Hello, and welcome back! We're not getting too much of the usual fall colors in the trees this year, since the summer was so dry most of the leaves were turning brown already by the end of the summer, but the weather is fantastic at last, even with a couple of rainy days lately. It's just about time to break out the teapot and the hot chocolate, and I've already brought out the soup pot more than once since it cooled down. I'll be doing a batch of my famous-at-home chili in it later this week, and I'll find something else to put into the bread machine to add to the delicious scents all afternoon.

I've also gotten a fair amount of reading done so far this month, and am a little ahead of myself with reading versus posting reviews. This time out, I have A Storm of Pleasure (Brava, received from publisher) by Terri Brisbin. This is the second in her 'Storm' series, with brother and seer Gavin driven to retreat to a cave in an effort to escape the voices in his head. Katla Svensdottir has come to seek him out after her father is accused of treason and killed, and her brother is captured for the same crime. She can't believe it of them, and she's determined the seer will help find the truth, no matter what she has to do to secure his assistance. Gavin thinks his first encounter with her was a dream borne of his madness, but when she is brought up on the same charges of treason, he claims her. She strikes a bargain with him, that he will aid her in discovering the truth about her family, and he will have free use of her body. But she hasn't counted on the tangle of emotions that ensnare her as they're together longer. Gavin wants to keep her with him as long as possible, as she quiets the voices in his head, but he'd like to keep her for more, if only he had a future. I quite enjoyed the first book in this series, as well as the prequel in this year's Undone. Gavin and Katla are fantastic, both more concerned with the welfare of others rather than themselves, and it gives readers even more reason to root for them to succeed at finding a way to save one another. Plus this is a super-steamy tale, the powerful attraction between them equal to the burgeoning emotions that will have readers falling in love right along with them. I can't wait for the final story in the series! This one's earned four and a half of Cupid's five arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!