Obsession (Natchez Trace Park Rangers, Book 2)

 

PATRICIA BRADLEY

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2021.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program.

First line: The January warm spell had definitely ended in South Mississippi.

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: OBSESSION takes us back to the Natchez Trace Park, where Emma is an interpretive park ranger. Near a visitor’s center is an old slave cemetery, and Emma is about to begin a project using a ground penetrating radar machine to locate the individual graves and determine how many slaves were actually buried there, and hopefully give them recognition and provide closure to their descendants. One night she goes back to the visitor’s center after hours, having forgotten a file, and is nearly shot by a stranger who then flees. Enter Sam, her ex-fiance who has recently returned to the area and is a law enforcement district ranger. Not to mention her newly self-appointed bodyguard.

Along with the mystery of who took shots at Emma, a break comes up in an older case – Emma’s brother disappeared ten years ago, on the same night that a young woman was killed, and during the investigation at that time the then sheriff concluded that he had killed the woman and then gone into hiding. Emma has been trying to find her brother with no luck, and she’s always partly blamed Sam for not taking care of him. When a mysterious note is left on her doorstep with her favorite flowers, it becomes obvious she has a stalker. Sam and Emma don’t know if the three incidents – the shooting, her brother’s disappearance, and the stalking – are related, but it’s clear that she is in danger.

I loved the first book in this series, STANDOFF, and this second book was just as good. As with the first book, the writing flows, with plenty of action and suspense. Ms. Bradley’s characterization is wonderful, and I loved both Emma and Sam, although I sometimes agreed with Sam that Emma needed to let him protect her and not be so quick to rush in on her own. She’s tough and feisty and independent, and Sam quickly realizes his feelings for her haven’t changed since they’ve been apart, even though he still isn’t quite sure why she called off their engagement ten years ago.

While I enjoyed watching Emma and Sam get to know each other again and begin to repair their relationship, other relationships were brought forward, and the theme of forgiveness ran through the book. Sam’s parents, after being apart for years, are suddenly getting back together, and he struggles with his feelings, unable to comprehend why his mother would take back a man who who abused her and Sam when he was young. And frankly, I sided with Sam on that.

I did guess who the stalker was, though I wasn’t 100% positive until his identity was revealed to us. There were a lot of twists and turns, and I will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Goodreads synopsis: Natchez Trace Ranger and historian Emma Winters hoped never to see Sam Ryker again after she broke off her engagement to him. But when shots are fired at her at a historical landmark just off the Natchez Trace, she's forced to work alongside Sam as the Natchez Trace law enforcement district ranger in the ensuing investigation. To complicate matters, Emma has acquired a delusional secret admirer who is determined to have her as his own. Sam is merely an obstruction, one which must be removed.

Sam knows that he has failed Emma in the past and he doesn't intend to let her down again. Especially since her life is on the line. As the threads of the investigation cross and tangle with their own personal history, Sam and Emma have a chance to discover the truth, not only about the victim but about what went wrong in their relationship.

Just for You

Cute cover!

DOREEN RAINEY

Stats for my copy: Paperback, Arabesque Books, 2002.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Alexis Shaw waved to the dealer as she drove off the lot into the late afternoon sun.

(For the Goodreads synopsis, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

My thoughts: As I started this book I expected fairly standard category romance fare. Alexis has been voted Businesswoman of the Year by a prestigious magazine, and is out celebrating with a friend. Malcolm and his friend happen to be at the same restaurant, and a chance meeting occurs when Malcolm's friend makes a fool of himself over Alexis and her friend rejecting a bottle of champagne he has sent to their table, and then rejecting him to his face when he approaches their table. (“What are you ladies...gay?”) Thank god Rick isn't the hero of the story! Neither Alexis nor Malcolm expect to see each other again, but as fate would have it, Malcolm is the journalist interviewing Alexis for the magazine. Insults fly and they are promptly at each others throats. I'll tell ya, I love a good enemies to lovers story!

