True Deception by Patricia Waddell

Kala Char’ari wants nothing more than freedom for her world from the Conglomerate, while Aedon Rawn’s own world collapsed when his wife and children were killed by Conglomerate pirates. Now fighting together, can Kala shake the Conglomerate’s iron grip on her world or will she be sidetracked by the handsome agent bent on revenge?

I loved how Patricia fashioned an interesting world of oppression and created a couple with the ability to shake it lose. Add in a complex collection of characters to deepen the mystery and suspense you’ll find you can’t put this book down.

Details: Tor, December 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Unlucky by Jana DeLeon

Mallory Devereaux is the unluckiest woman in the world. The smallest touch from her is enough to cause a waiter to dump your lobster tail on your lap complete with melted butter and a kiss could leave you crippled for life. Her uncle decides to take advantage of this tragedy by cooling the cards of hot players during a poker tournament. Unfortunately, the poker tournament is filled with the lowest scum of the earth, and the worst of the bunch is being investigated by Jake Randall, undercover FBI agent who is dealing the cards at her table. Jake teams up with Mallory when he finds he can’t lose no matter how badly he plays and soon they find themselves attracted to each other. Now can Mallory and Jake find a way to overcome her curse, or will the criminals at the tournament decide to change Mallory’s luck permanently?

This story features a nice collection of unique characters along with a good adventure story. There’s also enough humor to make you laugh out loud several times along the way. A good read.

Details: Love Spell, December 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

The Down Home Zombie Blues by Linnea Sinclair

Jorie Mikkalah is hunting a group of biomechanical organisms also known as zombies who’s sole purpose is to destroy living beings. She’s tracked them to a village on a backward planet called Earth and finds herself and her team pursued not only by the zombies, but by Bahia Vista police detective, Theo Petrakos. Theo and Jorie team up after he finds a mummified body and Jorie loses touch with her ship and working together sends off all kinds of sparks between them. But while Jorie is really attracted to Theo, can she open up her heart knowing than their love is forbidden?

Another great book from Linnea Sinclair. This one offers a familiar setting for readers who do not enjoy stories set in a completely different universe. I really liked how she handled the language differences between Theo and Jorie, it made the story much more believable. If you like action and paranormal books, then you really should give this one a try.

Details: Bantam Spectra, December 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

NASCAR Holiday 2 by Pamela Britton, Gina Wilkins, Ken Casper, Abby Gains

This book features four short stories by four authors of the NASCAR themed books. A worthwhile read for any fans of the NASCAR books.

Details: Harper, November 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Holidays Are Hell by Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, Vicki Petterson

Four short stories from the masters of bizarre, including two of my favorite writers (Harrison and Sands). Unfortunately some of these stories tend to be a bit on the dark side, but otherwise a great paranormal read.

Details: Harper, November 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Swimming Without a Net by MaryJanice Davidson

The half-mermaid, half-human, Frederica aka Fred is back in the second volume of the Sleeping with the Fishes series. In this story Fred is summoned to speak at a meeting where the undersea folk will decide whether to let the upper world know about their existence. At the meeting she’s torn between her hunky marine biologist Thomas who was granted permission to watch the meeting from his undersea submarine, and the handsome Prince Autur, son of the king of the sea. Now which one will Fred choose, or will she just panic and decide to run away from everyone?

I love MaryJanice’s sense of humor and the weird characters and settings she creates. She’s an automatic buy for me and worth reading for anyone that enjoys humor in a paranormal story.

Details: Jove, December 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Riding the Thunder by Deborah MacGillivary

For some reason this book caught my eye in the store. I guess it was the denim-like cover with the picture of a couple on a motorcycle. Of course the title could have had something to do with it and the back cover even hinted at paranormal activity in the story. But the story failed to live up to my expectations, since there wasn’t much of a story in this book. There was a lot of pretty pictures painted along the way, but there wasn’t that much in the way of strong conflicts or even good humor to keep me interested. Even the promised motorcycle made only a minor appearance in the story. Perhaps if I had read the previous story, The Invasion of Falgannon Isle, I might have liked it more. But for some reason, this book had a distinctly Historical writing style to it, even though it was set in the current day. I wish I’d left the book in the store or at least in my to-be-read-someday-in-the-far-future pile.

