Coupon Girl by Becky Motew

Jeanie Callahan ekes out a living by selling ads in for coupon mailer company. But when the boss offers a bonus of $5,000 to the person who sells the most new ads, Jeanie decides to take on the office’s overachiever to finance the purchase of a car that actually works. To help her win the bet, she auditions for the local production of The Sound Of Music in order to find some new customers, but finds that the play is much more entertaining from back stage. Now between juggling her job and the play, will Jeanie win the five grand or will she succeed in a way no one expects?

Becky draws on her real life experiences selling ads for a coupon mailer company to create a wacky cast of characters. This results in a cute story – funny in some places, a bit rough in others. However considering it’s a chick-lit book and not a romance, it works in this story. A nice read and recommended to chick-lit lovers who can’t resist rooting for the understudy.

Details: Making It, May 2007

Excellence Rating: Pretty Good

Steaminess Factor: Yummy

Undercover Daddy by Delores Fossen

Christopher was the most important thing in Elaina McLemore’s life. Her adopted, one-year old son was the only good thing to come from her former marriage. So when her ex died, Elaina changed her name and moved away. After his wife died during childbirth, Luke Buchanan devoted his life to finding his missing son. When he tracks him to Elaina, his immediate reaction is to make her pay, but when armed men show up he soon finds himself assuming the role of protector and sparks start to fly. Now Elaina must decide which man should own her heart, her adopted son or the son’s natural father.

Another good Intrigue, though the plot felt a little unrealistic and contrived. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if she injected a touch of humor into the story. If you’re into Intrigue, I think you’ll like this book.

Details: Intrigue #990, May 2007

Excellence Rating: Pretty Good

Steaminess Factor: Sensual

Calamity Jayne Goes To College by Kathleen Bacus

Tressa Jayne Turner’s boss agrees to make her a full-time reporter, but only if she goes back to college and study journalism. But there’s more to Tressa’s life than just college classes. Things like shedding those last few pounds to fit into her maid of honor dress and dealing with a grandmother who’s love life is out of control. But these pale in comparison to following a campus crime spree that's following the lecture notes for an Introduction to Criminal Justice. As the crimes escalate from littering to assault, can Tressa find the guilty party before the professor starts teaching about murder?

This book is missing some of the charm of Kathleen’s earlier stories. Gone were most of the blonde jokes along with most of the sexual tension between her and the two officers of the law that are vying for her attention. However, Kathleen did bring back many of the characters from per previous books and I loved the humor in the campus crimes. So if you’re a fan of Tressa “Calamity” Jayne, you need to read this book, but I hope Kathleen will go back to the style she used in her earlier books.

Details: Dorchester, April 2007

Excellence Rating: Pretty Good

Steaminess Factor: Yummy

My Favorite Earthling by Susan Grant

Knowing the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Jared Jasper is willing to sacrifice himself to insure its continued safety. Of course getting engaged with the sexy warrior-queen, Keira is not without its own benefits Keira knows that protecting her people is her number one priority and the best way to do that is to marry the prince of Earth before Earth has a chance to disrupt galactic politics. Of course adapting to married life is someone challenging for Jared, especially when his wife carries around a plasma sword for fun. But someone else has plans for Keria – one where Jared won’t fit. Now can Jared protect his wife to save the Earth or will Jared start an interstellar war?

Picking up where Your Planet or Mine left off, Susan tells the tale of Jana Jasper’s brother. Like the first story, this one is full of humor and just enough danger to keep me turning pages. If you like romance with a sci-fi twist, you’d better move this book to the top of the heap.

Details: HQN, March 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Steaminess Factor: Yummy

Beware Of Doug by Elaine Fox

Lily Tyler’s protector Doug the dog, hates all men with a passion, except for Lily’s fiancé, but then he’s never around much. On the other hand, Doug has taken an instant dislike for Lily’s new neighbor, Brady Cole. But while Doug hates Brady, Brady could easily fall in love with Lily. Too bad he’s sworn off women for a while. The mere sight of Brady is enough for Lily to forget her fiancé, but Lily isn’t ready to risk her future for a guy she knows is totally wrong for her. Or is she?

