Books by Lynn Shurr

When Lady Flora's twin daughters, Clio and Calliope, declare they will marry only twins, she is at a loss on how to proceed. However, her son, James, knows of a pair of young men living in a crumbling castle by the sea. Besotted by the gothic novels they have been reading, the girls could not be happier. An invitation to Castle Blackwater is soon forthcoming. It has everything they desire: hidden passages, an evil lord, and handsome heroes. But, who will marry the heir and which must settle for the spare is entirely another matter.

Joshua, the second son of the Duke of Bellevue, reneges on a promise to marry Kate Morely because of an incident that occurred when she was twelve. Instead, he intends to pursue the rich and beautiful prize of the Season, Lady Camilla. Kate takes up the challenge and intends to attract Harold Brumley, heir to a duke. Unfortunately, he is addicted to taking snuff. She must convince him she loves the habit to gain his attention. When Joshua starts to look her way again, Camilla plots to remove Kate from the competition which may prove fatal.

Lorena Billodeaux has spent the last two years in Australia to train for the Olympics. This is her dream, but when Jock Brown, a professional Aussie Rules Football player, makes a play for her heart, he distracts her big-time. Jock wants to give American Football a go, and Lorena's dad can help him. But when he puts himself up close and personal...

Joe Dean Billodeaux, womanizing star quarterback for the New Orleans Sinners, thinks maybe, just maybe, he should look for a more wholesome woman than the ones who quickly signed his little black book when his promised season of celibacy ended. Nellwyn Abbott, who helps fulfill the dreams of critically ill children, isn't interested in Joe, his black book, or becoming one of his conquests. After overcoming childhood leukemia, she knows there is more to life than casual pleasures. While she rebuffs Joe at every turn, she finds herself repeatedly thrown together with him by well-meaning friends. Though spooked by Nell's cancer experience, Joe realizes there might be more to life than sex and football. Can he convince Nell to give them the family she always dreamed of but thought was out of her reach?

Jilted by his Island Princess fiancée, Samoan cornerback Adam Malala seeks advice about women from his happily married, Sinners' quarterback, Joe Dean Billodeaux. But, Joe is preoccupied by two children who have showed up on his doorstep. Adam finds his own solution by applying the island maxim, "the best cure for a lost love is a new one." He sets his sights on the newly divorced Winnie Green, a nurse who has come to help with the children. Winnie has always planned ahead and done what her family expects but free from an unhappy marriage, she is ready for a wild fling with Adam. When they travel to Samoa, she soon realizes Adam and his culture are far more complicated than she suspected. When Adam is accused of a terrible crime, she must use her outsider ways to prove his innocence. Misunderstandings plague their relationship and all seems lost. Will a moonlit beach, a romantic dance and promise of commitment be enough to bring them back together?

As 1925 ends, spirited flapper Rosamond St. Rochelle encounters two men. Burke Boylan is rich and well-connected in New Orleans. Pierre Landry, a Cajun doctor, plans to return to the bayou backwaters to practice. Both would like to have Rosamond, the newly proclaimed Queen of the Mardi Gras Ball, at their side. But, Roz longs for a career of her own as one of the New Women of the Roaring Twenties. A fateful encounter on Mardi Gras day changes Roz's path in life. She must overcome personal tragedy and the forces of nature during the Great Flood of 1927 to discover the right man and the place where she truly belongs.

Anything can happen on a Mardi Gras day in the countryside. Fleeing an obsessive boyfriend, Suzanne Hudson arrives in tiny Port Jefferson, Louisiana, to inventory the antiques of an antebellum home. Full of moonlight and magnolia dreams, she soon finds her job boring and the master of the manor, George St. Julien, dull and awkward. Everything changes during the Mardi Gras ride when Suzanne is playfully abducted by a masked man on a white horse and the famous Magnolia Hill silver disappears shortly thereafter. Determined to discover the romantic rider's identity and solve the mystery of the lost silver, Suzanne unearths small town secrets that might be better left alone and finds her life in jeopardy. Will her masked rider come to her rescue?

Joe Dean Billodeaux, star quarterback for the New Orleans Sinners, faces forty and his last season of football with difficulty. A young quarterback, Rex Worthy, waits on the bench to take over, and a rapacious film star, Layla Devlin, wants to start an affair with Joe. When his wife, Nell, warns her off, the actress sets her sights on Rex, a self-proclaimed virgin. But Rex looks right past the glamorous Layla to her beleaguered assistant, Tricia Welles, who puts up with the star's abuse to pay her mother's medical bills. She is the woman with the loving heart Rex has been seeking, but convincing her of that is another matter. Layla's anger at being rejected by both men turns to rage. She plots revenge as the men play in Joe's last Super Bowl. Some will win and some will lose in the game of love.

