At a family birthday party this week, I looked across a room filled to the brim with people to see my son not engrossed in a hand held device but playing chess with his uncle's best friend. 

A love this quiet fierce game that spans generation, place, time, and culture.  

I will admit to sucking at it myself but I don't have to be good at something to like it. 

Here is a list of wonderful Romance Novels featuring chess, chess players and chess sets.

My lists are never in any particular order. Enjoy!

1.  The Eight by Katherine Neville

Computer expert Cat Velis is heading for a job to Algeria. Before she goes, a mysterious fortune teller warns her of danger, and an antique dealer asks her to search for pieces to a valuable chess set that has been missing for years...In the South of France in 1790 two convent girls hide valuable pieces of a chess set all over the world, because the game that can be played with them is too powerful....

2.  Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James

A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage—until he lays eyes on Roberta.

Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high. Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny.

Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?

3. Pawn by Molly Joseph

High stakes chess competition has always been a man’s game—until Grace Ann Frasier topples some of the game’s greatest champions and turns the chess world on its ear. Her prowess at the game is matched only by her rivals’ desire to defeat her, or, worse, avenge their losses. When an international championship threatens Grace’s safety, a bevy of security experts are hired to look after her, but only one is her personal, close-duty bodyguard, courtesy of Ironclad Solutions, Inc. 

Sam Knight knows nothing about chess, but he knows Grace is working to achieve something important, and he vows to shelter her from those who mean her harm. When she leans on him for emotional support, attraction battles with professionalism and Sam finds his self-discipline wavering. Soon the complexity of their relationship resembles a chess board, where one questionable move can ruin everything—or win a game that could resonate around the world.

4. You're the One by Alix Nichols

When schoolteacher Natalie meets chess grandmaster Adrien at the Bistro La Bohème, the connection is immediate and real. Romance is in the air -- until life makes a move to test how well they know their hearts...

5. One Night Is Never Enough by Anne Mallory

From the first glimpse he knew he must have her — even if only for a single night . . .

Powerful, ruthless, seductive—the lord of London’s underworld—Roman Merrick gets anything he wants . . . and he burns for Charlotte Chatsworth, a polished jewel in the glittering ton. So he engages her debt-ridden gambler father in a game of chance, wagering ten thousand pounds against one night with the man’s exquisite daughter. And Roman Merrick never loses.

But one night is never enough . . .

Charlotte is devastated to learn that her reprobate father has lost her in a card game to the most dangerous man she’s ever met. With the threat of ruin behind every corner, Charlotte embarks upon a perilous path with the man she cannot forget. But in truth, it’s Roman who has everything to lose—for a game undertaken for pleasure alone soon has him gambling his heart. And love and passion unleashed could bring his great, dark empire tumbling down . . .

6. 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber

Olivia Lockhart-Griffin 

Cedar Cove, Washington 

Dear Reader, 

Do you remember Teri Miller? She works at Get Nailed, the beauty salon here in town. Well, Teri got married a little while ago—to Bobby Polgar, the famous chess champion. They've moved into a beautiful house, 74 Seaside Avenue, which has a spectacular view of Puget Sound. 

Teri's my hairdresser, and she confided that something seems to be worrying Bobby. When she asked him about it, he told her he was "protecting his queen," and she got the oddest feeling that he wasn't talking about chess, but about her. 

Rachel Pendergast also works at Get Nailed, and I've heard that she has two men seriously interested in her. I also wanted to tell you that Linnette McAfee, who's Roy and Corrie's daughter, recently left town because her love life fell apart. We all know about that kind of trouble. 

Oh, by the way, Teri says we should come in soon for a manicure and a chat…. 

Olivia 

7. Queen's Gambit by Marie Treanor

The Grand Master of her body—and her fate.

Ever since a jealous wife cursed her, Christi Blythe has lived seven hundreds years of a half life, trapped by day in the black queen of a chess set. She lives only between the hours of dusk and dawn, waiting for the one true love who is willing to sacrifice a vital game of chess to break the curse.

Now, years after she has given up hope, her remote Highland hotel is hosting a chess match between two high-profile Grand Masters of the game. One of them is the brilliant but erratic Russian, Andrei Zuvaran.