This is basically a cute story about a couple that fall in love at first sight, but their current lives won’t allow it. Toss in Doug the dog who’s schemes to keep them apart are sure to bring a few chuckles along the way, means plenty of opportunities for humor. This book also brings back some characters from her previous book, Guys and Dogs. If you’re looking for a lighthearted book with a bit of steam, and you don’t mind a few scenes from the dog’s point of view , then this might be a good book for you.

Details: Avon, March 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Steaminess Factor: Yummy

Fit To Be Tied by Karen Kendall

Jen’s wedding day started out badly and only got worse. The final straw was learning that her husband-to-be had to get drunk in order to go through the ceremony and now she’s wondering why she agreed to marry Tom in the first place. While Tom sobered up on the plane ride to their honeymoon, Jen decided that maybe the best thing was to ask for a divorce before things could get any worse. After all that’s happened, surely Tom couldn’t say no. Or could he?

Take every nightmare that you could imagine happening at a wedding and this book has it. Well it doesn't have the pregnant girlfriend running down the aisle during “Does anyone know why this couple shouldn’t be wed?”. but it does have everything else However instead of being playful, the story carried a rather serious tone and that just didn’t work for me. The characters were good, the sex was hot and the ending made reading the story worthwhile. But I can’t help but wonder if a little more humor injected in the right places would have made the book great.

Details: Signet Eclipse, March 2007

Excellence Rating: Pretty Good

Steaminess Factor: Yummy

The Secret Life of Mrs. Claus by Carly Alexander

In the Nutcracker, Olivia Todd returns to Baltimore to recover after breaking her ankle. Forced to quit dancing with the Rockettes, she takes a job as Mrs. Claus in Rossman’s Department Store. Then she learns that her ex-boyfriend also returned to Baltimore and is filming film a new TV show, who’s lead character is obnoxious and nasty and also just happens to be based on Olivia. Everywhere she goes, people treat her the same way that her TV character treats others. Now can Olivia survive her ex and the problems he caused and return to her dream job of dancing with the Rockettes?

In Christmas Mouse, Cassie Derringer deals with single motherhood as she tries to provide the best possible life for her son after leaving the child’s father. Leaving the child’s father meant giving up her job as a set designer for his TV show. Forced to look elsewhere for employment, she takes a job at Rossman’s Department Store as a window dresser. However, cutbacks in the store means that she also has to take on the job of Mrs. Claus. Now can Cassie and her son survive their first Christmas season without a man in their lives?

In Miracle on the Magnificent Mile, Meredith tries to assert her right to take her parents place on Rossman’s board of directors. However, the board feels that she’s too young and thinks she needs more hands-on retail experience. So Meredith finds herself in the toy department playing Mrs. Claus, while trying to earn the board’s respect. Unfortunately Meredith hasn’t believed in Christmas, since her parents died on Christmas Day, two years ago. Now can Meredith overcome her parent’s deaths to find the true meaning of Christmas?

While the cover leads to you to believe that this is a single story, it is really three short stories that revolve around three different women who play Mrs. Claus in a department store. The heroines eventually connect with a guy in all three stories, but the guy generally plays a minor role in the story so it’s hard for me to think of these stories as true romances. Not realizing that the book contains three stories, hurt the first story as I was just starting to like Olivia, when the story abruptly ended. But I have to admire the extreme level of detail Carly used when painting the picture of Baltimore City. Cassie’s story is cute, but mostly because of her son. My favorite story of the three is Meredith’s because it was closer to a romance story than the other two. If you love Carly Alexander, I think you’ll love this book. But if you’re looking for a more typical romance novel, I think you should look elsewhere.

Details: Kensington, October 06

Bottom line: A pretty good book

Must Love Mistletoe by Christie Ridgway

Bailey Sullivan hates the family Christmas store. So when she left home for LA years ago, she never wanted to see another Christmas item for the rest of her life. But when her parents have a fight just before Christmas and refuse to work at the store, Bailey makes the ultimate sacrifice and returns to run the store just to keep her parent’s business afloat. Unfortunately she didn’t count on the bad boy/high school sweetheart, Finn Jacobson, visiting his grandmother next door. Despite the sparks flying between her and Finn, Bailey knows she needs to leave this place before she gets stuck and can’t leave. Still she just can't resist visiting the past. Will Bailey return to LA or will she decide to stick around and enjoy the spirit of Christmas.

