Hello, and welcome back! The weather here has taken a definite turn for summer: hazy, hot and humid. Ick! Makes for a good time to hide away inside with the a/c running, or outside, under a shady tree and a good book, and this week, I have three new books to share with you so let's get started.

First up this week is Susan Meier's latest, Married in the Morning(Silhouette Romance). If you've been enjoying her last few books with the family and employees of Hilton-Cooper-Martin Foods, you'll definitely want to pick this one up. The same is true if you're a fan of hers, or simply enjoy a well-told story with true-to-life characters. Gina Martin wakes up with one heck of a hangover--and a husband she doesn't recall marrying! Of course, she's known Gerrick for years, but to marry him? And poor Gerrick, loving her from afar all this time, and then she doesn't want to be married? Then again, he did sort of push things when he announced to her that he was leaving H-C-M for another grocery chain. This is a really fun read, with the sexy Gerrick and stubborn Gina trying to work things out to their mutual satisfaction. Of Cupid's five arrows, I'm giving this one four. Can't wait for the next book from Ms. Meier!

Next is A Moment In Time by Judith Gould (Signet). This one reads more to me like women's fiction with a really strong romantic element, rather than a straight romance. Veterinarian Valerie Rochelle finds herself falling into an engagement with Teddy de Mornay, the man she's been seeing for years. He's perfect for her, at least according to her mother. But when she meets the enigmatic Wyn Conrad, things start to change, for both of them. This one is definitely not a keeper for me. The characters are too cliched, there is little motivation for some of them to behave the way they do, and the bad guy comes completely out of left field (I know in the mystery genre they have a word or phrase for that, but I can't think what it is). This one gets only two arrows.

Finally is Patricia Potter's Diamond King (Jove Historical), with Jenna Campbell and Alex Leslie, enemies who're destined for love. When Alex captures the ship Jenna is traveling on and discovers her identity, he feels his hatred of the Campbell woman is justified. After all, he's survived Culloden, fighting against her clan. But Jenna isn't what he expects, no matter how much he tries to hold her to that expectation. This pair has much to overcome, most of it personal rather than outside conflict. While I enjoyed it, it didn't really grab me the way I kept hoping it would. I'm giving this one three arrows.

Be sure to join us in the forum (link below), and to let me know what you think of these books. Until next week, happy reading!