Details: Spectra, October 2007

Excellence Rating: Okay

Gabriel’s Ghost by Linnea Sinclair

Ex-Captain Chasidah Bergren of the Sixth Fleet has been dumped on a remote prison planet for a crime she didn’t commit. Gabriel Sullivan – a smuggler and mercenary – needs Bergren’s help to sneak into the empire and destroy a race of beings whose sole purpose is to kill. While the mission requires them both to put their lives on the line, they soon find themselves with even more at risk.

Another great science fiction story from Linnea Sinclair. ‘nuff said.

Keywords: Author: Linnea Sinclair, Type: Science Fiction Romance, Score: Great, Publisher: Bantam Spectra

Details: Bantam Spectra, November 2005
Excellence Rating: Great

Sex and the Immortal Bad Boy by Stephanie Rowe

Freed from her job as Satan’s Rivka, Paige Darlington now finds herself about to lose her soul. The only way to save herself is to take a sip in one of Heaven’s cleansing moats, but Heaven doesn’t permit visits from Hell spawn. Jed Buchanan, Satan Jr.’s favorite assassin agrees to help Paige sneak past Heaven’s defenses, but will she let him sneak past her own?

This appears to be the final story in the Date Me, Baby, One More Time series of books. In a way, I’m kinda disappointed as I wanted to see Satan finally land the girl of his dreams. But this is an interesting tale and one that many paranormal loves will enjoy.

Details: Grand Central, November 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Holy Smokes by Katie MacAlister

Asling Grey returns in Katie’s latest Guardian novel to finally Drake Vireo the wyvern of the green dragons. But the road to the wedding is cluttered with missing grooms, missing brides, warring dragons, angry demon lords, and just about every other type of otherworldly creature with a grudge. Will she make it this time or just end up damned to Hell for the rest of eternity.

This story is very satisfying in that most of the unresolved conflicts spanning the last several books reach satisfying conclusions. If you’ve read her previous stories in this stories, this is definitely a must read book.

Details: Signet, November 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Big Girls Don’t Cry by Cathie Linz

After plus size model Leena Riley’s career takes a nosedive, she returns home with her tail in desperate need of a job. So she takes the only job she can find, receptionist at Cole Flannigan’s veterinarian’s office, even though Cole spent his youth taunting her. Now that Cole is grown up, taunting her is the last thing on his mind.

This is a hot spicy book that delivers. I love the humor and the fact that the heroine is not Twiggy thin, which is something I suffer from myself. If you liked her earlier books, Good Girls Do and Bad Girls Don’t, I think you’ll enjoy this one too.

Details: Berkley Sensation, November 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Sealed with a Kiss by Carly Philips

The sequel to Cross My Heart is a fun romp, featuring the two characters you’d knew deserved their own story. Carly delivered a great story with a lot of conflict between the characters as well as a nice mystery for them to solve. I highly recommend this book.

Keywords: Details: HQN, November 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Wife For Hire by Janet Evanovich

This is a cute story about a farmer with big ideas but can’t secure a loan because he’s single, so he hires a school teacher to help secure his loan. His contracted wife is a writer who wants privacy write stories about her aunt’s scandalous tales and the farm gives her what she needs. Together they get more than they bargained for.

While I love comedy books like this, it also demonstrates how far romance stories have evolved over the years. I recommend this book for Evanovich fans and for lovers of romantic comedy everywhere.