This book started out pretty rough for me. I suspect it had something to do with word choice, as it just felt awkward. On the other hand, the plot good and the characters were interesting. Still, I was two thirds of the way through the book before I started to enjoy it. Since it’s quite possible that I just wasn’t in tune with the story, I’d like to hear from anyone else that may have read it.

Details: Avon, December 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

Light My Fire by Katie MacAlister

Aisling Grey, Guardian in-training, demon lord and mate to Drake, Wyvern of the Green Dragons has a small problem: someone keeps trying to kill her. The attempts are really annoying since Aisling is immortal and can't die unless someone severs her head from her body. Just to make her life complicated, Aisling finds herself in the middle of a dragon war, wanted by imps everywhere because her demon killed their king and in trouble with her fellow Guardians because of her unguardian-like behavior. Challenged on all fronts, Aisling desperately needs Drake’s help, but all Drake wants to do is to spend time in the hot tub, on the rug and occasionally even on the bed. Can Aisling find a way to survive or will she find herself doomed to spend the rest of her life in her personel hell.

This is the third novel in the Aisling Grey series, which documents Aisling’s struggles to become a full fledged Guardian. However the novel is disappointing in that it's focused on creating up situations for future novels to resolve than creating a compelling story. It's not that the story is bad - it isn't, but the lack of resolution really hurts. Fans of the previous books will obviously have this book on the must buy list, though they may want to wait until the next volume is released before reading it.

Details: Signet Eclipse, November 2006

This is the third novel in the Aisling Grey series, which documents Aisling’s struggles to become a full fledged Guardian. However the novel is disappointing in that it's focused on creating up situations for future novels to resolve than creating a compelling story. It's not that the story is bad - it isn't, but the lack of resolution really hurts. Fans of the previous books will obviously have this book on the must buy list, though they may want to wait until the next volume is released before reading it.

Details: Signet Eclipse, November 2006

Bottom line: Pretty good

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

Hysterical Blondness by Suzanne Macpherson

Patricia Stillwell’s new experimental diet not only helped her lose weight, it also helped her hair to shed its natural color, leaving her blonde and it just happened to catch the attention of Brett Nordquist of the Nordquist Department store chain. Brett was everything she wanted in a husband, rich and handsome and full of passion. Unfortunately, to the rest of the world Brett was a drunk, playboy who didn’t give a damn about the people around him. Little did Patricia know that Paul Costello was more than just a roommate and friend, he also was in love with the real person underneath the hair. When the diet is over, and her blondeness wears off, will Patricia come to her senses and see the real Brett or is she doomed to live a live of rich misery.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, as the basic concept was an open invitation for laughter – the instant blonde hair coupled with two women and a man sharing a house, where the heroine chased after a guy that was absolutely wrong for her. But for some reason the story never grabbed me. The characters where somewhat cardboard and there were lots of obscure (at least to me ) references to fashion. Patricia had a second roommate, Pinky, who played such a major role in the beginning of the book that it took something away from Patricia’s character and Paul never quite worked for me either. I suspect that a lot of people will really enjoy this story. I just wish I was one of them.

Details: Avon, September 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

Innuendo by Crystal Green

Tamara Clarkson is searching for her place in life. But the search needn’t be boring right? So she grabs a chance to go out with the hot looking Kyle Sullivan. Unfortunately, Kyle decides that Tam doesn’t live up to his high standards even though his cousin Murphy finds her the hottest woman he’s ever seen. Murphy volunteers to take Kyle’s place, and Tam believes he’s Kyle. Now Murphy finds himself forced to play the carefree and shallow Kyle, while suppressing his sensitive and caring side. But as the relationship transforms from a booty call into something more, Murphy knows that the lie will ultimately break them apart, but he’s also afraid that telling her the truth will hurt her even more.

The For A Good Time Call…, series hints that the pairings will have a strong sexual angle and this story delivers on that promise. This is an interesting story as you get to watch Kyle realize that life is more than going out with a different woman every night, and see Murphy realize that it’s okay to make a mistake now and then. Crystal also left this story open to a number of sequels which I hope to see in the near future.

