The Anonymous Bride by Vickie McDonough

Title: The Anonymous Bride
Book One the Texas Boardinghouse Brides Series
Author: Vickie McDonough
Where'd I get it: Wal-Mart
Published: April 1, 2010
Genre: Inspirational Historical Romance
Rating: @@@@
Heat Index: Sweet

Luke Davis is returning to his hometown of Lookout, Texas after being away for eleven years. He left town and joined the calvary when his love, Rachel, married another man. He's coming home to be the Marshal but he never expects to find Rachel a widow or the chain of events that welcome him.

Before he even arrives, his horse knocks him in to the river after three children have been throwing rocks at him. He catches one and rides into town only to discover it's not a young boy as he thought, but a girl. And not just any girl. Rachel's daughter.

Unable to forgive Rachel for their past, Luke tries to avoid her. His two well-meaning cousins, wishing him happiness, run an ad for mail-order brides. But they don't expect three women to show up wanting to marry Luke.

My thoughts: This was an adorable story. Rachel's daughter Jacqueline, known as Jack, will capture the reader's heart. There are lots of laughs, especially involving Luke's cousins, Mark and Garrett. THE ANONYMOUS BRIDE is a promising start to a series. I look forward to the next one.

Grand Opening of Supernatural Underground blog.

All about our favorite paranormal authors.

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The Deadly Decor Mystery Series by Ginny Aiken

Books 1 & 2: Design on a Crime and Decorating Schemes (Deadly Decor Mysteries)

Titles:

Design On A Crime
Decorating Schemes
Interior Motives

Author: Ginny Aiken
Where'd I get: Public library, Irvin's Books, Public Library
Published: All three in 2006
Genre: Inspirational Mystery
Rating: @@@@
Heat Index: Sweet

Preacher's daughter Haley Farrell is finally starting to live again and opening her own design business. Things get off to a rocky start when she finds her best friend and mentor's body and she's the prime suspect. Already dealing with a traumatic past, Haley is being tormented by a local contractor who is trying to bring his own reputation back to the light and deal with the suspicions of everyone. Unfortunately for Haley, the discovery of the first body sets a pattern for her life. Go for a job interview, find a body.

My thoughts: It's rare that I'll read an entire series back to back but these were quick fun reads. Filled with quirky characters and a spunky heroine, I was hard pressed to put them down for any reason. The mysteries are filled with twists and turns. I only wish there were more in the series.

Enemy Lover by Karin Harlow

Title: Enemy Lover
Author: Karin Harlow
Where'd I get it: Irvin's Books
Published: May 25, 2010
ISBN: 9781439109823
Genre: Romantic Suspense/Paranormal Romance
Rating: @@@@@++++++++++
Heat Index: Steaming

Synopsis: Angela Giacomelli is on her way to a hefty prison sentence. Betrayed by her fellow police officers, she is resigned to her fate, but en route to the prison, the bus is hijacked by covert government agents who are seeking Angela. They give her a new identity as Jax Cassidy and train her to take down special criminals. Her first case is to take out hitman Marcus Cross and his boss, Joseph Lazarus. What they don't know is that Cross and Lazarus are vampires.

Marcus is mesmerized by the feisty woman who continues to get in his way and heat his blood. What begins as a sparring match to find out who she works for turns into an all-consuming lust. As he begins to discover the truth about his creator and boss, Marcus only wants to protect Jax.

What I thought: Ms. Harlow hits all of the right beats with ENEMY LOVER. Jax and Marcus bring out the best of one another and their connection is tight. When they're together, magic and chemistry happens on the page and I couldn't help but fall in love with Marcus too. There's plenty of suspense, heat, passion and tears. Run, don't walk, to get your copy of ENEMY LOVER.

Covers that cross the line from erotic romance to porn

Is it any wonder romance novels, authors and readers get a bad name from other readers? I'm no prude by any stretch of the imagination, but the cover of Mistress Rules by Christine D'Abo, just released today at Ellora's Cave has definitely crossed that line. If the print copies were offered in brick & mortar stores, I'm sure there'd be all sorts of a hullabaloo when that one would hit the store. No book has made me blush like this since I was 14 or 15 and reading Virginia Henley for the first time. And if the cover is indicative of the story, Ms. Henley's work is more than likely tame in comparison.

Here's something worthy

Share the love of reading. Just click fan (or like) on Scholastic's Facebook's page, and they'll donate a book to a child in need.

Harlequin's NASCAR series

I'm really not certain that I like what they're doing with the series. I don't like the covers, that I'm certain of. They appear to be putting two stories in each book, which is fine if they're still full length. But I'm definitely not a short story fan so I'm going to have to see what they look like when they start coming out.