The Following is a list compiled by the Manchester Library, and so offers an English opinion (and they are masters of the genre) of the best written written romance novels in genre of contemporary gothic suspense,  romantic suspense, modern romantic thriller, historical romance, modern romantic suspense.

I will soon be compiling a list with an American perspective of what consititutes the best romance novels of all time.

Not listed in order of preference:

1. [amazon_link id="0312339666" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Sailing to Capri[/amazon_link]  An English tycoon dies mysteriously and leaves a note naming six people he suspects might have wanted him dead, by Elizabeth Adler.

2. [amazon_link id="1560540966" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Scarlet Thread[/amazon_link] A British nurse and an American soldier meet, fall in love, and secretly marry during the Second World War. Years after the events of war separate them, a chance meeting brings the couple together to consider their lost love, by Evelyn Anthony.

3. [amazon_link id="B002QVRCE8" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Tregaron's Daughter[/amazon_link] A young woman from a small English village finds romance and mystery when she embarks on a voyage to Venice, by Madeleine Brent.

4. [amazon_link id="B000GH2YPG" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Rebecca[/amazon_link]  Classic Gothic tale of love and deception, by Daphne du Maurier

5. [amazon_link id="B002QPB3JY" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Darkwater[/amazon_link] Gothic romance with deep mystery and danger by Dorothy Eden

6. [amazon_link id="B000I762C0" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Property of a Gentleman[/amazon_link]  Set in England's Lake District, this novel revolves around the world of art and antiques, by Catherine Gaskin

7. [amazon_link id="0449240975" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Savannah Purchase[/amazon_link]  Savannah in the early 19th century is the setting for this novel of romance and intrigue, by Jane Aiken Hodge.

8. [amazon_link id="0385242999" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Silk Vendetta[/amazon_link] Historical romantic suspense set in 19th century England, by Victoria Holt

9. [amazon_link id="B000MN0CSA" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Shrouded Walls and the Dark Shore[/amazon_link]  Two spellbinding tales of romance, danger and death , by Susan Howatch

10.  [amazon_link id="0786235047" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]I Came to the Highlands[/amazon_link]  During the 1700s, with a heavy heart, a young woman leaves America and her true love to accompany her ill and destitute father to his family's castle in the Scottish Highlands. Unwelcome at the castle after her father's death, she is certain her life is in danger, by Velda Johnston

11. [amazon_link id="0816144036" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The House on the Left Bank[/amazon_link] In this late 19th century historical novel set in Paris, a young American woman faces many dangers as she seeks to solve a horrifying crime...a classic combination of Gothic romance and suspense. 

12. [amazon_link id="B000JI1QQK" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Shattered Silk[/amazon_link] The world of vintage couture is the setting for this suspenseful tale of romance and intrigue, by Barbara Michaels

13. [amazon_link id="006074748X" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Airs Above the Ground[/amazon_link]. . .[amazon_link id="0345468988" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Stormy Petrol[/amazon_link] Mystery, danger and love await the reader of novels written by this classic romantic suspense author Mary Stewart

14. [amazon_link id="0449005119" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Turquoise Mask[/amazon_link] In this novel by a master of romantic suspense, a woman returns to New Mexico to uncover secrets surrounding her mother's death, by Phyllis Whitney

15. [amazon_link id="0312081561" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]China Silk[/amazon_link] Despite warnings, a young girl accepts a marriage proposal from a British government official stationed in colonial Hong Kong in the 1920s, by Anne Worboys

CONTEMPORARY ROMANTIC SUSPENSE 

16. [amazon_link id="1416537775" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Hello Darkness[/amazon_link]. . . [amazon_link id="0743466764" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]White Hot[/amazon_link]. . .[amazon_link id="1416593527" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Chill Factor[/amazon_link] . . . [amazon_link id="1416523324" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Ricochet[/amazon_link]Popular author Sandra Brown delights fans with her fast-paced romantic thrillers.

17. [amazon_link id="0778323536" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]A Grave Mistake[/amazon_link]A novel of mystery, deceit and desire set in contemporary New Orleans, by Stella Cameron 

18. [amazon_link id="B004HMYA12" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Cove[/amazon_link]. . . [amazon_link id="B004HMRBEA" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Maze[/amazon_link]. . . [amazon_link id="B004HMWP2S" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Target[/amazon_link] Historical romance author Catherine Coulter delivers suspense and romance in her first three FBI thrillers.

