Hello, and welcome back! Mother Nature is in hates-baseball mode again--practices have been rained out for today, not to mention the rain all over the chicken barbecue. On the other hand, I have a rainy afternoon to spend indoors with some of the books in my review stack before heading off to work to play in more books. What a terrible way for a booklover to spend a day. Ha!

Don't Look Down (St. Martin's Press) by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer is here and available in bookstores now. Director Lucy Armstrong is going to finish out a movie shoot as a favor to her sister and ex-husband, but things aren't quite what she'd have hoped for when she arrives on-set. Her sister's a mess, the script is decimated, and her star has brought in his own stunt consultant. Captain J. T. Wilder thinks he's just taking on a stupid stunt job while on leave, but it turns out he was wrong. I'm a big fan of Ms. Crusie's, but I have to say I didn't love this one as I've loved a lot of her previous work. The authors take turns with points of view--she does Lucy, he does J. T.--and in the beginning, I found the shifts jarring. This one was cute, but not a keeper for me: there's plenty of adventure, but not nearly enough romance.

To Protect and Cherish (Silhouette Romance) by Karen Rose Smith is next, with Anita Sutton desperate to become Tate Pardell's new housekeeper. The widow wants to get her three children into a nicer neighborhood while she works on her internet business on the side. Tate's immediate attraction to Anita isn't something he can act on, not with her living in his house, and certainly not with her three children around. But when her supposedly-dead in-laws show up, trouble begins, and Tate will do just about anything to keep Anita's family together for her, including making himself a part of it. This one is sweet, with a real emphasis on the family aspect of things, not just for Anita but Tate, and a very quick read. It's earned three and a half arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!