Hello, and welcome back! I hope you're all keeping warm and toasty. Winter has arrived here--snow two weeks ago, freezing rain last week, and all-around cold. Plus the appearance of all the holiday lights on the homes in our area. The stack of gifts in my book room is growing, and I started the onerous--almost as dreadful as actually shopping--task of wrapping them. Honestly, I'd rather be spending my time reading some of the new books sitting here in a stack on my desk, but other duties require my time at the moment. Nevertheless, I do have two to share with you this week, and several more for next time.

In case you missed it when it was our November Book Club Selection, I want to suggest Susan Krinard's Forest Lord(Berkley) as a great stocking stuffer. Eden Fleming has only bad memories of the man she'd loved and the child she'd lost. Hern, the Forest Lord, has only revenge in his heart for the woman he believes betrayed him, and when he learns his son is alive and not dead as he'd been told, he sets his plan for vengeance into action, posing as Hartley Shaw and working for Eden. But someone doesn't want this pair to be happy, and, more specifically, doesn't want Hern happy. Yet Eden and Hern may just find a way to work things out so they get their long-awaited happy ending. You'd think a hero bent on making the heroine miserable wouldn't be a man you could cheer for, but you'll find otherwise in this story, and Eden, while having survived a mother's worst nightmare, is a very strong woman who comes into her own during the course of the book. Of Cupid's five arrows, this one gets four and a half. I sincerely hope that Ms. Krinard soon starts to get the publicity she deserves for her writing.

The other book I have to share with you this week is Elizabeth Mansfield's Girl with the Persian Shawl (Jove). I have to start this off by saying that traditional Regencies are not my favorite of stories, and while this one wouldn't qualify as a traditional Regency because of its length, there isn't much else to differentiate this from a traditional rather than a Regency historical. Kate Rendell is dead set against finding a proper match and acts like a shrew to avoid just such a thing happening. Harry Gerard has the misfortune of exchanging words with the rude miss when he calls to examine a family painting. I can't say I loved this one. I didn't even really like it, but I think a good part of that is the setting. Too many rules and proprieties for me, but a fan of the genre will probably enjoy it. I'm giving it only three arrows.

Don't forget to take a peek at my Romance Lover's Wish List . And until next week, happy reading!