Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich

Megan Murphy loved Colonial Williamsburg in the fall, but when Patrick Hunter’s runaway rabbit began nibbling on her clothes, she decided to return him and give him a piece of her mind. Unfortunately, as she was starting to chew him out, a girl in her young twenties mistakes her for Patrick’s wife and asks the couple to tend to her infant baby. Promising to come back in a few weeks, the girl departs leaving the surprised couple with a child to care for. Soon Megan and Pat find themselves living as a family, but the real question is this for real or just a dream.

This is a cute story, with a great premise and a lot of potential. But for some reason it didn’t really grab me. To me, Megan seemed to be a little to ditzy at times as she bounces from one extreme to the other. Still it was an easy read and Janet painted a really nice picture of life in modern day Colonial Williamsburg. So if you’re an Evanovich fan, pick up a copy and bring a smile to your face.

Details: Harper Torch, November 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

Smitten by Janet Evanovich

Lizabeth Kane desperately needs a job – any job. She’s recently divorced with two children and after being turned down for nearly every other job, she applies for a job as a laborer at a construction site. Matt Hallahan fell in love with Lizabeth the moment he saw her and immediately offered her a job with his company. While Lizabeth needed the job (especially since she’d learn the skills she needed to fix her current house), she wasn’t ready to get involved with anyone. But Matt wasn’t ready to take no for an answer, so he began spending time with Lizabeth by helping her repair her house. Can Matt survive a dog that eats everything, the neighborhood flasher, an eccentric old lady named Elsie, and a slightly jealous ex-husband in order to convince Lizabeth to marry him?

This is a lightweight, fun book, that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. It does however have a minor few holes in the plot that detract from the overall story. But the colorful characters more than make up for it, especially Elsie who seems to be the prototype for Janet’s Granny Mazur in the Plum books. So if you’re an Evanovich fan, you need to add this book to your to-be-read pile.

Details: Harper Torch, July 2006

Bottom line: A very good book

Act of War by Dale Brown

When a small nuclear device destroys a major oil refinery near Houston Texas, the country is stunned and then outraged. The President wants to declare war against the terrorists, but until he can convince the rest of the country, he dispatches a top-secret team led by Major Jason Richter to investigate and take action against the perpetrators. Richter quickly finds that the device was detonated by a radical environmental group who have been attacking energy plants all over the world. But then he learns that the terrorists are being fed information about his team’s every movement. Now with the battleground shifted to the United States, can Richter and his team find the mole and prevent the total destruction of America.

This isn’t a continuation of Dale Brown’s Dreamland series of books. Instead this book establishes a new set of characters and the major weapons system revolves around a robot-like exoskeleton developed by Richter. The book isn’t completely about fighting battles with future technology as there is a hint of romance in the book too. :) Like Dale’s previous book, this one keeps you turning pages until you know that America is safe again – at least until the next book. If you love techno-thrillers or know someone who does ( ;) ), I highly recommend this book.

Details: Harper Torch, July 2006

Bottom line: A great book