I really liked Alexis, despite her almost maniacal hatred of weddings and marriage. She runs a very successful event planning business, but refuses to plan weddings. Other than that small flaw, she's a wonderful spitfire character, and of course Malcolm is drawn to her. And I loved Malcolm. He's reached a point in his life where he wants to settle down, put down roots, have a family. He accepts his feelings for her much quicker than she does, and I loved how he met her prickliness with kindness and compassion, not to mention humorous admiration.

There are several supporting characters, such as Alexis' sister Melanie, who shows up unexpectedly to hide out while reevaluating her life. Their lives were shaped by their mother, who used her money and influence to buy success for her daughters. Alexis broke away while in college and never speaks to her mother, while Melanie always gave in and did what was expected of her. But now she's realized that she's very unhappy with her life, and I loved watching her grow and rediscover what's important to her. Malcolm, like Alexis, has never gone in for long term relationships, and his brother and cousin tease him mercilessly once they realize a woman is behind his sudden inability to concentrate on their weekly basketball games. He also has a nosy secretary who is eager to figure out who the mystery woman is, and an ex who seems to be stalking him – and Alexis.

This is a romance, but there's a bit of suspense thrown in, and a surprise twist towards the end, and when it was all said and done I got emotional and cried as I read. When you pluck a random book off the shelves, by an author you know nothing about, you never know what you'll get. In this case I got a wonderful love story and a new favorite author whose backlist I need to hunt down now.

Goodreads synopsis: Event planner Alexis Shaw's booming company, Just For You, plans everything – except weddings. As far as Alexis is concerned, marriage is a waste of time, heart, and money. The policy hasn't hurt her any – she's even named Businesswoman of the Year by Image Magazine. To celebrate, Alexis goes out to dinner with her best friend. All's well, until an admirer sends over a bottle of champagne – and won't take no for an answer, even when his handsome colleague, Malcolm Singleton, tries to convince him to back off. Fortunately, Alexis can take care of herself.

Magazine writer Malcolm Singleton knows his chances of seeing the spunky, sexy woman from the restaurant again are nearly impossible – until he learns that his next subject is the Businesswoman of the Year herself. Soon, he and Alexis discover they have a few things in common, including a mutual attraction. But as Malcolm resolves to warm Alexis's cynical heart, he discovers a devastating secret about her award nomination that could destroy their blossoming love. Will telling Alexis the truth mean the end of their relationship – or the beginning of the love of a lifetime?  

Black Hills

NORA ROBERTS

Goodreads synopsis: A summer at his grandparents' South Dakota ranch is not eleven-year-old Cooper Sullivan's idea of a good time. But things are a bit more bearable now that he's discovered the neighbor girl, Lil Chance, and her homemade batting cage. Even horseback riding isn't as awful as Coop thought it would be. Each year, with Coop's annual summer visit, their friendship deepens from innocent games to stolen kisses, but there is one shared experience that will forever haunt them: the terrifying discovery of a hiker's body.

As the seasons change and the years roll, Lil stays steadfast to her aspiration of becoming a wildlife biologist and protecting her family land, while Coop struggles with his father's demand that he attend law school and join the family firm. Twelve years after they last walked together hand in hand, fate has brought them back to the Black Hills when the people and things they hold most dear need them most.

Coop recently left his fast-paced life as an investigator in New York to take care for his aging grandparents and the ranch he has come to call home. Though the memory of his touch still haunts her, Lil has let nothing stop her dream of opening the Chance Wildlife Refuge, but something ... or someone ... has been keeping a close watch. When small pranks and acts of destruction escalate into the heartless killing of Lil's beloved cougar, recollections of an unsolved murder in these very hills have Coop springing to action to keep Lil safe.

Lil and Coop both know the natural dangers that lurk in the wild landscape of the Black Hills. Now they must work together to unearth a killer of twisted and unnatural instincts who has singled them out as prey.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Jove, 2010.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Cooper Sullivan's life, as he'd known it, was over.

My thoughts: I've only read two Nora Roberts books before this one, back in 2009 (Brazen Virtue, which I have no memory of now but my notes say “I really liked it”) and 2010 (Divine Evil, which I vaguely remember, and noted “I don't think of her as a great writer, I think some of her writing is cliched.”) Well, I'm here to tell you that Black Hills has put Ms. Roberts front and center of my radar and made a believer out of me. I loved this book. Seriously, loved it.

