Welcome back! Be honest: how many of you are too busy doing spring stuf to read? You know, the yard, the weeding, house cleaning. To tempt you to take a break, I´ve got a few new books, all available now, for you this week.

First,
Orchid Hunter by Jill Marie Landis (Jove) is a fun read. Joya Penn never knew she had family other than her beloved father. Then Trevor Mandeville appears on an orchid hunt and she learns she has a sister. But her journey to the ballrooms and mansions of London from her jungle home is filled with tention, not the least of which is the attraction between Joya and Trevor. There is a delightful subplot with Joya´s sister Janelle and her unsuitable suitor Garr, but I won´t give away the story. Toss in Joya´s deepest secret and a vindictive old woman, and you get a nice mix. Of Cupid´s five arrows, I´m borrowing three and a half for this touching tale.

The second flowery book this week is "Forever Rose" by Janet Wellington (Jove). After a meeting with a clairvoyant at the local fair, Taylor Rose Martin´s life is forever changed when she travels back in time. This story has a little of everything tossed into it--time travel, ghosts, seances. And a hero who´s planning to kill Wyatt Earp. I had a hard time with this, if only for that reason. Except there were more reasons. Taylor and Jackson Hoyt don´t spend enough time together to convince me that they´re truly in love and not just coming down with a bad case of lust. And the plethora of secondary characters had me making a list to keep track of everyone. I´m only giving this one two of Cupid´s arrows. Not a keeper for me.

The third book this week is
Certain Smile by Judith Michael (Ballantine). I have to admit not reading any of Ms. Michael´s other books before. This one hasn´t convinced me to seek them out. I know she´s done romances in the past, but this falls squarely into mainstream fiction to my eyes. Miranda Graham is on a business trip to China and meets Yuan Li on her arrival. She cannot stay, and he cannot leave. I don´t see a happy ending here, and if that´s one of the things you like best about your romances, skip this. This gets only two of Cupid´s arrows unfortunately.

Finally, "Bedazzled" by Christine Holden (Jove) was a funny story of a magic bowl named Elvis who helps Ashley Douglas to control her spendthrift ways while trying to convince the love of her life, Jordan Bennett, that she´s changed. I had to laugh out loud at Elvis´s antics. Ashley and Jordan were truly deserving of some of the things that happened to them as a result of the bowl throughout this tale. It was an enjoyable way to pass the time, but Jordan´s a jerk sometimes. I´m giving this one three of Cupid´s arrows.

Until next week, happy reading.