Romance readers love a wealthy hero, and why not? There's value in a man able to hire a helicopter, a coach and six horses, or a collection of werewolves to do his bidding - and the bidding of the lucky woman on his arm.

First, I thought we'd already established that I am not a gentleman. That ship sailed long ago. And second, you'd be surprised what gentlemen do...and what ladies enjoy."

~Lord Bourne

Yes, it had been a perfect match, except for the fact that he had been perfectly in love with someone else.

There is a whole generation of romance readers and writers who suffer from what I like to think of as 'Thorn Birds' Fever.

That first meeting - the one where the hero and heroine start the slow burn that takes the whole story to turn into true love - is the single most important part of the whole book. Nail it, and you've won yourself readers.

I don't understand why James Bond has to be a man all the time. When Pierce Brosnan retires, why not one of us?