Shannon C.‘s review of Visions of Heat (Psy-Changelings, Book 2) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal science fiction romance released by Berkley Sensation 6 Mar 07

I don’t know what it is with me and certain series out there. I start a series of books, adore the first book, and then invariably find something else shiny to read. That’s what happened with the Psy-Changeling books. I loved the first one, and meant to pick up the rest of the series, but life intervened. Then I decided that I wanted something I could guarantee would be a good read, because I was under the weather, and Nalini Singh popped into my head. I feel like I’m the last blogger ever to embrace these books, and for that I should be ashamed, because they really are that good. 

This installment of the Psy/Changeling series features Faith Nightstar, a specially-designated F-Psy. She has the gift of foresight, and her predictions are almost never wrong. She is kept in isolation, monitored remotely. But she is beginning to feel darkness creeping upon her, and the tenuous control she has over her mind is threatening to fracture. She seeks advice and answers from Sascha Duncan, the only Psy she can think of who isn’t going to snitch on her to the Psy Council. But in the process of finding Sascha, she meets Vaughn, a jaguar Changeling whose animal is rather closer to the surface than most Changelings, and the two of them find themselves embroiled in a plot including murder, scheming, and romance.

I found it pretty darn impossible to put this book down. I’m usually the kind of reader who stretches her reading out over a couple of days. Not so this book, which I finished in a matter of hours. Ms. Singh writes the kind of alpha men who work really well for me, and she writes heroines who mesh well with them. I never felt that Vaughn’s personality seriously overpowered Faith’s, and I absolutely adore the sensual, touchy-feely Changelings. As I said on my twitter at the time, I want one of these guys for my own.

Faith herself wasn’t as compelling a heroine as Sascha from Slave to Sensation. There was a sense of fragility about her that distanced her a little from me. I don’t think I’m likely to remember her quite as well as I remember Sascha. That being said, the romance here works beautifully, and Ms. Singh sells me on a fated mates storyline, which is quite difficult.

I liked seeing some of the secondary characters, particularly the members of the Dark River Changeling pack. I further enjoyed the Psy Council, and I absolutely loved the small twist at the end involving Faith’s father. They all weave seamlessly into the plot, and I didn’t get the sense of “OMG look at me, I am a sequel-bait” from any of them. That being said, I would have liked to see a bit more of the Changelings in particular, as the quiet scenes with Nate and Tammy and their cubs were among my favorites in the first book. But I suppose their absence was necessary, since neither Faith nor Vaughn are particularly communal people.

I liked Slave to Sensation slightly better than I liked Visions of Heat. But given the fact that VoH was impossible to put down, it still gets an A, and I hope that the rest of my 2009 reads are just as stellar.

Grade: A-

Read more about the Psy-Changelings series by clicking on its tag.

Summary:
Hailed as a major new talent in paranormal romance, Nalini Singh takes us deeper into the world of the Psy and the changelings in her latest extraordinary novel, where a gifted woman sees passion in her future-a passion that is absolutely forbidden by her kind… Used to cold silence, Faith NightStar is suddenly being tormented by dark visions of blood and murder. A bad sign for anyone, but worse for Faith, an F-Psy with the highly sought after ability to predict the future. Then the visions show her something even more dangerous-aching need…exquisite pleasure. But so powerful is her sight, so fragile the state of her mind, that the very emotions she yearns to embrace could be the end of her. Changeling Vaughn D’Angelo can take either man or jaguar form, but it is his animal side that is overwhelmingly drawn to Faith. The jaguar’s instinct is to claim this woman it finds so utterly fascinating and the man has no argument. But while Vaughn craves sensation and hungers to pleasure Faith in every way, desire is a danger that could snap the last threads of her sanity. And there are Psy who need Faith’s sight for their own purposes. They must keep her silenced-and keep her from Vaughn…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Branded by Fire, Book 6 - coming 7 Jul 09

Liviania’s review of I’d Tell You I Love You but Then I’d Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls, Book One) by Ally Carter
Contemporary Young Adult romantic suspense released by Hyperion 20 Mar 07

Cammie Morgan is on her way to become an elite spy, following in the footsteps of both her parents. She knows how dangerous those footsteps can be since her father never came home from a mission, but she’s still eager to use her abilities in the field. No one can follow a suspect like the “Chameleon.” While outside the walls of the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, she falls prey to her hormones when she meets Josh Abrams.

