Hello, and welcome back! It's officially a heat wave here, and we're supposed to have at least another week of humid and very hot. Have I ever mentioned that summer is not my favorite season? Good thing the August books are here, because today we have the last of the July books.

The Summit (Mira) by Kat Martin is up first, with Autumn Summers disturbed by a dream she's been having of a little girl named Molly being abducted. The last time she had dreams like this her best friend died. This time, she thinks she might be able to stop what's about to happen. Ben McKenzie's daughter disappeared years ago, and he's livid when this lunatic woman comes to his office with tales of dreaming about the abduction. The loss tore his family apart, and they've long believed Molly to be dead. But Autumn is persistent, and Ben eventually has to concede that she might be on to something that will help him find his daughter alive, and hey, the woman might be a little crazy, but she's really attractive. I liked the idea of this one more than I liked the telling of it. I had a hard time believing Autumn's dreams as the story went on, and in the convenient timing of several events. On the other hand, I have plenty of Ms. Martin's older historicals to fall back on. This one wasn't a keeper for me, so has only earned three of Cupid's five arrows.

Silk Dreams (Leisure) by Diana Groe is next. Valdis Ivorsdottir has been sold by her family into slavery for her unwanted and uncontrollable gift of seeing the future. Now she's about to be sold again into a harem in Constantinople. Erik Heimdalsson is a soldier in the emperor's army, but his heart is still his own. He watches the auction of women with little interest until the tall blond goddess has her turn. Her strength calls him, though he is outbid by the keeper of the emperor's own harem who's got a much fatter purse. But he can't forget her, and he's shocked when he is sent to teach her to speak Greek. Valdis is stubborn, but with the proper motivation, she's willing to do as she's asked, and freedom is a huge motivator to a woman like Valdis. Erik and Valdis have little chance of being together, which will make you root for them all the harder. If you've been looking for a different historical setting, this one fits that bill quite nicely, and is chock-full of interesting detail that only enhances the story. It's earned three and a half arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!