19. [amazon_link id="0060727284" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Illusions[/amazon_link] The breathtaking mountains of Aspen, Colorado, form the backdrop for this romantic thriller by Janet Dailey

20. [amazon_link id="B0012V66BS" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Slow Burn, Murder List, Killjoy[/amazon_link]
An author known for her historical romances pleases her fans with novels of contemporary romantic suspense - Julie Garwood.

21. [amazon_link id="1414310552" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Danger in the Shadows[/amazon_link]In this novel with Christian fiction overtones, a woman in an FBI witness protection program faces danger when she finds herself falling in love.
 

22. [amazon_link id="B0039Q3FD6" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Prior Bad Acts[/amazon_link] Readers will find spine-chilling suspense and seductive romance in Tami Hoag's thrillers set in Minnesota. 

23. [amazon_link id="0553383841" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Haunting Rachel[/amazon_link] Gothic overtones mark this modern romantic thriller, by Kay Hooper

24. [amazon_link id="0743537521" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Open Season[/amazon_link]A small-town librarian, looking for a lover and trying to reinvent her boring life, faces danger when she becomes the target of a killer, by Linda Howard.

25. [amazon_link id="0515131741" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Lost and Found[/amazon_link]The world of art and antiques is the setting for Jayne Ann Krentz's novel of mystery and romance.

26. [amazon_link id="0060829834" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Wrong Hostage[/amazon_link]. . . [amazon_link id="0060504196" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Always Time to Die[/amazon_link] Elizabeth Lowell is an award-winning master of contemporary romantic suspense, and this duo is sure to please her many fans.

27.  [amazon_link id="0821763415" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]In The Dark[/amazon_link] A young woman is named sole beneficiary in her estranged aunt's will and then is suspected of murder when her aunt suddenly disappears. Can she trust the handsome investigator to whom she is is helplessly drawn?, by Meagan McKinney.

28. [amazon_link id="0446602485" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Night Train to Memphis[/amazon_link] More mystery than romance, this fifth installment in Elizabeth Peters' popular series features art professor, Vicky Bliss.

29. [amazon_link id="0440225043" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Midnight Hour[/amazon_link] . . . [amazon_link id="0671786601" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]To Trust a Stranger[/amazon_link] Fast-paced suspense with emphasis on romance, by Karen Robards

30. [amazon_link id="0982500203" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The House on Black Lake[/amazon_link] An obsession with a charismatic man leads an American woman on a seductive and harrowing journey through the Montreal underground.

31. [amazon_link id="0515133973" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Midnight Bayou[/amazon_link]  A winning combination of romance and mystery in New Orleans, by Nora Roberts

32. [amazon_link id="0553264613" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Hot Ice[/amazon_link] Exotic Madagascar setting...hot passion... highly-charged suspense, by Nora Roberts. 

33. [amazon_link id="0778321541" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Expose[/amazon_link]. . . [amazon_link id="155166836X" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Last Lover[/amazon_link] TV journalist Sally Harrington is featured in this contemporary romantic suspense series
by Connecticut author, Laura Van Wormer.

Courtesy of Manchester Public Library

I am honoured to be included in a short list of the most reknowned gothic romance writers. Please go to link to learn more about gothic genre, authors, music, architecture at:  https://sites.google.com/site/gothicromantic9/modern-books-and-writers

A.B.

Is love merely a chemical released when our body senses a desirable reproduction partner, or is there something more divine in the rush of endorphins? That questions in one of the principle themes of my novel.

Reproduction science tells us that within seconds we are measuring every aspect of another being to determine suitability. Overall health, i.e. clear skin, white teeth, shiny hair, clear eyes, etc. are all assessed in the blink of an eye. We also measure physical features, timber of voice, a vast array of clues to whether their DNA is a good match. Smell also comes into play, and with physical touch more information is released. The old saying "it's all in the kiss" is actually true. The saliva carries DNA that tells us the entire physical history of the specimen. We seek mates that will give our offspring the best chance of survival. The rush of love tells us that we have found a good match. Testosterone is released in the saliva of the male and arouses female to complete  act. Love lasts for a good three months, so that at least three tries are given to the quest. The feeling may persist if the act is not successful. If g succeeds, then feelings  transcend to  "love" that is actually routed in the protection of our prized reproduced DNA. This is the belief of science.

Those of a spiritual nature believe that the purpose of love is not to replicate, but to create. Two humans who find love have a far greater capacity to create than they would alone. The goal of most is to find a soul mate, one with whom  common goals and desires are shared.  This may mean the act of reproduction, but in most it means far more. For those who have finished reproducing,  have no desire to raise young, or for those who are drawn to the same sex, the drive for love is just as great, and when a suitable partner is found, the love does not nessasarilydisipate because there is no drive to replicate DNA.