A tiny premature infant is delivered into the caring hands of NICU nurse, Annie Billodeaux. His father, Matthew Keaton,is the newly hired running back for the New Orleans Sinners football team. His mother is deceased, victim of a stray bullet fired in a gang war. Matt blames himself for having brought his wife to the city. Annie's heart goes out to little Daniel and his suffering father. As she teaches Matt the ins and outs of the NICU and the handling of his child, her affection for both grows into a love she cannot confess so soon to the grief-stricken man. Matt feels the pull of Annie's tenderness, but won't act on it out of respect for his wife's recent death. When Daniel is able to go home, how can Matt keep Annie near until the right time comes for him to voice his love for the Angel of the NICU?

Owner of Regal Restorations, Julia Rossi learns of a Louisiana project worthy of her attention. The Bayou Queen hotel, once a splendid building, sits in ruins. Julia breaks in to see what The Queen has to offer and discovers parquet floors and magnificent plasterwork. She aches to restore The Queen to its former glory. Developer Remington Broussard purchased the site for demolition to make way for his condominium project, Black Diamonds. He catches Julia trespassing. It's a standoff against his shotgun and her hammer and pry bar. Admiring her spirit, beauty, and devotion to her art, he sets out to change her mind about him and the Queen. Julia is equally sure she can convince the handsome architect to save the hotel. A tug of war ?between their goals ensues?. Along the way attraction develops. Who will win?

Kara Shafer decides to give up on her college crush, Will Collier, and begin dating guys who are actually interested in her. Considering herself very average, Kara is surprised when handsome wannabe rocker, Jeff Ryder, picks her out of a crowd to be his muse. When Jeff's luck changes after meeting her, he asks her to elope. Throwing aside her usual good sense, she runs away with him and the band on a road trip toward fame and fortune, much of it based on the lyrics she writes. As Kara experiences the tumultuous ups and downs of her marriage, she often wonders if she might have been happier if she'd connected with Will. Has his life turned out as he planned? Does he think about the girl who wanted him so badly in college? Will she ever see him again?

Trinity Billodeaux considers himself the least of the men in his famous football family. He doesn't have their looks, strength, or confidence. In fact, he is a computer geek endlessly working on the creation of a video game he can't seem to finish. Yet, he hopes to attract the notice of super model, Josee Riley, his dream girl. Josee is a childhood friend. Helping out at the Billodeaux family charity, Camp Love Letter, she begins to see Trin in a different light after he performs several heroic acts. He denies he has done anything special. But perhaps, he can be her hero, too.

Rodeo bullfighter, Clinton O. Beck, has courage and compassion, especially for animals that have been abused. A man not afraid of a challenge, he takes on the gorgeous, gold digging Renee Hayes, hoping to teach her the simple pleasures in life have the most meaning. However, he plans on keeping two secrets while he educates her--his middle name and the fact that he is heir to a fortune. Bad girl Renee Niles Bouchard Hayes is between rich husbands and bored. With nothing better on her agenda she plans to amuse herself with the handsome bullfighter who offers to take her on a road trip she will never forget. While she plans for extravagance he delivers simplicity. Clinton learned long ago that those who have been hurt the most fight back the hardest. He's a match for any bull in the ring, but will he be strong enough to tame Renee?

Jane Marshall, environmental project engineer for Ste. Jeanne d'Arc Parish, is having a terrible day. The local government has cancelled her beloved recycling program. To top that off, the office CAO is out to get her fired. When the jerk who lives across the street lobs his beer cans into her yard, she marches right over to lecture the large, threatening man known as Crazy Merlin Tauzin about littering. Merlin, a war hero with adjustment problems, has not felt like smiling, laughing, or being with a woman for a long time. Jane makes him want to do all three. Combat taught him he cannot save the world or even his best friend, but he might be able to save Jane's world--if she will only admit sometimes a guy with a big-ass truck can come in handy.

Firefighter Ashton Blaise is brave, handsome, kind, and can cook both on the stove and in the bedroom. He routinely saves animals from the flames. Women want him, all except Leah Allain, new director of the local animal shelter, not even after he saves a kitten found in her burning house. Her resistance intrigues him as does the fact that her home was intentionally set afire. Not totally immune to Ash's charms, Leah is determined not to get involved with another guy out of her league like the married man who took advantage of her. Responsible for her senile grandmother, this time she cannot pull up roots and run. Though she picks on Ash's few faults to drive him away, he keeps finding excuses to be part of her life. Can Ash start a fire in Leah's heart and keep it blazing?

