State of Romance: Can't hurry love in the Great Lakes State
On this day in 1966, the Supremes became the first female music group to reach No. 1 on the album charts with The Supremes A' Go-Go, featuring their No. 1 single You Can't Hurry Love. Time called the Supremes the "pride of Detroit," keeping music fans "hanging on" to their songs of love. Detroit is the largest city in Michigan — a state that spans two peninsulas, borders four Great Lakes and inspires romance novels of all genres.
Detroit's underbelly skirts around Anya Kalinczyka as she investigates fires by day and hunts ghosts at night in Laura Bickle's Embers and Sparks. In nearby Ann Arbor, Deborah Cooke's Kiss of Fire ignites her paranormal series Dragonfire.
Melanie Harlow explores Detroit in the roaring '20s with her New Adult books Speak Easy and Speak Low.
Historical romance blossoms in 19th-century Michigan with Norah Hess' Winter Love, Susan Wiggs' The Hostage and JoAnn Ferguson's Anything for You.
Michigan sets the stage for romantic suspense in Linda Howard's Mr. Perfect, Cait London's With Her Last Breath and Tara Taylor Quinn's Where the Road Ends.
Two Harlequin authors write what they know. Upper Peninsula resident Carrie Alexander weaves Michigan's charm into A Family Christmas, Three Little Words and A Ready Made Family. Lower Peninsula denizen Lisa Childs rings wedding bells with Unexpected Bride, The Best Man's Bride, Forever His Bride and Finally a Bride.
Cozy mysteries bring amateur sleuths to Michigan with JoAnna Carl's 14 books in the Chocoholic Mystery series, Dawn Eastman's two books in A Family Fortune Mystery series, Nancy CoCo's two books in the Candy-Coated Mystery series and Laurie Cass' two books in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery series.
Speaking of cats, no list is complete without Lilian Jackson Braun's 29 novels in The Cat Who series, entertaining readers with cat sleuths KoKo and Yum Yum in the "thumb" of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
(I frequently referenced a map while writing this column to keep track of Michigan's peninsulas).
Add to the list of romance books set in The Great Lakes state using #stateofromance on Twitter.
Next week we visit Oregon, the Beaver State.
Kim Lowe is an Air Force veteran, Air Force spouse and romance book blogger at SOS Aloha. You can reach her at sos.aloha@yahoo.com.