Romance on the Rails

Last week we recommended several stand-out RWA (Romance Writers of America) 2013
RITA nominees for best contemporary romance; this week we're back on track
recommending a new kind of sexy contemporary series that reportedly started as a
twitter chat among authors about-of all things- the intrigue and excitement of
strangers meeting on a train, first impressions in romance, and the everlasting
allure of love on the rails.

This discussion went on to become five distinct, steamy Strangers on a Train novellas (Samhain, Ebook only) written by some of the hottest names in romance: Meg Maguire (THE WEDDING FLING, MAKING HIM SWEAT/ HQ Blaze), Samantha Hunter (YOURS FOR THE NIGHT, HIS KIND OF TROUBLE Berringer Bodyguards #1 and #3/HQ Blaze) and Ruthie Knox (ABOUT LAST NIGHT, HOW TO MISBEHAVE Camelot #1/Random House-Loveswept) just to name a few.

While the stand alone novellas can be read in any order they share the same
theme and we think they will have you asking yourself the same question: Just
what is it about romance on the rails...

TIGHT QUARTERS by Samantha Hunter

Brenna Burke has worked hard to overcome the long list of phobias that have
threatened to cripple her after her entrapment during a horrific car accident
years ago, all except one-claustrophobia. With her dream job of being a travel
writer hanging in the balance Brenna's decided to force herself to deal with it
head on and boarded a train for a weekend trip through scenic New York State for
her job interview...only to find an unexpected roommate to add to her list of
anxiety producing troubles.

At first, recovering and forced to retire NYPD detective Reid Cooper isn't happy
about the mix-up or his attraction to the petite, sexy roommate he's been
saddled with thanks to a double booking. Still recovering from a gunshot wound
and contemplating his future, Reid knows something about conquering fear and
while he's got to solve the problem of the shared berth, he comes to like
Brenna's can-do attitude underneath what he quickly recognizes as her rising
panic at sharing her room with a stranger.

Without much breathing room, Brenna and Reid embark on an up-close-and-unavoidably-personal weekend with unexpected results. The first being that in Reid's presence Brenna finds she feels blissfully normal...nearly unafraid of anything; the other that after one night of passion, both Reid and Brenna begin thinking beyond a weekend fling. But when Brenna's last phobia seizes her at the worst possible time, it could make her miss the last boarding call for happily ever after, after all... TICKET HOME by Serena Bell

When Amy Moreland left Seattle, the last thing she expected was to see her
workaholic ex-boyfriend again. Ever. So, naturally encountering her ex on the
Connecticut-to-New York City commute on the other side of the country is the
surprise of Amy's life. Even more surprising, Jeff seems hell-bent on winning
her back. Too bad his damn cell phone keeps ringing, a constant, painful
reminder of how he'd failed to put her first in their relationship.

Things aren't quite going according to plan for Jeff Havers, besides he can't
help that his phone keeps interrupting his carefully composed apology speech. He
knows that Amy's hurt but having her sic the Metro North security team on him?
Maybe things really are beyond repair. But once Jeff talks his way out of the
handcuffs he's more determined than ever and focuses on coaxing Amy to talk with
him about the fears that drove her away in the first place.

As the train commute provides them the time and space to revisit the landscape
of their lost life together, sparks fly and remembered passion starts to
reignite what was once between them. Despite their rekindled desire old wounds
still feel fresh and threaten any chance to pursue what really matters--a ticket
back home to each other.

THANK YOU FOR RIDING by Meg Maguire

Truth be told Caitlin's relieved her somewhat forbidden fizzling relationship
with her co-worker is over even if it did mean enduring being unceremoniously
dumped between the copier and a dead ficus tree. Still, the night of the office
Christmas party? That stung. The only good part- she was able to ditch the lame
party in time to catch the last subway home.

But nothing seems to go according to plan that night, only this time it appears
to be to her benefit: instead of a lonely, chilly ride home Caitlin gets an
unexpected holiday treat in the form of a somewhat familiar face-the handsome
stranger she couldn't help ogling last week at the blood drive. The chance
meeting leads to a delightful encounter of sorts...

At the end of the line, neither Caitlin or Mark can seem to let their playful
banter and obvious attraction go to waste, but soon their flirtations cause them
to face the very real prospect of spending a cold winter night locked in the
unheated subway station. Keeping one another warm quickly becomes more than just
an enjoyable form of rebound therapy and this sweet and swoony impromptu first
date begins to look like the first of many more to come.

BACK ON TRACK by Donna Cummings

A wine tour isn't enough to take Matt Kearns's mind off his baseball
slump—until sexy, funny Allie Whittaker plops into the adjacent seat and
offers to play a whimsical game. She knows exactly who he is. But he doesn't
need to know that. Instead, Allie decides to tell him three things about
herself. One of them, she says, is a lie. It's up to him to figure out which one...

Allie Whittaker is in a slump, a dating slump, but that's not exactly what's on
her mind when she spies gorgeous baseball pro Matt Kearns on the train and
decides to chat him up. -It's the fact that he's turned her fledgling marking
company and the cover of her charity calendar down more than once. In fact, he
wouldn't even talk to her. Now that she has his attention should she tell the
truth or keep playing the game...

The last place fans would expect Mark is a Napa Valley wine tour so when Allie
chats him up with no apparent recognition of his celebrity status he finds he
can't resist playing along until their mutual attraction is something neither
wants to hide.

Soon a simple train ride becomes an afternoon getaway filled with laughs, lies,
truths and plenty of desire. When their playful charade becomes difficult to
manage and Allie lets slip one truth too many...they both realize they were
already playing for keeps.

BIG BOY by Ruthie Knox

He'll be any man she wants--except himself.

When Mandy joined an online dating service she had kept her expectations low.
All she'd wanted was a distraction from life as a newly single mother and
full-time professor. All work and no play has made for a whole lot of
loneliness. Mandy doesn't want romance to complicate her life, but unexpectedly
the monthly role-playing dates with her online suitor quickly led to meeting the
stranger on a train—each date a different time period—and they've
become the erotic escape she desperately needs. -Not only that, but the monthly
dates with her mysterious stranger begin to provide a soul connection she never
expected.

When a chance encounter has them meeting in the light of day Mandy is surprised
to find she wants to know the real man behind the disguise, so to speak, and
quickly finds herself trying to draw her lover out of the shadows and into her
real life. But Mandy isn't the only one with a complicated life and she has one
heck of a fight on her hands when it comes to convincing the man she loves that
taking a chance on what started out as fantasy is worth the risk...

These five sexy new novellas aim to please: from handsome hunks on the run and
sexy role playing strangers to strong silent types and sizzling sex at high
speeds there's something for everyone in the new Samhain series Strangers On a
Train. We're all aboard for this one. How about you?

Tina Peacock is a freelance writer, romance novelist, and long time educator. You can follow her adventures in authorhood on Twitter @book_crack and Facebook.