Today Heroes and Heartbreakers welcomes author Miranda Kenneally, whose Catching Jordan and new release, Stealing Parker, out now, both feature strong friendships that just might lead to more... A fan of Friends to Lovers as a reader as well, Miranda's here to share her thoughts on and favorite examples of the trope. Thanks, Miranda!

(Be sure to stick around 'til the very end of the post to learn how to enter for a chance to win a copy of Stealing Parker!)

Several years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) asked me to go out on a double date with his friends. We loaded up in his friend’s car, and five minutes down the road, I became terribly ill and got sick in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot. (Sorry… too much info, I imagine.) Anyhow – my husband stuck with me, and so did his friends!

The best relationships are built on friendship… I think all of us are a little bit in love with the idea of falling for a friend. Friends see us at our best and our worst—They see us laugh when we’re watching funny movies together. They see us cry. And yes, they see us get sick.

I think readers enjoy stories where friends fall in love because we all hope we’ll find true love. I bet that everyone has had a crush on a friend at some point, and sometimes the friendship becomes more, but sometimes it doesn’t.

[How do you know when it's right?...]

J.K. Rowling's first adult fiction novel, The Casual Vacancy, is released today, and we know there are many Harry Potter fans out there in the H&H community.

Did you buy the book already? Have you started it? Have you finished it?

What do you think about J.K. Rowling's foray into grown-up territory?

We have a bit of a YA Crush here at H&H, so we were delighted to learn that NPR is putting together a list of the Top 100 YA Novels OF ALL TIME. 

The epic nomination list includes novels and series from lots of authors we’ve covered, including Sarah Dessen, John Green, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Richelle Mead, Gabrielle Zevin, J.K. Rowling, P.C. and Kristin Cast, Suzanne Collins, Cassandra Clare, Julie Kagawa, Scott Westerfeld, and more.

While we don’t dispute the inclusion of any of these on the list, it’s amazing to think of Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908, alongside today’s vampire novels. But then again, maybe Anne herself wouldn’t find it so anachronistic:

“Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then, would there?”

We’ll be heading over to cast our votes, but tell us—what YA makes the top of your list?

Today it was announced that J.K. Rowling is teaming up with Google Books to launch her Pottermore site, debuting in October. (Though the website teases, “Come back on 31st July to find out how you can get the chance to enter Pottermore early.”)

The mind boggles at just how much money that will make for the respective parties. Boggles. It’s impossible to even think of a witty comment about it.*

That’s a whole lotta cash.

*Even though this feature is theoretically supposed to be a humorous accompaniment to your morning coffee. Not so funny today. Not funny at all, in fact.

The last Harry Potter film is almost upon us! And in fact last night was the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II. The Hollywood Reporter has some lovely photos up, including this one:

They’re so grown up! Awww.

Are you psyched? Have your tickets yet? I know at least one H&H team member who cannot WAIT to see whether the Ron/Hermione kiss lives up to expectations—how about you?

Point, from Natasha:

I’m a weird reader; I refuse to read anything—I mean, ANYTHING—about a book until it’s in my hands. Only for series that have a new book coming out, I don’t read about them. I steer clear of author websites, Goodreads, Amazon and I even go as far as not reading the back blurb on the book even when it’s in my hand. If the previous book has a “Coming Soon” in it, I close the book and put it away. I don’t want a sneak peek, damnit, I want the whole book! Stop teasing me with it, gimmie gimmie NOOOOW.

[You know Myretta is shaking her head right now; read on for both sides of the issue!...]

This brand-new trailer for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows has just been unleashed into the world; you like?

Meanwhile, at H&H HQ, the Harry Potter Virgin Club Roundtable is very excited to catch up in time for the film's release.

Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance are both known for the overabundance of testosterone and the overpopulation of kick-ass heroines and Alpha heroes. If I’m being honest with myself—and with you all—those are some of the very reasons I enjoy these genres so freaking much.

But at the same time, more and more homosexual characters have been showing up in both UF and PNR novels, and that is what I want to talk about today.

You can find gay characters in both young adult and adult titles in the general paranormal genre. Let’s take Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series for example; Marcus Bane is the kind of character who challenges the main ones while making the reader smile:

'We're not dating,' Alec said again.

'Oh?' Magnus said. 'So you're just that friendly with everybody, is that it?'

[*grin*...]

The inaugural meeting of the Harry Potter Virgin Club is officially called to order. On the docket for today: Reactions to Book 1, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the form of a roundtable discussion between lizmaverick, Streanor, and redline_.

redline_: Third time really must be the charm—I finally made it all the way through the first Harry Potter—SCORE! As for what I thought of it...it was OK. Enjoyable, even. But personally, I just want to get through the first couple books so that I can get to the promised Ron/Hermione, a relationship (or ship) that sounds right up my alley.

Streanor: I have to admit I also jumped on the Harry bandwagon a bit late... I was about 17 when I picked up the first book. I simply loved it; yes, it lacked swooning romance, but I enjoyed the entire world J.K. Rowling created. Everything from what they eat to where they shop is explained with impeccable detail—so much so that you can’t help but imagine yourself in this world. The beauty is that you will grow with these characters and form deep bonds with them in the adventures that they will have. When the time comes for those hormones to finally kick in...you’ll be on the edge of your seat rooting on for some snogging!

[You know it!...]

Yesterday, Team H & H announced the formation of the Harry Potter Virgin Club, where redline_ and lizmaverick have agreed to read the Harry Potter series—all of it—for the first time in advance of the next Harry Potter film releasing.

Today, we see news of a first edition of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone selling at auction for $29,875. That's right—nearly $30,000 of first edition Harry Potter goodness.

And, coincidentally, one Team H & H staff member confessed to spending $50 on a Jo Beverley first edition (which then got reissued!). Another one of us dropped over $10 on a out-of-print Mary Balogh, which is a vast sum for the cheapskate in question.

What book and author have you paid the most for?

We have a confession. Two of us here at H&H (lizmaverick and myself, redline_) missed the Harry Potter boat. Big time. As in, we’ve never even made it through the first book.

When we were told that this is our last chance to experience a piece of the excitement in real-time along with the rest of the universe before it's too late  (after all, the second half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows heads to the big screen on July 15, 2011), we knew we had to give ol’ Harry another shot.

With that in mind, Liz and I have decided to read all 7 books in the series before the release of the last movie, posting along the way. Our prefect, streanor (Treanor, trainer—see what we've got going with the wordplay? We are so Rowling.), has already promised to help whip us into proper Harry fangirls.

So if you missed the boat too (and surely we’re not alone out there—right?!) and have always wondered what all the fuss was about, or even if you’ve read HP countless times and just want to relive the story, we invite you to join us on our little adventure by reading and discussing with us.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go grab a copy of the first book. The first official meeting of the Harry Potter Virgin Club is just around the corner.

What defines a romantic hero? Does he have to be sexy? Strong? The most important man in the room? Or can he merely be “the one who gets the girl”? If a story has a strong, intelligent heroine, do readers—or viewers in the case of movies—just go along with the heroine’s choice of hero? If you consider the Harry Potter movies fantasy or adventure, Harry is the hero. But if you consider the cycle a romance, it is Ron who steals the focus.

More than any factor that defines a romantic hero, after all, is that he is brought closer to the heroine by the arc of the story. He may start out less than worthy, but he grows to deserve her. He may not believe he cares about anything or anyone, but by the end she is the center of his world.

[Could you fall for a redheaded boy? . . . ]