Josh is an ordinary student at the local Roseville High School. He’s not-so-typical in the fact he notices Cammie while she’s trying to hide. Flattered by his attention, Cammie uses her and her friends’ skills to escape the Academy and go on dates. Of course, it isn’t as easy to pretend to be a regular girl rather than a spy-in-training as Cammie thought. It becomes an even bigger problem since she doesn’t have even a vague understanding of boys due to being raised at an all girls’ school.

This works until you think about it.  Why is a group of girls training to be femme fatales utterly ignorant of boys?  I’m not saying they should be experts in seduction, but they should have basic skills for interacting with the opposite sex.  After all, males comprise the majority of the politically important – the Gallagher Girls are going to be doing the majority of their work with men.  Ally Carter developed a fun concept, but this quibble makes it sometimes hard to suspend disbelief.

I am predisposed to like I’d Tell You I Love You but Then I’d Have to Kill You.  I love spy novels, particularly ones involving younger spies.  It allows for an interesting exploration of psychological elements.  I also loved that it had a female protagonist.  I like the Alex Rider series and similar, but sometimes I want something girlier.  While the Gallagher Girls novels aren’t my feminine spy novels of choice, I enjoy them and look forward to the next release.

For one thing, I like reading about the other Gallagher Girls as much or more than Cammie.  You have Liz, a brilliant scientist who leaves something to be desired in fieldwork.  The glamorous Bex worries about her parents, who may disappear like Cammie’s father.  Macey, the new girl, becomes part of the group slowly – and partially because of her knowledge of boys gained through heterosocial education.  The other girls who aren’t part of Cammie’s main group also show potential in their brief appearances.  The novels, in my opinion, focus a bit too much on Cammie when there’s an intriguing ensemble cast waiting to be explored.

Josh and Cammie have decent chemistry, but their relationship seems pretty doomed from the start.  To me, this undercuts the drama and emotional intensity.  No relationship built on such complicated lies could or should survive.  However, it’s extremely fun to watch the schemes the girls develop to learn more about Josh unfold.  Every girl wants friends like these.

Carter has a cool concept, but her execution isn’t the best.  Most of all, I wish for more of the girls’ friendship to be shown and less attention paid to a lackluster love interest.

Grade: C+

Summary:
The Gallagher Academy for Exception Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school teaches advanced martial arts in PE, chemistry always consists of the latest in chemical warfare, and everyone breaks CIA codes for extra credit in computer class. So in truth, while the Gallagher Academy might say it’s a school for geniuses what they really mean is spies. But what happens when a Gallagher Girl falls for a boy who doesn’t have a code name?

Cammie Morgan may be fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti), but the Gallagher Academy hasn’t prepared her for what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without him ever being the wiser, but can she have a regular relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy in training, but in her sophomore year, she’s doing something riskier than ever—she’s falling in love.

Read an excerpt here.

Liviania’s review of What She Craves by Lacy Danes
Erotic historical romance single-author anthology released by Aphrodisia 1 Mar 07

I remember this cover from a “bad covers competition.” I can see why it was nominated – too much contrast, terrible hair, the weird red wash, the nipple showing, the odd pose. (Just look at his lower hand!) The cover doesn’t do much to depict the contents, as I would never look at it and think, “I bet this is set in the nineteenth century.” Of course, at the same time it describes them pretty well. Bad.

Lust’s Vow

Hannah and her dead husband had a terrible sex life (while he was alive). She followed ye olde advice of “lie back and think of England” and it turned out he wanted something more active. Not that she worked on this with him. He just had mistresses instead. But now, armed with knowledge from erotic texts, she’s prepared to learn how to please a man. She starts by observing a ménage a trois in secret. How she knew just where to go is a mystery.

Then, Kenneth Walker, whom she gave a handjob to before she got married, discovers her masturbating to the sight. He hasn’t seen her in years and didn’t know she’d been widowed, but all these years he’s been secretly obsessed with the girl who jerked him off despite the large amount of kinky sex he’s had in the intervening years.

