Hello, and welcome back! Just a couple more weeks, and it'll officially be winter, though I think the weather's got a good head start on the season here. And to get us in the proper mood for the season, we went yesterday to see Trans Siberian Orchestra and enjoyed their rocked-up Christmas music. I've been listening to their latest album for weeks in the car, and it's amazing. If you haven't yet checked them out, here it is...Lost Christmas Eve. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Now on to the reading material. First up this week is Erin Grady's
Echoes (Berkley). Tess Carson's sister isn't exactly rock-steady, but her disappearance has Tess worried, because she's left behind her young daughter. And almost as soon as she's arrived in the small town in California, strange things start happening. There's a lot made of the mental illness their mother suffered from, and, to me at least, the bad guy was pretty plain. The thing I found most difficult to swallow, though, were the odd time and character changes in the story. From the first, it's too sudden a transition, and even repeated exposure don't make it any less jarring. Overall, I was disappointed in this one, as a romance and as a romantic suspense tinged with paranormal elements.

Next is Julianne MacLean's
My Own Private Hero (Avon). Adele Wilson's trip to her arranged marriage goes horribly awry when she's kidnapped from the ship she's traveled on. Worse, her sexy rescuer, Damien Renshaw, Baron Alcester, turns out to be her betrothed's cousin, and she's far more attracted to him than to Harold. Here's a pair with real problems. I enjoyed this one, but I didn't love it. I suppose the reason I'm not a devotee of the traditional Regency is all the societal rules, and sometimes even a Regency historical tends to make me feel the same way.

Finally, we have Melanie George's
Naughty or Nice (Pocket). Fancy Fitz Hugh's guardian Lucien Kendall has no idea what he's in for when he first meets his ward. Of course, he doesn't know he's met his ward. Fancy pretends to be someone else, and for quite some time. Lucien is definitely a bad boy of the first order, but his discovery halfway into the story straightens him out and makes him try to behave. Which is a real shame. I liked him better as a bad boy than a tortured hero. Still, it's a fun read and could be just the thing to help you escape the holiday madness for a few hours.

Until next time, happy reading!