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

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

Blondes Prefer Billionaires by Suzanne Enoch

When Samantha Jellicoe runs into her dead father at a Sotheby’s art auction, she knows her world is about to turn upside down. Even though she no longer steals priceless paintings, her father pressures her into doing it for old times sake. Even her billionaire boyfriend Richard Addison, can’t change her mind. Samantha has a plan to save her father, but it means risking her freedom and possibly her life. Will she be able to convince Rick to help, or will he whisk her away to England where she’ll be safe, but powerless to save her father?

The third installment in this series brings back all of the edginess that I enjoyed in the first story. The plot has enough twists and turns to leave you wondering what’s going to happen next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you like romance with an element of danger, I know you’ll like this one too.

Details: Avon, November 2006

Bottom line: A great book

Don’t Look Down by Suzanne Enoch

Samantha Jellicoe is perhaps the best jewel thief in the world. Well perhaps was the best jewel thief, as she’s retired in this book. Partnered with her lover, billionaire Rick Addison, Samantha attempts to go straight and open her own security consulting business. But she immediately runs into problems as her first client is killed before she meets with him. Determined to track down the killer, Samantha falls back on some of the skills she used in her previous life to find the real killer. Meanwhile, Rick's ex-wife does everything in her power to get back together with Rick and for him to dump Samantha.

Don’t Look Down is a sequel to Flirting with Danger. I waited nearly a year for this book to be released and when by the time I finished it, I was somewhat disappointed. While I enjoyed reading Don’t Look Down, Suzanne didn’t quite manage to capture the same edge from the first book. Perhaps this is because Samantha’s relationship with Rick was already well defined or maybe it’s just missing the same level of danger that forced them together in the first book. In either case, I hope Samantha and Rick return in the future with a story more suited to them.

Details: Avon, January 2006

Bottom line: A very good book