Hello, and welcome back! We're apparently having our January thaw without having anything to actually thaw here--no snow since early last month, and this week, it feels like spring, darn it! And I'm nearly through the January books--I'll finish them next time, actually--without much I've loved, unfortunately.

My Favorite Witch (Berkley) by Annette Blair is up first, with her second 'witch' book. This one pits injured hockey player Jason Goddard against witch-turned-man-hater Kira Fitzgerald. I didn't find either of them especially likeable, which is a shame. I actually liked Jason's grandmother better than this pair together. I'm not a hockey fan, so that aspect of the story overshadowed anything I might have liked. I think my biggest problem with the book, or at least Kira's end of it, is the lack of 'witchyness' (for lack of a better term). If you're going to have a witch in a story, she ought to behave like a witch throughout the book, not just once in a while. I can't give this one more than two of Cupid's five arrows. Call me disappointed.

Lady Anne's Dangerous Man (Signet Eclipse) by Jeane Westin is next, with Lady Anne Gascoigne about to marry Edward Carter, Earl of Waverby, until she discovers he intends to let the king bed her. That sets her fleeing for her virtue, and sends her straight into John Gilbert, highwayman extraordinaire. For me, she falls too easily for John after having loved Edward. This one is fine for spending a few hours immersed in the history of the period, but not a keeper for me. It's earned three arrows.

The Star Witch (Berkley) by Linda Winstead Jones rounds things out this time, with the final installment in her Fyne Sisters trilogy. Isadora, last of the Fyne sisters, is about to meet her match in Lucan Hern, a man taught from a young age to hate witches. Do not pick this one up until you have read the first two in the series. There is so much going on in the trilogy, you'll understand this book much better having read the first two. That said, I liked this one better than the second one, much better. It gets three and a half arrows. And for those who loved the series, there's good news: in the next year or so, the children of the Fyne Sisters will be starring in their own series of books.

Until next time, happy reading!