Interracial Theme

[Lemon]

The Highest Price to Pay by Maisey Yates. Whoa- this may be the first non-caucasian hero I've ever seen featured in an HP. I've seen HPs featuring heroines of a different or mixed racial background but this is the first one for the hero I have seen.

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Harlequin Presents are my crack!]

I'm excited, Lulu. It's about time that HP started breaking the color barrier. Maybe we will start seeing non-white heroines too.

[Samantha]

This is great! I definitely want to read this book.

[willaful]

Wow!

[Alexis-Morgan]

Wow! I am shocked. Here I go being a greedy reader, but I concur with Danielle. When's that going to happen?

I think I've read a few Desires that featured non-caucasian heroines. Hmmmm.

[willaful]

There are a few oldies with Asian heroines, or part-Asian anyway.

[Romance Lover]

I've read a Silhouette with a black heroine. Any way, it was about time. Well done to miss Yates.

[Kate]

Kelly Hunter's "Her Singapore Fling" featured an Asian heroine. And I think I read either a Desire or Presents recently that had a heroine that was biracial.

[Lemon]

Sandra Marton's Billionaire Prince, Pregnant Mistress featured a hispanic heroine.

[Sapheron]

The Heroine in is supposed to be kinda black.

[Kate]

I think is the book I was thinking of. I can't remember the exact details, but I recall that she was raised thinking both of her parents were black, but her biological father was white.

[Samantha]

Well, I'm getting some good recs here!

[Lemon]

I think the heroine in Antonides' Forbidden Wife was half asian.

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince]

The hero in Anne Mather's is bi-racial. His mother is half-black. This is one of the book's "big family secrets" but the big issue is the age difference (the heroine is well into her 30's, he is in his mid 20's).

[Wayne]

I'm as excited as everyone about this release. It's the first Harlequin Presents to feature a black hero. I'm hoping that it will be released in the US HP line. I did go on the Mills and Book UK site and purchased it to read on my iPad. There has been several black heroes and heroines on the covers of releases in Silhouette/Harlequin lines (I don't include the Kimani Lines which are specifically an African-American line, the line I write for). Most recently, Kerry Conner's Harlequin Intrigue, SILENT KNIGHT STAKEOUT, feature a black hero. See the cover here at http://www.kerryconnor.com/. If anyone is interested, I've a list of Silhouette/Harlequin titles which feature black/interracial heroes/heroines, but I'm on holiday right now so won't be able to do it until I return home.

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Harlequin Presents are my crack!]

Wayne, I'd love it if you could share your list when you get a chance!

[Wayne]

Here are some. More to come.

Joyce McGill - Unforgivable - Joyce McGill - Silhouette Intimate Moments - August 1992
http://www.fictiondb.com/author/joyce...

Carol Buck - Three Alarm Love - Silhouette Desire - Feb 1998
http://www.fictiondb.com/author/carol...

Maggie Fergussion - Harlequin Intrigue

Looks are Deceiving - http://www.fictiondb.com/author/maggi...

Crime of Passion - http://www.fictiondb.com/author/maggi...

Fever Rising - http://www.fictiondb.com/author/maggi...

True Hearts - http://www.fictiondb.com/author/maggi...

Sandra Kitt - Adam & Eva - Harlequin American Romance - Jan 1985
http://www.fictiondb.com/author/sandr...

Barbara Gale - The Ambarrador's Vow - Silhouette Special Editon
http://www.fictiondb.com/author/barba...

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Harlequin Presents are my crack!]

Thanks, Wayne. I have quite a few of these or read them.

[Kate]

I know it's a Blaze and not a Presents, but the hero in is biracial -- "As the only son of a single Caucasian mother and an African-American father he had never met, he’d been relegated to the fence separating each culture: not white enough to feel completely comfortable in his mother’s world; not dark enough to belong in the unfamiliar black community."

[Vashti]

There is a new Annie West comming out soon which features an Indian heroine who is a Bollywood actress, will be curious to read it as I am Indian myself with a Spanish husband, so I guess you can say that I am in an interacial relationship.As a p.s ,when you love someone race does not even come into it.

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Harlequin Presents are my crack!]

Vashti, you beat me to it. I was going to post about the Annie West book! It looks good.

[Vashti]

LOL,Danielle, it does look good,I am trying to find spoilers about this book.

[Kouk]

I am def. going to read ''The highest price to pay''.
Really enjoy Maisey Yates's books!

I love the cover, fantastic to finally see a a non white man on the cover!

[Wayne]

Wait until you see the Australian and UK version of the cover.

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Harlequin Presents are my crack!]

Maisey Yates talked about the experience of publishing her book with a biracial hero. It's pretty interesting, and some people's reactions that she mentioned makes me wonder if it's still 1950...

http://romanceuniversity.org/2011/08/...

