Girls Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky
Mindy created a funny collection of characters which will keep you laughing and she gave Jane enough challenges to keep her going in a dozen directions at once. Unlike most chick-lit books, Jane is capable and relatively confident, which makes for a refreshing change of pace. The book doesn’t dwell a lot on the witchcraft, which makes this a good book for someone who hasn’t made up their mind about paranormal stories. I really enjoyed it and I think you might too.
Details: Red Dress Ink, October 2006
Excellence Rating: Very Good
Steaminess Factor: Romantic
Kristen McKenna's life has always revolved around speed. When she was younger, she was a promising open wheel race car and now she’s an aerospace engineer. But when mega-billionaire Matthew Knight, owner of the company she works for, purchases a NASCAR race team, Kristen finds herself with the opportunity to become involved with racing again. Matthew finds himself instantly taken with the young woman, but his dedication to his career has left him ill prepared to romance Kristen. To make matters more complicated, Matthew’s driver, Todd Peters also finds himself attracted to the lovely scientist and unlike his boss, Todd has had plenty of practice seducing women. Kristen is surprised by the attention of the two handsome men and isn’t quite sure what to do about it, especially when she’s forced to choose between them. But will Kirsten risk Mathew’s wrath by dating Todd or will she date Mathew knowing that with him, his business will always come first? 
Lisa Woodrow needs a safe place to hide while the police capture an escaped criminal she put behind bars. What better place for the prosecutor to stay than the her parents mansion deep in the heart of NASCAR country. The only problem is her father still employees Wade McClellan, crew chief for her father’s best racing team and also her ex-fiancé. Wade is unnerved by Lisa’s return. There was room in his life for only one thing and if he wants to win the championship, the race team must come first. However the more time they spend together, the more Lisa begins to work her way into Wade’s heart. Now can Wade find it in himself to make room for two things in his life, or will he be destined to be alone when his teams captures the championship. 
When single mom Jenna Williams arrives to pick up her daughter after soccer practice, she finds someone else has picked her daughter up. Soon she receives a call demanding a million dollars for her safe return. When she protested that an ER nurse doesn’t have that kind of money, the mysterious caller hints that someone from her past does. Buck Buchanan, former NASCAR driver and now team owner can easily arrange to get that kind of money, but at first he thought that Jenna was pulling a scam. However when he sees a picture of Jenna’s daughter, he realizes that she wasn’t just Jenna’s daughter, she was his daughter too. Frustrated that he missed watching his daughter grows up, Buck wonders why he ever let his only true love get away. Assuming that they manage to find their daughter, will Jenna allow Buck into their lives or will she continue to shut him out as she has for the last 12 years. 
Shelby Jackson is finding it hard to for her teams to stay competitive in NASCAR, but, Shelby finds herself confused when Mick Churchill tries to buy the other half of her team. On the one hand Mick could attract the new sponsors her team so desperately needs, on the other, sponsors aren’t the only thing he attracts. Despite her growing attraction to him, Shelby worries that selling out will mean the end of her family owned team. But while it’s critical that Mick owns a race team, it’s equally critical that his reasons behind the purchase stay hidden. But just how far is Mick willing to go to convince Shelby to sell? 
Giving an acceptance speech to her fellow actuaries made Kendall Clarke extremely nervous, so she was counting on her fiancé to give her the moral support she needed. But with just a few hours left before the meeting, the jerk dumped her for one of her coworkers. Then to make matters worse, she found herself locked out of her room wearing nothing but a Victoria Secret slip. Fortunately she bumped into NASCAR star, Dylan Hargreave, who was expecting an actress to pose as his girlfriend so he could attend his ex-wife’s wedding. Choosing the wedding over the awards ceremony wasn’t the easiest decision for a person who normally avoided risks, but how could Kendall turn down one of People magazine’s 50 Sexiest Men of the Year. Soon Kendall finds herself traveling the NASCAR circuit with Dylan as an extended vacation. But since all vacations must come to an end, Kendall must decide whether to return to the safety of her previous life or stick by the one man she truly loves.
When the phone call interrupted Ana Reisner’s visit to the Opera, she was amazed that her boss assigned her to a case involving attempted murder and theft. Even though Ana is an police officer with Interpol, her job is cataloging catalog art treasures not solving crimes. When she protested the assignment, her boss said she was specifically requested by the President of France. After meeting the victim, Ana accepted the job and dropped her protests. While searching for the for the missing object, she bumps into Robert Fraser, a convicted art thief. Soon, the couple are running for their lives. While gathering clues, they learn the object is tied to the Black Madonna cult and if the object falls into the wrong hands, France may be destroyed. Now can Ana find the object and save France, or will she die trying?