Hello, and welcome back! It's been raining pretty hard here all morning, despite the local weather-guesser assuring everyone several hours ago the rain was moving away and should be just scattered showers starting then. Ha! If I weren't heading to work shortly, it would be a perfect day to spend curled up on the couch with one of the many books still in my July stack. Hopefully some of you can do that today, since I cannot.

This time out, I have the latest from Nora Roberts, The Search (Putnam, bought). Fiona Bristow likes her life on the island off the coast of Washington. She and her dogs work with the local search and rescue group, and she spends her days training other people and their dogs into better behavior. It's not what she imagined years ago she might be doing, but that was before serial killer George Perry altered the course of her life by first abducting her, and then, when she escaped him, killing the man she intended to marry. Local woodworker Simon Doyle needs her help with the puppy his mother gave him; the dog refuses to listen to anything he says and Simon's nearly reached his limit. Fiona's not his usual type, but he finds himself drawn to her anyway, aside from the fact that she works miracles with his overactive dog. Then it appears that Perry has a protege, abducting young women and killing them, in exactly the same manner as Perry, who's in prison for the rest of his life. As if that isn't bad enough, he seems to be working his way toward Fiona, to finish off what his mentor had started all those years ago. Fiona starts off thinking she's having a fling with Simon, as he's blunt in his assessment that she really isn't his type, but we know that can't be the way it'll turn out; after all, we're reading a romance. Simon and Fiona are appealing together and apart, and the peek into the world of dog search teams is really interesting. I love that Fiona's past has only made her stronger, though she's entitled to have a few moments of doubt and weakness when there's a monster hunting her, and I adore that Simon is willing to admit that what he really wants isn't quite what he expected. There's a nice little crew of secondary characters here, though the focus remains mostly on Fiona and Simon, which is great. Nora is what many authors aspire to be: prolific, successful, and really a damn good writer. Her books are always keepers for me, and this is no exception. I'm borrowing four of Cupid's five arrows for this one. Now to wait for the next Bride book in the fall....

Until next time, happy reading!