West Houston RWA

BACHELOR CEO
by Michele Dunaway
Reviewed by Christy Janisse

Chase McDaniel is all set to take over for his grandfather as CEO of his family’s company. He’s been groomed for the job and has dedicated his life to learning the company business from the ground up. However, his grandfather has different ideas. His grandfather – the old coot that his is- decides Chase needs a chance that he never had- a year off with pay to experience life and make a choice for his future.

Shortly after his grandfather’s announcement, Chase finds out the beautiful woman he resuced not once, but twice that very day would be taking his job. Betrayed and still intriuged, Chase battles his desires for the woman with resentment of the forced sabbatical.

Miranda Craig has worked hard to achieve everything her deceased parent would have wanted for her. With a golden opportunity, she moved from Urban Chicago to rural Iowa to take a crack at her shot of breaking the glass ceiling.

Determined to make a success of herself, she is nearly blindsided by Chase McDaniel’s charm, good looks and endearing qualities. She gives into her desires and they share a magical night. She figures she has a year to get over him and get her head on straight before facing him again. However, fate has other plans.

A medical scare for his grandfather brings Chase storming back into town and taking control of the company. He doesn’t seem to care that he steps on Miranda’s toes. Miranda is ready to battle him for the top job, ready to challenge him and the board of directors to prove she is the best for the company. Then reality hits and she is faced with a decision. Should she step aside, seek another executive job in order to let the man she realizes she loves take over his birthright. Or, continue to fight, possibly win, and lose him forever.

To find out how Michele Dunaway handles this situation and fall in love with all the colorful characters she has created, don’t miss Bachelor CEO.

HIS BROTHER’S BRIDE-TO-BE
by Patricia Kay
Reviewed by Pat O’Dea-Rosen

The title tips the reader to the main conflict in this story, but there’s plenty more roiling within. In the novel-writing classes she teaches, Pat Kay urges students to make conflict compelling. With HIS BROTHER’S
BRIDE-TO-BE, she shows how.

When well-off widower Elliott Lawrence introduces his fiancé, Jill Emerson, and her son, Jordan, to his family and friends, he expects them to be as taken with her as he is. Instead, most count the twenty-seven years
separating Elliott’s age from Jill’s and assume she’ll take him for all he’s worth.

Stephen Wells knows different. He fell for J.J. Emerson more than a decade earlier during spring break on Padre Island. Her aunt’s sudden illness, a roommate who never explained why J.J. left the island, and Stephen’s fear that J.J. didn’t return his love kept him from searching for her. But he’s never forgotten her and doesn’t doubt her integrity.

Unfortunately, Stephen’s not in a position to vouch for Jill. On paper, he’s Elliott’s half brother. In fact, Elliott and his late wife took him in as a young boy and raised him. The groom–to-be is more than a sibling. He’s Stephen’s father figure, mentor, and best friend. Seeing Jill awakens Stephen’s dormant feelings for her. For Jill, meeting Stephen triggers both love and terror. The love part’s no surprise; she’s never forgotten Steve, her first love. The terror is due to the fact Jordan is Stephen’s son.

In Pat’s novel-writing classes, she reminds students that readers want and need an emotional connection
with a story’s characters. To that end, she shows us Jill’s sense of honor. Jill was never tempted by wealth, so why did she get engaged to a much older man? Her son desperately wants a daddy and fell in love with Elliott first.

Stephen’s sense of honor matches Jill’s. As they acknowledge long-buried feelings, their concern isn’t for themselves but for those they will hurt and confuse.

In HIS BROTHER’S-BRIDE-TO-BE, the characters struggle for their happy ending. For readers, that struggle is stressful but oh-so-satisfying.

THE PLEASURES OF SIN
by Jessica Trapp
Reviewed by Vicky Dreiling

Lady Brenna’s refusal to wed led her father to banish her to a lonely tower. Marriage, with a passel of brats and endless duties, would end her secret dream: to journey to Italy where she hopes to freely indulge in her great passion: painting erotic works of art.

When Brenna learns her sister’s fiancé has captured her father, she must save her father and her sister from the King’s enforcer, James Montgomery. Montgomery is said to have killed his late wife. In desperation to save her sweet sister from a cruel marriage, Brenna disguises herself as the bride and hides a knife beneath her clothing. Once the wedding feast ends, she plans to plunge the knife in the blackguard’s cold heart.
James is outraged when his new bride attempts to stab him. Her act amounts to treason against the crown. He saves her from a beheading, but there is one condition. Lady Brenna must come willingly to his bed.

Romantic Times awarded this charming and sensual book a K.I.S.S. Award. All of Ms. Trapp’s books evoke
the classical medieval romances that captured reader’s hearts, but do so in a fresh manner. The Pleasures of Sin is funny, endearing, and highly sensual. I couldn’t stop turning the pages.

BLOOD BAYOU
by Karen Young
Reviewed by Teri Richison

After several years without a new release, Karen Young is back and better than ever.

BLOOD BAYOU is her first Christian fiction novel, but the genre designation is the only thing that has changed. Karen delivers a spell-binding suspense that starts with murder and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Camille St. James believes in justice and the law. A professor at Talbot College she heads The Truth Project, an organization dedicated to the exoneration of innocent individuals who have been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death row. Their work on behalf of Chester Pelham is successful, but within hours of his release from prison another woman is dead and Chester is found wearing bloodstained clothes. His arrest lands Chester in the hospital in a coma. The Truth Project is suspended and Camille is forced to take a month’s vacation.

