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Alexis Hall does fantasy romance as only he can

The author’s latest, Confounding Oaths, comes complete with an evil fairy godmother, plus sweet new releases from Emma R. Alban and Katie Shepard in this month’s romance column.
The author’s latest, Confounding Oaths, comes complete with an evil fairy godmother, plus sweet new releases from Emma R. Alban and Katie Shepard in this month’s romance column.
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Mystery & SuspenseSuspenseRomantic Suspense

Doctors in danger

Review by Lois Faye Dyer

Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush are each best-selling authors on their own, but the Oregon sisters raise the stakes when they join forces to pen a terrifyingly suspenseful novel, Wicked Lies.

At a small hospital on the Oregon coast, nurse Laura Adderley is relieved to be getting a divorce, but devastated to discover that she and her ex-husband’s sole attempt to reconcile has resulted in a pregnancy. She’s even more appalled when she learns her onetime nemesis, the infamous psychotic killer Justice Turnbull, knows she’s carrying a child. She hears his voice in her mind—and she knows he’s coming for her and her unborn baby. Because Justice has escaped after murdering his jailers at Halo Valley Security Hospital . . . and retribution is his sole focus.

Fortunately for Laura, reporter Harrison Frost is following a lead on a news story about Turnbull’s escape. At first, Harrison only wants information from the pretty nurse, but before long he’s committed to stopping Turnbull. Because if he can’t, Laura will be dead.

Wicked Lies is a riveting, can’t-put-it-down, heart-pounding good read. If you love suspense with enough twists and turns to tie you into knots, this one’s for you.

Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush are each best-selling authors on their own, but the Oregon sisters raise the stakes when they join forces to pen a terrifyingly suspenseful novel, Wicked Lies. At a small hospital on the Oregon coast, nurse Laura Adderley is relieved to be getting a divorce, but devastated to discover that she […]
RomanceFictionRomantic Suspense

Hot for this guilty pleasure

Review by Arlene McKanic

There’s always a guilty pleasure in reading books full of people who are disreputable. For one thing, you have the pleasure of knowing that you’re so much better than they are. Then there’s the pleasure of following their escapades as they do crazy stuff that you can only dream of. In Lori Foster’s latest, Trace of Fever, freelance gumshoe Trace Rivers has gone undercover to undo Murray Coburn, a goateed psychopath who’s made his money in human trafficking and owns just about everyone who thinks they have power. He’s one of those creeps it’s best to be very afraid of. Trace, not the most biddable of men himself, fears very little. He teams up with Priscilla Patterson, who claims to be Coburn’s daughter and has her own agenda with regard to the monster. Yet she and Trace turn out to have, if not soft spots, at least human spots—you will like them in spite of yourself.

Foster’s dialogue is snappy, the atmosphere noirish. Everyone is uncommonly beautiful save the bad guys, but even that’s not quite true; Coburn’s insanely evil henchwoman Helene is fairly good-looking in a feral, Amazonian sort of way. There’s a reason her nickname is “Hell.”

Trace of Fever is a sexy, suspenseful page-turner. 

Arlene McKanic writes from Jamaica, New York.

There’s always a guilty pleasure in reading books full of people who are disreputable. For one thing, you have the pleasure of knowing that you’re so much better than they are. Then there’s the pleasure of following their escapades as they do crazy stuff that you can only dream of. In Lori Foster’s latest, Trace […]
RomanceContemporary Romance

Sherryl Woods’ endearing romance

Review by Lois Faye Dyer

In the third book in her Chesapeake Shores trilogy, author Sherryl Woods takes readers back to Maryland and a small-town beach community with warm yet complicated family relationships.

The only girl among the O’Brien siblings, Susie O’Brien has spent more than a year “not dating” Mack Franklin while they’re spending every spare moment together. Her family is confused, and she’s ready to move past their just-friends status. Mack feels the same, but when he’s about to turn up the heat in their relationship, he loses his job as a sports reporter. Reeling from the shock, he’s barely absorbed the impact when Susie is slammed with a diagnosis that’s devastating.

