Hello and welcome back. I hope you´ve all been busy reading this past week as I have. And my to-be-read pile is growing daily. But isn´t everyone´s? Please don´t tell me it´s just mine.

Anyway, to get started this week, we have "The Queen´s Man" by Terri Brisbin (Jove Time Passages). Sharon Reynolds´s excitement over a piece of parchment she´s discovered is overshadowed by her sudden flip back in time, to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. And the man whose life could be affected by Sharon´s information, Richard Granville, is already on the estate where Sharon lands. A convenient case of mistaken identity and her working knowledge helps her make her way in this time, but there is an attraction between Sharon and Richard that is hot, hot, hot. A very lively story, with wonderful tension. The ending was a bit odd, but interesting. Of Cupid´s five arrows, this one´s earned three and a half.

The second book I read this week is
After Dark by Jayne Castle, aka Jayne Ann Krentz (Jove). Lydia Smith hasn´t been having the best time of her life recently, with losing her job and finding a friend dead. Then Emmett London comes to her as her first real client wanting her help in finding a family artifact. And things really get complicated. I´d never read any of her futuristics before, though I´ve read lots of her other books, but I liked the story in this one. It had a believable conflict between the hero and heroine, and a great suspense plot, along with some really imaginative gadgets and things for the setting, as well as the simmering attraction between the pair. Unfortunately, the ending left much to be desired. There´s not a mention of love or even a hint of happily ever after. Normally, I love JAK´s books, but this one didn´t measure up for me. It gets two and a half of Cupid´s arrows.

Last up this week is "Three´s a Charm" by Adrienne Burns (Jove Magical Love). That matchmaking couple, Mini and Reuben, is back, though this time without their magical powers. They´re being punished for something Reuben did. Luckily for them, Mini has a friend, Xonia, who´s willing to help them with Holly Wentworth and Lance Wilder. Holly´s dating service is just what widower Lance needs to get him back in the swing of things, or so his friends think. And then the sparks start flying. This is a charming tale, and, though I´m not as enamored of Xonia as I am with Mini and Reuben, I´m looking forward to more of the witchy hijinks. This one gets four of Cupid´s arrows.

Till next week, happy reading!