Camille is devastated to learn that the murdered woman is her ex-husband’s sister. A former attorney and recovering alcoholic, Jack spent several years in prison after a tragic drunk driving accident. During his incarceration, Jack found his true calling and his salvation in the word of God. Jack and Camille have been divorced for seven years and he is now a minister.

Camille knows that his sister’s death will devastate Jack and is certain he will blame Camille and The Truth
Project. Still, she feels obligated to tell him how sorry she is for his loss and drives to Blood Bayou so she can do so in person. It won’t be easy to face him after all these years, but it is the right thing to do. Camille is surprised by the changes in her ex-husband and uncomfortable with his religious calling.

As evidence mounts against Chester, Camille is the only person who believes him innocent. She launches her
own investigation, forcing her to stay in Blood Bayou and thus remain close to Jack. But someone doesn’t want Camille nosing into things and several attempts are made to chase her out of town, which quickly escalate to attempted murder. Jack has never stopped loving Camille and is determined to keep her safe.

Can this star-crossed couple rekindle their love, even as she works to free the man accused of killing his sister? Can she accept and ever be comfortable with the changes religion has brought into his life? Will her blood be the next to pollute the waters of Blood Bayou?

Don’t miss this who-done-it that offers all the clues, and still delivers a surprise ending!

GOTCHA!
by Christie Craig
Reviewed by Ane Ryan Walker

Macy Tucker was five years old when her beloved grandfather dropped dead in his spaghetti. At twelve, her father left his family in the dust. At twenty-five, her husband gave his secretary a pre-Christmas bonus in bed, and Macy gave him the boot. To put things lightly, men have been undependable.

That’s why dating’s off the menu. Macy is focused on law school, and putting herself through—which means being the delivery girl for Papa’s Pizza. But cheesier than her job is her pie-eyed brother, who just recently escaped from prison to protect his new girlfriend. And hotter than Texas toast is the investigating detective. Proud, sexy…inflexible—he’s a man who would kiss her just to shut her up. But Jake Baldwin’s a protector as much as a dish. And when he gets his man—or his woman—Macy knows it’s for life.

Christie Craig Strikes again! Another winner from our very own favorite crime writer. Believable characters, even when they are extreme, tight plot and the ever important Happily Ever After. No surprise that Craig is consistent in her delivery and follow through. Don’t start “Gotcha” unless you plan to finish the book in one sitting. Yes folks, the plot is tightly woven and the story compelling enough to spend the afternoon and an
evening in the company of her characters.

BENEATH BONE LAKE
by Colleen Thompson
Reviewed by Jo Anne Banker

Is there anything more chilling, more horror-filled, than a mother’s fear when her child disappears?

After a year in Iraq, widow Ruby Monroe comes home to Dogwood, Texas, eager to reunite with her four-year old daughter, Zoe. The excellent salary she has earned overseas as a contract bus driver for DeserTek, a non-military sub-contractor, will allow her to complete her training as an RN and give Zoe a better life. Ruby’s sister, Misty, took care of home, hearth and Zoe, allowing Ruby take the job.

Ruby gets to the Dallas airport eager for the “the heaven of Spaghetti-Os and storybooks, and Zoe’s endless schemes to drag out tuck-ins.” But rather than experiencing the joy of her daughter’s sticky hugs and kisses, Ruby’s backpack is stolen and Misty and Zoe are no-shows. Things go downhill from there.

Sam McCoy has lived the quiet life the last two years, acting as a fishing guide on Bone Lake with his only true companion a young chocolate lab named Java. His five-year probation for the felony charge of stepping over the line as a computer hacker doesn’t call for an invisibility cloak, but Sam is lying low anyway. He figures he got lucky not having to serve time, and he’s not taking any chances.

At least not until his neighbors go missing and his foster brother’s widow, Ruby Monroe, has no one else to
turn to for help.

What follows is a complex mystery, so suspenseful and action-filled, that the reader can do nothing but grab
onto the pages and hang on for the ride.

Colleen Thompson’s Texas adventures have a reputation for being so descriptive, so powerfully written that the setting itself becomes a living character. From the West Texas desert to the city streets of Houston, Ms. Thompson immerses the reader so completely that one is on the lookout for rattlesnakes or drug dealers. Her latest will not disappoint. The dark bayou, with its stinging insects, its monster gators, and its thick vegetation that can trap like quicksand, will have you gasping for breath and fighting against the feeling of being dragged down, down, down – Beneath Bone Lake.

A BRIDE IN THE BARGAIN
by Deeanne Gist
Reviewed by Jody Payne

The worst thing I can say about A Bride in the Bargain is it’s over.

You know what I mean. You pick up a book and scan the first page. It interests you enough to read the second. And the third. Pretty soon, you’re skipping lunch and the laundry piles up. You can’t seem to put it down.

The heroine, Anna Ivey, is someone you get to know and care about. She’s desperate. Her father and her brother were killed in the War Between the States, and her mother died of a broken heart. Anna blames herself.

In the south, we tend to view our own war aftermath of destruction as catastrophic, and it was. But in December of 1865, people in Massachusetts were also destitute. Wives and children of soldiers who would never return were starving and begging in the streets.

