Hello, and welcome back! Our weather has finally improved a bit, if you can ignore the rain outside right now. But at least the thermometer in my backyard is no longer reading over one hundred degrees. Kind of puts a damper on the pool party we're heading to in a while, but that's okay. I wasn't really looking forward to sitting outside in the heat we've been having here all week. Instead, I can sit indoors now, or under a canopy near the pool, and not sweat just breathing. A definite plus.

This time out, I have the latest from the awesome JoAnn Ross, The
Homecoming (Signet, received from author), which kicks off her 'Shelter Bay' series. Sax Douchette has come home to Shelter Bay, Oregon after being injured during his last SEAL mission in Afghanistan, hailed as a hero. He feels like anything but, however, knowing that some of his buddies did not make it back. The local sheriff is now Kara Conway, widow of an old high school pal, and Sax can admit she's piqued his interest. Not a bad way to distract himself from late-night visits from his dead SEAL buddies and starting his life over. Kara has a young son and her recently-widowed mother to keep her on her toes, and Sax's reappearance in her life might be good or bad. The sexy ex-SEAL has a way with her son, not to mention with her, but Kara's not really looking for a relationship at the moment. Then someone decides that they don't like her digging into old cases and assaults her in her home, setting off a complicated chain of events that eventually lead to the exposure of a long-time secret in the small town, a secret tied to Kara's family. I've been a big fan of Ms. Ross for some time now, and this book is absolutely terrific. Sax is a yummy hero with some serious issues to overcome, and Kara is a strong woman, more than a match for the sexy bad boy who never intended to have a family. Throw in a bit of a mystery, and you've got a perfect beach read. Plenty of chemistry between this pair will make you reach for a cool drink, and the developing emotional bond will have you sighing in happiness. I was sorry to reach the end, and even sorrier to realize it'll be next summer before the next installment in this series comes out. I'm borrowing four and a half of Cupid's five arrows for this one. And hoping I get some re-read time in the very near future to spend with this one.

Until next time, happy reading!