Hello, and welcome back! I'm enjoying our fall weather here, though if the wind would slow down a bit, it would be nicer. The leaves have nearly all changed colors here, and the wind is pulling them free of their trees, blowing them through everyone's yards, along the sidewalks and streets. And the sky is that gorgeous, clear blue that only comes in the autumn. Of course, it's a little chilly to sit outside, so I'm doing my enjoying mostly from inside, which means plenty of reading is happening here.

This time out, I have Shannon McKenna's latest, Ultimate Weapon (Brava). For readers who've loved her McCloud brothers in previous books, you all know Tamara Steele, tough and sexy, dangerous and surprisingly sweet to those who know and love her. Val Janos is on a mission: to save the old man who's like family to him, he has to bring Tam to the monster who's captured Imre and now commands Val. But we all know Tamara has resources the ordinary folks do not. She's also now responsible for Rachel, the little girl rescued by the McClouds and Tamara last time around. Two formidable people like Tam and Val have a way of commanding a reader's attention, whether they're fighting each other or the bad guys, or fighting their attraction to one another, and they can't seem to resist that attraction either, which makes our reading even more fun. The chemistry between them is smoking hot, even though they should be enemies. Then, not just one but two men are after Tamara, and she just can't trust Val, so she tries to deal with things herself. Tamara is a strong woman, steely, like the name she chose for herself years ago. But inside, she's vulnerable, and Val knows just which buttons to push to make her give in to those stored-away emotions. As always, Ms. McKenna has written a keeper, filled with suspense and some of the steamiest interaction between hero and heroine that you'll ever find inside a romance novel. This one's earned four and a half of Cupid's five arrows. I always figured Tam needed a man just as determined and strong as she, and Val is definitely her match.

Until next time, happy reading!