I loved Lil. I adored Cooper. Childhood sweethearts, lovers as young college bound adults, short long-distance relationship, breakup. Twenty years later Lil is still angry at Coop for breaking her heart, and we get a long ways into the book before Coop gets the chance to explain himself to Lil. I'd forgiven him long before then. Well, no, actually, that's not true, because I didn't feel he needed forgiving. Even not yet knowing the circumstances of the split, I certainly wasn't putting any blame on either of them. But maybe because it was inevitable that they would be together by the end of the book. It is a romance, after all! And from the moment Coop arrived back in town to help out his grandparents, I just knew he was a good guy, and it was obvious neither of them ever really got over the other.

Lil runs a wildlife refuge, and there is a LOT of detail about the refuge woven into the story. The day to day stuff. Updating the website, vetting the animals, feeding the animals, cleaning their cages, educating the public. And a lot of about the land, tracking, Lil's love of riding the mountainside. It all felt very real, and I've no doubt Ms. Roberts did a lot of research.

But there's not just cougars and romance. There's a serial killer in the hills, and he's got Lil in his sites. When I got down to the last 100 or so pages, my anxiety level kept ratcheting up. I knew something was going to happen, Lil would be in danger and Cooper would probably rescue her. But the end of the book kept getting closer and closer, with me waiting and waiting for it. And when it finally did, I was sitting up in bed, tired but too tense to sleep until the book was over.

The characterization is wonderful, not just Lil and Coop, but Lil's best friend Tansy, Coops grandparents, Lil's parents, and many others. I loved the side plot about Tansy and her reservations about a relationship with the younger Farley. I liked that it was an interracial relationship, and while that was mentioned it wasn't a big deal and was accepted by all their family and friends.

Now I understand why Ms. Roberts is so dang popular! 

Forever a Hero (The Carsons of Mustang Creek, Book 3)

LINDA LAEL MILLER

Goodreads synopsis: Mace Carson is no hero. Back in college, he came upon a woman in trouble and intervened—but he was just one irate Wyoming cowboy with his boots planted firmly on the side of right. Now a successful vintner, Mace is shocked to be reunited with the woman he saved. But it turns out she's in Wyoming on business…a corporate executive representing the company that wants to buy his winery. Only, he's not selling.

Kelly Wright has never forgotten that horrible night ten years ago when Mace came to her rescue, has never forgotten him. The surprising success of a winery in the middle of ranch country has brought her to Mustang Creek, and she's secretly thrilled to discover Mace at the helm. Reluctant to mix business with pleasure, Kelly vows to keep things professional, until her attacker is released from prison and comes for vengeance…against both of them.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Harlequin Books, 2017.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: It all happened in a matter of seconds.

My thoughts:

This is the third book in The Carsons of Mustang Creek series, and while the first book (Once a Rancher) is still my favorite, I very much enjoyed the youngest brother's story. The banter between Mace and Kelly had me smiling constantly, and laughing out loud several times.

Kelly and Mace first met in college ten years ago, when Kelly was attacked while walking across campus one night, and Mace came to her rescue. They were both in relationships at the time, and other than the trial, didn't see each other again. Now the company Kelly works for wants to form a partnership with Mace's winery, and she's in town to present the proposal to him.

While Kelly is in Mustang Creek, trying not to fall for Mace, the man who attacked her is released from prison and begins stalking her. I expected that plot to be resolved in the usual cliched way, and was happily surprised when it took a completely different and unexpected turn.

Mace is the last of the Carson brothers to find the love of his life, but there is still one more book! Raine, Slater's ex-girlfriend and the mother of his daughter, has appeared in the first three books and is still close with the Carson family, and I've already bought her book and am looking forward to it. 

SIZE 12 AND READY TO ROCK (Heather Wells Mysteries, Book 4)

MEG CABOT

Synopsis from Goodreads: Summer break . . . and the livin' ain't easy!