Anna found employment as a cook in a boarding house. Unfortunately, the job came with an employer, and she was forced to run for her life or at least her virtue. She makes a deal to travel to Seattle for employment. The procurer swears Joe Denton needs a cook for his logging company, and he will pay her passage.

Sounds good, right? A classic win-win solution. Well, no, not quite. Joe Denton believes he’s getting a bride.

What will happen when they meet? Now you’re hooked. You swear you’ll read just one more page.

I’ll tell you just this much without revealing too much of the plot. When Joe picks her up at the dock, he’s delighted. The girl’s a beauty, and he drives her directly to the church. Although he wasn’t particularly interested in a purchased wife, he needs one to hold onto his land. A bachelor could receive 320 acres, but a married man would get 640 acres of prime timber land. Since he is unable to prove he had been married when he claimed the 640 acres and is now widowed, the judge has given him a deadline to produce a wife.

Even though the attraction is there and growing between these two strong characters, their problems are insurmountable. Anna believes she is sudden death to anyone she loves; everyone in her family told her so just before they died. As she slowly begins to realize this is untrue and she gives the power of life and death back to God, she still resists Joe’s proposal. Believing he only wants her to marry him to keep his land, she refuses.

Joe will have to find a way to convince her he wants her for herself. He must love her more than the land.

Plan to send out for pizza and forget the laundry. You won’t put this book down until the last page and then you’ll cry because it’s over.

GODDESS BOOT CAMP
by Tera Lynn Childs
Reviewed by Nancy Kay Bowden

Last summer, in Oh. My. Gods., Phoebe and her mom moved to the Greek island of Serfopoula, where her Future Step-Dad is headmaster of a prestigious private high school. Feeling extremely mortal among classmates who are descendants of the Greek gods and whose ancestral attributes determine their clique alliances, Phoebe managed to make terrific new friends. Okay, Griffin’s a terrific hot new boyfriend.

Phoebe discovered she’s got godly powers, too, but now they’re seriously out of control. She’s headed to summer camp to learn how to manage them. Goddess Boot Camp. Sigh. Where the rest of the campers are little kids.

To make a bad summer worse, Phoebe and her “evil “ step-sister Stella—a camp counselor (sigh)—are stuck with each other while their newlywed parents are away on their honeymoon. Since Phoebe’s powers come from her dad, a pro football player, she wants to know more. Like, in particular, about his death. Was he smoted by the gods? She needs to do some serious digging.

SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE
By Kerrelyn Sparks
Reviewed by Sharon Forret

The Scots sure know how to throw a party. Especially the immortal Scottish vampires who populate Kerrelyn Sparks’ latest fun paranormal adventure, “Secret Life of a Vampire.” After a bachelor party gets particularly out of hand, it is up to responsible Jack, interim head of MacKay Security and Investigation, to clean up the mess and make nice with the human police who come to investigate the shindig. After all, a cleaning service and a little vampire mind control should be all it takes to do the trick. But Jack is in for the surprise of his unnaturally extended life when he meets Officer Lara Boucher.

Lara is not only immune to his mind games but also a gorgeous former beauty queen determined to do something important with her life following a tragic accident and a long period of recovery. Ambitious and beautiful, her goal is to prove her metal and make detective. She is immediately both suspicious of and deeply attracted to Jack, who does superhuman feats that she can’t explain. Her heart tells her he is a good man that she can trust, but her head knows that something extraordinary is going on. Something that he refuses to tell her about.

Jack, or Giacomo di Venezia, as he was once known, is the perfect Italian lover: sexy, suave, and unfailingly polite. Since being transformed into a vamp, he has fought with the good guys and worked with MacKay Security to battle the dark Malcontents—evil vampires determined to feed from and kill as many humans as possible. Jack has also devoted his life to trying to overcome his past—or rather, his father’s infamous reputation, for his father was none other than Casanova, one of the most famed seducers of all time.

Lara and Jack are drawn together by more than their red-hot chemistry. When local college girls start disappearing, Jack suspects a Malcontent is behind the abductions. Lara refuses to back off the investigation even when it becomes apparent that she bears a striking resemblance to the victims. Jack has found the woman of his dreams, but how can he keep her safe from this supernatural threat? And how can he keep her heart if he cannot tell her the truth about his vampire background?

“Secret Life of a Vampire,” the latest installment in the bestselling and critically praised Love at Stake series, will be welcomed by avid fans and newcomers alike. Readers acquainted with the series will be treated with familiar faces and friends, while newbies will delight in the humor and warmth of Sparks ’ writing. Lara and Jack’s story is sweet and thrilling, funny and sexy, and one not to be missed!

ENTERTAINING ANGELS
by Judy Duarte
Reviewed by Donna Maloy

Judy Duarte’s sequel to the outstanding Mulberry Park, is a heartwarming and inspiring story about never giving up on dreams. It’s also a cautionary tale about the power of guilt in shaping our lives.

Kristy Smith was on her way to a college and a bright future when she became pregnant and – in her own eyes, at least – ruined her grandmother’s life. Craig Houston, who once dreamed of a major league baseball career, became a pastor for all the wrong reasons and now doubts he can make a difference in the little town of Fairbrook. Shana is getting married to the perfect boy, except he’s not the one she’s always dreamed about. And Renee, who just wants the best for her unborn child, has no money, no job, and no future. But it’s a known fact that the future unfolds in mysterious ways. Aided by cryptic messages of hope from a transient named Jesse, Kristy and Craig fall in love, Shana finds the courage to be herself, and Renee becomes the daughter she always wanted to be. And incidentally, Craig finds a way to make a difference in baseball, Kristy finds a way to go back to school, Shana re-connects with her former sweetheart, and a childless couple finds the perfect ready-made family.