The elusiveness of love remains the subject of scientists and poets. Its beauty and pain are universal. What's love got to do with it? Everything - for without it we are doomed, one way or another.

I am happy to announce that I have completed screenplay for "The House on Black Lake". It was a rather simple process - a month of my time - as the novel was written in scenes that I visualized in the form of a movie. As I am an actress and have worked professionally as a producer, a script is what feels most comfortable to me.  Writing a novel is akin to taking on all jobs required in film production. You are writer, director, actor, set and lighting designer,  costume designer, etc. Once I had complete novel, it was a simple matter to record story's dialogue and blueprint.

I was advised in a workshop by acclaimed screenwriter guru Robert McGee that a screenwriter must write a thousand pages first, then write  script. And, that is what I have done. My next step is to get scrip into hands of producer. In the meantime, "The House on Black Lake" is building steam and many related projects are in the works.

A.B.

[amazon_link id="0982500203" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]THE HOUSE ON BLACK LAKE[/amazon_link] HAS BEEN ADAPTED TO SCREENPLAY. GO TO HOME PAGE TO VIEW PROVOCATIVE CINEMATIC TRAILER.

Pictures feature international model/actor Tosh Yanez and Anastasia Blackwell recreating scene from book during filming of trailer in the Aimee Crocker Room of historic bed and breakfast, Chateau Tivoli. 

        The carved and veiled four poster, spread with luscious linens, can be found in the Aimee Crocker room of the Chateau Tivoli in San Francisco.  A similar curtained and mirrored bed, with intricate carved dark wood, is housed in the Mark Twain Suite. The opulent Luisa Tetrazzini suite was also featured in  trailer for book. The bed is a luxuriously carved queen canopy from the Charles De Gaulle estate, with a private parlor with fireplace.

        Chateau Tivoli B& B is an opulently restored Victorian mansion located in San Francisco’s historic Alamo Square district. Built in 1892 as a private home and restored a century later, it features had-carved woodwork, crystal, chandeliers, period wall paper and oriental rugs. It hosted all interior shots of “The House on Black Lake interior videos, including the mysterious basement rooms with hovering ceilings.

        The unusual décor and luscious beds of the Tivoli can be viewed in trailer on home page.  More information on the Chateau Tivoli at www.chateautivoli.com.

Hungry Mature Twilight fans feed on new gothic suspense, “The House on Black Lake”

With her life falling apart around her, Alexandra Brighton escapes with you son, Samuel, to Black Lake – and into the home of the man who has haunted her thoughts for years. But little is as it seems in the idyllic world of Ruth and Ramey Sandeley, where modern luxuries co-mingle with ancient rituals. As the summer solstice draws near, Alexandra finds herself lured into a world of mystery and seduction that compels her to confront the forces that have shaped her life’s path. Ultimately she must decide where this journey will lead – if she and her son are to survive.

Set against the haunting backdrop of Montreal and its surrounding countryside, debut author Anastasia Blackwell’s novel explores how one woman’s pursuit of her divine path leads to a shadowy world of ruthless passion and dark secrets.

The journey to Black Lake is sensuous, erotic, romantic, and dangerous. Fasten your seat belt as you enter Zito Zahn 's cab and be prepared to take an odyssey into the unknown.

Author Anastasia Blackwell is an award-winning producer, writer, actress, voice-over artist. She collaborated with a noted cinematographer to produce a book trailer and created music videos based on scenes in book.

To learn more about the book, author, news, video, photographs and upcoming events go to www.houseonblacklake.com.

THE HOUSE ON BLACK LAKE HAS BEEN ADAPTED TO SCREENPLY. GO TO HOME PAGE TO VIEW TOSH YANEZ IN PROVOCATIVE CINEMATIC TRAILER

Tosh Yanez is already an internationally recognized model and commerical star.  However, his acting talents have yet to be truly discovered. It was a pleasure to work with him on the trailer for [amazon_link id="0982500203" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The House on Black Lake[/amazon_link] He is a true professional - the camera loves him, as does everyone he meets. Easy going and low key in person, he projects an intensity that is startling in front of the camera. I am convinced he has a promising future in film and television. A beautiful man both inside and out, sensuous, and sexy but also tender and kind.  He is the next break-out superstar.

Tosh Yanez