Details: Harper, November 2007 (originally released in 1990)

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Electric Blue by Nancy Bush

Jane Kelly is back and begins looking into a case of adultery. This case soon leads her to an eccentric old lady (who’s obviously rich, otherwise she’d be just a crazy old lady) who turns up dead and her family is scrambling over her money. But when Jane finds a second body, the mystery just starts getting weirder and weirder. Now it’s up to Jane to figure out the mystery and solve the crime.

I loved the mystery and how the story unfolded and I’m looking forward to reading Nancy’s next book, Ultra Violet.

Details: Kensington, September 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Candy Apple Red by Nancy Bush

Jane Kelly left her old boyfriend in Southern California and is now living the good life in Lake Chinook Oregon, if you consider barely eeking out a living by tending bar and serving processes good. Then her PI hobby takes a turn for the better when she lands a real case paying real money. But the case turns serious when a dead body turns up and now it looks like Jane’s ex-boyfriend is the killer. Now can Jane find the body before she decided to get back with her ex- or will Jane end up the killer’s next victim.

A complex plot combined with the right amount of humor and wacky characters are a great way to catch my interest. You definitely should give this one a try.

Details: Kensington, September 2006

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Calamity Jayne Heads West by Kathleen Bacus

The fifth volume in the Calamity Jayne series takes Tressa Jayne Turner on the road to the Grand Canyon where her grandmother wants to get married. Unfortunately an ugly fertility figurine she picked up from a road side vendor proves to be hazardous to everyone around her. Now it’s up to Tressa and the sexy Ranger Rick to unravel the mystery before someone winds up dead.

This story is better than some of the past ones, but I think I’d like to see Kathleen try a new set of characters.

Details: Love Spell, October 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Confessions of a Werewolf Supermodel by Ronda Thompson

Lou Kinipski is a supermodel who has it all. Her only problems are her mysterious past and her her furry tail when comes and goes on it’s own schedule. But when a serial killer’s victims bear an uncanny resemblance to her, Lou finds herself in a live-or-death struggle and even worse, the murders appear to be tied into events from her past. Now can Lou find the killer and save herself or will she be the next body on the killer’s hit list?

I have to confess, I waited a long time for this book to arrive in print and I wasn’t disappointed. If you’re looking for a funny paranormal book with really cool characters, check this one out.

Details: St. Martins Press, October 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Your Coffin or Mine? By Kimberly Raye

Kimberly’s latest volume in the Dead End Dating series features another funny story about Lil Marchette, owner of a dating service for vampires and other creatures. This time the story revolves around Lil’s attempt to find new clients by going to auditions for Manhattan’s Most Wanted, a dating reality TV show. In addition to handing out her business cards, Lil finds herself on the show itself when all she wants is to spend time with the sexy vampire, Ty Bonner. Unfortunately danger abounds and if they’re not careful, they’ll be erased with the first daylight.

A worthwhile read and one that will definitely bring a smile to your face.

Details: Onyx, October 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Over Hexed by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Every woman in Big Knob, Indiana wants to have sex with Sean Madigan, so Dorcas and Ambrose take it upon themselves to use their magical abilities to make Sean less appealing. But when Maggie Grady sails into town she sets her sights on a lot with and old Victorian house as the best place to put a brand new SaveALot mega store. Unfortunately that house is the one Sean where grew up and he’s almost saved enough money to but it. But when he tries to charm her out of the house, he learns his sex appeal is gone and now has to do it the old fashioned way.

Vicki managed to carry her popular nerd franchise into the paranormal world with this cute story. If you’ve liked her stories in the past, but are afraid of paranormal books in general, you should give this one a try. It’s everything that a normal paranormal isn’t, except for a little light magic.

Details: Onyx, October 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

A Touch of Minx by Suzanne Enoch

Samantha Jellicoe is back and this time she’s searching for some missing antiques for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Plus it give her a good excuse for avoiding the sparkling piece of jewelry Rick’s been carrying around in his pocket. However this time the thief most dangerous man she’s ever encountered and Samantha’s put herself and Rick’s lives in great danger.