While their once-idyllic world threatens to crumble into chaos about them, the two struggle to come to terms with a radically changed view of the future. The O’Brien clan rallies around them, but the depth of their love and commitment will be tested to the limit. Will they survive the storms that challenge them? Woods tugs on the heartstrings with this endearing romance and readers will find much to enjoy in this charming love story.

 

Lois Dyer writes from Washington.

In the third book in her Chesapeake Shores trilogy, author Sherryl Woods takes readers back to Maryland and a small-town beach community with warm yet complicated family relationships. The only girl among the O’Brien siblings, Susie O’Brien has spent more than a year “not dating” Mack Franklin while they’re spending every spare moment together. Her […]
FictionWomen's FictionRomantic Suspense

A fantastical start to a bewitching new series

Review by Megan Fishmann

Best-selling YA author Melissa de la Cruz (known for her popular Blue Bloods series) tries her hand at adult fiction in a spellbinding new novel. The first in a planned series, Witches of East End explores modern-day witchcraft as practiced by the Beauchamp family.

The Beauchamp women of North Hampton are immortal witches who endured the Salem Witch Trial and have now been forbidden (in modern times) to practice any magic. There is Joanna Beauchamp—the matriarch of the family—a healer who can raise the dead; her eldest daughter Ingrid, a reserved librarian who is able to cure ailments such as infertility; and then there’s Joanna’s youngest daughter Freya, a flirtatious bartender known to conjure up love potions, who is finally ready to settle down with one of the mysterious Gardiner brothers.

Unable to deny their true nature, the Beauchamp women break the ban on magic until mysterious things begin to occur in their town. Dead birds appear on the shore, an illness plagues the local children and an unidentifiable toxic sludge creeps out from the ocean. It is only when a young girl goes missing that the Beauchamps realize their practicing magic has consequences, and that a dark black magic is working violently against them.

De la Cruz’s tale radiates with passionate love affairs, making this title one steamy summer read. While at times it borders on almost too fantastical (was there really a need for zombies, when one already has witches and vampires?), Witches of East End will entertain readers, both young adult and adult, who will fall under the spell of de la Cruz and the Beauchamp women.

Best-selling YA author Melissa de la Cruz (known for her popular Blue Bloods series) tries her hand at adult fiction in a spellbinding new novel. The first in a planned series, Witches of East End explores modern-day witchcraft as practiced by the Beauchamp family. The Beauchamp women of North Hampton are immortal witches who endured […]
RomanceContemporary Romance

Warming up the empty nest

Review by Kelly Blewett

The third installment of Emily March’s Eternity Springs series, Heartache Falls tells the story of Mackenzie and Alison Timberlake. When their youngest child leaves for college and Mac accepts a challenging promotion, the Timberlake home grows tense and lonely. In an effort to mix things up (and hopefully reheat what has become a frigid marital bed), Ali moves out of her home in a huff and accepts a job in Eternity Springs working for her friend Celeste Blessing.

Although her children are worried and her husband is furious, Ali’s respite in Eternity Springs—a tiny, close-knit town in the Colorado Rockies—is incredibly restorative. She remembers dreams from before her marriage and why she fell in love with her husband in the first place. Meanwhile back in Denver, Mac’s own reflections lead him to confront some of the demons from his past. Changes are in store for the Timberlakes as they think over what they want in this second half of their lives.

Without a doubt, we could all use a dose of Eternity Springs to ease the transitions of our lives. Emily March graciously takes readers there in this immensely readable story of love reborn.

