Hello, and welcome back! Fall weather has arrived here a few days before the official start of the season, but I'm thrilled. It's a good week for cooler temperatures, too, as I'm now officially unemployed. We left our store for the last time over the weekend, so now I have a lot of reading time. In between job interviews, that is. Sadly, none of them so far are in a bookstore, or even relating to books, but I'm going to keep hoping something comes along that will let me play in the books for a living again. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that my agent will have good news from one of the editors who's currently looking at the book she's submitted.

This time out, I have the latest from Linda Howard, Prey (Ballantine, purchased). Angie Powell is not a happy camper, literally. Due to a serious downturn in business, she's left with no choice but to sell off the hunting camp her father ran for years, and she knows exactly who to blame: Dare Callahan. Dare's own hunting business is doing just fine. Angie has one last guide trip scheduled before the winter season hits, with a former client who's bringing a client of his own for a bear hunt. A mutual friend in their small Montana town has a bad feeling about Angie's clients, and he asks Dare for a favor: keep an eye on things from a distance, just in case. Dare isn't very happy about complying with the request. After all, he asked Angie out twice after he moved back to town, and she turned him down flat both times. Though he does still want her, more than a man should want a woman who seems so angry with him. He goes, promising himself a fishing break in the forest, not close enough that Angie will know he's there, but near enough to satisfy their friend. Until he hears gunshots in the middle of the night. Now, Angie's on the run from a murderer and a very vicious black bear that likes the taste of human flesh, and Dare will do anything to keep her safe from both of them. This one is a little different than Howard's usual, with the bear and knowing the identity of the villain from the outset. It reminded me just a little of the one she did some time ago with the plane crash, but Dare and Angie have much different obstacles in their way. Dare is a yummy hero, of the strong and silent variety, but he knows exactly how to get what he wants, and what he wants, against all sense, is Angie. This one kept me up way past my bedtime in order to get to the end, but I'm used to that when I pick up a new Linda Howard. I'm borrowing four of Cupid's five arrows for this one, and settling in for a long, impatient wait until her next release.

Until next time, happy reading!

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