Duarte weaves all these stories together seamlessly. In a suspense novel, the tension often escalates to a crescendo of violence. In a Duarte novel, you can count on love and kindness escalating to a crescendo of hope fulfilled.

Read Entertaining Angels. Believe in small miracles again.

THE PROMISE
by TJ Bennett
Reviewed by Kay Hudson

In THE PROMISE, TJ Bennett returns to the turbulent Europe of 1525 and to Günter Behaim, the mercenary soldier brother of the hero of last year’s THE LEGACY.

Günter has made a battlefield promise to a fellow soldier and friend: if something happens to Martin, Günter will take his place and marry Alonsa, the beautiful Spanish widow who sells her father’s fine swords to the troops.

Alonsa has other ideas. Cursed by a spurned gypsy suitor ten years earlier, she knows that any man who loves her will die. As proof, she has already buried two husbands. Her marriage to Martin was to be one of convenience. While they liked one another well enough, Martin was more interested in inheriting the family blade business than in loving Alonsa.

When Martin dies of wounds taken in the course of saving Günter’s life, Alonsa and Günter, two people determined not to love, are bound together by honor and duty. Günter quickly realizes his love for Alonsa, but conceals it because of her belief in the curse. Alonsa, in turn, will not admit her love to Günter, believing that he does not love her.

Their friends, Alonsa’s companion Inés and the eager young would-be mercenary Fritz, provide support in the  journey across war-torn Europe. Adventures and dangers test love and courage, and the suspense carries through to the last pages of the book.

THE PROMISE is a terrific read, even better than THE LEGACY. Don’t miss it.

A REAL LIVE COWBOY
By Judy Duarte
Reviewed by Donna Maloy

Isabella Mendoza has a list. On it are all the requirements she has for a man she might consider marrying. William "J.R." Fortune doesn’t meet any of them. Isabella wants somebody down to earth, with a steady job. Someone who’s not afraid of commitment. At the age of forty, J.R. suddenly gave up a successful, lucrative city career in order to buy a ranch and become a "real" cowboy – not exactly evidence of sensible maturity. Or commitment. He does have a good sense of humor (on her list), he’s sensitive, caring (also on the list) and he’s handsome (not on the list, but she can’t help but notice).

The main problems Isabella sees are that 1) J.R. isn’t Latino so he can’t possibly understand how important her heritage is to her, and 2) J.R. is stubborn and manipulative. Isabella’s stepfather was that way, insisting she give up her Tejana culture and language. Now that she’s no longer under his control, she certainly doesn’t want to surrender to someone just like him.

But J.R. knows what he wants – and it’s the beautiful Latina he’s hired to decorate his historic ranchhouse. He’s persistent, especially when he senses that Isabella is attracted to him, too. Escalating danger for the Mendoza family, J.R.’s concern for her safety, Isabella’s racing heart whenever she’s near J.R., and a sweet little dog who loves them both – all conspire to make Isabella re-think her list. She was looking for a real, live cowboy. Could J.R. be the real thing?

We’ve all fallen, at one time or another, for the wrong man. Judy Duarte’s book reminds us of the turmoil and passion that go along with making hard choices. Isabella knows all the reasons she shouldn’t fall for J.R., but under Duarte’s expert crafting, she comes to know her heart a little better – and we all cheer her decision to embrace a happy ever after ending.

SINS OF A WICKED DUKE
by Sophie Jordan
Reviewed by Lark Howard

The beautiful Fallon O’Rouke has been in service since leaving school. Unfortunately, she’s finding it impossible to keep both a position and her virtue in a world where men of privilege expect more than housekeeping from comely servants. After fleeing the insistent son of her latest employer, Fallon decides to apply for her next position disguised as a young man, only to find herself in the employ of the Duke of Damon, the most notorious rake in London.

Dominic Hale has come by his reputation honestly, flaunting his libertine behavior most outrageously. Lately, however, he’s become restless until even alcohol and women in copious quantities and combinations no longer distract him. His thoughts keep drifting to a lovely red-h aired woman he’d met briefly one evening. Now his new valet’s obvious disapproval is ruining the little pleasure Dominic still takes in his vices.

Being Dominic’s valet gives Fallon the chance to see behind the duke’s public mask . As her attraction to him grows, poor Dominic is puzzled that he cares what the naïve young man thinks of him. He never suspects the valet is really the red-haired beauty he can’t forget. Then one night in the dark, a case of mistaken identity changes everything for both of them.

One of the things I love about Sophie Jordan’s books, is her heroines are as charming and flawed as her heroes. Fallon is smart and feisty but she carries around a grudge that taints her view of the world in general, and male aristocrats in particular. Determined to earn her independence, she sees betrayal where there is only benign neglect and as a result becomes her own worst enemy.

Dominic, unlike most heroes labeled wicked, truly is unrepentant and determined to live down to the worse of his shocking reputation. Still, he has his own eccentric code of honor that makes one cheer him on and fall under his spell.