Andrei suspects there is something different about the luscious barmaid and her chess set. One hot night with her—and one shocking dawn—confirms it. But he can’t afford to lose this match. Not even to free her.

He’s got more riding on it than money, more than his heart. His next move could cost a life.

8. Game of Kings by Anthea Carson

Something is rotten in the world of chess. Darla Martin is perfectly content to live in Denver, work at a library, and play chess every night. That’s before she meets Mikhail, a mysterious and proud Russian grandmaster. And Maxwell, who is charming and handsome and speaks of dark things. And Fred, who warns her not to look into his eyes. Before she knows it, Darla’s comfortable world is turned upside down.

9.  Miss Gabriel's Gambit by Rita Boucher

Beautiful Sylvia Gabriel has more cause than most to despise the Game of Kings. Chess has been the ruination of her life—ending her engagement, filching her fortune and reducing her to poor relation. But when she finds herself falling in love with chessmaster David Rutherford, the new Lord Donhill, Sylvia stakes her heart, her future and her reputation on the riskiest gambit of all

10. Finessing the Contessa by Wendy Soliman

Lord Robert Forster hopes to meet his match—on the chessboard. He jumps at the chance to cross rooks with the renowned Sicilian widow Contessa Electra Falzone. However, the lovely foreigner's bold opening gambit raises concerns about her politics when she finds her way into his bedchamber, not with seduction in mind, but to steal state secrets.

Electra Falzone has always avoided scandalous liaisons, until blackmail forces her to turn thief and risk her reputation in the arms of the handsome Lord Robert. If her manipulators were threatening only her, she would confess all to her fellow strategist. But given who will suffer if she fails, she can't afford to take that risk.

Drawn to the exotic contessa, Rob won't allow her to be used as a pawn by an unscrupulous schemer. But if Electra is determined to play this dangerous game for reasons of her own, nothing Rob can do will stop her.

Let me know if I missed a Chess Romance you love!

Vote for the best of the best on my Goodreads list: Checkmate: Chess in Romance Novels

Sometimes buidlings become characters in books. 

I sometimes select a hotel just because of its history.

These are some best Historic Hotels around the world.

Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan

Yamanashi, Japan
Opened: 705

Zum Roten Baeren

Freiburg, Germany
Opened: 1120

The Old Bell Hotel and Restaurant

Malmesbury, UK
Opened: 1220

Hotel Interlaken

Interlaken, Switzerland
Opened: 1323

Hotel El Convento

Location: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Opened: 1651

Fairmont The Norfolk Hotel

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Opened: 1904

Don't you just want to pack your bags? 

Here are some great Historical Romance Novels that featuring Inns that you can visit. 

My lists are never in particular order. Enjoy!

1. It Happened One Night by Stephanie Laurens,  Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro, and Candice Hern  

It Happened One Night . . . and nothing was ever the same again!

Once upon a time, four superstar storytellers—New York Times bestselling authors Stephanie Laurens and Mary Balogh, along with Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern—came up with a delicious idea. What if they each wrote a story about a proper young lady stranded at a remote inn away from society's constraints? What would happen? And how long would it take for her to give in to desire?

In these four amazing tales, four heroines will come face-to-face with the men who got away . . . only to discover that, instead of anger, there is still a passionate connection that cannot be denied. And while each of their lives is quite different, and their pasts utterly unique, they will all make a common discovery—that one night can change everything . . . forever.

2. Parting Gifts by Lorraine Heath

Marrying Maddie, a woman who works in a brothel in order to survive, widower Charles Lawson hopes to provide his three children with a loving mother until his terminal illness causes him to arrange a match between Maddie and his brother.

3. Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas

Poppy Hathaway loves her unconventional family, though she longs for normalcy. Then fate leads to a meeting with Harry Rutledge, an enigmatic hotel owner and inventor with wealth, power, and a dangerous hidden life. When their flirtation compromises her own reputation, Poppy shocks everyone by accepting his proposal--only to find that her new husband offers his passion, but not his trust.

