My Harlequin Moment: Dana Corbit

Oh, Malachite. (Sigh!) I have had so many amazing reading experiences from Harlequin over the years, but there's just something special about Ruth Langan's 1998 "Jewels of Texas" miniseries and particularly the last book, the story of the family's untamed half-brother, Malachite.  Yes, some of my most amazing Harlequin moments were spent curled up in the story of Malachite Jewel, or, more specifically, imagining myself curled up with this sexy, part-Comanche son of Texas rancher Onyx Jewel.

I love this book!

Malachite is one of those books that you just can't see on the store shelf without picking it up. Its cover absolutely sizzles as a bare-chested hero with flowing, black hair and intense green eyes stares out from the page. Even though it had been ten years since I first read this book, I could still picture that cover as I searched my overstuffed bookshelves recently for my keeper copy.

Though that great cover first piqued my interest, it was Ruth Langan's thrilling story that drew me in on Page 1 and kept me turning through Page 298. I shared Malachite's anger at the father he never knew, the white man who left his mother, Evening Star, behind without ever knowing about the child he'd fathered. I felt his frustration when his discovers that the man he's longed to face his entire life not only has four other children by different mothers, he also has died before Malachite has the satisfaction of confronting him man to man.

Malachite is both the classic, tortured hero and the tempting, dark hero, a combination that makes him downright irresistible.
Wild like the open country where he's lived most of his life, Malachite is tamed by the gentle widow, Millie Potter, who captures his heart and gives him full acceptance for the first time in his life. From the moment, that Millie faces off with Malachite for his bad manners in ruining the Jewel family's baptismal celebration I could feel the sparks flying between the two of them. And boy do they fly.  From the first touch of their hands to the first kiss - when he tries to remind the widow what it's like to kiss a man - the steam builds between these two at an exciting rate.  I longed for them to be together; I hoped for their happy ending.

I read Ms. Langan's story for the first time before I was ever published, so I wondered if my feelings about the story would change when I read it again. I'm happy to report that I was just as captured by Malachite and Millie's story this time around. Malachite is storytelling at its best, with action, adventure and even a little mystery tied to this sweet romance, where broken hearts are healed and hope abounds.

As a reader, I closed the pages of this book with a satisfied smile. As a writer, I can only hope to write stories with the same amount of sincerity and warmth that Ms. Langan shares with her readers. I know I left the book, Malachite, behind feeling a little bit in love with the man on the cover and in the pages. This story also gave me the chance to live in the 1870s Texas, but the opportunity to come into a story and fall in love for the first time, each and every time, is my favorite part of the Harlequin experience.  It's what always keeps me coming back for more.

About The Author:

Dana Corbit is the author of ten novels for Steeple Hill Love Inspired. Her most recent book, Homecoming at Hickory Ridge, is a July 2008 release. Look for Ms. Corbit's new miniseries, "Wedding Bell Blessings," coming from Love Inspired in September and December of 2009 and March of 2010.