Dear Reader,
Duets was first launched in May 1999 and has proved to be a fan favorite. Each month we set out to bring you four sparkling romantic comedies in two separate volumes. You met many new authors in the lineup and revisited longtime Harlequin stars. Your letters and e-mails told us how much you enjoyed Duets!
Here at Harlequin we are always striving to reinvent ourselves, and so is the case with Duets. This is our last month of publication. Beginning in October 2003, look for Flipside, our brand-new romantic comedy series. In response to reader interest, we will be publishing two single books a month that are even longer than Duets novels. Look for #1 Staying Single by USA TODAY bestselling author Millie Criswell. Joining her in the launch month is Stephanie Doyle with #2 One True Love?
I think you will love these stories and all the fun books in Flipside in the months to come. Donât forget to check us out online at eHarlequin.com for news about all your favorite authors and books.
Yours sincerely,
Ms Birgit Davis-Todd
Executive Editor
Harlequin Books
âItâs that biker partyâI canât sleep.â
Kirk huffed as he stepped into Breeâs motel room. He speared his hand through his hair.â¦
And froze in that position as his gaze swerved to Bree. âOh, sorry,â he murmured thickly, staring at her standing there in her underwear.
âIâm covered.â
âBarely,â he muttered.
âIâm wearing more than a bathing suit!â
Kirk wanted to say something, but he had the gut sense that if he opened his mouth right now, the only thing that would emerge would be a garbled string of incoherent sounds.
Look away. Be a gentleman. But his eyes were rarinâ to roam free.
And roam they did. All over her long, lean, strong body.
âAre you all right?â asked Bree.
âNo,â he croaked.
âIf youâd feel better,â she said softly, âIâll slip back into bed, get under the covers.â
Better? He doubted her in bed would make him feel any better.â¦
Dear Reader,
True story: A few years ago, a bull escaped from our regional stock show and found its way to a local highway where (until it was captured) it merrily galloped along with traffic. Being a romance writer, I read the story in the paper and found myself wondering, âWhat if a heroine was riding that bull?â
And so was born Let It Bree, where the heroine, Bree Brown, does indeed ride a Brahman bull out of a stock show to save it, and herself, from some thugsâ¦one of whom becomes the hero in the sequel, Canât Buy Me Louie.
So kick back and enjoy a rollicking road story where a girl and her bull are rescued by a handsome scientist, the two of them (well, three) on the lam, on the road and falling in love! To read about my upcoming books, as well as enter contests for prizes, please visit my Web site at http://www.colleencollins.net.
Happy reading!
Colleen Collins
HARLEQUIN DUETS
10âMARRIED AFTER BREAKFAST
22âROUGH AND RUGGED
30âIN BED WITH THE PIRATE
39âSHEâS GOT MAIL!
HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION
867âJOYRIDE
899âTONGUE-TIED
913âLIGHTNING STRIKES
939âTOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
To Ruthann Manley, wonderful friend and talented Webmaster
Carl Rugg of Bovine Elite, who kindly helped this city girl better understand Brahman bulls, and Dr. Kirk Johnson (curator of paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science), who graciously answered my questions about his research on the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) boundary and for whom the hero is named.
BREE CUPPED Valâs face between her hands. His mug was so huge, so hairy, it was like gripping a fur-covered volleyball.
âValââ She stopped and frowned. She lifted her gaze to meet his, but her head remained dipped. Being six feet tall, she was accustomed to loweringâor as she preferred to call it, dippingâher head. Usually it just reinforced that she was differentâbigger, taller, more athleticâthan other females.
But today, ready to say something that meant life or deathâwhich to Bree meant Europe or Wyomingâdipping was okay.
She stroked his chin, grappling for words. Sheâd never been a great talker. Action was more her style. âItâs your moment,â Bree finally said. Darn, sheâd found the words and now her voice was quavering. She eased in a calming breath. âOur moment,â she continued. âWhen you walk into the ring, be proud, majestic.â She lowered her voice. âWe both know youâre just an oversize puppy, but keep that part buried, deep, because right now, youâre tough. Awesome to the max. Youâre gonna blow them out of the standsââ She caught herself from adding, âand get me out of Chugwater.â But even without saying the words, she imagined Val understood what was in her heart. He was her one-way ticket to freedom.