A note from the editorâ¦
Well, this is itâthe last month of Harlequin Temptation. Weâve had a good run, but everybody knows that all good things have to end sometime. And you have to admit, Temptation is very, very good.â¦
When we celebrated our twentieth anniversary last year, we personified the series as a twenty-year-old woman. She was young, legal (well, almost) and old enough to get into trouble. Well, now that sheâs twenty-one and officially legal, sheâs leaving home. And sheâs going to be missed.
Iâd like to take this opportunity to thank the countless number of authors who have given me, and other Harlequin Temptation editors past and present, so many hours of enjoyable reading. They made working at Harlequin an absolute pleasure.
Iâd also like to thank our loyal readers for all their support over the past twenty-one years. Never forgetâyou are the reason we all do what we do. (Check out the back autograph section if you donât believe me.)
But this doesnât have to be the endâ¦.
Next month Harlequin Blaze increases to six books, and will be bringing the best of Harlequin Temptation along with it. Look for more books in THE WRONG BED, 24 HOURS and THE MIGHTY QUINNS miniseries. And donât miss Blazing new stories by your favorite Temptation authors. Drop in at tryblaze.com for details.
Itâs going to be a lot of fun. I hope you can join us.
Brenda Chin
Associate Senior
Editor Temptation/Blaze
âIâm tired of being cautious and shy.â
Laine looked at him. âI took this job with the magazine for the pay raise, but itâs also part of my journey to be more assertive and confident.â
The tension dispelled, Steve kissed her palm. âHow assertive are we talking about?â
She lifted herself out of her seat, hiked her dress up, then swung her leg over his lap and straddled him.
âThatâs pretty assertive.â
Laine grinned. âWhen you want somethingâ¦â She traced his bottom lip with her finger. âOr someoneâ¦â
Eyes wide, he slid his hands up her sides. âI donât want our first time to be in a car,â he said without much conviction.
Leaning down, she tongued his earlobe. âSometimes assertiveness is all about the timing.â She pressed her hips against his. âAnd this isnât our first time.â
Dear Reader,
Things always seem to come full circle, donât they?
I started these stories about the Kimball family with the concept of heroes and their importance in both life and fiction very much on my mind. I was writing the first one in September 2001 and now here we are years later with the definition of an âAmerican Heroâ changed and intensified forever.
In the lives of the Kimballs itâs finally âBabyâ Stevenâs turn. Hopefully he will measure up to your personal definition of a hero as he finds himself and the love of his life.
While my story comes full circle, so does Harlequin Temptation. After twenty years of love, drama and laughter, this month marks the end of the line in North America. I hope the books have been as pleasurable for you to read as they have been for us authors to write.
Drop me a line anytime via my Web site, www.wendyetherington.com, or by regular mail at P.O. Box 3016, Irmo, SC 29063.
Take care and happy reading!
Wendy Etherington
Books by Wendy Etherington
HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION
944âPRIVATE LIES
958âARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT?
998âSPARKING HIS INTEREST
HARLEQUIN FLIPSIDE
29âIF THE STILETTO FITSâ¦
This book is dedicated in memory of Robert âScooterâ Haines, a great American hero to both his country and his family.
The Temptation Years 1984â2005
WITH A HOLLOW STOMACH, Laine Sheehan sank onto a bar stool. She rested her elbows on the glossy mahogany bar that had been in her family for so long, still stunned by the news.
âItâs over,â her sister, Cat, announced as she tossed ice into a cocktail shaker. âI knew those biddies from the historical society would reject us. The city wants a new road, so weâre out.â
Laine realized her sisterâs bravado was a front; this was killing her.
Temptation would soon be no more.
As her and Catâs two closest friends, Gracie and Tess, flanked her and launched commiserations at her sister, Laine clutched the envelope the leader of the historical society had given her as theyâd walked out of the courtroom earlier.
She reread the enclosed letter, the knot of disappointment that had formed in her stomach tightening to anger.
Thank you for applying to the Kendall, Texas, Historical Societyâ¦your establishment, Temptation, while having been in your family for more than twenty years, unfortunately doesnât qualify for registry in our societyâ¦send our best wishesâ¦
âBlah, blah, blah,â she said under her breath.
Laine had never considered failure. Sheâd planned an attack and executed it. The city wouldnât be asinine enough to throw out two thriving businessesâTemptation and Gracieâs bookstore next doorâfor a wider stretch of asphalt. It wasnât right. Or fair.