Hello, and welcome back! Mother Nature is definitely not cooperating for today's first Little League game of the season, but that just means I can do a little more reading and save my cheering for another night.

I'm working on choosing our June Book Club romance right now, and having a difficult time of it. Besides current releases I have among my choices, there are a couple books coming out in the next week or two that I hate to leave out. I'll be posting that in the next week, so get ready to read!

First up this week is Betina Krahn's
The Marriage Test (Berkley). I enjoyed this one far more than the last one. Julia of Childress isn't happy about the fact that she's likely to become a nun even though she doesn't want to. Griffin de Grandaise wants the cook from the Convent of the Brides of Virtue. His knights have been raving about her, and when he tastes her food, he has to have her for his keep. But only to cook. Of course, the best-laid plans rarely go the way we think they will. Nor do Griffin's. This one is funny and touching and sensual. I loved it, so it's getting four and a half of Cupid's five arrows.

If you're looking for a historical read that isn't a romance, Sharyn McCrumb's
Ghost Riders (Signet). I'm not a big Civil War buff, so that was strike one for me with this book. Strike two is the beginning, which confused the heck out of me. Strike three was the way each chapter is told from a different character's point of view, making it difficult to really feel attached to any one person, or determine who you're supposed to be getting attached to. I'm sure other readers will feel differently, but I didn't like it.

Finally, we have Deborah Simmons's
A Lady of Distinction (Berkley). Another great historical, this time with Lady Juliet Cavendish set to inventory her father's lastest haul from Egypt, and getting saddled with the very attractive Morgan Beauchamp in the bargain. Juliet and Morgan have a very explosive attraction simmering between them, and that, along with the wonderful Egyptian bits and pieces kept me reading. Not so much the mystery of who's behind trying to make them think there's a curse on the artifacts, but definitely the chemistry between this pair. I'm giving this one four and a half arrows as well. It was a good reading week!

Until next time, happy reading!