Thanks to the generosity of Harlequin SuperRomance authors Debra Salonen and Ellen Hartman, we had several contest winners to close out our May Spotlight! Winners need to e-mail Wendy with their shipping address to receive their prizes. We hope everyone has enjoyed this Harlequin Spotlight, because we sure did have a great time putting it all together!

The winner of two books from Ellen Hartman is:

Phyl!

The two grand prize winners of three books from Debra Salonen are:

Ruby D. and Greta!

These three runner-up winners will receive a copy of Debra’s latest book, Baby By Contact:

Virginia H., Jessica and TracyS!

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of His Secret Past by Ellen Hartman
Contemporary Romance released by Harlequin SuperRomance 01 May 2008

I love it when a book surprises me. Ellen Hartman’s second novel for Harlequin SuperRomance sounds like it’s a fluffy bit of escapist cotton candy. A hero who used to be a world famous rock star? And he falls in love with a documentary filmmaker? Yeah, sure. What makes it all so magical is that Hartman had me believing it could and did happen, all before I was out of the first chapter.

Anna Walsh is documentary filmmaker who owns a production company with her brother, Jake. She lives out of a duffel bag, doesn’t have a permanent address, and has a few meager possessions. She loves it, but Jake – not so much. He’s in love, in a relationship, has bought a house, and wants to settle down. In other words, he wants out of the business, but does agree to do one last film with Anna.

Anna wants to make a film about Five Star, a once popular rock band that hit the skids after a bus accident killed a teenage fan. That teenage fan was Anna’s best friend, and her death has cast a long shadow. The truth has never come out, and Anna is determined to get to it. For that she needs Mason Star, the disgraced former lead singer of Five Star who was fired by the other members.

Mason hit rock bottom after he was kicked out of the band, went to rehab, and got clean. He then started Mulligan’s, a community center that helps down-on-their-luck people get back on their feet. He’s also been a father to his 17-year-old son, Christian, who is on the cusp of hitting the big time with his own rock band. To say Mason is terrified is an understatement. He worked his tail off to give Chris a “normal” life and now the kid wants to travel down the same road as his old man? On top of that, the local townsfolk are working to shut down Mulligan’s. Suddenly his home and work are seen as a drain on community resources and property values.

Then along comes Anna. She wants him in her Five Star movie, the story about the bus crash, and in exchange she’ll help him save Mulligan’s. Mason agrees, but he can’t quite shake the feeling that he’s just made a deal with the devil.

What I loved about this book was all the underlying heartache and the internal struggles of both Mason and Anna. Mason wants nothing more than to forget his past, raise his kid, and “blend in.” He isn’t a rock star anymore, nor does he want to be one ever again. He wants to play golf, help people, and melt into the woodwork. Anna is an intelligent woman, whose quest for the truth is rooted in an upbringing where appearances were everything. Truth has a tendency to be messy, and messy cannot be tolerated. I loved how she transformed over the course of this story. From a determined pit bull, to a woman who finds herself confronted and confounded by Mason Star’s true identity.

Slowly over the course of this story these two people realize how sad and lonely their lives really are. That the whole time they’ve been running, be it towards acceptance, the truth, or the next project, they’ve let life pass them by. This undercurrent of loneliness also ratchets up the sexual tension several decibels. I don’t think I’ve ever anticipated a romantic couple kissing (yeah, just kissing!) so much.

This truly is a great story, about characters that feel like flesh-and-blood people. It’s even more remarkable when one realizes that this is only Hartman’s second published book. Wow.

Grade: A

Read Sandy M’s review here.

Summary:

Money, women and fame aren’t everything they’re cracked up to be. Former rock star Mason Star should know. He had it all and lost it. Now, years later, he’s about to lose even more: his son and Mulligan’s, the community center he’s poured his heart into.

Returning to the public eye is the last thing Mason wants to do-but Anna Walsh’s documentary is the only chance he has to save Mulligan’s. Besides, Anna won’t take no for an answer…and the beautiful, complicated woman has proved to be very persuasive. Especially on the dance floor…

But what Anna wants may be more than he can give.

Read an excerpt.

When I was asked to contribute to The Good, The Bad, and The Unread this week, my topic was: Why do I love Superromance?

Easy Answer: The men.

Is that shallow? I know it’s shallow. Sorry. I can’t help myself. Have you read a Super? Then you know what I’m talking about.

All romances have heroes, but the men of SuperRomance really hit it for me. I think it’s the reality plus romance. These guys are out there living real lives, doing their best to be dads, businessmen, ranchers, firefighters, etc., and then love walks in and smacks them around and they…fall right for it.

If loving these guys is shallow, I don’t want to be deep.

(I hope my mom doesn’t read this. Or my teachers who instructed me in high-minded literary topics. Because honestly, although I can appreciate a well-developed plot and sterling sentence structure, (Note: That’s alliteration. See, I’m literary…) when I read a romance, it’s all about the men. Oops…all about the man. I better take them one at a time because there’s shallow and then there’s badly behaved. Okay, now I’m really sidetracked. Let me back up.)

Hi. I’m Ellen Hartman and I write funny, heartfelt SuperRomances about men people and their hunt for their heart’s desire. I’m neither shallow nor badly behaved. (Usually.) My characters on the other hand…let’s just say the hero of my current release, His Secret Past started his career playing guitar for a shore band from Jersey.

In case the men aren’t enough to convince you (but seriously, they should be), here are my top five other reasons to love Superromance.