The plot is terrible, the sex fairly silly (Hannah leaks fluid like a broken car part and doesn’t mind someone just sticking a finger in her anus despite her inexperience), and the premise icky. This isn’t “What She Craves.” The person who talks about craving is Kenneth. Hannah’s greatest desire is to please a man. Not to please someone and be pleased in return. Just to please a man. Ugh.

Grade: F

Checkmate

This is the best story of the bunch. Dominatrix Cora actually prefers to be a submissive, but was hurt badly by a lover. She’s kept herself on the other side to prevent it from happening again. But now she’s finally giving in. Rupert Roland wished to hire her in the past, and is surprised to find her at a party thrown by his society. There’s not much plot, as is fitting for erotica, but what plot exists is coherent. There’s a brief lesbian scene, which might bother some readers. The bit that bothered me was Cora using a large marble dildo. Hard, cold stone? Not sexy.

Grade: C+

Night of the Taking

Jessica just arrived in town, in time for the Festival of Catus, where catmen and women (called Felis singularly, Catus plural for some reason) round up virgins for a ritual, since they can’t reproduce without virgin humans. It turns out Jessica is destined to be the queen. Abysis, the future king, can only get an erection and orgasm with her. Despite this, the Catus ritual (as illogical as the one in Lust’s Vow) gives the other males a chance to take her instead. That’s really poor planning. In fact, most of the other males try to take Jessica.

Coon wanted to provoke him. As would Haven the next male before him, but Haven would push him farther, he always did.

No, Coon and Haven aren’t given motivations. To add to the illogical, the last three queens apparently didn’t enjoy sex. What’s the point of a mystical soulmate who doesn’t like sex? Other couples only thought their mystical hoo-ha sucked. The paranormal elements as a whole are terribly used. The sheer purpose of the Catus being catpeople is so they can have a bizarre ritual.

Grade: F

Lacy Danes has potential, but these stories suffer from terrible plots and paper thin characters. I don’t expect erotica to be great literature but I do expect it to make some sense. Her subsequent work may show improvement, as this was her debut, but I recommend avoiding What She Craves.

Overall Grade: D-

The Summary:
In first time author Lacy Danes’ sizzling erotic stories, adventurous women are willing to do anything, risk everything, and break all the rules for a taste of sensual bliss…
A beautiful courtesan skilled at pleasing others finds a man who can satisfy her hidden desires… At the season’s most decadent orgy, a prim widow learns how to give-and receive-the ultimate pleasure… In a mysterious erotic ritual in a small English village, a young woman is chosen by a wickedly seductive green-eyed male to be his mate-and his queen…

Checkmate
Courtesan Cora Durand longs to find a man to satisfy her own hidden desires. Rupert Roland has dreamed of having beautiful, defiant Cora at his carnal mercy,and when each gets their wish, the outcome is pure ecstasy….

Lust’s Vow
Hannah Rosworth’s late husband claimed that she was too sexually inexperienced for his tastes. But Kenneth Walker, an infamous rake, can see the fire beneath her sedate exterior. And at the season’s most decadent orgy he’ll show her how to give — and receive — the ultimate pleasure…

Night of the Taking
At the Festival of Catus in a small English village, local virgins take part in a mysterious, erotic ritual. Jessica can hardly believe she’s been chosen, but the irresistible green-eyed male who claims her will use any wickedly seductive means to rove that she is his mate — and his queen…

Read an excerpt here.

Shannon C.’s review of Moonshine (Cal Leandros, Book 2) by Rob Thurman
Urban fantasy published 06 Mar 2007 by Roc

I feel a little strange writing this, but after two books in this series that I have read so far, I am definitely a Cal Leandros fangirl. I would gladly have both him and Niko on my desert island o’ book hero goodness. I am such a Cal Leandros fangirl that I even put up with things that normally cause me to go into fits of rabid anger, like the fact that there’s not a whole lot of depth to Cal’s romantic interest, and that sometimes a few of the characters skirt the line of Mary Sue-dom. I love these books to pieces, and am definitely going to be reading the latest quite soon.

