First up is Gena Hale´s latest, Dream Mountain (Onyx). Delaney, aka Laney, Arlen is stranded in a mountain cabin in the winter--left there by her uncle--when she shoots Bigfoot. Only Bigfoot turns out to be a human, a suspicious, sexy man who calls himself Joe. This story had me laughing out loud, and reaching for something to fan myself with. Neither Joe nor Laney can trust the other, based on their past experiences and the way things appear in this one, yet neither is able to stop their feelings for the other either. Joe is just as sexy as Joe´s brother-in-law Luke, from "Paradise Island," and I can hardly wait to read the third book due out in the series. I´m giving this one four and a half of Cupid´s five arrows. Definitely a keeper.
The second book I´m going to share with you this week is the latest anthology to include a Nora Roberts story, Once upon a Rose (Jove). This one also has novellas from Jill Gregory, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Marianne Willman. Leading off with Ms. Roberts´s "Winter Rose," Princess Deirdre must heal a man who´s somehow found his way into her frozen, cursed land, and in doing so, may also heal herself. As usual, her characters are superb, and I admit loving when she ventures into fantasy. Great tale.
The second story is Jill Gregory´s "The Rose and the Sword," in which a young woman, Britta of Palladrin, suddenly finds herself on a quest to save a land she´s never known, and with a most unwilling partner, her betrothed, Prince Lucius who believed her dead. More great fantasy.
Ruth Ryan Langan´s contribution is "The Roses of Glenross" and has a battle-weary Scotsman falling for the young woman he rescued before he was wounded. But their love may not be if he cannot help a ghost find her way back to her own love. Nicely told.
The last story in the group is Marianne Willman´s "The Fairest Rose," with Tor of Far Islandia come to Airan to win the hand of the fair princess, but who is instead offered the hand of the king´s illegitimate daughter Rosaleen. I have to say, Tor was most unpleasant, and I was torn between wanting him to have the brat he´d desired in the beginning and having Rosaleen, aka Mouse, get her happy ending. Not my favorite of the stories. Nevertheless, I´m giving the entire anthology four arrows, because I really liked the other stories that much.
Until next week, happy reading!