5. Kathleen O’Brien. I read her book, The Homecoming Baby, and I knew I’d found the place I wanted to be published. Kathleen’s books are typical Supers. They’re well written, rich, and extremely satisfying. Oh, and her heroes are really hot. Kathleen was my first but after her I never looked back. Super authors are good at their work and I’m grateful Kathleen brought me into this world.

4. The Supers board on eHarlequin. I lurked there until the month that my first Super came out. Now the Supers board is truly my home on the web. What do we discuss? Everything of importance, including:

• Books: Reading and writing them.
• Husbands: We love them, but we think they may be crazy or that they might make us crazy. Who cares, we love them!
• Tiaras: Why every woman deserves sparkling headgear.
• Dean Winchester: Ellen’s All-Time Favorite TV Character. (Okay, so it’s possible I’m the only who actually discusses Dean on a regular basis. We do cover other hot men, though, including Colin Firth, that guy from Lost, and unanimous board-favorite John Cusack.)
• Help: We assist with plot, prayers, virtual hugs, vacation plans, and are always ready to listen if you need to vent. Plus, there’s a whole group of people who actually like Mondays so if you’re on of those weirdos you should definitely drop by.

3. The Super editors. They’re smart, supportive, and a lot of fun. Heh. Welcome to the sucking up portion of my Top 5. But come on, who wouldn’t love the folks who made her writing dreams come true? For me, SuperRomance is like Craig Hitnr, the guy who gave me a plastic ring complete with purple plastic gemstone in first grade. I’ll never forget Craig or SuperRomance. TLA 4 EVA!

2. Variety. I read SuperRomances for the same reasons anyone reads a particular line. I like to know what I’m getting. But SuperRomances have a lot of variation within the line. In the past year I’ve read Supers about a bunch of poker playing guys, a veterinarian and the cowboy she loves (and his eight children), a risk-taking journalist and her risk-adverse lover, and a love triangle that thankfully resolved into two pairs! For me, SuperRomance is like a diner where the food is homemade and I like everything on the menu. I could eat there every night without running out of choices!

1. Deep, rich stories. As a reader, my number one interest is always going to be the story. People ask me if the “super” in SuperRomance means more pages. (They also ask if it means more sex—some people have no boundaries…sigh.) Supers are one of the longer Harlequin lines, but for me, the super part is the depth of the story. Almost any Super is going to give you a romance plus a hometown, plus extended family or friends, plus a satisfying subplot. Supers are like the boxed sets of romance series romance. They have everything you need and Bonus Features too!

Each month SuperRomance puts out six terrific, complex books. I encourage you to pick one up. I think you just might find yourself falling in love!

Wendy the Super Librarian: Thanks for stopping by Ellen! Readers, you can visit Ellen at her web site and her blog.

Contest Alert! Ellen has graciously donated books for us to giveaway to TGTBTU readers during our May HSR Spotlight! I will randomly draw the winner from the comments on this post at the end of May. The lucky winner will receive copies of both of Ellen’s HSR releases, Wanted Man and His Secret Past. Good luck!

Sandy M’s review of His Secret Past by Ellen Hartman
Contemporary Romance released by Harlequin SuperRomance 13 May 08

I’m really glad we’ve been dedicating a portion of our reviews to Harlequin’s books. I got away from reading them for a while and starting with the Nocturnes a few months ago, I’ve found some really wonderful books each month. For some reason the SuperRomances are ones I haven’t read very often. That’s too bad. If this book is any indication, I’ve been missing some satisfyingly good stories.

Anna Walsh’s best friend from high school was the only fatality in the crash of Mason Star’s bus twelve years ago. No one ever found out what happened that night and now because their documentary production company is about to close, Anna wants their last project to be about the the band to finally get the truth about her friend’s death. However, when she finally meets Mason and learns about his life since he left the limelight not long after the crash, she’s amazed over and over at the man he is now, one who gives of himself so freely to those he’s trying to help get a second chance in life.

With a son he loves and his community center for those in need doing well, Mason has come to terms with his out-of-control life he led while on the road and has lived a good life since then. Suddenly, though, he’s about to lose everything again out of the blue just like it happened with the band. This time he fights to keep his life, however, against the local folks who want to shut Mulligan’s down for some unfathomable reason. He also is losing his son. Christian has a band of his own and is ready to throw everything away to run after fame and fortune, something Mason doesn’t want his son involved with. But try telling that to a 17-year-old.

Meeting Anna throws Mason for another loop. He’s never discussed the bus crash with anyone, period. He doesn’t need her nosing around on top of his other troubles, but there is something about the woman that draws him and he also needs her film making talent to show the community what Mulligan’s is really about in their efforts to help people. The more these two characters are together, the more they learn about one another and peel each other’s vulnerabilities away. Mason begins to think perhaps he can try another relationship and maybe it will work this time. Anna begins to want to all the domestic things she never thought about while building her career.

After all the emotion between them, between Mason and Chris, when they finally come together, this book is one of the most satisfying in the way these characters work out their problems while still doing what they need to do to get through, being honest with themselves and each other, and giving life and love a chance.

Grade: B+

Be sure to check out the trailer for this book on the author’s website. Cute!

     Summary:

     Money, women and fame aren’t everything they’re cracked up to be. Former rock star Mason Star should know. He had it all and lost it. Now, years later, he’s about to lose even more: his son and Mulligan’s, the community center he’s poured his heart into.

     Returning to the public eye is the last thing Mason wants to do—but Anna Walsh’s documentary is the only chance he has to save Mulligan’s. Besides, Anna won’t take no for an answer…and the beautiful, complicated woman has proved to be very persuasive. Especially on the dance floor…

     But what Anna wants may be more than he can give.

     Read an excerpt.