The premise is this. Cal, the narrator, is half-human, half-Auphe. The Auphe were once the most bad-ass of the evil supernatural creatures, and definitely not the sort of people you want reproducing. In the first book, Cal had a bit of an identity crisis, trying to figure out whether he was more monster than human. In this book, he explores that connection more deeplyand comes to grips with the fact that he needs to rely on other people besides his brother Niko. In the meantime, Cal works for a supernatural security consulting group, and he and Niko, as well as Niko’s vampire girlfriend, Promise and their mutual friend Robin Goodfellow (yes, *that* Robin Goodfellow), must seek out a crown that could confer great power upon those who wear it. If they don’t find the crown, then something Cal holds dear will be lost.

I’m really not so much of a fan of the idea of most modern urban fantasy. But this series works well for me. For one thing, the humor is exactly my type–it’s snarky and dry. This book had lots of moments where I literally laughed out loud, something that almost never happens.

But where Thurman excels is in drawing these characters and their complex relationships, all without leaving Cal’s head and making him too perceptive. Cal, of course, is a great character with plenty of other issues to resolve. But the rest of the cast is equally well-drawn, from the quiet but deadly Niko, to the mysterious Promise, to the gregarious Robin Goodfellow. We also get introduced to other characters, like a werewolf named Flay, that I hope will continue to play parts in the series.

The other thing that works well here is the plot. Thurman doesn’t pull any punches. The supernatural nasties really are nasty, and our heroes definitely suffer consequences because of their actions. This makes for extremely compelling writing, and I was only sad that I couldn’t just devour this book in one fell swoop.

The only real problem I had was with the romance between Cal and a young psychic named Georgina. I just didn’t really understand what he saw in George. She also seems to need a fair bit of rescuing, which is definitely something that irks me.

Aside from that, I’m definitely still in for the next bit of the series. I think this book might stand alone well enough, though I would strongly recommend starting off with the first book in the series, Nightlife and reading from there.
Grade: B+

Summary:
After saving the world from his fiendish father’s side of the family, Cal Leandros and his stalwart half-brother Niko have settled down with a new apartment
and a new gig-bodyguard and detective work. And in New York City, where preternatural beings stalk the streets just like normal folk, business is good.

Their latest case has them going undercover for the Kin-the werewolf Mafia. A low-level Kin boss thinks a rival is setting him up for a fall, and wants
proof. The place to start is the back room of Moonshine-a gambling club for non-humans. Cal thinks it’s a simple in-and-out job. But Cal is very, very
wrong.

Cal and Niko are being set up themselves-and the people behind it have a bite much worse than their bark…
No excerpt available.
Read my review of Nightlife here

Sandy M’s review of One Real Cowboy by Janette Kenny
Historical Western Romance published by Zebra 1 Mar 07

It’s such a treat to find a book that has the true flavor, the real feel of cowboys, their lives and surroundings. Cordell Tanner, the hero of this book, walks, talks, and acts just like a man of the west should, as do all the other characters he deals with throughout the story.

Of course, the exception to that is Trixie, an English transplant who has fallen in love with her home in Kansas and resorts to a little deceit to make sure she keeps it, and a few of her relatives who figure significantly in the storyline later in the book. You’d think they’d be like fish out of water, but they actually take to the ranching life quite easily.

Trixie, Cord’s name for her since she doesn’t act or look like a Beatrix to him, is determined to make her grandfather see she can continue to take care of the homestead as she’s done even before her father’s death. She refuses to return to England and be a good little girl. She especially won’t sell out to the local men who want her land and who think a woman’s place is taking care of a husband. So, to outsmart them all, including her grandfather, she hires Cord to be her make-believe husband — she gets to keep her home and he gets a nice tidy sum to make himself scarce from the one place he vowed never to return to. Sounds easy enough.

Cord is a man’s man. He’s lived a rough life from childhood on. He’s a drifter, but he’s stayed on the right path, is an honorable man, trustworthy and good, all despite growing up with a mother who paid him no mind. He does overdo the drinkin’ once in a while, and that’s what gets him in trouble when he meets Trixie. Finally being talked into becoming her husband, Cord is also drawn into the mystery of unusual and dangerous happenings on the ranch. In the midst of it all, his feelings for Trixie grow, something he’s always avoided before, but she’s a strong, independent woman who deserves better than the likes of him, so the only thing to do is hightail it out of town when their time is up and before she finds out the truth about him. Not once was Cord ever out of character. The wording, the action, the feelings of the man were those of a cowboy through and through. And I had to laugh each time his little rustler decided to act up.

