Undercover Daddy by Delores Fossen, Five-Alarm Babies, Harlequin Intrigue, ISBN 9780373692576

All federal agent Luke Buchanan wanted was his son. That and revenge against everyone involved in the illegal adoption that had resulted in his baby boy being stolen from him.  So when he finally tracked down the woman who'd been raising Christopher as her own, he was hell-bent on making her pay.

But Luke wasn't the only one after Elaina McLemore.  Someone was hunting her, following her every move.  And from the moment he saw the fear in Elaina's eyes, he vowed to protect her--and the baby they both loved--at all costs.  But who would protect him from the tender feelings Elaina sparked inside him?

 A JOB HE COULDN'T REFUSE

Ten years ago, Army Ranger Cameron Morgan left his family's ranch with no plans to return...until his job as a bodyguard reunited him with his former sweetheart and the life he'd fled.

A PAST HE COULDN'T FORGET

Jennie Ward had been injured and her ranch sabotaged, so Cameron was critical to surviving an investigation that was getting riskier by the minute.  But keeping his professional distance was nearly impossible, especially after Jennie nearly lost her life on his watch.  Still, as his need to guard her mixed with his hunger to find the truth, Cameron found it hard to resist the pull of his old life--not to mention Jennie's offer of a second chance....

Juror No. 7 by Mallory Kane, Harlequin Intrigue, ISBN 0373692595

Brand Gallagher was on an undercover mission to bring down the Castellano crime syndicate and avenge his brother's death.  Yet when he was ordered to kill Lily Raines--unlucky juror no. 7--the tough lawman knew he couldn't break his oath to serve and protect.  But compromising his long-standing cover as a mob associate would surely get them both killed.

Though they were little more than strangers, something about Lily demanded he offer his protection.  Now on the run from the mob and the law, Brand was about to break the cardinal rule of law enforcement by involving his heart.  Only, revealing his true identity to Lily suddenly seemed an even greater risk....

FBI agent Brant Law was on a mission to bring down associates of an international criminal.  This was his last case and he was determined to succeed, so teaming up with Anita Caballo, an attractive agent with a desire for justice, made him leery.  But when his new partner was shot at and her life nearly cut short, Brant found his quick reflexes matched his desperate need to protect her.  As his trust in Anita grew, so did his passion for her intelligence and beauty.  Before long Brant wished Anita would shy away from the most challenging operation of his career…because losing her was more dangerous to his heart than any job he'd ever take on.

Hostage Situation by Debra Webb, The Equalizers, Harlequin Intrigue, ISBN 9780373692569

Renee Vaughn went undercover to bring down a powerful drug lord.  Finding her "in" to the reclusive criminal's life was easy--his brother Paul Reyes was his polar opposite.  A classic good man in a bad situation--and the Equalizers' newest agent was about to have her way with him.

Now on the receiving end of a dirty double cross, Paul and Renee were running for their lives.  As they joined forces to elude his brother's hitmen, their attraction grew deeper.  But would it withstand Paul discovering the truth about who Renee really was?  Who was being held hostage here--when both their hearts were put directly in harm's way?

B. J. Daniels: I try to be adventureous as my heroines. I took up snowboarding late in life and for one of those big birthdays, I went off a large rock. My daughter got it on film. It was very fun. I still like to get air!   And while I like to think I would do anything my heroine would do, in the first book of my Whitehorse Montana  series, Secret of Deadman's Coulee  (4 1/2 stars RT) out in June, my heroine Eve Bailey does several things that more than made me cringe -- including spend the night trapped with a dead body. But then Eve is one of the "Bailey Girls" and everyone in Whitehorse knows not to mess with them.

Mallory Kane: My heroines take more risks than I ever would--physically. I'm a ditzier scaredy-cat than my heroines are. I don't lie heights, or closed spaces, or any situation where I feel like my life is in danger. I would never skydiver or a contender on Survivor. And confronted with a life-or-death situation, I'd like to think I'd be brave and smart and save the day. But I really don't want to test that.  My heroine in Juror No. 7, (May 07) , is Lily Raines. She's on jury duty, and all she wants to do is the right thing. When she's targeted by a corrupt mob boss on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to hang the jury and let a hit man go free, she's terrified. But in spite of the danger, she votes to convict. Now she's on the run with a man she doesn't know, and neither one of them can tell the difference in the good guys and the bad guys.