Dean Billodeaux, son of legendary Sinners quarterback Joe Billodeaux, strives to be his father on the football field but not off of it. Often accused of being "no fun", he possesses a stainless reputation. The only person who believes he isn't perfect is Stacy Polasky, an orphan raised by his parents. Stacy has maintained a bickering relationship with Dean calling him a big lout. He retaliates by dubbing her the Princess. When Dean's sister sees though their antagonism and realizes they are attracted to each other, she suggests Stacy stop being so independent and allow Dean to rescue her a few times. They set up several situations in which he can be Stacy's hero, but one goes badly awry and descends into real danger. Dean learns of Stacy's ploy and feels like a complete fool. Can she regain his love and trust before another woman steps in and takes the prize from the Princess?

Seeking to escape the memory of her husband's tragic death, Laura Dickinson leaves the North and takes a job as a librarian in the small town of Chapelle, Louisiana. She soon meets Robert LeBlanc. Owner of Chateau Camille and single father to a little girl badly in need of a mother, Robert sees everything through the lens of the past and local custom. Strongly attracted to him, Laura scoffs at the old tales. In tiny Chapelle, however, history is very much alive, but mad women and disturbed children are no longer locked in attics. Forced to face her feelings for Robert on Mardi Gras day, Laura unwittingly unleashes a series of events that lead to fire and bloodshed. Will their fledgling relationship survive?

Cassie Thomas is all grown up and certain she is in love with Joe Dean Billodeaux, star quarterback for the Sinners and adoptive father to the son she gave away at birth. Joe only wants to expand his family with his wife, Nell, and deflect Cassie's advances. So why not set Cassie up with the Sinners' new kicker and possibly the world's nicest guy, Howard "Howdy" McCoy? Cassie sees through Joe's attempt and insults Howdy, telling him he is not a real football player and possibly even gay. Howdy knows neither is the case. Regarding Cassie to be as challenging as a sixty-yard field goal, he sets out to prove her wrong even if it involves a personal makeover and a tough new attitude. But, will he be able to convince a woman who believes she can love only bad boys to give a nice guy a chance?

Newly retired bull rider Bodey Landrum figures to settle down on his ranch and raise a family. But his ideal woman is still Eve Burns, the convent-schooled girl who snubbed him way back when. The last place he expects to find her is waiting tables in their hometown of Rainbow, Louisiana. After school, Eve put her dreams of being an artist on hold to care for her dying mother. Now she's working three jobs to pay off medical bills. When Bodey walks back into her life, he makes her heart pound just like he did when they were teenagers, but they're still worlds apart. Everyone warns Bodey that Eve is his complete opposite. Only a miracle could bring them together. But Rainbow is known for small miracles, and Bodey never backs away from a challenge. Maybe Eve is hoping he won't give up so easily this time around.

Junior Polk wants only one thing more than to be drafted by the Sinners football team--the love of Xochi Billodeaux, whom he's adored since the feisty Mexican girl saved him from bullies as a weak, fat child. Having the ability to see auras, Xo is distracted from seeing Junior for the man he's become because of the "dark men" who appear to be following her. Surely, people will consider her crazy if she tells them what she fears--even Junior who swears he would die for her. When she is snatched off the street by a false Mayan priest who believes her sacrifice to the goddess Ix Chel will restore a man's vigor, Junior and three companions race to Cozumel to save her. Would Junior truly give his life for hers?

A grave sin is committed in the early nineteenth century, the root of a feud between the Courville and Niles families. When Esperanza Niles calls off her secret engagement to Rufus Courville, more fuel is added to the fire of hatred with tragic results. Over one-hundred years later, young Noreen Courville is plagued by dreams of her family's past. When she is pushed into the arms of cowboy, Rusty Niles, at a party, she thinks she understands the meaning of those dreams. She and Rusty are the reincarnated lovers, Espy and Rufe, destined to end the feud with their marriage. Rusty is not too sure about that but knows he loves Noreen. Hatred still flares between the two families and only a miracle will prevent another tragedy whether Noreen and Rusty are reincarnated souls are not. Can they end the feud? Only time will tell.

A pregnant young woman shows up at the Billodeaux ranch looking for Teddy, the handicapped adopted son of the family. Turns out Ella Sue Smalls is his half-sister looking for a place to stay until her baby is born. Good-hearted Teddy offers shelter at his very modest apartment. Though he will never be a member of the Sinners football team like his brothers, he is fiercely independent and earns his way as a freelance sports announcer and writer. Ella has arrived at an awkward time for her brother; Teddy had just reconnected with a former cheerleader he had a crush on in high school. Injured in a tragic accident, Jessica Minvielle is hopeless and bitter about her life confined to a wheelchair. She reaches out to Teddy for help to live a full life again and salvage her career as a sports trainer. He is only too glad to show her what a man and a woman in wheelchairs can do. But, will the scheming Ella Sue come between them and ruin their chance at love?