Hello, and welcome back! Hope Mother Nature´s made up her mind what to do about the weather in your area, because she still hasn´t here. Ah well. My flowers are coming up anyway, so I´m sure she´ll be leaning more toward spring any day now.

Remember how it felt to be in love when you were young? The tortures you went through if "he" didn´t call or even, horrors, notice you? Teresa Hill, an author I´ve liked in the past, will help refresh your memory with her new book,
Edge of Heaven (Onyx). Emma McRae is young--very young: only college age when the story begins--and, despite her recent experiences, idealistic. John Ryan--Rye-- is quite a bit older and holds no misconceptions about things in life, on the other hand. But both have some secrets, and Rye´s biggest comes out early: he´s her "father´s" brother. Obviously, this couple has a lot to overcome. While I really like Ms. Hill´s characters again, this story for me isn´t a keeper. Rye is much too perfect in the way that he refuses to "take advantage" of Emma, who loves him for a very long time before they can reach their happy ending. I realize we´re reading fiction here, but I found myself wanting to smack him. Of Cupid´s five arrows, I´m only borrowing three for this one, but I´m still looking forward to Ms. Hill´s next book.

Next up is Diane Farr´s
Fortune Hunter (Signet Historical), her first long Regency historical. I believe quite a while back, we´d discussed at least on of her traditional Regencies. Here, we have Lady Olivia Fairfax, independently wealthy and definitely not looking for a husband. And then, there is George, Lord Rival, who´s desperate to marry an heiress to rebuild his family estate. A mutual friend´s will forces them to work together, adding to the sparks that flew between them on their auspicious first meeting. This is a fun, light story that will keep you entertained for an evening, but if you´re looking for anything beyond a few sparks, look elsewhere: this one´s simply sweet. I´m giving it three and a half arrows.

For anyone who was considering the Lady Barrow/Romantic Times tour to Scotland, I have bad news: the bus is full. If you´re absolutely dying to go, email me, and I´ll see if we can possibly squeeze anyone else in. It´s going to be a great trip, with several romance authors chatting with those aspiring to write, and the wedding of cover models Leland and Leslie.

Also, I´ve made some changes in the Romantic Notions Shop, including adding a whole separate art shop , filled with romantic prints. I hope you´ll check it out!

Until next week, happy reading!