The third installment of Emily March’s Eternity Springs series, Heartache Falls tells the story of Mackenzie and Alison Timberlake. When their youngest child leaves for college and Mac accepts a challenging promotion, the Timberlake home grows tense and lonely. In an effort to mix things up (and hopefully reheat what has become a frigid marital […]
RomanceRomantic Suspense

Unsettling chills and thrills

Review by Arlene McKanic

Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush’s unsettling novel calls to mind both And Then There Were None and Stephen King’s It.

In Wicked Game the bones of a young woman have been found and some old high school friends, certain the bones are those of a girl they knew who vanished years ago, come together to try to solve the mystery. To make things even more stressful, one of the friends might be clairvoyant and the girl’s probable killer may or may not be human. Then people who knew the lost girl start dying, inexplicably, one by one.

Jackson and Bush take their time telling their story—the novel is over 400 pages long—which allows readers to get well- acquainted with the characters. These include the somewhat obsessive sad-sack cop who was on the case long ago, and has been given the now-cold case again, and Becca Sutcliff, who used to have visions as a teenager and now, with the discovery of the remains, is beginning to have them again. The authors know how to keep their readers turning the pages just to find who or what is causing the mayhem. And they provide an ending that’s worth the wait. 

Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush’s unsettling novel calls to mind both And Then There Were None and Stephen King’s It. In Wicked Game the bones of a young woman have been found and some old high school friends, certain the bones are those of a girl they knew who vanished years ago, come together to […]
RomanceParanormal Romance

Savage Nature

Review by Cat Acree

Deep in the Louisiana bayou, something creeps . . . and it lies just beneath Saria Boudreaux’s skin. She knows the ins and outs of the swamp, and not even a gator could ever scare her. But after the discovery of a number of dead bodies, it seems Saria is next on the killer’s list. The bodies seem to have been killed by both a man and a big cat—specifically, a leopard. Saria has seen shape-shifting leopards before, and it seems the killer knows her shape-shifting secret.

Fellow shifter Drake Donovan is brought in by the land’s owner to sort out the mess, but the five-family lair has no apparent loyalties, order or leader. Saria has been prey once, but Drake will need her help to navigate the labyrinthine swamp, and so he must team up with her to solve the case. The heat between them is inevitable, but they will need the cooperation of all the shifters—who are all driven crazy by the leopard beneath Saria’s skin—in order to solve the mystery.

The much-anticipated fifth installment in Christine Feehan’s Leopard series, Savage Nature is preternaturally sexy. The tension is as thick as the Louisiana swamp itself, not to mention just as hot. The connection between Drake and Saria goes far deeper than physical attraction, as their leopards have an ancient, irresistible gravitational pull toward one another. Winner of eight PEARL awards and author of more than 30 novels, Feehan knows just how to deliver a dangerously sexy story.

Deep in the Louisiana bayou, something creeps . . . and it lies just beneath Saria Boudreaux’s skin. She knows the ins and outs of the swamp, and not even a gator could ever scare her. But after the discovery of a number of dead bodies, it seems Saria is next on the killer’s list. […]
RomanceRomantic SuspenseContemporary Romance

A multilayered mystery

Review by Dee Ann Grand

When several co-workers from the Powell Agency become murder victims of a killer with a talent for precision slicing, sparks begin to fly between headstrong Powell agent Maleah Perdue and the agency’s keenly intuitive profiler, Derek Lawrence. Thrown together as lead investigators, these two quickly learn that they have more than one mystery to solve and very little time before the butchering begins again. But first, the pair must figure out how to become tightly knit partners, working closely together in spite of their polar-opposite personalities and combative relationship. But life has unexpected twists—and sometimes sparks can turn into passionate flames, especially when the evil descends upon one of the duo.

Beverly Barton’s romantic, suspenseful Dead by Morning is the second book in the “Dead By” trilogy; the first book, Dead by Midnight, introduced us to Griffin Powell’s detective agency, an organization with a shadow of secrets from the past. Don’t expect Dead by Morning to end all tied up with a pretty bow. This multilayered mystery leaves us with a lingering question from way back in book one. But the author promises us more deadly fun and questions answered in Dead by Nightfall, the last of the series, coming in late 2011.