As in all Ms. Jordan’s books, "Sins of a Wicked Duke" is a rich, original story that goes beyond the ballrooms of the ton. Fallon is a servant who must work to survive. Dominic is a duke with past that tortures his present. Their story is compelling, romantic, sexy and ultimately heart-warming. I love everything Ms. Jordan writes and this is another not-to-be-missed historical romance!

IMMORTALS: THE RECKONING
“Beyond the Mist”
By Robin T. Popp
Reviewed by Sarah Schroeder

“Beyond The Mist” By Robin Popp was her contribution to the Immortals: The Reckoning anthology. This is a continuation of last Fall’s Immortals: The Haunting. Robin follow-ups on Mai’s neighbor Jenna who is dealing with the murder of her sister. She wins a cruise, which she thinks will help her escape her pain, but David Runningbear, a hunky and obnoxious spirit walker, thinks that the cruise is a scam and tries to get her off the ship – but it is too late: they’re trapped!

Like the previous book, I’m loving the fact that there is unfinished business that is being dealt with – Jenna’s grief over the loss of her family. I feel that having unfinished business adds a layer of reality to the series as a whole. But I feel that it being a novella limited the story that could have been easily expanded into a book length story. Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy this chapter of the Immortals series – and I do hope that the authors decide to add to the series in the future.

THE SHERIFF OF HORSESHOE, TEXAS
By Linda Warren.
Reviewed by Sarah Schroeder

Wyatt Carson has been hiding out and in Horseshoe, Texas as the sheriff since the death of his wife six years earlier. His peace is disrupted by Peyton Ross speeding through town escaping her mother’s recent wedding. It gets worse when she tries to pay the sheriff off instead of getting ticket – she finds herself in jail and sentences to community service in the town. With the entire town snubbing the socialite, Wyatt is left to handle Peyton with the help of his mother and young daughter – both who fall under Peyton’s spell… and soon he does too.

Linda has another winner with Wyatt and Peyton. This fish out of water story (or Beauty and the Beast – I can’t quite decide which) reinforces the support network of family and the healing power of love that is always present in Linda’s books. I believe that anyone can enjoy this book were justice and love prevail.

TWI”S FOR THE TEACHER
by Michele Dunaway
Reviewed by Christy Janisse

This is a milestone book for Michele Dunaway in a milestone year for Harlequin. Twins for the Teacher is Michele’s 20th book and Harlequin is celebrating 60 years. Congratulations to Michele as well as her publisher. Not only for the momentous books/years but for publishing such a terrific book!

Twins for Teacher is Michele’s best book yet. Normally I’m not the type of person who loves stories set with ready made families. However, Michele’s talent shines through with the way she has woven this tale.

The characters in Michele’s book are real life, three dimensional and I totally fell in love with each and everyone. This is a sweet love story, a tale of triumph over the past, and fantastic family merging that will have you flipping pages quickly and wishing it wasn’t over at the end.

COWBOY COMMAnDO
by Joanna Wayne
Reviewed by Jo Ann Robisheaux

When Linney Ringle shows up at Cutter Martin’s condo, he knows he’s in trouble. Not only is she his lost love, she’s also kidnapped a child and is on the run from the law. As an ex-Navy SEAL, Cutter is more than equipped to come to Linney’s rescue, but his heart is far from ready to tackle what Linney means to him.

“Cowboy Commando” is Joanna Wayne’s first story in the “Special Ops Texas” series written for Harlequin Intrigue. A master of writing sizzling romances, Joanna also keeps the reader guessing until the end as Cutter and Linney fight to save a child from a murderer.

You’re sure to enjoy “Cowboy Commando”. Especially if your heart beats a little faster at the thought of a take-charge, confident hero who’s also a cowboy at heart.

THE MOMMY MAKEOVER by Kristi Gold
Reviewed by Karen Burns

Kristi Gold has one again struck gold with The Mommy Makeover, the fourth book in the O’Brien family series. Mallory, Aidan, and Logan O’Brien have all found love and now their brother, Kieran, is the focus. Kieran’s journey begins with a precocious eleven year-old, Stormy Stevens, who aspires to be a softball player. She hires him as a personal trainer for her mother.

Erica Stevens has been a widow for six years and works as a massage therapist to support herself and her daughter. A former gymnast, she’s always conscious of the extra thirty pounds she carries and reluctantly agrees to Kieran’s offer for a few training sessions. Yet as she loses the pounds, she gains confidence in herself as a woman and realizes the extent of her attraction to Kieran.

Kieran O’Brien is the perfect physical advertisement for his own health club. While he’s built a successful business he’s managed to avoid getting serious with a woman—until her meets Erica. He’s immediately captivated by her along with enjoying softball lessons with Stormy. Yet a medical emergency nearly destroys their budding romance.

The Mommy Makeover is delightful, heartwarming, and sexy. Erica and Kieran are the perfect pair,
much happier together than separate, if they can make that leap. After reading you just might want to visit your local health club. Erica and Kieran make exercise a truly engaging activity.

WOULD-BE WITCH by Kimberly Frost
Reviewed by Jo Anne Banker

Tammy Jo Trask comes from a long line of witches, but at the ripe old age of twenty-three, she’s never manifested a bit of magical power – not even one tiny spell. Although her momma and her Aunt Melanie, when not off gallivanting Lord knows where, still hold hopes that Tammy will come into her power, it’s not like she needs lots of magic in her small Texas hometown of Duvall.