Just because the students at New York College have flown the coop doesn't mean assistant residence hall director Heather Wells can relax. Fischer Hall is busier than ever, filled with squealing thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls attending the first ever Tania Trace Teen Rock Camp, hosted by pop sensation Tania Trace herself—who just happens to be newly married to Heather's ex-boyfriend, heartthrob Jordan Cartwright. But the real headache begins when the producer of a reality TV show starring Tania winds up dead . . . and it's clear that the star was the intended victim.

Grant Cartwright, head of Cartwright Records, wants to keep his daughter-in-law (and his highest-earning performer) alive. So he hires his oldest son, black sheep of the family and private investigator Cooper Cartwright—who just happens to be Heather's new fiancÉ. Heather should leave the detecting to Cooper. But with a dorm full of hysterical mini-divas-in-training, she can't help but get involved. And after Tania shares a really shocking secret with her, this reality suddenly becomes more dangerously real than anyone ever anticipated.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, William Morrow, 2012.

How acquired: Via BookCrossing.

My thoughts:  It's been awhile since I read the first three books in this series (almost four years), but I was sucked right in as if it had been yesterday. In fact, this one could probably be read and enjoyed on it's own, without having read the first three books.

Meg Cabot is a master at the snarky humor. And the first person narration just zips along, as if Heather is sitting beside you telling you her story. In fact, Cabot's breezy writing is so masterful that it didn't even hit me until literally the last page that the writing is in first person PRESENT TENSE. Seriously! My least favorite tense, and I didn't even notice for 360 pages!

Heather is such a fun heroine, and Cooper, God, I love Cooper! And I was so happy that he got more page time here than in the previous book. And I'm sad that there's only one more book after this one.  

The Guardian

NICHOLAS SPARKS

Synopsis from Goodreads: Julie Barenson's young husband left her two unexpected gifts before he died: a Great Dane puppy named Singer and the promise that he would always be watching over her. Now, four years have passed. Still living in the small town of Swansboro, North Carolina, 29-year-old Julie is emotionally ready to make a commitment to someone again. But who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the handsome, sophisticated engineer who treats her like a queen? Or Mike Harris, the down-to-earth nice guy who was her husband's best friend? Choosing one of them should bring her more happiness than she's had in years. Instead, Julie is soon fighting for her life in a nightmare spawned by a chilling deception and jealousy so poisonous that it has become a murderous desire...

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Warner Books, 2004

How acquired: Bought

First line: Exactly forty days after she'd last held the hand of her husband, Julie Barenson sat looking through her window toward the quiet streets of Swansboro.

My thoughts:  When I first read Nicholas Sparks, many years ago, I thought he was an okay writer but a great storyteller. Well, his writing has improved, and his storytelling skills are still intact. And of the Sparks books I've read, THE GUARDIAN is by and far the best, a little ahead of my previous favorite, SAFE HAVEN (which is one of my favorite movies ever, seriously), and way above A WALK TO REMEMBER, THE NOTEBOOK, and TRUE BELIEVER. (I've also read MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE and A BEND IN THE ROAD, but so long ago that I honestly do not remember much about either one.

The prologue starts with Julie mourning the death of her husband, Jim, and suddenly received a belated gift from him of a Great Dane puppy, who she names Singer. Then we jump ahead four years later. Singer is a huge dog now, and at times almost seems more human than canine. Julie still misses Jim, but she's slowly putting herself back out into the world and starting to date.

In his Author's Note in the back of the book, Sparks says that this book was his first attempt at adding an element of “suspense and peril”, and I think he did it very well. There are a lot of days where the only chance I have to read is when I fall into bed at night, and three nights this week I sat up reading long past the time I should've been asleep, staying up until I finished the book last night.

The slow dawning of Julie and Mike's relationship was sweet and believable, and on Mike's side it also provided lots of humor. Mike was Jim's best friend, and has loved Julie for ages, and watching her start dating other men is torture for him. But while he and Julie have a wonderful easy friendship, when it comes to trying to start a relationship with her he becomes awkward and tongue-tied. In fact, when they do finally go on a date, it's Julie who instigates it. Mike's brother Henry teases him unmercifully, and some of those scenes were so funny that I actually laughed out loud, the first time that's happened with a Sparks book.

