Valentine’s Day Romances Are Here
St. Valentine’s Day is three days from now, so we’re a little behind the curveball. The following old-school romances revolve around this special day. You might not have a chance to read these in time for the holiday of lovers, but when it comes to romance, we’re always celebrating it here. Every day is Valentine’s Day!
We don’t need a solitary date on the calendar to devote ourselves to love. We’re doing it here all year long!
Nevertheless, these old-school romances set around Valentine’s Day should be noted and may be given a closer look. Links to Amazon are provided in the synopses and images.
Single Issue Valentine’s Day Romances Books
One More Valentine, American Romance
Anne Stuart loves to write holiday-themed romances. We reviewed her Christmas-based Falling Angel. Here she writes another category romance where a hero gets a second chance at love–and life–in One More Valentine (Harlequin American Romance, No. 473). This one is available on Kindle for $2.99 at Amazon, so you can still enjoy it in time for February 14.
When James Sheridan Rafferty died in the famed Saint Valentine’s Day massacre, he’d no idea that Cupid’s wicked angels would give him a second-chance … in 1993. All he had to do was fall madly in love within forty-eight hours.
But could a real Chicago gangster with a chip on his shoulder – and a down-and-dirty twenties style even Bogart would envy – fall truly in love? It hardly helped that the day of hearts and flowers fell on Friday the 13th.
Helen Emerson complicated matters, since the good-hearted gangster didn’t have time to save damsels in distress. No doubt Helen would make a fabulous lover, but she was no gun moll. Still, with time running out, she was Rafferty’s only hope.
–ONE MORE VALENTINE
Temptation
Another great Valentine’s Day romance book is Harlequin Temptation #240 Be Mine, Valentine. Vicki Lewis Thompson introduced the lovable Charlie Hartmann, aka Cupid himself, in this precursor to her book Forever Mine, Valentine:
There was nothing predictable about her love life. If it hadn’t been for a freak snowstorm, Roxie Lowell wouldn’t have felt compelled to take eccentric Charlie Hartman under her wing-only to become the object of his matchmaking zeal. He claimed he was St.Valentine himself, and that the man she met on St.Valentine’s Day would be her husband within a year. Of course, she didn’t believe her encounter with rugged contractor Hank Craddock had anything to do with Charlie. How could their overwhelming passion have been engineered by an outside force?
–BE MINE, VALENTINE
We reviewed its sequel, Forever Mine, Valentine, and gave it a favorable 4.5-star rating.
Hartman strikes again!
Old Charlie Hartman was out of his mind! To insist that Spence Jegger would marry the first woman he saw on Valentine’s Day was pure madness, given Spence’s opinion of marriage. And an aging vagabond playing St. Valentine was a bit much for even a friend like Spence to accept. Until Charlie pointed out Spence’s “intended,” Jill Amory.
All Jill wanted, however, was to finish painting Valentine messages on the windows of Jegger Outfitters and be on her way. She had a deadline to meet…on the other side of the country. Now all of a sudden two crazy men – one of them the tempting Mr. Jegger himself – seemed determined to influence her schedule…and her heart.
–FOREVER MINE, VALENTINE
Valentine’s Day Anthologies
Regencies
Anthologies are always popular for Valentine’s Day romances, as a sweet, short love story is the romantic equivalent of eating a single piece of chocolate from your heart-shaped box of chocolates.
Ooh, was that one a coconut? Please give us more. Nougat? We’ll nibble on it, but we’re not huge fans. Now that orange-creme-filled one is more up our alley. Any more with nuts? Even if you only have chocolate mousse, you’ll still consume them all, just like you would the stories featured in these collections.
A Regency Valentine:
The unique joys and passions that surround St. Valentine’s Day are captured in an extraordinary collection of all-new stories by five of the most beloved and highly acclaimed Regency authors. – Fair ladies… courtly gentlemen… romantic intrigue… here are the timeless tales of sweethearts young and old — richly drawn stories of innocence and surrender, of infatuation, yearning, and of tender devotion. An exquisitely beautiful collection to be savored, shared, and treasured, [this anthology] lets you enjoys the magical spirit of Valentine’s Day all year round.