This is one of the best westerns I’ve read since I finished Lorraine Heath’s Texas Trilogy a year or so ago. There have been a few good ones along the way, but none of this caliber. None that reminded me of my grandmother’s chocolate gravy at breakfast and chicken and dumplins at dinner. None that brought home the sounds and smells this country girl remembers from her childhood. So I reckon I’m gonna love Ms. Kenny’s new book, One Real Man, and I’ll be headin’ into town directly to get me a copy.

Grade: A+

From the back cover: 

     Straight From The Heart

     Cord Tanner has a very simple plan: get paid to be Beatrix Northroupe’s husband for a month so the prim, but sexy, Englishwoman can gain rightful ownership of her family’s stud farm. Money in hand, he’s going to get as far away from Revolt, Kansas, as a fast horse can take him.

     But Cord soon finds that he admires his Trixie’s reckless courage–not to mention she’s one great kisser. Maybe he’s crazy to hope for a real future with her instead of heading for the hills, but now that someone’s staking a dangerous claim to her farm, Cord’s decided to stick around as long as the lady needs protecting. That wedding ring he put on her finger means her reputation is safe–and he’s determined to win her heart. Cord Tanner may not be the most refined man on the frontier, but he sure is the lovingest…

     Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s May 2007 review of Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas
Contemporary romance released by St. Martin’s hardcover 6 Mar 07, mmppb 4 Mar 08

Texas: The land of big hair, big oil and big drama. Kleypas brings us a new writing style and a contemporary story in Sugar Daddy.

Liberty Jones doesn’t have much going for her. She lives in a trailer park with her mother.  She’s half Hispanic, and when her mother ends up pregnant, she neglects her school work to help care for her new sister. When her mother suddenly dies, she’s forced to grow up fast and raise her sister as a mother as well as adapt to living in big, bad Houston instead of her hometown of Welcome, Texas.

Liberty also has to forget about her childhood love Hardy Cates, the one boy who was always there to help, but that she could never be with. When he leaves town for his own dreams, Liberty is heartbroken and struggles with her changes in life. Even as she pines for Hardy in her new life in Houston she gets involved with a billionaire who everyone assumes is her sugar daddy, though they forge a lasting friendship.

The story is told in first person, which is hard to do in a romance. Liberty’s voice and tone grow with her over the course of the story, she starts out at fourteen and the book covers the next ten years of her life. She’s observant and willing to change and adapt to her circumstances, which is a good trait to have when your life suddenly changes.

As a born and bred Texan myself though there where parts that were a bit clichéd. The trailer park, living in Houston, the billionaire gets his money through oil, and some of the phrases which are touted as “Texan” are things that I haven’t heard.  But then I avoid Houston like the plague, and they could be more known there than my slice of the Lone Star State.

The two men Liberty falls in love with are strong, believable Texan men, and her choice at the end doesn’t perhaps fit well with the rest of the story, but I feel that she chose the right one in the end. It would have been nice to have more time with Liberty to get to understand her choice a bit better, but everything works out well enough.

Grade: B-

From the back cover:

     SHE’S FROM THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS.  Liberty Jones has dreams and determination that will take her far away from Welcome, Texas—if she can keep her wild heart from ruling her mind. Hardy Cates sees Liberty as completely off-limits. His own ambitions are bigger than Welcome, and Liberty Jones is a complication he doesn’t need. But something magical and potent draws them to each other, in a dangerous attraction that is stronger than both of them.
 
     HE’S THE ONE MAN SHE CAN’T HAVE. When Hardy leaves town to pursue his plans, Liberty finds herself alone with a young sister to raise. Soon Liberty finds herself under the spell of a billionaire tycoon—a Sugar Daddy, one might say. But the relationship goes deeper than people think, and Liberty begins to discover secrets about her own family’s past.
 
     WILL THEY FIND THEIR HEARTS’ DESIRES OR WILL HEARTBREAK TEAR THEM APART?  Two men. One woman. A choice that can make her or break her. A woman you’ll root for every step of the way. A love story you’ll never forget.

     Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Take Me Tonight (Bullet Catchers, Book 3) by Roxanne St. Claire
Contemporary romantic suspense released 27 Mar 07 by Pocket Star

I’m once again reading a book that takes place in the middle of a series and I get so caught up in it, I have to find the other books that I knew nothing about. Just one book is enough to pull me in this world of bodyguards. This Bullet Catchers series is witty, sexy, romantic, and has plenty of mystery and a downright evil villain or two. Each book is designed to stand alone, which makes me very happy.

There’s always several things going on in this book, so you never stop turning the pages, let alone want to put the thing down for even a minute. Sage is positive her roommate did not kill herself and she’s determined to find out the truth behind her mysterious death. She turns to her Aunt Lucy, a woman she hates. Lucy is top dog of the Bullet Catchers, an elite team of bodyguards. Knowing her niece has inheritied her mother’s tenacity, Lucy gives Sage what information she can and then sends one of the team to keep an eye on her as she uses her journalistic instincts to dig into places where trouble patiently waits. Sage is a strong, very independent woman and never takes no for an answer or defeat very lightly. She always wants the truth and won’t give up until she gets it, no matter the circumstances.

Which is the big problem for Johnny Christiano, Sage’s very own Bullet Catcher, but she doesn’t know he’s a bodyguard. She thinks he’s part of a dot com company that kidnaps women set up either by themselves or friends. The company then sends rescuers in like knights in shining armor to save the day, and it’s up the “victim” if she wants to take things a step further and spend the night with her rescuer. Basically, Johnny is paid to have sex with whoever wants it and Sage just can’t get past that. Johnny wants to level with her because he knows how much Sage values truth, but he owes Lucy loyalty for saving his life. He’s as sexy as they come, has a sense of humor, and he cooks! My kinda guy. But he takes his job seriously, is the best at what he does. He soon finds his heart is involved in his current case and faces the dilemma of betraying one of the two most important women in his life.

There’s plenty of twists and turns to keep the mystery evolving throughout the book. With the relationship between Sage and Johnny, Sage and Lucy, Johnny and Lucy, and then the investigation Sage and Johnny are into, you don’t have time to be bored, to skip a paragraph, or to read ahead. These characters keep you smack in the middle of the action and you don’t want to miss a thing.

Grade: A-

From the Back Cover:

What do thrill-seeking women want?

A fantasy-fulfilling abduction…an exciting rescue by a scorching hot guy…with an unforgettable night of passion. So they go to www.takemetonite.com — and then they die.

Someone has to stop it.

When Sage Valentine discovers that her roommate’s shocking suicide might be related to a website that provides edgy, thrill-seeking entertainment, she immediately books her own “abduction” to get some answers. But her “rescuer” isn’t really who she thinks he is….Johnny Christiano is dedicated to the Bullet Catchers, who saved him from a wise guy’s life of crime and turned him into an elite bodyguard. When he’s assigned to stop Sage’s kidnapping, he’s unexpectedly trapped between deceit and sizzling desire. But the closer Johnny and Sage get to the truth, the closer danger stalks them…until death is only a double-click away.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Nikki’s review of Renaissance by Zannie Adams
Contemporary erotic romance ebook released 21 Mar 07 by Ellora’s Cave

Cali Ross has known Kent Landon most of her life. She’s felt a connection with him that she doesn’t understand but has been smart enough not to act on her feelings. He’s rich, powerful, cold, spoiled… in short just the sort of man a woman would be wise to avoid. To her shame, she can’t seem to control herself whenever he’s around.

This story has enjoyable aspects but there are a whole lot of tedious pages in between, way too many predictable plot devices. The sexual tension is good. The characters and dialogue are terrific.

There is a maturity to the characters that comes through. They have a realistic progression to their relationship that is refreshing but, at the same time, drags the book down. Mature adults take a lot more to establish a real relationship than I really want to read about. I don’t say this often, but there needed to be some short cuts here. When I finished I was happy for the couple and happy the book was finally over.

Grade: D+

From the backcover:

Cali Ross gave up a successful career on the West Coast to move closer to her aging father. Although satisfied with her single life she has no objections to spending one hot unforgettable night with the man she could never have in high school. Or two nights – or maybe three. But she has no intentions of falling in love – certainly not with a man as closed-off and jaded as Kent, no matter how irresistible he is.