Sparks is a detailed writer, with lots of stretches of narrative where not much actually happens but we get a good look into the characters and what makes them tick. And then there were also lots of scenes played out more through dialogue, and in both instances my attention never wavered. Towards the end of the book, the tension and suspense ramped up, and knowing Sparks' propensity for tragic deaths, I began to feel nervous and worried about how the book was going to end. And I'm not gonna spoil it for you by telling you how it ends, but I will just say I loved this book. 

My Nerdy Valentine (Nerds, Book 7)

VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON

Synopsis from Goodreads: Aspiring psychologist Amanda Rykowsky's schedule is certifiable. Between study, bartending, and an internship with a sex therapist whose techniques would make a Playboy bunny blush, there's zero time for romance. Still, Amanda is flattered to receive an anonymous Valentine…until the messages take a sinister turn.

Stockbroker William Sloan swears he's not the one sending Amanda cards, but he suspects the culprit's intentions are more dubious than sharing a box of Godiva. Something about gorgeous, determined Amanda brings out the usually reserved William's inner he-man, and he insists on acting as a decoy boyfriend.

With a fake relationship masking some very real lust, it's only a matter of time before William and Amanda give in to the sweetest of temptations. And once he's dealt with her secret stalker, William's next mission is to strike Amanda with Cupid's arrow…

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2006.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: The paper bag crammed with sex toys began to rip as Amanda Rykowsky trudged up the marble staircase to her boss's second-floor office.

My thoughts: This is the seventh book in the author's Nerds series. I loved the first two books, but after that each book seemed to be a little more ridiculous or over the top than the one before. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them, because I did. They are all full of wacky characters and humorous dialogue/situations, and despite the times when I scoffed or rolled my eyes, they were all still fun reads, even if not quite as good as the first two.

Until now. In fact, this may be my favorite book of the series.

I loved all the characters in this book. Amanda, who takes college classes by morning, interns for a sex therapist by afternoon, and tends bar at Geekland by night, where the staff all dress as geeks, complete with nerdy glasses. She is focused on her studies, planning to go on to Harvard when she graduates. Sex therapy is definitely not the field of psychology she wants to go into, but it was the only internship she was able to get, after having fallen for a man, losing her focus for awhile, and letting her grades slip. Now she's back on track, and a relationship is not part of the plan. Not in the near future anyway.

Then she meets the stockbroker down the hall. William at work, Will to his friends, he wants to date her from the get go, but she puts him off. Meanwhile, Amanda's boss, Gloria, decides Will will be her next conquest (she's never had a nerd before), and she is blatant in her desire. At first Amanda is fine with helping Gloria land the nerd, because if Gloria gets Will, then Amanda doesn't have to worry about him pursing her and can stay on the track she's set for herself.

But then there's a stalker, leaving anonymous Valentines for Amanda. Amanda believes it's Will at first, and keeps trying to discourage him, but eventually she is persuaded to let Will help her try to track the stalker down,and keep her safe.

When Will and Amanda finally do the down and dirty, it gets pretty hot, even if a little over the top there as well. Seriously, three or more orgasms every single time? Who does that?

Gloria was a bit over the top as a character. She's very open, very free, very self-centered, very sexual. But Amanda is so down to earth, they balanced each other out nicely. And of course working for a sex therapist led to all kinds of crazy and potentially embarrassing situations, that were also very funny. Despite Gloria's outrageousness, I loved her interactions with Amanda and Will, and Will's friend Justin. Amanda also has a couple of kooky neighbors who were fun characters in their own ways.

Fun. That's the bottom line, I guess. This book was just plain fun.

Nerds Like It Hot (Nerds, Book 6)

VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON

Back cover copy: She's unleashed her inner vixen…

Hollywood makeup artist Gillian McCormick wouldn't normally be caught dead on a cruise aimed at single geeks. But as the sole witness to a murder, hiding out may be her only chance at staying alive. With P.I. Lex Manchester guarding her, and a voluptuous disguise in place of her plain-Jane wardrobe, Gillian should be safe… if she can resist a titanic attraction to Lex that's making her fantasize about some extra-naughty cruise activities…

He's rediscovered his inner nerd…

Lex thought he had left behind his nerdy ways, but his suave demeanor has no chance against Gillian's bombshell image and the smart, sexy woman within. And when the scent of seduction wafts through the sea air, what's a red-blooded male to do?

