixed up in your romance, this series is for you. The first book is Beyond the Night followed by Embrace the Night Eternal and Abandon the Night.

Ware is a pen name for Colleen Gleason, author of The Gardella Vampire Chronicles.

If you're looking for the latest romances, here are some books we just received in January 2010!

• Beyond the night by Joss Ware
• Guilty pleasure by Lora Leigh
• Nice girls don't live forever by Molly Harper
• Reese's bride by Kat Martin
• Wicked enchantment by Anya Bast

Author Erich Segal died last week (January 17) at the age of 72. He was teaching Greek and Roman literature at Yale University, when his collaboration with the Beatles in 1968 on their movie Yellow Submarine and the production of a screenplay he wrote about the doomed romance of a Radcliffe scholarship girl and a Harvard old-money boy entitled Love Story brought Segal fame. Released in 1970, "Love Story" was a huge box-office hit. "Love Story", when released in paperback, had the largest print order in publishing history at the time, with 4,325,000 copies. Reaction to the book was strong and surprisingly controversial.

Please join us on Thursday, February 18th, for a fun book discussion in the Children's Library in the Purple Room. Our selection is Foul Play by Janet Evanovich. When Amy Klasse loses her TV job to a dancing chicken, handsome veterinarian Jake Elliott rescues her with an offer to be his receptionist. Jake just can't resist a damsel in distress, and Amy certainly doesn't mind Jake's charming sincerity. Then suddenly the job-stealing chicken disappears and Amy is suspected of foul play. Amy and Jake search for clues to prove her innocence. But will Jake be able to prove to Amy that love, too, is a mystery worth solving?

As the snow falls, this mom has but one thought. Do I have enough books if tomorrow is declared a snow day? Not for the children, silly. For me. A snow day means no alarm clock and a morning in jammies for the kids and me, so I need to stock up on new romances. Perhaps Shades of midnight by Lara Adrian: set in frozen Alaska, it would make our little snow seem like nothing. Maybe Our little secret by Starr Ambrose, which has a bit of mystery. Or a Regency like The bargain bride by Barbara Metzger. And something for the kids, too.

Thanks to fr3shmanal0na for our latest Fave Five!

If you enjoy the suspense elements of Nora and Julie's books, our Contemporary Romantic Suspense bookmark may help you find some appealing new authors. Perhaps you also like the fantasy elements Nora has been dabbling in lately. The following authors mix romance with fantasy for an exciting blend. We've listed book one from each of their series, so you can start at the very beginning.

The Calling by Jennifer Ashley 
Dark Prince by Christine Feehan
Fantasy lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Do you like fantasy fiction with a little love thrown in for fun? Try these suggestions for a different side to fantasy fiction:

• Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
• The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• The Dark Mirror by Juliet Marillier
• Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
• Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Thanks to Socstar901 for this latest Fave Five!

Marked by P.C. Cast
It is about vampires... and I LOVE vampires and romances! This book has both!

Betrayed by P.C. Cast
Next after Marked! HAS VAMPS (vampires)!! LOVE vampires.

It's not quite as cold outside, but it still isn't a tropical paradise. If you wish you could escape the snow and slush, but can't afford a plane ticket, look on our new bookmark for a romance set on beaches, islands, and other hot spots.