Hello, and welcome back! The weather here is supposed to be more tolerable by the second half of this week, so I suppose my long-delayed outdoor chores will take precedence over my reading time in a few days. Which means it's a good thing I've read everything in my stack of upcoming books. At least until the next batch arrives. Hopefully you won't have to spend your reading time working, because I have three new books to share with you this week.

First up is Lauren Nichols's latest,
Bachelor in Blue Jeans (Silhouette). Zach Davis isn't happy at all about being roped in at the last minute to substitute for someone who backed out of the bachelor auction his aunt was working on. Things get even worse when his first love, Kristin Chase bids on and wins him. Zach is only back in the small town of Wisdom, PA to do some repairs on his aunt's house; he has no intention of staying in the place he detested growing up. But those same sparks that always flew between him and Kristin haven't dissipated. Toss in a bit of mystery, an old rival of Zach's (and wannabe love to Kristin), a meddling aunt and the normal small-town snags, and you get a delightful way to pass a few hours. Ms. Nichols hasn't disappointed before, and doesn't now. I'm looking forward to her next one, and borrowing four of Cupid's five arrows for this one.

Next up is Laura Renken's
Heart of the Condor (Jove Seduction Romance). Gabriel Cristobel, aka El Condor, rescues Lady Sarah Drake, sister of his enemy from an attack. He has no plans for anything further, but fate sometimes has a way of changing the best-laid plans. You'll recall several of the secondary characters here from Ms. Renken's last few books. Gabriel and Sarah have an awful lot to overcome to reach their happy ending. For me, though, it seemed as if there couldn't possibly have been anything more tossed into their path. Except maybe a kitchen sink. Gabriel's a little too tortured and dark for me, I'm afraid. I'm giving this one three arrows.

Our final book this week is
Bachelor by Carly Phillips (Warner). I mentioned in the forum last week that this book had been chosen by Kelly Ripa for her book club. Roman Chandler is the first of the Chandler men to find his true love. He's a journalist, traveling the world over to get his stories. Not the kind of man to settle down in his sleepy little hometown. He might make a temporary exception when Charlotte Bronson, object of his teenage crush, comes back, though. Plus his mother has told them she's in ill health and wants to see her boys settled before her death. Charlotte has her own issues with Roman, or more accurately, his professional requirements. She wants a man to settle down with, not one who'll be MIA most of the time. I used to love Ms. Phillips's Harlequin Temptations, but have found that in recent years, I'm not as wild about her books. This one is no exception. It's well-told and well-written, but not a keeper for me. Another note: this one isn't as sexy as some of her previous titles. It gets three arrows, too.

Until next week, happy reading!