[Samantha]

Thanks for posting that article, Danielle. I don't get what the big deal is for her to write about a biracial hero. I applaud her. I can't believe the way some people act.

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Harlequin Presents are my crack!]

You're so welcome, Samantha!

[Lady Jaye]

It's one thing to refuse to read a book with a biracial/black hero for whatever reason, but to actually write the author to complain about it...that takes a whole 'nother level of gall.

[Samantha]

Exactly!

[Lemon]

It never ceases to amaze me sometimes that some people never quite got the memo on the standards of the 21st century. Good for Maisey Yates and Harlequin for publishing stories relevant to our times.

[Vashti]

Great link to the article Danielle.As I have said before,my own marriage is the product of 2 cultures,Spanish and Indian,and truly when you love someone,who cares about the colour of the other person's skin.

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Harlequin Presents are my crack!]

Vashti, I think the mix of cultures and ethnicites in a family is a beautiful thing.

[Vashti]

Danielle,it is .I tell my son that he is a beautiful mixture of both....then he looks at me as though I am crazy,lol!

[Lisa]

The heroine in is India.

[Vashti]

Lisa,I am waiting for that book to come in the mail anyday now.

[Lisa]

I recieved this book last month but i haven't read it yet. My friend said that it's good.

[Kate]

Based solely on the cover (which is gorgeous), it looks like features an interracial couple. It's a Nov 2011 M&B release; not sure when it'll be released in the US.

[Lemon]

Captive But Forbidden by Lynn Raye Harris features a hero of Indian descent described as "Bollywood handsome."

There's Maharajas Mistress too featuring well, an Indian Maharaja.

[Vashti]

Well,my goodness,we are getting an explosion of East Indian H/h's.....

[Kimberly]

I'm so glad I found this thread! I think I'll try to read a few of these.

[Lisa Kay]

Lady Jaye wrote: "It's one thing to refuse to read a book with a biracial/black hero for whatever reason, but to actually write the author to complain about it...that takes a whole 'nother level of gall."

And to say, “...but we're not racist.” That took gall. Why even bother to tack that on?

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Harlequin Presents are my crack!]

People always want to defend themselves when they know they are wrong.

[Kimberly]

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "People always want to defend themselves when they know they are wrong."

very true.

[Asterope]

I wish there was more variety with couples. I started a thread about that here:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

I think one of the newer Presents/Moderns has a Japanese heroine:
Her name is: Reiko Kagawa
I haven't read it, but I'm going to assume she's of Asian descent.

Something, though bothered me with the UK covers. I don't know if I'm reading too much into things, but I find it interesting that most of their covers show full on face shots of the hero and heroine, but this book did not. Only the lower body of the heroine is shown, just her legs. And if you look at all those released that month, it stands out:
http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/m...

I hate to think it's because the heroine is Asian? :-(
Surely they could have found an Asian model for the cover!

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Harlequin Presents are my crack!]

I've noticed that with many of the US covers, they won't reveal ethnic features if the character is not white. It's a shame, really!

[Samantha]

Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress wrote: "I've noticed that with many of the US covers, they won't reveal ethnic features if the character is not white. It's a shame, really!"

I notice that as well.

[Kate]

Asteropê wrote: "I hate to think it's because the heroine is Asian? :-(
Surely they could have found an Asian model for the cover! "

Not that this is an excuse for not featuring an Asian model, but I think Mills & Boons uses stock images for their M&B Modern line because I've seen identical or near-identical pictures used for non-Harlequin books.

Example:
vs

[Asterope]

Kate wrote: "Asteropê wrote: "I hate to think it's because the heroine is Asian? :-(
Surely they could have found an Asian model for the cover! "

Not that this is an excuse for not featuring an Asian model, bu..."


Yeah. They do use stock images. I think all publishers do. Well most of them. I guess I don't understand why a big name publisher like HQN/M&B couldn't find or afford to buy stock of an Asian woman? Surely there are Asian models out there in stock images! My main issue is that the M&B covers are very much about the face shots. If you look through them you'll see they focus on the faces or at least show them. But not this book. That made me wonder about things.

[Beth]

Was Maisey Yates novel released in US?

[Asterope]

Beth wrote: "Was Maisey Yates novel released in US?"

I searched HQN's official site and it didn't show up. I also looked at her website and it wasn't listed under the US backlist.

That being said Amazon does list it for sale, only with the M&B cover:
http://www.amazon.com/Highest-Price-M...

I do find it strange that it doesn't have a HQN Presents version, especially when on the UK side it was a Book of the Month. I don't understand HQN at times...I've seen black heroes (usually as cowboys for some reason) on covers of their Intrigue books...why not for a Presents/Modern?

EDIT:
I made a list for these types of books, feel free to add anymore that you know of!
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/38...