Hello, and welcome back! We’re finally getting a bit of winter weather here. Better late than never, I suppose. Right now we’re hoping that the ice in the forecast for tonight doesn’t actually arrive here. And while we’re hoping, the bread machine is baking some delicious-smelling bread and a fresh pie is cooling on the counter. Dinner should be great. I’ve even had some reading time today and figure I’ll have more tomorrow, which is good, because there are some interesting looking books sitting on the corner of my desk for this month.

This time out, I have Jane Graves’s Black Ties and Lullabies (Grand Central, received from publisher), with Bernadette Hogan quitting her job as bodyguard for Jeremy Bridges after one wild night with the
quirky, wealthy bachelor. Jeremy would like Bernie back on the job, but she refuses. Then she discovers she’s pregnant, and the only thing she wants from Jeremy is his permanent exit from her life and the life of her soon-to-be-born baby. Only Jeremy refuses to go quietly. Or at all. His own upbringing left a lot to be desired, and he’s determined that any child of his will know its father, will have him in its life. And, the more time he spends haggling over details with Bernie, the more he wants to be part of her life as well. I haven’t been a big fan of Ms. Graves’s previous work, so when this one landed on my desk, I wasn’t especially excited. Honestly, I didn’t even intend to read it at all. But I did start it, and, while I won’t say I loved it, I certainly liked it much better than previous books by this author. I’m not especially enamored of Bernie, though her mother was an amusing character. I liked Jeremy a lot better, as he had quite a lot of issues to overcome in his life, and his success in the present is completely deserved. I really was rooting for him to have his happy ending. I wouldn’t say I found this one a keeper, but I won’t automatically relegate any future books by this author to the non-review stack, in hope of finding another hero like Jeremy. I’m borrowing three of Cupid’s five arrows for this one.

Until next time, happy reading!