And the passion they've found is about to get out of control…

With a passenger list that includes a mobster on a mission, a cross-dressing sociopath, and hundreds of lusty nerds, Lex must find a way to keep Gillian safe--and prove that he's truly her nerd for all seasons…

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, St. Martin's Press, 2006.

How acquired: Bought.

First lines: “Gillian, Darling, it's Cora. Four out of five women surveyed say that nerds are amazing in bed. You simply must go on this cruise with me. Kiss, kiss.”

My thoughts: As I've now come to expect with this series, the characters and the situations they find themselves in are a little campy, a little over the top. Well, actually, not the characters this time around as much as the situations.

Gillian does makeup in the cutthroat world of Hollywood. Leaving the studio late one night, she overhears a ruckus coming from one of the star's dressing rooms, and just like that she's a witness to a murder with mob connections. Her elderly friend Cora, a former star who was friends with Marilyn Monroe back in the day, is headed out on a singles cruise for nerds the next day, and Cora convinces Gillian to go along as a way of getting out of the country. And she convinces Gillian to dye her hair and put on a sexy dress and bam, Gillian is a Marilyn Monroe lookalike. Because rather than blend in with the crowds of ill dressed and badly coiffed nerds and be inconspicuous, Cora says that she needs to stand out and participate in as many cruise activities as she can, so nobody would ever mistake “Norma Jean”, her fake cruise name, for Gillian.

Lex and Dante are childhood friends who have a fledgling private investigations business. They grew up in Cora's neighborhood and she considers them the grandsons she never had. So Cora hires them to come along on the cruise as bodyguards for Gillian. Cora happens to know the owners of the cruise line, so has no problem making last minute arrangements. Unfortunately, trouble follows Gillian as it soon becomes apparent that someone else managed to get on the cruise as well, and that someone wants Gillian dead.

A few scenes left me shaking my head with disbelief – Gillian verbally admiring how well endowed Lex is; a cross-dresser using fruit in a way nature never intended – but overall it was a fun and quick paced screwball romp with plenty of the author's signature humor and heart. 

Shut Up and Kiss Me

CHRISTIE CRAIG 

Synopsis from Goodreads: Photojournalist Shala Winters already had her hands full bringing tourism to this backward, podunk town, but her job just got tougher. Pictures can say a thousand words, and one of Shala's is screaming bloody murder. Now she has to entrust a macho, infuriating lawman with her life -- but she'll never trust him with her heart.

Trust or not, Sky Gomez isn't about to let a killer get his hands on Shala's Nikon -- or any of her more comely assets, for that matter. Her mouth might move faster than a Piney Woods roadrunner, but all he can think about is how good it must taste...and how she'll never escape true love.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, published by Dorchester Publishing Company, Inc.

How acquired: Received from a BookCrossing member.

First line: “Is that war paint or love paint he's wearing?” a female voice rang out from behind Shala Winters.

My thoughts: This is the first book I've read by Christie Craig, and the problem with discovering new to me authors is suddenly having a bunch of books to add to my wish list. Because I very much enjoyed SHUT UP AND KISS ME, and am now excited to look through my TBR books and realize that I already do have four of her other books waiting.

While in the small town of Precious, Texas, where she has been hired to come up with ways to promote tourism, Shala attends a powwow. Becoming disgusted by the raucous and disrespectful comments of the women sitting around her (see that first line above), and a little disconcerted by the dancing man who keeps staring intently at her, she gets up to leave. The mayor had warned her there was some members of the community who didn't want the town promoted and didn't want her here, and she thinks this guy must be one of them. As she turns in the bleachers to escape, her bag slides off her shoulder and her camera falls out. She hastily retrieves it, only to have the man suddenly appear in front of her, snatch it out of her hands, and dash away.

Sky Gomez sees a camera flash, and then sees Shala with a camera in her hands, so he jumps to the assumption that she took a picture, and per the sign posted at the gate, stating that cameras are strictly prohibited and will be confiscated, he quickly takes possession of it.

