The first book I read this week was "Kisses Nor Promises" by Sherry Strub (Hard Shell Word Factory). Ms. Strub starts off with a bang and keeps the pace steady throughout most of this historical romance--tinged with a bit of the supernatural. Marshie Teal is in hot water from the opening sentence and just manages to get in deeper. While trying to dispose of her first problem, she encounters her next, in the form of Gabriel Savard, her intended and as yet unmet groom. For a long time, she is unsure whether he knows of her ´crime,´ and to be honest, I wasn´t sure either. Gabriel is attracted to her from their first encounter, but Marshie takes a bit more convincing. Forced to travel together to find her brother, she isn´t sure what to think of him. For me Gabriel was more sympathetic than she. She is untrusting, as well she might be, but her inability to confide her secret to him seemed forced to me, especially toward the end after she´s already confessed her feelings for him. Later, her original problem reappears, but the resolution to the confrontation comes through a touch of the paranormal, diluting the ending for me. All in all, "Kisses Nor Promises" was an enjoyable way to while away an afternoon. I´m borrowing two of Cupid´s arrows for this one.

Rebecca Sinclair´s "Murphy´s Law" (Hard Shell Word Factory)was the next book. Social worker Murphy McKenna is having a bad day, which only gets worse when a big, bleeding stranger, Garrett Thayer, an off-duty police officer, shows up on her doorstep in the middle of a snowstorm. What´s a girl to do? I found this one entertaining, though in this short contemporary, there is little conflict between the pair. There is plenty of heat, however. Add a cat named Moonshine who thinks he´s a person, and a funny one at that, and you get a very pleasant way to pass a couple hours. Of the five arrows Cupid has lent me, I´m going to give "Murphy´s Law" two as well.

The final book in the trio is "Jaded Hearts" by Ramona Crawford (New Concepts Publishing). A serial killer is on the loose in Nevada, and detective Jackson "Mac" McKinley is hot on the trail. FBI agent Kristie Nishihara gets involved when her sister is murdered. Forced by circumstances to work together, these two generate a lot of sparks, though I was frustrated by all of the inconvenient interruptions. Each has their own secrets, one more deadly than the other. Can these two find their way to trust? And more importantly, love? I´ll never tell, but I will tell you that this one gets three of Cupid´s arrows.

Until next time.