Hello, and welcome back! Though we’re off to a rainy start this week, I won’t complain, as we need a whole lot more rain before the yard is no longer brown and crunchy underfoot again. Besides, the rest of the week looks like it’s going to be gorgeous. I think I may be able to sit outside with the laptop and write on one of my days off this week, and I can hardly wait. Despite our nicer weather, I’ve still been doing a fair amount of reading, and have put a rather large dent in the September review stack. I do still have some to read, but I expect I’ll be finished in plenty of time for the October romances. I’ll also admit to having read one of those already, but I won’t share it just yet.

This time out, I have a new paranormal anthology, The Beast Within (Brava, purchased), with stories from Erin McCarthy, Bianca D’Arc and Jennifer Lyon. Anytime there’s a new Erin McCarthy release, it’s on my shopping list, and I’ve been waiting impatiently for a new Jennifer Lyon story, so this one was a welcome sight when it hit the shelves at work. McCarthy kicks things off with ‘The Howling’ and Liv Lugaru about to marry her ex-boyfriend’s brother. But her ex’s disappearance has more going on than Liv realizes. Sebastian has come back for vengeance, and he wants his mate back, though Liv doesn’t realize exactly what they both are. ‘Smoke on the Water’ from D’Arc is next, with
zombie hunters John Petit and Donna Sullivan about to give in to the undercurrent of attraction between them, though that might be a bit too dangerous with the fight they’re about to enter. Lyon’s ‘Redeeming the Wizard’ has Mira Tate demanding Gage Remington’s help to find her abducted grandma, despite her long-lived anger at him for her parents’ deaths. Only she doesn’t
know the wizard has issues of his own. And she might be just the one to help him solve them, even if he doesn’t share that information with her. I quite enjoyed the Erin McCarthy, but I didn’t expect any less. Her stories are always hot, whether they’re contemporary or paranormal, and Sebastian and Liv will steam up your glasses in no time. I didn’t love the D’Arc story, as it
jumps from a rather innocuous beginning for John and Donna to them madly in lust. I just couldn’t buy into that. Lyon’s story was also great, with a heroine who shouldn’t ever be attracted to this hero, and falling for him anyway. Lots of heat and great conflict, as well as action for fans of fast-paced tales. It made me wish even more for a new addition to her ‘Magic’ series. I’m borrowing four of Cupid’s five arrows for this collection, really for the first and third story, which are keepers. I can’t wait to see what these two authors do next.

Until next time, happy reading!