Harry was willing to do anything to win Poppy--except to open his heart. All his life, he has held the world at arm's length…but the sharp, beguiling Poppy demands to be his wife in every way that matters. Still, as desire grows between them, an enemy lurks in the shadows. Now if Harry wants to keep Poppy by his side, he must forge a true union of body and soul, once and for all...

4. A Man and a Woman by Robin Schone

Widowed Megan Phillins longs to experience the intimacies shared with a man just once more. Playing the role of a harlot, she travels to the Land's End Inn, where she knocks upon the door of a mysterious stranger. After a night of forbidden passion Megan is shocked to discover the traveler is actually Connor Treffrey, an Englishman who was marooned and sold into slavery. But now Connor has returned to reunite with his well-bred family. And together, he and Megan will embark on a breathless journey of indescribable pleasure. 

5. The Grand Hotel by Elisabeth Fairchild, Barbara Metzger, Carla Kelly, and Allison Lane

London's luxurious Grand Hotel is the perfect setting for romantic rendezvous, glittering celebrations--and Cupid's good works. The impeccable staff and a host of most intriguing--and attractive--guests, will pamper, entertain, and romance readers in five heartwarming stories of love by five award-winning writers.

6. Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn

Mariah Eller was only trying to save her inn from being trashed. So how did the widow manage to attract the unwanted—and erotic—attention of the Prince of Wales? Not that being desired by royalty is necessarily bad… Only, Mariah much prefers the prince's best friend….

Jack St. Lawrence is very tempting, and very loyal. And he knows that the prince gets involved only with married women. So he figures sexy Mariah is safe…until the prince demands Jack find her a husband!

The problem? Jack and Mariah can't fight their sizzling attraction. And once they give in to their desires, the situation is even worse. Because the prince's man has found a husband for Mariah.

Himself…

7. A Place Called Rainwater by Dorothy Garlock

The small town of Rainwater, Oklahoma, has become a notorious boomtown now that a gusher has flooded its streets with drillers, welders and roustabouts of every description. Jill, a young woman who runs the hotel for her aunt, is unprepared to cope with the attention she receives from the woman-hungry men.

8. In the Heart of the Highlander by Maggie Robinson

Ever since Mary Evensong’s elderly aunt Mim got sick, Mary’s masqueraded as the owner of the Evensong Agency, finding housemaids and husbands, and solving pesky problems, for the peerage. Someday she’d like to shake off her silvery wig and spectacles and be the young woman she truly is, but desperate clients are waiting for “Mrs. Evensong” at the office.
 
Like a scandalous Scottish baron. Honor forbids Lord Alec Raeburn from explaining the suspicious circumstances surrounding his wife’s death, but he knows who’s responsible. He just needs to hire an actress to lure the scoundrel into a trap. 
 
After listening to Raeburn’s story—and seeing him in his kilt—Mary knows the perfect person for the role. Letting her red hair down, she heads off to the Scottish Highlands to pose as a seductress, but soon finds herself with more than her virtue at stake in a tug-of-war between two powerful men. She could wind up in danger—or in the heart of the highlander.

9. Hooked by Stef Ann Holm

Using an alias, stunt reporter Matthew Gage arrives in Harmony, Montana, to uncover the cheating going on in the town’s famous annual fly-fishing contest—not to tangle lines with a husband-hunting miss. But as soon as Meg Brooks gets stuck under his hotel bed, he’s hooked on her high-spirited charm. Besides, he hopes she’ll provide him with insider information—and a few kisses—while he snoops around.

But innocent Meg believes Matthew is “Vernon Wilberforce,” a polite carpet-sweeper salesman, the gentleman caller of her dreams. As the fishy scandal threatens to upset Harmony, Meg employs every lure in the book to land Matthew. But her heart will be broken by a man who isn’t what he seems…unless they each learn the truth: The best prize in life is given, not won. It’s love.