A great plot with enough sex and danger to keep you turning pages as fast as you can. This almost (I repeat almost ) makes up for the fact that I had to wade though a historical story to get to another Samantha Jellicoe story. Highly recommended.

Details: Berkley, October 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Ain’t Myth-Behaving by Katie MacAlister

Two tales of the otherworld make this book enjoyable. In Stag Party, Dane Hearne – an Irish fertility god much choose a bride before the annual celebration or forfeit his powers. He believes he’s found his soul mate in the form of Megan St. Clair, a travel writer, but Megan refuses to become involved with such an ego-centric individual. Now can Dane convince Megan to marry him, or will Dane be forced to give up his godhood as well as his life.

In Norse Truly, the hero is cursed to sail his Viking ship along the same stretch of Scandinavian coastline forever. However when Alrik Sigurdsson finds the only woman who could possibly save him, she doesn’t believe his improbable story

Both stories are cute and funny, and both are written in first person. But this is the first time I’ve read a complete story, showing only the hero’s point of view. If you love Katie’s other books, I’m sure you’ll love this one.

Details: Pocket, October 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

A Date with the Other Side by Erin McCarthy

While Shelby Tucker makes a living by giving tours of haunted houses, she’s never actually seen a ghost – at least until the Boston Macnamara rents one of the houses. Boston is in town to inspect the plastics plant, which is the town’s major employer for possible shutdown. Now a batch of random accidents is pushing the two together. But are the accidents random or is someone or something’s magic at work.

I liked this story enough to check out some of Erin’s other stories. I enjoyed the humor and wish more writers would incorporate it into their stories.

Keywords: Details: Berkley, January 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Undercover in High Heels by Gemma Halliday

Set on the set of Magnolia Lane, TV’s newest hit, Maddie finds herself in the middle of a real life story as she investigates a young starlet’s death. Each star seems to have a motive and too much publicity complicates everything.

A cute mystery story with a good sense of humor is always bound to catch my attention.

Details: Making It, September 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Killer in High Heels by Gemma Halliday

The sequel to Spying In High Heels features Maddie Springer wrapped up in the middle of a big mystery. This time her father who ran off a long time ago to Vegas, makes a desperate call for help. So she hits the road in search of her father. Combining a good mystery with a nice batch of wacky characters and this book is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Details: Making It, March 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Witch in the House by Jenna McKnight

I enjoyed this story about a witch who casts a spell to find the perfect man. But the spell backfires and brings her a man that she can’t love. Now she has to work hard to get rid of him before he becomes too suspicious about her powers. A must read for Jenna McKnight fans.


Details: Bantam, March 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair

Filled with action and adventure, Linnea introduces a heroine who finds herself serving underneath a cyborg, with whom she previously fought against during the war. Now a more insidious enemy invades their universe forcing the couple together. Can love be far behind.

Great story with a complex plot and very believable characters. A must read if you like science fiction and romance.

Details: Bantam, March 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Careful What You Wish For by Lucy Finn

This is a cute story about a single mom, who finds an attractive genie in her kitchen. But after her third wish the genie will be returned to when he was originally bottled. It’s bound to bring a few smiles to your face.

Details: Signet Eclipse, June 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Beg for Mercy by Toni Andrews

Mercy Hollings doesn’t consider herself human because she has the psychic ability to “press” people into doing whatever she wants. But what she really wants is to be alone. Unfortunately the one person she calls friend disappears and Mercy feels responsible. Soon she finds herself collecting a wacky group of people to help, but will Mercy find her friend in time to save her.

I liked this story and since the story leaves open room for a sequel, I’ll purchase when it comes out.

