Hello, and welcome back! We're having early spring weather here in early January, unfortunately. I'm wondering if I need to do a snow dance to get us a little wintry weather. Maybe just six or ten inches of snow to last us a few days. It would give me a valid excuse for all the hot cocoa in the kitchen, anyway. In any case, I've been reading through my January stack here on the desk, and this time out, I have a new contemporary romance to share with you.

Elizabeth Hoyt's name may be familiar to you if you're a reader of historical romances. She's made her first foray into contemporary romance this month, under the pseudonym Julia Harper. Hot (Grand Central) features librarian Turner Hastings, who takes advantage of the mayhem after a bank robbery to make a little theft of her own. She's been waiting years to prove that Calvin Hyman set up her uncle for embezzlement, and now she's got her chance. Special Agent John MacKinnon is on the case, and it doesn't take him long to figure out that the guys in the kiddie masks weren't the only ones bent on robbing the bank. He's going to get Turner Hastings, no matter what. And no matter her claims about Hyman and her late uncle. Now on the run, she's got the FBI agent with the sexy voice and a hit man following her every move, and the biggest question is, who's going to find her first? This one is cute, with a likable heroine. My biggest issue with this one is trying to believe that John is interested in Turner for more than arresting her so long before he really knows her, and well before being able to prove her claims right. That sort of ruined this one for me. I liked Turner just fine, and John just fine, but I couldn't buy into the falling in love portion of this one. It's an interesting premise, but just not a keeper for me, I'm afraid. It's only earned three of Cupid's five arrows. Perhaps next time?

Until next time, happy reading!