Details: Blaze #261, July 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

The Fly Guy by Laura Bradford

Sarah Dundee ekes out a living by writing products reviews for a nature magazine. Her reviews attracted the attention of a major publisher who wants her to fly all over the country reviewing products in some of the most remote locations available. There’s just one problem, Sarah is deathly afraid of airplanes. Well, she actually has two problems. The other is she’s trying to stop the nearby airport from expanding into a nature preserve, which immediately pits her against the airport’s owner, Logan Donnelly. Logan on the other hand needs to expand his airport or face financial ruin. Unfortunately, from the instant they met, both Sarah and Logan feel a strong attraction for each other. But without room to compromise, the couple is headed for one big crash landing.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I like airplanes. And finding a book for $2.49 with over 430 pages is a real bargain, so this book had a lot going for it from the start. However, for some reason it took me a long time to get into the story and I never felt much for either the heroine or the hero. However, the ending of this book almost makes up for its flaws. I won’t spoil it by giving away the ending, but I just couldn’t put the book down for the last 50 pages or so. Unfortunately Laura forgot to tie up a few loose ends in the story, so unless you really like stories about airplanes or a good bargain, you might want to think twice about this book.

Details: Zebra, June 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

Hidden Obsession by Joanne Rock

LAPD Officer Graham Lawson was investigating a case of rape and abuse by a gang when he found himself in Linnet Wellbourne’s bedroom in the year 1190. Linnet is betrothed to a formidable knight, who is about to return from a crusade. Like many women of her time, the marriage was arranged and Linnet wasn’t looking forward to marriage with someone who left her locked in an iron chastity belt for the last three years. On the other hand, Graham believed he was involved with an elaborate hoax, conducted for a purpose he couldn’t fathom. But a chastity belt was too much for him to stand. Releasing Linnet from the chastity belt was only the first step in a new adventure into her sexuality for Linnet, who wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with Graham. But will Graham settle for remaining in the past with Linnet or will duty force Graham to return to the present leaving Linnet behind?

Time travel books are among my most favorite types of book to read, so I was really looking forward to this novel. Unfortunately this book felt more like a historical romance than a time travel book. I prefer reading about contemporary characters no matter what the setting. So while Graham is a contemporary character, Linnet is not and I felt like something was missing from the story. I think the story line has a lot of potential and Joanne’s attention to detail is nothing sort of amazing. If you are a true fan of historical romances, I think you’ll really love this book.

Details: Blaze #256, June 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

Baby, I’m Yours by Catherine Mann

Vic Jansen watched his marriage fall about five years ago after his daughter died. Vowing never to love another woman, Vic moves across the country and takes up residence on a boat. But vows like that are often broken and soon Vic found himself having an affair with Claire McDermott. A broken condom lead to problems for both Claire and Vic when Claire finds herself pregnant. Now Vic wants to marry her despite her intentions of having the child and raising them by herself. Can Vic find a way to convince Claire to marry him or will Claire push Vic completely out of her life?

This is an interesting book with the heroine getting pregnant in the very first chapter, leaving the rest of the book for the heroine and hero to discover how the really feel about each other. Catherine also threw in a touch of suspense just to make things a little more interesting. If you like Desire, I’m sure you’ll find this book very interesting.

Details: Desire #1721, April 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

Honeymoon That Wasn’t by Debbi Rawlins

For Dakota Shea, the best honeymoons are ones without the newlyweds. When Dakota’s newly married sister decides to go on a cruse, Dakota ends up with a ticket to Hawaii. Little did she know that her sister also slipped a ticket to the second hunkiest guy at the wedding, Tony San Angelo. Unfortunately for the couple, the honeymoon didn’t last. When they returned to Manhattan, Dakota resumed her demanding job as a lawyer, forcing Tony to take on a legal challenge of his own – to make Dakota his own.

Another good book in the Men To Do series, Debbi pitted an insanely busy lawyer against a hardworking blue collar construction worker. There’s a lot of tension between the hero and heroine – both sexual and otherwise. Debbi also introduced another couple, Dakota’s brother and a temporary worker at her office. It might have been nice to see more of this couple in the novel, but maybe Debbi will reveal their story in a future Men To Do book.

