Hello, and welcome back! While our winter season so far leaves much to be desired, we had a tiny bit more snow overnight last night, but it's all melted away under the sun this morning. I'm going to hope that once we get into the new year, our winter weather will prove more wintry.

Speaking of the new year, I have quite a lot of January books sitting here on my desk currently, some that look rather interesting, some I know are (because I've read them already), and some I'm not especially looking forward to digging into. But before I can share any of those with you, I have one last December book to share with you, and one I've waited for impatiently.

Sweet Return (Signet) by Anna Jeffrey features Joanna Walsh and Dalton Parker. Joanna's making the best of things in the small Texas town where she lives, but always hoping for a little better. When her friend Clova needs her, she's there, even though Clova's son Dalton is not. At least, not until Joanna calls him. Dalton left their small hometown years ago and has no intention of coming back there for any extended period of time. Ever. Yet, somehow, he winds up right there, and he discovers that Joanna is not only infuriating, but sexy and smart, smart enough to know he's trouble with a capital T. He's obnoxious, trying to get her to move her chickens off his mother's ranch, trying to make her angry at him, but the chemistry between this pair is absolutely electrifying, and no amount of wishing will make it go away. Still, Dalton doesn't plan to stay, and his plans to help his mother with the ranch mean that Joanna's for her future will go up in smoke. A relationship this complicated can never be worked out satisfactorily. Unless it's being written by Ms. Jeffrey. My biggest gripe about this one is how long it took to get here. One of my wishes for the new year is that some of my favorite authors become more prolific, and Ms. Jeffrey is on that list. Readers who enjoy her books want them more frequently. And readers who enjoy her books should love this one. It's hot, the characters are touching and believable, and the story is just fantastic! It's earned four of Cupid's five arrows. A definite keeper.

Until next time, happy reading!