–A Regency Valentine
This is the sequel, A Regency Valentine II:
Five of the most beloved and highly-acclaimed Regency authors present this collection of delightful tales that captures all the romance and intrigue of the most passionate of holidays–St. Valentine’s Day. This anthology of spirited ladies, dashing gentlemen, notorious rakes, and scandalous lovers will be savored all year long.
–A Regency ValentinE II
(Different Book, Same Title) A Regency Valentine:
When the widowed Mrs. Trent invited four young ladies to stay with her, she did not know Cupid would be one of the guests. But what else can one expect when one lives in the village of Valentine Parva?
Among Mrs. Trent’s guests are Juno, whose strong principles and bluestocking ways seem too great a challenge for any man. But she had a romantic heart – and love finds a way.
Shy Philo, pretty and clever, but overshadowed by her charming and handsome older sister. It is Philo who first catches a gentleman’s eye, when she meets the mysterious young man whom village rumour calls a wizard.
Aquila, a seemingly cold and haughty beauty, fears that scandal in her family’s past will keep her from the man she loves. But that dashing gentleman has other ideas.
And pretty Katherine grew up without love and affection. Her well-meaning mistakes may cost her the man she loves.
Mrs. Trent would have her hands full sorting out lovers’ tangles – if she herself were not distracted by the arrival of a man she knew long ago who has returned just in time for St. Valentine’s Day.
–A REGENCY VALENTINE
A Valentine’s Day Treasure:
The Gilded Cage by Janis Laden
Escorted to her aunt’s home in Yorkshire by the arrogant Viscount Weddington, Alexandra Ruttledge was dismayed when a winter storm kept the Viscount from leaving. But would the Valentine’s Day festivities bring a warming of her heart?
A Ring for Remembrance by Georgina Devon
A failed elopement and a lost memory have kept Carolly Stanhope-Jones and Alexander Staunton apart for seven years. But this year’s ball on Valentine’s Day might bring back a lost, though not forgotten, love.
The Bay Leaf Legend by Violet Hamilton
Annabel Maitland laughed at the legend which said that the first eligible gentleman to cross the threshold on Valentine’s Day would be her husband. Until Charles Fitzherbert stepped through the door…
A Play of Hearts by Valerie King
Acting out Romeo and Juliet on Valentine’s Day seemed just the thing to avert a dreaded elopement, but Miss Beth Ferrers hadn’t counted on the arrival of Lord Brenton and his reaction to the play… and her!
Tattered Valentine by Irene Loyd Black
Lady Lucinda Ellsworth had kept the Valentine given to her by a childhood sweetheart for the last 14 years. Now she was to see him again-at a Valentine’s Day Ball that could make all her dreams come true.
A Valentine Bride by Teresa DesJardien
Lady Christine Jordan had not hoped for much when she answered an advertisement for the position of wife to Baron Whittam. Could a Valentine’s Day ceremony bring true love to this mismatched couple?
–A Valentine’s Day Treasure
A Valentine Embrace: Three Tales of Regency Love:
Three charming tales of holiday romance in Regency England include “Valentine Chase” by Valerie King, Meg-lynn Roberts’s “Lovers’ Vows,” and “Music of the Heart” by Olivia Sumner.
–A Valentine Embrace: Three Tales of Regency Love
Young Adult
Be Mine is a rare Young Adult anthology released by Avon featuring four tales of Valentine’s Day romances:
From secret valentines to long distance romances, from Romeo and Juliet to a best friend’s silent adoration, four established talents in YA fiction–Cameron Dokey, Kathryn Jensen, Jean Thesman, and Sharon Dennis Wyeth–contribute to this heartfelt anthology the wondrous joys and bittersweet sorrows of true love and first love.
–Be Mine:A Romantic Quartet of Special Valentines to Capture Your Heart
What Valentine’s Day Romances Have You Read?
The above is a small sampling of the various books set around Valentine’s Day. What kind of romances do you think best suit this holiday? I like the light-hearted, humorous kinds because for me, angsty themes are better suited for Christmas or even Halloween romances. So it doesn’t surprise me to see many Regencies focusing on the 14th of February. What say you?
Please, drop a comment, and let’s talk romance!