The Appeal of Romantic Suspense by Marta Perry

What is it about romantic suspense that fascinates those of us who love these kinds of stories? Is it the suspense, or the romance, or the pleasantly shivery feeling of knowing the characters in danger will receive their happy-ever-after? I don't know--I just know that I can never resist a book cover that includes any of the hallmarks of the genre--the lonely house with a single light shining, the hero sheltering the heroine from harm, or the woman fleeing a terror we can't see.

There are some classic story types we all know and love in romantic suspense: the heroine hiding from a danger in her past, the nameless threat that turns everyday life upside down, the death that looks like accident but might be murder, the danger the heroine perceives but everyone else ignores, the heroine thrust into a new environment by circumstances beyond her control or actively seeking out the new environment on a mission to learn the truth...the list goes on and on. One of my favorite kinds of stories involves the protagonist who is a "fish out of water" in a new place which turns un-accountably dangerous, and that's the theme I explore in my latest romantic suspense from HQN Books, WHERE SECRETS SLEEP. The first in a new three-book series, it will be available on March 1st from the Harlequin website, other web bookstores, and your local bookstore. Here's a bit of description to whet your appetite:

After a romantic and professional betrayal, interior designer Allison Standish flees Philadelphia to the small town of Laurel Ridge in the Amish countryside, where she must claim an unexpected inheritance from the estranged grandmother she never knew. She intends to settle the estate quickly and start a new life in another city, but all is not so simple as that. She discovers she is partners in a quilt shop run by an Amish woman, Sarah Bitler, and the landlord for several other businesses, including the cabinetry shop run by antagonistic, attractive Nick Whiting, who challenges everything she thinks she wants.

Strange stipulations soon bring distant relatives and seething townspeople to Allison's door. As anonymous threats escalate, Nick grows protective of Allison. But her grandmother's death may not have been natural, and it begins to seem someone in town wants Allison gone. Permanently.

Publishers Weekly says, "Abundant details turn this Amish romantic thriller series launch into a work of art. Perry's story...is an excellent beginning to what promises to be a series of rewarding, satisfying novels." Starred Review!

What's your favorite type of romantic suspense? Are you seeing enough of it? Or are you, like me, always waiting for new stories from your favorite authors?

Marta Perry writes Amish fiction for Berkley Books, Amish romantic suspense for HQN Books, and inspirational romance and romantic suspense for Love Inspired.