Details: Mira, September 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

The Life of Reilly by Sue Civil-Brown

This book is set in the same world as her previous HQN novel, Hurricane Hanna. Treasure Island’s school teacher, Lynn Reilly is haunted by her aunt Delphine who seems to be pushing her toward her neighbor Reverend Jack Marks. While I was concerned that a relationship between the heroine and a preacher would be a little boring, Sue seems to find plenty of humor in this story.

Details: HQN, September 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Driven by Eve Kenin

Interesting story which takes place in a futuristic world filled with danger and suspense. I love the blend of science fiction with romance that the Shomi books offer and I’m looking forward to reading more of those stories.

Details: Shomi, September 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Total Control by Pamela Britton

Pamela Britton + NASCAR = Great story. ‘Nuff said.

Details: HQN, September 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. While I love the Samantha Jellicoe stories, this one is half historical and half modern with a common

Imagine being raised in family where assassination is a tradition and children are raised to be ruthless to be deadly killers. But when the heroine falls in love with someone charged with protecting her latest target, the situation explodes – literally.

This story doesn’t take itself too seriously and it filled with lots of humor and interesting situations. While the publisher is noted for it’s chick-lit stories, this particular one ends with a happily ever after. I’m definitely looking forward to her next book.

Details: Making It, August 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Twice the Temptation by Suzanne Enoch

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. While I love the Samantha Jellicoe stories, this one is half historical and half modern with a common thread that links the two time periods. The reason this book rates a very good is that the quality of the first story doesn’t compare to the second, so I picked something in between. I guess a true fan of historical novels might feel differently, but for me it was extremely difficult to sympathize with the characters and why the did the things they did. I felt that Suzanne should have spent some time explaining things to contemporary readers rather than assuming they understood the historical context of the story. If you really enjoy reading about the cat burglar and the billionaire, then you probably should read this story. But I have a hard time recommending it otherwise.

Details: Avon, August 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Heiress for Hire by Erin McCarthy

This cute story about the rich girl who’s cut off from her father’s money falling in love with a small town farmer will bring smiles to your face while you read it.

Details: Bantam, July 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong

This is the best book I’ve read all year. The heroine is a hitman (or should I say hitwoman {laughs} ) who teams up with her mentor in search of a crazed killer. While the romance angle is not as strong as in some books, you’d be amazed at how you sympathize with the hero and heroine.

Details: Bantam, July 2007

Excellence Rating: Excellent

Fanged & Fabulous by Michelle Rowen

A funny sequel to Bitten & Smitten, featuring the same set of characters.

Details: Warner, July 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

A Hoboken Hipster in Sherwood Forest by Marianne Mancusi

A sequel to A Connecticut Fashionista In King Arthur’s Court, featuring the original heroine’s friend. Yeah, I didn’t realize Robin Hood lived at the same time as King Arthur either.

Details: Love Spell, February 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

A Connecticut Fashionista In King Arthur’s Court by Marianne Mancusi

A cute time travel story where the heroine finds herself in Camelot.

Details: Love Spell, May 2005

Excellence Rating: Great

Moongazer by Marianne Mancusi

Highly recommended if you love both science fiction and romance.

Details: Shomi, August 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich

Someone has found a new way to cheat on the stock car circuit and Barney and Hooker are pissed they didn’t think of it first. So they steal a car transporter to figure out how they cheated and they stumble across a dead body. Soon find themselves involved in an international conspiracy. Now will the supergirl mechanic and the hunky stockcar driver manage to stay alive long enough to unravel the mystery or will the bad guys manage to insure that they never race again.

I enjoyed reading the sequel to Metro Girl, but for some reason it didn’t quite live up to the first one as the characters started and ended in the same place. While I guess this is true of the Stephanie Plum books too, at least the secondary characters do seem to change in each story. Also the details about NASCAR are way off base, when compared to Pamela Britton’s books. But if you ignore those issues, this story is funny and hot and full of action and danger. If you love Evanovich’s other books, I’m certain you’ll love this one too.

Details: Harper, August 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Steaminess Factor: Yummy