Hello, and welcome back! Hope you´re getting to enjoy Indian Summer where you are. The weather here´s been lovely, and we´re trying to fit in as much outdoor work as we can before it´s too miserable out. However, I am still reading plenty of new romances, and I have three to share with you this week.

First up is Susan King´s
Sword Maiden (Signet). Her latest Scottish romance has Eva MacArthur betrothed to a greedy man and in need of help from the man she loves, Lachlan MacKerron, who´s sworn off women. But he can´t refuse Eva, and Eva still longs for him, despite the promise made to her betrothed. If you love a lot of history with your romance, you´ll enjoy this one. Lachlan is a fine hero, one to give you daydreams of kilts and braw Scotsmen. I´m giving this one three and a half of Cupid´s five arrows.

Next up is J. M. Jeffries´
A Dangerous Deception (Indigo). Cher Dawson and Luc Broussard have a history: when they were in college, they thought they´d be together forever, but someone wanted them parted. Now Luc´s mother is dead and he wants Cher´s help in proving the guilt of his late mother´s husband. They´re still total opposites, but Cher has kept the secret of why she left all those years ago, and Luc still believes she betrayed him. Of course, they don´t want each other, right? Ha! They seem to be the only ones who don´t see it for a while. Great suspense and a very convincing romance here. But I expect no less from Ms. Jeffries. This one earns four arrows.

The last book this week is
Under Suspicion from Rachel Lee (Warner). Anna Lundgren is ready to reap the success of her first museum opening, but someone else has other plans for her, stealing one of the pieces from the collection and killing a guard--except it looks like Anna´s the culprit. Gil Garcia is the detective in charge of the homicide investigation, and he´s not quite convinced of her guilt. Great suspense twists here, and Gil is a hero to keep. I wasn´t as wild about Anna, but couldn´t quite pinpoint why. I´m giving this one three arrows.

Finally, I want to remind all of you that the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention is coming up in just a few weeks--and there´s still time to register. Hundreds of authors, romance and even some mystery, all in one place, ready to mingle with their readers. Cover models. Workshops for everyone, reader and writer alike. Parties, costume or not. Cover models. some of the legends of the romance industry, including Jude Devereaux. Did I mention the cover models? Seriously, the convention is loads of fun, and I happen to know there are still spots available. This year, it´s in Orlando, FL, November 14-18, 2001.

Until next week, happy reading!