Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley. Willow and Oz. Betty and Barney Rubble.

You've probably figured out by now what the couples from the book Pride and Prejudice, the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the cartoon The Flintstones have in common: They're involved in secondary romances.

Now here's my shameless confession: I adore secondary romances, often considerably more than the main event. In THE HERO'S SIN, my February release from Superromance that starts a new series, the secondary hero relentlessly -- and, I hope, charmingly -- pursues his ex-wife. Part of the reason their marriage broke up was because his favorite pasttime was getting drunk with his buddies. I wouldn't give the primary hero that flaw unless there was a deep, dark reason he was drinking.

In the second book in the RETURN TO INDIGO SPRINGS series -- THE STRANGER'S SIN, coming out in May -- the secondary couple is in their sixties. They were great fun to write but I wouldn't have put their romance front and center.

I've heard some readers prefer books containing a single romance, and I've certainly written some books that qualify. If the execution is right, though, I believe the secondary romance can enhance the primary. To this romance-loving author, it's a double dose of goodness. So what do you think about secondary romances? Do you love them? Or can you leave them?

Darlene Gardner
www.darlenegardner.com