And that's Shala and Sky's meet cute. Although, they don't actually meet until after Shala has run all over town trying to track Sky down. Humor abounds here, from cover to cover, and there were many times I laughed out loud. Sky and Shala are both fun characters, both leery of love for their own reasons. Sky especially. His foster father, Redfoot, claims that the spirits told him in a dream that Shala is his soul mate, but while Sky is respectful of the old ways and participates in the powwows, he doesn't really believe in all that spirit stuff, and he certainly doesn't believe in soul mates. So before even meeting Shala he is already determined to keep his distance from her. Fortunately, he doesn't succeed. Someone is stalking Shala, and getting more and more violent, which throws Shala and Sky together as they try to figure out who, and why.

There are plenty of other characters with side plots keeping the book very busy. Maria, Sky's foster sister, has been in love with their foster brother, Jose, who is Redfoot's son, since she was a teenager, but just when she thought he might be returning her feelings he had taken off for a job in New York. Now she's dating Matt, a white boy, and while she thinks she's in love with him, she still can't stop obsessing over Jose. Plus she thinks Matt is cheating on her with his constant weekend trips to Dallas.

Jose couldn't wait to get out of Precious, but when Redfoot is injured, he rushes back home. Jose's arrival, and his first couple of days in town, played like a farce, as one thing after another happens to him. The string of events was almost over the top, but the author kept me laughing and engaged enough that I didn't mind. I wasn't sure at first if I liked Jose, but he grew on me.

Another character I particularly liked was Sky's friend, Lucas, a loner with a military past, law enforcement connections and a secret government job. Compared to the other characters above I guess he was a more minor character, but he seemed to open up and evolve a little in his brief time on the page, and I would have loved to see more of him.

After I finished the book, I went to the author's website, hoping there were or would be more books about this quirky little town (ok, hoping there was or would be one about Lucas), but alas, no. I did find an Epilogue to the story. However, after only reading about a third of it I navigated away as I didn't feel it really added to the story and was superfluous.

A light, sometimes silly, bordering on slapstick, romantic comedy, with a mystery at it's core, and a fun cast of characters. 

Through His Touch (Mind's Eye, Book 2)

DEBORAH CAMP 

Synopsis from Goodreads: Sexy, suspenseful #2 novel of the Mind's Eye Series by Deborah Camp. Psychic detectives Levi Wolfe and Trudy Tucker face an unknown foe who is determined to destroy everything beautiful in Levi's life -- including Trudy. Will Levi's love claim her or kill her?

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, published by Amazon, 2014.

How acquired: Bought.

My thoughts: If you've read the first book, THROUGH HIS EYES, you know it ended on a WTF cliffhanger that just came totally out of left field. Fortunately, the author resolves that cliffhanger in the first few pages here, and I was able to let out the breath I'd been holding since last February.

Levi Wolfe and Trudy Tucker are psychics who fell in love while working together on a serial murder case in the first book. Trudy has, not visions necessarily, but episodes where in her mind she is looking through the killer's eyes, seeing what he sees, and experiencing his emotions. Levi can channel the victim, seeing and experiencing the murder through her eyes.

The first book had quite a bit of action as they teamed up to catch the killer. In this follow up, there isn't as much of that. Levi is home in Atlanta, dealing with a stalker, catching up on his office work, dealing with his busy schedule, and missing Trudy, the first woman he's ever pledged himself to be faithful to. Trudy and her little dog Mouse have gone back to her home in Tulsa, where I'm not really sure what she gets up to, other than missing Levi.

In the first book, I connected with both Levi and Trudy quickly, and the author did a wonderful job of detailing their characters, making them realistic and taking us inside their minds. She continues that here, particularly with Levi. Learning to be in a relationship, to trust in love, to open himself up...it's a journey of self-discovery for him. There is a lot of angst in this book, and it's mostly coming from Levi. They don't stay apart for too long, and Trudy has her own insecurities of course, but she is more secure in her own feelings than Levi is with his. I definitely felt this story was much more Levi's than hers.

