Hello, and welcome back! Today is the first day of school, and the house is quiet. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself without the boys banging in and out of the house, but I am sure it'll only take me a week or so to readjust to the peace and quiet and dive back into the writing that has been at the bottom of my list all summer. Not to mention the agent querying that's currently at the top of my to-do list for September.

The September books are slowly trickling in, but I have enough here to get a start on them for you. And two to start us off this week, both with some paranormal elements--and nary a vampire in sight...yay!

Taming the Barbarian (Avon) by Lois Greiman is up first, with widowed Fleur, Lady Glendowne coming into possession of a fascinating statue at nearly the same time that Sir Killian of Hiltsglen comes into her life--and when odd things are beginning to happen to her, things that make her wonder about her late husband's death. This one isn't a deep, involving read, so if you need something light to distract you for a few hours, this would be a good choice. There were some word choices repeated throughout the story that I found a bit annoying and even a couple that didn't sound at all correct for the time period, but these are minor issues that shouldn't bother most readers. Of Cupid's five arrows, this one's earned three and a half. It was a pleasant way to start off my September reading.

Shadows All around Her (Pocket) by Catherine Mulvany is next. Caitlin O'Shaughnessy hasn't any idea what to do with the contents of the package from her step-father, but when he vanishes, she knows she has to find him. And Dominic Fortune might be just the man to help her, if they can trust one another. This one jumps back and forth from the past to the present more times than I could track, which is a little disconcerting. If you're looking for exotic settings and a lot of action, you may enjoy this one. I couldn't love it, though. I didn't love the characters, and the back-and-forth was a little too jarring for me. It's earned two and a half arrows.

For those of you who haven't yet checked out our reader survey, this is your last chance. Deadline for getting responses to me is August 31, 2005, just a couple days away.

And, until next time, happy reading!