Tammy Jo’s hunk of an ex-husband doesn’t believe in magic, but he loves the girl. Deputy Zach Sutton is a man who knows what he wants. Evidently he thought that meant it was okay to ignore Tammy after they said their “I dos.” But even after she gets the divorce decree that says, “I don’t,” it’s impossible to say, “I won’t,” when Zach wants to give her a little of his sweet lovin’.

So Tammy Jo moves on and becomes the best little pastry chef in town. Course that’s before she lets her redheaded witch’s pride overrule common sense and gets herself fired. Then things go from bad to worse.

When a strange burglar strikes and carries off Tammy Jo’s family locket, which just happens to housethe family ghost, Tammy must turn to the sexy wizard, Bryn Lyons, for help with developing her powers. The problem with Bryn is that anyone with the Lyons name is off-limits for witches in Tammy’s family. A big no-no. Why, hasn’t she been taught that since she was a baby?

But what’s a girl supposed to do when her very own ghost’s soul is at risk. After all, Bryn did give
Tammy Jo her kitten and new best friend, Mercutio. And no, he’s not a leopard, he’s an ocelot.

As it turns out, vampires and werewolves – and some other surprising creatures – can keep a girl
pretty busy. What follows is a witty and fun adventure that involves Tammy testing her powers by casting a few spells and testing her limits with two sexy, sometimes lovable, sometimes wouldn’t-you-just-love-tosmack-‘em guys.

Kimberly Frost brings a charming new voice to the paranormal world of romance. It’s a tasty treat and I enjoyed every page.

Reviewed by Ellen Watkins

Annie MacAllister has never had a second chance in her life. Until now. And when she finally escapes the horrible existence she’s been forced into, she grabs it. Because Annie is, above all, a survivor. And once she comes into her own, she discovers a faith in her soul that she never knew existed. Annie becomes a schoolteacher in a small Texas town in 1885. Her second chance takes her into a wonderful world that she has never known, and she works hard to be worthy of it. She learns, she teaches, and her innate goodness earns her the love of the town and the people she serves. One of those people is John Sullivan.

John is a member of the school board, who has hired Annie sight unseen, and entrusts the children of the community to her care. John is a good man, but his respect for his heritage has led him to become a man he thinks is worthy of his history, without looking into his heart, his feelings, his faith. Annie is so afraid of men in general that she fights her feelings for John. He is so caught up in his history that he’s slow to come to recognize his feelings for Annie. But when he finally realizes that he loves Annie, she is able to admit that she’s loved him almost since they first met. Annie’s faith comes to her quickly, as a revelation, a luxury allowed after living so long just to survive. John’s faith comes later, as a surprise to him, allowing him to be himself and not only the man his history expects. But Annie has secrets, and she’s kept them. Until she can’t.

A secret that must be kept, a precious kitten, a terrible prairie fire on the Texas plain, an unwelcome visitor from the past: all these things come together to create the crucible that make Annie and John finally realize that their love is forever. They also make Jane Myers Perrine’s story unforgettable. I can say only this: Jane gets better with every book.

REAL VAMPIRES DON’T DIET by Gerry Bartlett
Reviewed by Vicky Dreiling

Glory St. Clair is back for more hilarious vampire misadventures.

Glory’s plans for a romantic New Year’s Eve fizzle out like a flat bottle of champagne. Her on-again, off-again hunky highlander boyfriend, Jeremy Blade, must rescue his supposed daughter. Dateless and ticked, Glory decides to spend the evening watching chick flicks to the annoyance of her trusty guard dog Valdez. But even these plans go awry when she learns newbie vampire and rock star Ray Caine is getting drunk. Knowing the booze will lead to the hang-over from Hades, Glory rushes off to Ray’s wild soiree to save him.

A nocturnal boat ride with Ray on Lake Travis turns awry when a hideous siren named Aggie lures them with her call and then paralyzes them. Aggie needs to deliver three vampires to Circe in order to break a curse. Ray manages to sweeten up Aggie by singing to her. Now he and Glory must find three replacement male vamps for Aggie or risk the wrath of Circe. They’re determined to deliver some bad vamps (readers of the other Real Vampire books will recall the evil energy vamps). To do so, Ray and
Glory enter into a faux engagement.

The fourth installment of the Real Vampires series is every bit as fun and fast-paced as the previous
three. New readers will catch on quickly and will want to snatch up the other books as well.

DRIVE ME WILD by PJ Mellor
Reviewed by Robin Haseltine

PJ Mellor’s “Drive Me WIld” demonstrates her tongue in cheek (no pun intended) sense of humor in this engaging hot, hot, hot romp with twins. Three related short stories had me saddened, slavering, and smiling as two sets of delectable twins sort out their relationships with both their siblings and significant others. The author does a great job of putting the reader in a twin’s shoes, helping us to understand the pleasures and pitfalls of seeing your face on someone else.

In “Double Trouble,” twin Ryan swaps situations with ne’er do well brother Braedon. Ryan might take a beating for his brother, but Brae’s fiance, Penny, makes him all better. I stood and cheered when Penny got her man — the right one.

“Double the Pleasure””s Meg and Suz engage in dueling climaxes, a unique take on how sympatico
twins might be, in the dreaded high school reunion setting that has the=2 0reader ultimately cringing and chuckling.