Julie Miller: My heroines tend to be pretty sharp cookies, and I like to think I've got some smarts myself. I love doing puzzles and unraveling mysteries, and I think that's probably one reason why my stories include a twisty mystery--and why my heroines tend to be the brains of the H/h relationship, or at least, they have an invaluable skill/knowledge base/knack for ferreting out clues that is necessary to solving whatever case she and the hero might be working on. Plus, whether they know their abilities, or they discover them as the story progresses, my heroines always have an inner strength of character and conviction.

I'm adventurous to a point--I love to go exploring and travel to see new places and meet interesting people. But I'm pretty sure my heroines take that adventurous streak farther than I would. For example, in my August Intrigue, Up Against the Wall, my heroine--crime reporter Rebecca Page--is a cocky, confident career woman who claims she doesn't need anything--or anyone--but the truth. She's determined to uncover the secret of who murdered her father. Unlike me, her travels take her into the pit of organized crime. She gets cozy with a shady casino owner, stands up to a monster of an enforcer and locks horns with security chief Seth Cartwright, an old arch-enemy who might turn out to be her strongest ally. In her quest for the truth about her father, she puts up with some behaviors that go against her feministic sense of right and wrong. But beneath Rebecca's tough chick exterior, she grapples with some moral issues--and has to learn that needing someone, loving someone, isn't a sign of weakness. That, in fact, risking her heart can be the ultimate show of strength. I've been brave enough to do that--but wear the skimpy casino costume she has to...? I don't think so.

Dana Marton: A lot of their logic and reasoning comes from me. Usually the goofy stuff, not the fearless decisions :-) In my current mini-series, MISSION: REDEMPTION, the heroines cross between buildings on a wire, a hundred feet high in the air in the middle of the night, breaking into a bank. Not something I would do. I like to live adventure through a good book.

Ann Voss Peterson: I believe courage is more about overcoming fear than being fearless, and with that definition in mind, I am very much like my heroines. There's no better feeling than facing a scary situation head on and triumphing over it  But while I enjoy testing myself, I am not a fan of putting myself in truly dangerous situations. Not on purpose, anyway.  My heroines aren't fearless either. They're more likely swept into situations they don't choose to be in and have no control over. They have to stay and fight to protect people they care about. But sometimes in their desire to protect others, they make their situations worse. In Special Assignment (April 07), Cassie Allen gets in over her head when she follows the police detective hero, thinking she is going to assist him. The only problem is that she is unarmed and unaware of what she's charging into. Overcoming fear is great and all, but if a police officer had his gun drawn and told me to stay put, I'd be staying... I think.

Dani Sinclair: I don’t think a person can write a story without putting something of themselves in every character. That said…I’m not at all fearless and only mildly adventurous. In my July ’07 Intrigue, Midnight Prince, my heroine helps a wounded stranger into her apartment in the dead of night. Even as I wrote the scene I was torn. Helping someone is instinctive and there is often a moment of indecisiveness when confronted by the unexpected. I could see reacting as my heroine did or I wouldn’t have written the scene the way I did. But fictional heroines have to be braver and more daring than real people. I think they tend to be the people we’d like to be. In reality, I’d run for a phone and summon help before I brought the man inside.

Rebecca York: All my heroines are a kinder, gentler version of me. They have my values and my outlook on life. I try to do the things my heroines might do. I've crossed a suspension bridge over a ravine, flown in a glider plane, tramped through the jungle and taken shooting lessons. In my upcoming release, Royal Lockdown,  the hero and heroine make love in the back of a limousine. Sounds like fun to me!
 

May 2, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Join Dana Marton in the NovelTalk chat room.

May 5, Mallory Kane will appear at the Heart of Dixie Reader's Luncheon.  She will be signing Juror No. 7 (May 07) and Six-Gun Investigation (Jan 07).  Heart of Dixie Reader's Luncheon, Huntsville, AL.

May 17, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Join Rickey Mallory in the NovelTalk chat room.

May 19, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Elle James will attend the San Antonio Romance Authors Super Saturday, University of Texas San Antonio North Campus, IH10 & Loop 1604, San Antonio, TX.

Lisa Childs will award two winners with an autographed copy of Haunted, the first book in the Witch Hunt trilogy on May 12.

Join Elle James's Newsletter by May 31st for a chance to win a copy of her paranormal Harlequin Intrigue.

Sylvie Kurtz:  Win a signed copy of Pull of the Moon and a sample of Valerie's favorite coffee.

Pat White:  Win a copy of The American Temp and the British Inspector, and assortment of teas!