Details: Blaze #250, May 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

Asking for Trouble by Millie Criswell

Beth Randall is on her fourth year of life after marriage and has succeeded in turning the old family home into a cozy bread and breakfast. Sure things are a little tight financially, but what new business isn’t that way in the beginning? Unfortunately, Beth is surrounded by secrets: mysterious bones in the basement, her aunt’s fiancé who mysteriously disappeared fifty years ago and a chef who’s afraid to be interviewed by the local newspaper. When Dr. Brad Donovan arrives at the bed and breakfast looking for his missing father who was last seen at the inn, Beth is torn between Brad’s pointed questions about the inn and the depth of her attraction to the doctor. Is she ready to open herself to someone for the first time after her divorce or will the doctor’s probing reveal these secrets shattering her life.

This book is filled with secrets and conflicts. Millie manages to keep all of them up in the air through most of the story. However, the ending was a little weak as she waited until the last moment to wrap things up. And, when she did wrap them up they fell into place a little too easily. Still, Millie created a story that’s definitely worth reading.

Details: HQN, April 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

Afternoon Delight by Mia Zachary

Dumped by her latest boyfriend, breast cancer survivor Rei Davis is in the market for a new man. When her girlfriend takes her to a dance club, Rei meets the hot looking Chris London, who gives her the best orgasm of her life. While Rei is ready to keep Chris as a boy toy, Chris is looking for something more. So when Rei walks into his computer dating service, he compares his profile to hers and finds their compatibility nearly off the scale. Now it’s up to Chris to convince Rei that they belong together.

This book has a slightly more complex story than a traditional Blaze, but the story failed to invoke strong feelings in the reader. When the heroine finds that her cancer may have returned, it’s brushed aside and forgotten until much later in the story. This isn’t very realistic to me. I can understand the heroine putting off the next round of cancer tests, but that should merely strengthen the angst in the heroine’s mind about the cancer – not ignore it. Still I liked the fact that Mia’s story featured a heroine older than the usual 27 year old, and that she managed to include the hot sex expected in a Blaze despite the age of the heroine. This is a book definitely worth reading.

Details: Blaze #247, April 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

Midnight Oil by Karen Kendall

Peggy Underwood was finally getting her life back on track. After dumping her grade-B hockey player boyfriend and moving to Florida, Peggy, along with her two business partners, opened After Hours - a spa that serves customers until late in the night. As part of this life-changing event, Peggy vowed to spend the next year learning to live without men. Unfortunately, Troy Barrington entered her life.

Troy Barrington, ex-football star, recently inherited the mall where After Hours is located and wants to find a way to break the lease so he can use that space to build his sporting goods store. After being advised that the lease is ironclad, his only option is to find a building code violation that would allow him to break their lease. However, Peggy fascinates him - the way she looks and the way she kisses and the way she acts in bed. Can Troy follow through with his plan or will Peggy decide to punt him out of her life?

The first book in the After Hours series is more of a traditional Blaze, filled with hot sex and interesting characters. There is also some humor in the book that helps to balance things out. But somehow the story didn’t work for me as much as some of the more recent Blazes I’ve read. Still, I did enjoy reading it and I’ll definitely be reading the next two books in the After Hours series.

Details: Blaze #246, April 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book

A New Attitude by Charlotte Hughes

Marilee Abernathy woke up one day to find that her husband had left her for a floozy. To make matters worse, her son helped him move. But she never expected that her husband would resign his duties as a church minister. Rather than live with the shame, she tried to commit suicide, only to fail miserably. Then in her darkest moment, Sam Brewer walked into her life. Her friends rallied around her too, and soon Marilee had adopted a whole new attitude about life.

I’ve enjoyed the Full series of books that Charlotte has written with Janet Evanovich, so I couldn’t resist reading something she wrote alone. But I have to confess when I found that Marilee was a minister’s wife, I put the book down and reached for another Blaze :) . But I knew I’d read this one eventually and I’m glad I did. Charlotte created some rather unique and memorable characters and the filled the book with humor. I really enjoyed it once I got into the story and I think you will too.

Details: HQN, February 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book