When several co-workers from the Powell Agency become murder victims of a killer with a talent for precision slicing, sparks begin to fly between headstrong Powell agent Maleah Perdue and the agency’s keenly intuitive profiler, Derek Lawrence. Thrown together as lead investigators, these two quickly learn that they have more than one mystery to solve […]
FictionWomen's FictionContemporary Romance

Steel’s saga shines

Review by Stephenie Harrison

International best-selling author Danielle Steel’s newest book, 44 Charles Street, turns the lives of four strangers upside down in this unforgettable novel set in a turn-of-the-21st-century house in Greenwich Village. Money drove Francesca Thayer to seek out boarders for her painstakingly restored little home, but she needed a change anyway, having newly separated from her boyfriend and suddenly tackling the house’s mortgage all on her own. Her new roommates appear as a casting call of devotedly depicted characters: Eileen from L.A., now a New York City schoolteacher; Chris, the divorcé with a seven-year-old son who visits every other weekend; and Marya, a recent widow and fabulous cook. 44 Charles Street brings them all together under one roof, and soon irreplaceable bonds form amidst the palatable and nearly tasted fragrance of Marya’s cooking. The four former strangers find immense strength in each other as each faces a year-long tale filled with both light and inner demons. From custody battles to online dating, 44 Charles Street is filled with all the precarious endeavors of the heart that bring people together. At its core, however, is a message of hope, and readers will finish this quaint new book with a sweet and savory taste on their palates.

International best-selling author Danielle Steel’s newest book, 44 Charles Street, turns the lives of four strangers upside down in this unforgettable novel set in a turn-of-the-21st-century house in Greenwich Village. Money drove Francesca Thayer to seek out boarders for her painstakingly restored little home, but she needed a change anyway, having newly separated from her […]
Mystery & SuspenseFictionParanormal Romance

New adventure in Bon Temps

Review by Karen Trotter Elley

It’s spring in Bon Temps, and an urge to clean out her grandmother’s attic leads Sookie to the discovery of some life-changing secrets in Charlaine Harris’ latest Sookie Stackhouse adventure, Dead Reckoning. Lately, due to visits by her fairy kin, Cousin Claude and Great-Uncle Dermot, Sookie has been feeling more and more fae, but she doesn’t have time to dwell on it. Merlotte’s, the bar where she works, is firebombed, and later Sookie is tracked and attacked by hired thugs. It seems her archenemy, the revenge-crazed Sandra Pelt, is once again on the loose.

Meanwhile, her vampire lover Eric and his “child” Pam have decided to go up against their new vampire master Victor, and Sookie gets drawn into a plot that has only one possible outcome—a double dose of death and destruction.

If that isn’t enough for Sookie to deal with, a vampire queen has her eyes on Eric, the right to claim him and the paperwork to prove it. Is Sookie in danger of losing the one thing she values more than her own life?

Readers, prepare to be amused and entertained by Harris’ captivating characters and nonstop action in Dead Reckoning.

It’s spring in Bon Temps, and an urge to clean out her grandmother’s attic leads Sookie to the discovery of some life-changing secrets in Charlaine Harris’ latest Sookie Stackhouse adventure, Dead Reckoning. Lately, due to visits by her fairy kin, Cousin Claude and Great-Uncle Dermot, Sookie has been feeling more and more fae, but she […]
Mystery & SuspenseFictionSuspenseRomantic Suspense

Dynamic duo tracks a killer in New Orleans

Review by Stephenie Harrison

It’s been 10 years since detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya first delighted readers with their New Orleans exploits, but Lisa Jackson’s dynamic duo show no signs of slowing down or getting stale in their latest venture, Devious.