There is a new murder case for them to help solve, which leads to a very intense scene. And there's Levi's stalker to contend with as well. But more than that, the story is a very good character study of a man who knows he's broken and isn't sure if he's fixable. And I especially enjoyed some of the scenes with Gonzo, the head of Levi's security team, and with Wes, his cook/housekeeper, both of whom were interesting and charismatic in their own right.

And while the ending wasn't quite as cliffhangery as the first book, the words “The End” came rather abruptly, and I'm glad that the wait for the third book, due in January, isn't quite as long as the wait between books one and two was,* because I'm ready for book three. Now.

*Technically, the wait is about the same, as the first book was published in April, but I read an early advance copy graciously given to me by the author in February, so I had to wait an extra two months for this one.  

The Big Bad Wolf Tells All

DONNA KAUFFMAN

Synopsis: In this fast-paced, sexy romp from Donna Kauffman, a woman who’s a self-avowed lone wolf – with a trail of broken hearts behind her – finds herself face-to-face with love…

Tanzy Harrington is the Bay Area’s most-read romance columnist and self-proclaimed love-‘em-and-leave-‘em artist – and she’s not quite ready to tie herself down to one man. That is, until Riley Parrish lands on the scene.

When Tanzy agrees to house-sit for her eccentric great-aunt, she finds herself sharing close quarters with Riley. At first he seems a bit too much like the “sheep” Tanzy derides in her column – too polite, the classic boring good provider. But when she catches a glimpse of the “wolf” lurking in his eyes, the ultimate alpha female is about to take a fall…

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, published by Bantam Dell, a Division of Random House, Inc., 2004; 409 pages; I don’t remember when, where or how I got this book!

My thoughts: It took me a little bit to get into this book. Right off the bat we meet not only our heroine, Tanzy, but her whole group of zany friends, which for me was confusing and too much at one time.

Tanzy writes a very popular romance column wherein she amusingly spouts her opinions and compares men to wolves or sheep. It’s her latest theory, that men all fall into one or the other category. Women date wolves, but marry sheep, and she does not understand the attraction to the sheep and is trying to figure it out. I personally thought it was kind of a dumb theory, and I think that’s part of what made it hard for me to get vested in the story too quickly.

When her great-aunt Millicent needs to go out of town just before the Christmas holidays, she asks Tanzy to house sit for her. All the staff will be on vacation, except her new personal assistant, Riley. Tanzy can write her column from anywhere she has computer access, so she grudgingly packs a bag and moves into her aunt’s huge home.

Tanzy is a serial dater, proclaiming to the world that women think about sex just as much as men, and as long as a woman uses safety precautions, there’s nothing wrong with her having a healthy sex life. And she practices what she preaches. Love? No, thank you. She’s not interested in that, or marriage or kids. And she is very unimpressed with Riley, noting that when he shakes her hand at their first meeting his grip is limp. That’s how she describes it. He’s a dull, boring sheep and she avoids dinner with him in her aunt’s kitchen every night by eating in her room while she works.

Tanzy has been getting emails from an obsessed fan who goes by the name SoulM8. She’s had crazy fans before, but this one is starting to worry her a little. Not enough to do anything about it though or let it interfere with her life and her fun. Besides, she now has something new on her mind. For some odd reason, she finds herself intrigued by the resident Riley sheep, and even wondering what it would be like to kiss him. What the heck is wrong with her?

Riley of course is not who or what she thinks he is. He’s got a job to do, and is determined to be professional and detached while maintaining a low profile.

There’s a lot going on in this book, but the best parts of the book are when the huge cast of supporting characters fade into the background and we’re with just Tanzy and Riley, watching them get to know each other. I loved the banter between them, with many exchanges that made me not just smile, but grin or even laugh out loud.

Finding out who SoulM8 is becomes a large plot point, and while I certainly didn’t figure out the stalker’s identity, I did figure out more than either Riley or Tanzy did long before they did, which was disappointing and made the big reveal a bit of a let down for me. When SoulM8 finally made a personal appearance, our hero and heroine were both shocked to their cores, while I was asking them how they could be so stupid.

But the journey to that point was fun and well worth my time.