PJ doesn’t leave us hanging, because all the loose ends, in this case the loose twins, tie the knot in
“Double the Fun.” “Drive Me Wild” will leave the reader feeling they’ve gotten triple the fun.

Reviewed by Joann Robisheaux

Joanna Wayne has given us another wonderful story of the Collingsworth Family. Having successfully matched the four brothers, she now turns her attention to the oldest sister, Becky. Becky is married to professional football star Nick Ridgely, but as the story opens, she and Nick are on the verge of divorce.

If that’s not enough to bring Becky down during the Christmas season, her twin sons are kidnapped. Although he’s badly injured, Nick joins Becky at the Collingsworth Ranch to gather the ransom money and wait for the kidnapper’s next call.

One bad turn follows another as Nick and Becky fight for the safe return of their sons. It will take the whole Collingsworth Family to fight for the boys’ safe return, but they’re up to the challenge.

Joanna Wayne keeps the conflicts coming in this Harlequin Intrigue publication. Readers will wonder how Becky and Nick can overcome the many challenges they face. But readers of Joanna Wayne’s books know they can rely on her to provide an ending that fulfills the readers’ hopes.

You’ll love “Miracle at Colts Run Cross”. It shows us that miracles can still happen when a loving family
unites to rescue one of its own.

Reviewed by Ane Ryan Walker

Sue Finley murdered people…on paper. As a mystery writer, she knew all the angles, who did what and why. The only thing she couldn’t explain was…well, men. Dating was like diving into a box of chocolates: sometimes the sweetest-looking specimens were candy coated poison. After a breakup with a bank robber and a divorce from a cross dresser, she gave it up for good. Then came Detective Jason Dodd.

BAD BOY. Raised in foster homes, Jason swore never to need anyone as much as the parent who abandoned him. That was why he failed to follow up after experiencing the best kiss of his life: real passion was addictive. But when Sue Finley started getting death threats, all bets were off. The blonde spitfire was everything he’d ever wanted—and she needed him. And though this novel situation had a quirky cast of characters and an unquestionable bad guy, he was going to make sure it had a happy ending.

Christie Craig strikes again! Another fast paced, fun ride with an author who won’t let you put that book down until it’s finished. Craig leaves you happy, teary eyed and wishing she would write even faster.

Reviewed by Sharon Forret

Fans of Kerrelyn Sparks’ enormously popular Love at Stake series have been anxiously waiting for the story of Ian MacPhie, a Scottish warrior turned vampire, doomed forever to look only fifteen years old. Well, this year Christmas has come early for Ms. Sparks’ fans and for Ian because he’s aged a dozen years with the help of a special potion.

Ian is truly unique hero. A grown man and battle-scarred warrior on the inside, he’s been treated for centuries like the fifteen year old his outward appearance reflected. Now that he has “matured,” he must find his way through the modern dating scene—a complex situation that is at turns laugh-out-loud funny and tenderly poignant. Armed with his grown-up physique, sweetly old-fashioned Ian is looking for a special lady to share his life. He only has a few requirements: honesty, loyalty, intelligence and beauty—but not necessarily in that order. Above all, she must be a vampire like him. Enter an honest, loyal, intelligent and beautiful mortal stage right. Though she’d rather not have anything to do with them, Toni Davis has her reasons for getting mixed up in the immortal world. Ian’s enemies, the Malcontents, have kidnapped her best friend, and Toni will risk anything to save her friend—even getting close to the beings whom she hates.

Kerrelyn Sparks’ novels all have broad, cross-genre appeal. Romance readers who have never read a paranormal before will love this witty, sexy series. Fans of dark paranormal will delight in Sparks’ wry humor.

All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire, the fifth book in the Love at Stake series, is the perfect companion to snuggle up to this holiday season!

KISS OF A DARK MOON by Sharie Kohler
Publisher: Pocket
Reviewed by: Lark Howard

Being a lycan hunter has Kit March’s raison d’etre since the soulless monsters killed her parents. Unfortunately the international organizations of lycan hunters forbid women to hunt and have marked her for death. When Rafe Santiago appears from Europe to eliminate her, she should be more afraid than intrigued by the handsome, ruthless assassin. Yet something about him draws her, even as she runs for her life. Rafe can’t bring himself to complete the mission that has driven him for as long as he can remember, nor can he resist the sizzling attraction he feels for Kit. But can he convince her he’s trying to keep her alive when every lycan and lycan hunter in America is out to kill her?

MARKED BY MOONLIGHT, the first in the Moonchasers series, introduced us to Kit through her brother Gideon. This book takes us further into a well-crafted, original, paranormal world where the characters continually learn new rules and ancient truths that change them and their reality forever. Kit is feisty and courageous, and we cheer her every step of the way. The mysterious Rafe is a hero anyone will fall in love with—a loner with a terrible secret who gives his heart reluctantly and completely. The plot twists and surprises were so unexpected, I couldn’t put this book down. Bravo, Sharie Kohler! I can’t wait for the next story!

Night Falls Darkly by Kim Lenox
October 2008
Signet
ISBN: 978-0451225375
www.kimlenox.com

What if there was more to the most famous serial killer in history than we ever imagined? What if it was 1888, and Jack the Ripper’s atrocious crimes were about to usher in an unprecedented age of evil?

What if Archer, the gorgeous immortal hunter who came to slay him, found Jack as elusive as he was deadly, and what if the intrepid woman that Archer couldn’t resist loving was about to become Jack’s next target?