When he propositioned Cali for a one-night stand, Kent Landon never imagined he would still want her months later. But their fling quickly spirals into a full-blown affair. The more heat and passion he finds in her, the more determined Kent is to make her his alone. He just has to work through his own defenses so he can convince Cali that what started as hot sex has transformed into something deeper. Their renaissance.

Note: While the general information provided on the artist Giotto is accurate, the Giotto painting referenced in the novel is fictional.

Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review: Her Only Desire: A Novel by Gaelen Foley
Historical Romance released by Ballantine Books 07 Mar 27

Exotic settings, daring missions, court intrigue, and breathtaking escapes can make for a great story. Unfortunately in Her Only Desire these things don’t tie together well enough to have the neat little bow at the end of the book.

Georgiana Knight, or Georgie, is named after her scandalous aunt Georgiana (from the Knight Miscellany series from Foley). Her aunt is her idol, and she reads a book of essays about how “wedlock is padlock”. Georgie is introduced tearing through a spice market in Calcutta on a horse on her way to saving a dear friend from suttee.

Georgie is fiercely loyal to her friends, very intelligent, and has serious abandonment issues because her mother died when she was young. Her father and brothers also go off and leave her alone most of the time and she feels like an orphan. Her fears usually trigger some sort of panic induced asthma attack which she can only end through yoga.

Since she’s left on her own a lot, she’s pretty spoiled too. Very used to getting her own way (hence the intervention in suttee, even if it is a barbaric and demeaning practice, it used to be very sacred to Indian life) and expects to charm every male around her to fall at her feet.

Ian Prescott, the Marquess of Griffith, is a diplomat in Calcutta on his way to stop a war between a majarajah and the British army in India. When he sees Georgie tear through the spice market he follows and narrowly saves her from an angry Indian mob.

Ian has been a secondary character in the other Knight books. He’s noble, proper, but he’s got a fiercesome and passionate dark side. Ian’s really not all bad, he’s noble, honorable, and has a fiercesome (but slightly dark) passionate side. He works well enough as a leading man in this book.

When Ian continues on into India’s interior for his diplomatic work, Georgie follows even though Ian told her to stay in Calcutta for her safety. Court intrigue, daring missions and breathtaking escapes follow. Georgie is forced to leave her beloved India halfway through the book and the rest of the story unfolds in England.

The pacing and tone of Her Only Desire never really take off. There is action, action, dialogue, travel, description, description, action, description, more description, and I take some time looking up stuff on the internet about India and the courts of the majarajahs. I spent about as much time reading about Indian history and culture on the net as I did reading the first half of the book.

The second half was alright, but we don’t find out that Ian has a deep dark secret until the last quarter of the story. It’s slightly hinted at sure, but he’s not too tortured about it until that last quarter of the book.

Neither Georgie nor Ian are very well developed, some of the Indian secondary characters seem rather sketched and stereotypical. The scenes in England are pretty mundane and predictable. There is some good action, but again, the pacing is not what it could be.

What was very well done in the book was descriptions of locations (India), fashions, and food. I was more excited about dinner scenes than I was the sex scenes (and given that Georgie’s inner dialogue tells us she’s read the Kama Sutra and is obsessed with sex this is probably a bad thing). The food just sounded so tasty. Foley always does a good job with description of setting and other things, but the characters lacked development and the idea they would have long lasting chemistry doesn’t really fly.

Maybe the Knights should have ended with Jack’s story, because this branch of cousins doesn’t seem very interesting.

Grade: C-

From the exotic splendors of India to the elegant ballrooms of Regency London, celebrated author Gaelen Foley pens the enthralling tale of a luscious beauty who has sworn never to call any man her master, and the powerful marquess whose passion threatens to conquer her. . . .

Born into the wealthy British ruling class of India, Georgiana Knight is as unconventional as she is beautiful. She has sworn not to marry till she meets a man who will treat her as an equal–but that vow doesn’t appease her sensual curiosity. When Ian Prescott, the Marquess of Griffith, arrives on a mission to defuse the threat of war, she is immediately drawn to the mysterious and darkly handsome diplomat, and cannot resist provoking the hidden lust that smolders beneath his cool surface.

