I have romances of all sorts piling up around the house. Here are some of the ones I've read recently.

Charlotte Mede takes a real event surrounding Beethoven's "Eroica" and uses it as a plot twist for her historical romance, "Explosive" (Brava, 2008, $14).

Gray Dalton, the Marquess of Blackburn, finds himself in a tangle with Devon Caravelle, daughter of a mathematician, in order to determine what secrets may lie in Beethoven's work, which was meant to be dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte.

Both England and France want this secret for themselves. All Devon wants is to find out who killed her father -- and Gray finds that all he wants is Devon.

Andrea Pickens brings readers the second of her "Merlin's Maidens" trilogy, "Seduced by a Spy" (Warner Forever, 2008, $6.99).

Even though this is part of a trilogy, the book stands well on its own. Some characters appear in both books, but that really doesn't have an impact since the story focuses on Shannon, a female orphan-turned-spy, who is both beautiful and daring.

Her mission is to eliminate one of Napolean's agents. Little does she know that her Russian counterpart, Orlov, is on the same mission. When they fail to get rid of the agent, the two travel back to London, only to find that their respective employers have decided to let them team up.

There's plenty of action along with the romance.

Donna Kauffman's "The Black Sheep and the Hidden Beauty" (Brava, 2007, $14) is sizzling hot.

Elena Caulfield has come to Dalton Downs to train horses. Once involved in the horse racing world, it seems to Rafe Santiago that she is hiding something. Because he wants to protect his friends, Rafe tries to get closer to Elena to find out just what that secret might be.

Danger lurks around every corner in this book.

Shirley Jump's romantic comedy, "Really Something" (Zebra, 2007, $7.99) is a delightful read.

Alison Gray returns to her little hometown 170 pounds lighter and determined to revenge herself against Duncan Henry, the boy who dumped her on prom night.

Needless to say, it doesn't quite work out that way.

Another laugh-out-loud romance is "To Catch a Cheat" (Warner Forever, 2007, $6.99), by Kelly St. John.

Marissa has decided that she has been cheated on enough and has decided that other women should be aware of some of the cheaters they might be dating. She sets up a Web site and starts her list with the very first person she feels betrayed her: Trent Jackson (back when they were 13).

Trent, now a successful businessman, decides to fight back -- and the battle begins.

Sandra Hill continues her series set in the bayou with "Wild Jinx" (Warner Forever, 2008, $6.99).

Those who have read the earlier books in this series will be happy to enjoy the antics of 92-year-old Tante Lulu as she tries to promote a romance for her grandson, John LeDeux, and reporter Celine Arseneaux.

Celine has written a story about a police investigation that puts John in danger, so his superiors suggest he head for safer ground. The bayou seems the best choice, but when Celine shows up to write about Tante Lulu's "treasure hunt," things heat up.

Contact Faye Dasen at fdasen@thepilot.com or 693-2475.