10. The Earl of Her Dreams by Anne Mallory

Facing the choice of flight or a wedding she cannot abide, Kate Simon has chosen to flee. Disguised as a boy, she takes refuge in a roadside inn, and finds herself rooming with intensely secretive Christian Black. Kate is breathless in the presence of this handsome, mysterious rogue whose piercing gaze seems to strip her naked. But neither suspects that a savage storm and a murder will draw them closer together still. But not the passion in their hearts

Christian dares not let anyone learn of his haunted past—or that he is, in truth, the Earl of Canley—especially not a slip of a girl whose masculine attire cannot disguise the exquisite female form beneath. But now that destiny and a dastardly crime have united them, Christian can no longer contain his desire to taste the nectar of Kate's sweet kiss. Danger certainly abounds, but the gravest peril might be resisting a once-in-a-lifetime passion that can heal all wounds.

Vote for the best of the best on my Goodreads list: Room for the Night: Inns in Historical Romance.

Ink stains on the fingers. Check. Wit. Check. Artist eye. Check. Strange. Check. 

Cartoonist make wonderful Romance Heroes and Heroines from those engaging in the right to free speech at the heart of political satire to the animators of my SpongeBob Square Pants Rainy Day Marathon. 

Enjoy these wonderful Comic Artists in Romance Novels. My lists are never in any particular order.  

1. Desired by Nicola Cornick

Her wicked ways were the talk of the ton

Teresa, Dowager Marchioness of Darent, is rumored to have exhausted her four deceased husbands with her insatiable needs. So it's no surprise that every rake in the ton wants to bed her. If they only knew…through clever marriages to men who would ask nothing of her physical self, Tessa has remained rather innocent in the ways of the bedroom. But now she's on the verge of losing everything and wants to take care of the stepson she's grown to adore.

Enter Captain Owen Purchase. The handsome American adventurer has come into the title of Viscount Rothbury. And the rumors surrounding his injuries at sea suggest that he could fit Tessa's requirements. But little does Tessa realize that the gossipmongers are wrong. She just might lose her heart, and her desires, to the most unlikely of men….

2. Kiss the Earl (Geek Girls) by Gina Lamm  (Out in April!)

Cilla McGowan always sold the properties she bought and then rebuilt, but this time Cilla planned on keeping the place for herself. Cilla knew restoring her grandmother’s retreat in the Shenandoah Valley would take lots of time, money, and hard work since no one had lived there since Cilla’s grandmother—glamorous Hollywood actress Janet Hardy—committed suicide 30 years ago. What Cilla hadn’t factored into her plans was just how distracting her sexy new neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyer, would be. Or that after Cilla discovers a packet of her grandmother’s letters, someone in the small town will stop at nothing to keep some secrets buried in the past.

Did I miss your favorite let me know!

To vote for the best of the best go to my Goodreads List: Draw: Cartoonists and Comic Book Artists in Romance

October Key Words: Blood, Fate, Ocean, Out, Still, The

Blood for Ink by L. L. Muir - 10-3-14

Master Knot of Human Fate by Ellis Meredith - 10-2-14

Rover Boys on the Ocean by Edward Stratemeyer - 10-3-14

Fed Up and Thawed Out by Ryan Brown - 10-6-14

What's the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian by Martin Thielen - 10-8-14

Masquerading the Marquess by Anne Mallory - 10-2-14

One issue I have with Time Travel is how hard it would be to get my hands on books in times gone by.

These Historical Romance Heroes and Heroines don't have that problem.

Here are where you would find me, if I went back in time: Best Bookshops in Historical Romance.

1.When His Kiss Is Wicked  by Kaitlin O'Riley

2. Seven Secrets of Seduction by Anne Mallory

3. The Bookseller's Daughter by Pam Rosenthal 

4. The Wild Marquis by Miranda Neville

5. The Heart of Christmas: by Mary Balogh, Nicola Cornick and Courtney Milan 

6. Gorgeous As Sin by Susan Johnson

7. Splendor by Brenda Joyce 

8. Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas 

9. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 

10. Anna and the Duke by Kathryn Smith 

Please recommend more wonderful Bookshops in Historical Romance! 

To vote for the best of the best, go to the Goodreads list: Best Bookshops in Historical Romance

To get see the most amazing bookstores from all over the world, visit my Pinterest Board: Best Bookstores in Romanceland! There are recommendations from all genres of Romance there as well.