Hello, and welcome back! It looks like the rain has stopped here, at least for a couple days, which means the boys can play outside for a while, leaving the house quiet briefly. While I'm working my way steadily through the June books, the July books are arriving, almost daily, and there are some great looking titles in that stack, which makes me happy, as I'm fairly certain I've read all the good June books already.

This time out, I have the new anthology Faeries Gone Wild (St. Martin's) with stories by MaryJanice Davidson, Lois Greiman, Michele Hauf, and Leandra Logan. Davidson kicks things off with 'Tall, Dark, and Not So Faery', with the overly tall faery Scarlett arriving in Minnesota to do a count of a magical household with not just fae inhabitants, but other paranormal species as well. And she meets up with the even taller Owen, who might just be what she really needs. 'Pixie Lust' by Greiman is next, featuring Avalina sent to protect the Pinquil Fern from destruction by William Timber, aka Elder Mann. Developer William's life is just about perfect, very unlike his childhood with his crazy hippie mother, but when the naked Avalina appears in his bathroom, his life gets turned upside-down. Hauf's 'Dust Me, Baby, One More Time' has Sidney Tooth working as a librarian during the day, and the tooth fairy at night. Then she runs into the sexy Dart Sand on her rounds. He's got a wild reputation, and she has every intention of resisting him, as doing otherwise might get her sent away. 'A Little Bit Faery' by Logan sends single Luna faery Tia to New York City after her mother reveals a secret from her past. Hunky fireman Alec is new new neighbor, and Tia thinks he might just be the one, even though he's human. I'm not a Davidson fan, and this story didn't endear her to me; it's quite choppy, and with the point of view bouncing around from person to person, hard to really be in the main characters' heads and hearts. Greiman's 'Pixie Lust' is my favorite story in the collection, with the charming Avalina and her befuddled William/Elder who just can't resist her. Hauf's story is cute, but I didn't love it. And Logan's villain is pretty obvious from the start, though Alec is a terrific hero. I don't know that I'd call this one a keeper, but it's a fun way to spend an afternoon. It's earned three and a half of Cupid's five arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!