Hello, and welcome back! The bright blue sky outside my office window is gorgeous...until you step outside and realize just how cold it is! Yet another good day to stay inside with some good reading material, and there'll be plenty more of those in the coming weeks.

In case you haven't stopped by the forum lately, you've missed out on a couple great book giveaways. Not to mention the ongoing discussions with other readers. If you don't want to miss out on any more giveaways, I'd advise checking in over there and soon. Registration is required to participate, but it's free and painless, so don't wait!

And, much as I hate to admit it, the holidays are right around the corner, which means shopping. Bleh. But, in the interest of making things easier for all of you, I set up a holiday shop, with all sorts of goodies for all the romance readers on your gift list.

Okay, on to the new books...first up this week is Lynn Kerstan's
Dangerous Deceptions (Signet). Jarrett, Lord Dering, finds himself in an interesting position. Along with him is Kate Falshaw, and they find their paths intertwining as Jarrett hunts down an unknown enemy. I had a really hard time getting into this story, and I can't quite pin down why. Perhaps because it starts in Jarrett's point of view and we don't meet Kate until a bit later. I don't know. Probably some of you will feel differently. There's plenty of steam to keep those fans happy, and the huge tangle of suspense. I just didn't love it as I have some of her previous books. It's earned three arrows.

Next is Andrea DaRif's
A Kiss of Spice (Pocket). Maxwell Bingham, Viscount Davenport, has a life in disarray. Olivia Marquand haunts his dreams, and when their paths cross again in his hunt for his brother and a family heirloom, he can't be sorry. Not really. I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. Olivia is an interesting woman for her time, an unlikely business success. And Max is a tortured hero, scarred inside and out. But I didn't fall in love with them, so I cannot give this one more than three arrows either.

Finally, we have Elizabeth Minogue's
The Prince (Berkley). Rose of Valinor has tracked down the one man she believes can help her, Florian, Prince of Venya. But Florian isn't the hero she's heard tales of, merely a cold, hard man with a mission of revenge. Since she has nowhere else to go, and no one else to turn to, though, he'll have to do, whether he likes it or not. This one is very involved, and filled with detail. I was disappointed, though, with the way the bedroom door closes in the readers' faces as the story progresses. This one also earns three arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!