Ian is mesmerized by Georgie’s alluring mystique but burdened by a dark secret. And she is a temptation he cannot afford. But when she becomes entangled in his mission, she must be secreted away to England for her own safety. Georgie finds herself in the unfamiliar world of aristocratic London, where Ian becomes her guide, her confidant . . . her seducer. His incendiary kiss sets her soul on fire, and Georgie knows she will never be satisfied until she has made this magnificent man her own.

Lawson’s review of And Then He Kissed Her (Girl-Bachelors, Book 1) by Laura Lee Guhrke
Historical romance released by Avon 27 Feb 07

Oh, how did women survive the Victorian Era? With the rules and etiquette one must follow, it is really rather amazing. Not just the fashions and making sure to wear gloves everywhere, either. 

Miss Emma Dove is a secretary who moonlights as a writer of etiquette books for what she calls “girl-bachelors”. These girl-bachelors are the nineties women who work, and are trying to support themselves. That is the women of the 1890s.

Emma’s boss is a publishing magnate named Harry, Viscount Marlowe and he is also adverse to the institution of marriage and so he parades his mistresses around and since Emma is his secretary, she has to buy them gifts and such, and being the sensible, well-mannered girl that she is, Emma is embarrassed by this task.

After Harry rejects her fourth manuscript and Emma realizes that he has not read a single word, she quits and embarks on her writing adventures, which Harry does not like because his life is thrown into turmoil when his efficient secretary leaves him high and dry.

For a modern woman of the 1890s, the advice that Emma rights is very straight-laced, but that is a product of the Victorian Era, and some of the things she does recommend does got in a more modern direction of social interaction. Poor Emma had a sheltered childhood with people out to protect her and she finally finds her voice in all her morals and rules.

In the interest of being objective, I the reviewer, don’t want to get on my soapbox, but this book (like so many others) to me has an undercurrent that’s going on in the country today. Emma is the conservative, guarded, “this is the way it’s always been and should be” sort of person. Harry is freer, wanting to move foreword and sees the benefit of change.

The problem as I see it is this: today there are girls around who act too much like Emma. As modern women, there are many who say they are freer, but they do not act as such. Emma has been sheltered and influenced by others on what is right and what she should do to the point where she loses herself in their rules and not her own judgment. And she worries way too much about what other people thing and embarrassing the memory of others rather than living her own life as she sees fit. Harry is cynical and overly into proving himself with women. There are too many references to older women thinking men are “beasts” and women are the ones that control chastity in the world.

Not that I’m disagreeing with any of this, and Guhrke does a great job through the end of the book proving that the Victorian morals and rules have no place after the time, but all the snappy dialogue, great sexual tension (and even a food scene, yummy), and obvious caring by the main characters, these facts of real life distracted me some away from the story. The emphasis on etiquette as a theme didn’t bother me so much, however, because it’s true manners matter. But not to the point where you stifle yourself and turn your actions into those of someone else. Off the soapbox now. . .

Though it takes a full 200 pages for the titular kiss of And Then He Kissed Her, it’s well worth the wait for the characters are well matched and are very believable in their roles as employer and employee. Who really doesn’t love a good boss secretary romance? After the kiss it steams off the page and that makes everything worth the wait.

Grade: B+

New Western! From Zebra! At the really cool debut price! But it doesn’t come out until March 2007.

Straight From The Heart
Cord Tanner has a very simple plan: get paid to be Beatrix Northroupe’s husband for a month so the prim, but sexy, Englishwoman can gain rightful ownership of her family’s stud farm. Money in hand, he’s going to get as far away from Revolt, Kansas, as a fast horse can take him.

But Cord soon finds that he admires his Trixie’s reckless courage–not to mention she’s one great kisser. Maybe he’s crazy to hope for a real future with her instead of heading for the hills, but now that someone’s staking a dangerous claim to her farm, Cord’s decided to stick around as long as the lady needs protecting. That wedding ring he put on her finger means her reputation is safe–and he’s determined to win her heart. Cord Tanner may not be the most refined man on the frontier, but he sure is the lovingest…

You can check out Janette Kenny’s site here.