Hello, and welcome back! I'm thinking we might be able to turn the a/c off this week, as it's supposed to be cooler after today. That would be a nice change here. Of course, with the cooler temps there are supposed to be a few showers, but I can handle that if it means we can open windows again to let fresh air in. The higher temperatures and humidity, though, have meant plenty of reading time here. I've finished reading the June books and hope to get the rest of those reviews posted before the end of the week, though not all of the books are going to get a full review. If you're new to the site, some of the romances only get a listing in the forum, rather than a full review here.

This time out, I have a new author, Jackie Barbosa with Behind the Red Door (Aphrodisia), a collection of three related stories. In 'Wickedly Ever After', Eleanor Palmer is determined not to wed Nathaniel St. Clair, Marquess of Grenville. He's highly unsuitable, a rogue of the first order, no matter how attractive he might be. While Nathaniel knows her father disapproves of him, Eleanor is tempting. Far too tempting. So when he arranges to take her to the brothel known as The Red Door, claiming her favorite author is known to go there, Eleanor can't possibly resist. 'Scandalously Ever After' has Captain Jack Prescott arriving at The Red Door and procuring the services of Calliope for an entire week. But he doesn't really mean to use her services at all. Calliope may be able to change his mind about that, but she knows he's only hers temporarily. 'Sinfully Ever After' has Nathaniel's sister Lady Jane St. Clair in love with her fiance and dear friend Gerard Everett, but Gerard is another first-class rogue, and Jane wants to tame him. So she poses as a potential courtesan at The Red Door to learn the sort of things he likes, and learn them from him. While I've been disappointed with the romance aspect in many of the books published under this imprint, this one actually fulfills the promise of erotic romance in each of this trio of stories while not skimping on the steamier aspects. I quite enjoyed all three tales, with their strong heroes and very determined heroines. I think Ms. Barbosa could be a star in this subgenre as long as she keeps this up. I'm giving this one four of Cupid's five arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!