Hello, and welcome back! I did so much reading at the end of last month and the beginning of this month, I'm nearly through the June releases, barring any late arrivals (and there usually are some late arrivals), so I'm looking forward to the July books, like Linda Howard's new one that is sitting here on my desk, whispering 'read me'.

In the meantime, though, I have the latest from Amy Garvey, Hot Date (Brava). This time, Grace Lamb has come home to Bucks County, PA to start her life over now that she's getting a divorce. And the first person she bumps into, quite literally, is her brother's best friend (and her former daydream crush) Nick Griffin, now a local police officer and an official grown-up hunk who makes her childish daydreams pale in comparison to the ones he inspires now. Nick is used to Grace getting into all kinds of scrapes and having to clean up her messes, but he's not used to the sexy woman who's come back into his life and who makes his good sense disappear when she gets too close. Grace begs a room from an old school pal, and offers her assistance in lieu of payment until she gets back on her feet again, which means helping out in an antiques store. And you never know what's going to be in those boxes of old things, like antique sex toys that mobsters are looking for. Nick will feel guilty about lusting over his best friend's sister, naturally, but that won't stop these two, because their chemistry is combustible. Like her last book, this one includes a quirky cast of secondary characters, though I didn't find all of them endearing this time, except for young Quinn. After Room Service, I had high expectations for this one, but it didn't quite get there. It's fun, and there's plenty of steam, but I didn't love it like I did the previous book. On the other hand, there are much worse ways to spend a hot summer afternoon than this one. I wouldn't call it a keeper, but it's still a good read and has earned three of Cupid's five arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!