Kim Lenox’s first story in the Shadow Guard series will leave you breathless. Night Falls Darkly is an amazingly smooth blend of history, romance, and supernatural suspense. Sensual, elegantly written, and very original, it contains cameos from historical characters that will delight you. The writing is so evocative, you will find yourself standing in elegant ballrooms and dark alleyways with these characters.

Elena Whitney is a wonderful heroine that you’ll love. She’s intelligent and ambitious, while also being compassionate and charitable. She is the perfect match for Archer, the hardened dark hero who so fascinates her. I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel, So Still the Night, because Kim Lenox’s books are not to be missed!

~ Reviewed by Kimber Frost

Scent of Lavender by Teri Thackston
September 2008
Cerridwen Press
ISBN: 978-1419917882
www.terithackston.com

A mysterious woman appears at Rob Sheridan’s Victorian house the evening after he moves into it. When the beauty vanishes before his eyes, the war veteran realizes his home is haunted!

Intending to prove that Rob’s late uncle swindled her grandmother out of the house, Lily Graham arrives minutes after his ghostly experience. Hearing his claim, she fears that he intends to frighten her away. But Lily doesn’t scare easily and vows not only to take back her home but to protect
her family from Rob’s cruel lie.

One haunting experience after another proves to everyone that the ghost is real. Possession and worse threaten when the spirit’s longing for her deceased lover draws Rob and Lily to each other and to a long-buried secret that someone — or something — has vowed to keep hidden forever.

Teri Thackston has an amazing ability to take you with her into the story, the descriptive writing and compelling characters becoming part of your world. “Scent of Lavender” is Teri’s newest release with Cerridwen Press and readers will fall in love with Rob and Lily’s quest for the truth. It’s a page-turning must-read!

~ Reviewed by Lara Chapman

Tailspin by Michele Dunaway
September 2008
Harlequin
ISBN: 978-0373217946
www.micheledunawaybooks.com

Irony is a funny thing. When I received Michele’s newest release, Tailspin, I was dealing with my husband’s truck accident.

What does that have to do with this new book? That is exactly how Michele opens the book and brings the main protagonists together. Immediate connection. Brilliant! Something that almost everyone has had to deal with at one point or another.

Terri Whalen lives, breathes and loves NASCAR. Almost as much as she loved her beloved truck – which she built with her dad. When the vehicle is destroyed by a construction crew at her friend’s wedding, her life takes a new course – in the way of Max Harper.

Max Harper is a divorce working his way up on the fast track of his company and raising his young daughter. While learning the ropes in each department of his company, he encounters a furious Terri. The image he forms of her over the phone is immediately shattered when he meets her to give her the check for her totaled vehicle.

But it doesn’t end with the check. Max’s company sponsors a NASCAR driver, and as fate would have it, the two cross paths on neutral ground – and the chemistry is a flammable as the pit row fuel canisters.

However, neither Max nor Terri want a relationship. Max because of being stung by a narcissistic ex-wife, and Terri because of the thought of a ready made family.

So they agree to keep it light and take things one day at a time. That is until the ex-wife shows up with plans to reunite her family.

Michele has written a wonderful story full of family, friends, in-depth NASCAR experiences and characters you will love. This is a can’t put it down until the last page read! Don’t miss out on the action and the love!

~ Reviewed by Christy Janisse

Deep in the Heart by Jane Myers Perrine
September 2008
Steeple Hill
ISBN: 978-0373874989
www.janemyersperrine.com

Years ago, Kate Wallace ran out on her boyfriend and family to chase her dreams and further her career. Now, disillusioned and betrayed, she questions her values. Was her ambition a bad thing? Are there more important things in life, like love, friends and family?

When her sister Abby needs help as she recovers from surgery, Kate finds herself suddenly the “go to” girl and arrives back in her hometown to face her greatest challenge: The town and people she abandoned, most importantly her sister, her niece Brooke and her former boyfriend Rob are suddenly right there in front of her. And she has to deal with them as the person she is today.

In this book, Jane Myers Perrine does an excellent job of showing Kate’s growth and change and acceptance of the person she is becoming. Her reaching out in faith is a theme in this book. Of all her relationships, one of the most poignant for me is Kate’s relationship with her niece, her sister’s young daughter Brooke. Brooke’s need for love and Kate’s becoming her aunt in the truest sense is so brilliantly shown, as is Kate’s realization that her sister has problems to deal with that may not stem solely from Kate’s abandonment of her and their family. And since her ex Rob is now a grieving widower with a young daughter Lora, and her near neighbor, Kate is faced with the challenge of relating to him as the Kate she is now, not the Kate she used to be, and helping Rob to realize that he has closed himself off from so much in his grief, just as she has done because of her ambition.

Kate’s cocker spaniel Coco, a constant presence, is a real sweetheart, a loving and accepting soul who brings everyone together because of her warm and gentle heart.

Kate and Rob’s journey to reestablish themselves and their relationship in the present carries through the entire story. This is truly a book about relationships—a woman with her God, her lover, her family and friends whom she left behind.

Kate’s ambition carried her from her home. When she comes back to all the with the people she’s left behind, she begins to realize that maybe what she was running so hard to find was right in front of her the whole time. But would she have realized that if she’d never taken the journey?

~ Reviewed by Ellen Watkins