Still, even the very best can use a little help from time to time, and in their latest investigation, assistance comes in the form of Valerie Houston, a tenacious young woman with a troubling past. When Valerie’s sister, Camille, turns up grotesquely murdered in St. Marguerite’s cathedral, Bentz and Montoya are assigned the grisly case. Aided by Val and her estranged husband, Slade, the four begin to uncover some shocking truths about St. Marguerite’s and the people who inhabit it. At the forefront is Father Frank O’Toole, rumored to be Camille’s lover, and a man Montoya knew in high school, along with St. Marguerite’s elusive Mother Superior. These two prime suspects may have hidden agendas that could be worth killing for in order to keep secret. As the truth behind Camille’s murder comes closer to surfacing, it becomes clear that the killer must be found before Valerie is caught in the crosshairs of vengeance.

Devious is filled with the heart-stopping action and breakneck twists that fans of Jackson have come to expect. Perhaps one of Jackson’s most sinister and provocative thrillers to date, this is a novel that will constantly keep you guessing. The ending to Devious is too good to spoil, but it is fair to say that it will leave readers restless for Jackson’s next novel, which can hardly come too soon.

It’s been 10 years since detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya first delighted readers with their New Orleans exploits, but Lisa Jackson’s dynamic duo show no signs of slowing down or getting stale in their latest venture, Devious. Still, even the very best can use a little help from time to time, and in their […]
RomanceFiction

More from the Brotherhood

Review by Lois Faye Dyer

Fans of paranormal, urban fantasy and romance novels are breathless with anticipation. This month, New York Times best-selling author J.R. Ward returns with Lover Unleashed, entry #9 in her wildly successful Black Dagger Brotherhood series. The books feature powerful vampires whose warrior skills are matched only by their eroticism and commitment to their mates. Despite overwhelming odds, the Brotherhood warriors fight a never-ending battle to save an unsuspecting human world from the evil Omega and the Lessening Society.

Lover Unleashed stars brilliant surgeon Manny Manello, ex-boss of trauma physician Jane Whitcomb, who is now mated to the vampire warrior Vishous. When tragedy strikes, Manny is recruited into the Brother’s secret world. His expertise as a neurosurgeon is needed to save one of their own, Payne, a female warrior with a lineage that’s off the charts. But one look at his patient and it suddenly becomes very personal for Manny: “This female is mine,” he thinks.

Long-awaited by fans, the story of Manny and Payne is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats. 

Fans of paranormal, urban fantasy and romance novels are breathless with anticipation. This month, New York Times best-selling author J.R. Ward returns with Lover Unleashed, entry #9 in her wildly successful Black Dagger Brotherhood series. The books feature powerful vampires whose warrior skills are matched only by their eroticism and commitment to their mates. Despite […]
RomanceFictionRomantic SuspenseContemporary Romance

A tale of fiery romance

Review by Lois Faye Dyer

Over the course of an amazingly productive career that’s made her a household name, author Nora Roberts has delighted romantic suspense fans with nearly 200 titles. After delivering so many consistently excellent novels, one might assume a writer could grow complacent. Ms. Roberts proves there’s zero chance of that happening with her latest, Chasing Fire. In a breath-stealing roller-coaster ride of romance, mystery and murder, La Nora reminds us why her books routinely appear at the top of the New York Times bestseller list.

In Chasing Fire, Rowan Tripp is both the daughter of a legendary smokejumper and an experienced firefighter in her own right. She’s looking forward to spending another summer working with the Zulies, an elite group of smokejumpers headquartered in Missoula, Montana. This is Gulliver Curry’s first season with the Zulies and the moment he meets Rowan, sparks fly. However, she has a hard and fast rule: never get romantically involved with fellow smokejumpers. Gull, however, is determined to make her rethink that decision. As they share long, grueling days of training and danger while fighting fires, their mutual admiration for each other’s character and professional abilities grows—as does the physical attraction that soon roars out of control between them.

Haunted by nightmares of her partner’s death in a fire the year before, the firefighting season has barely begun before Rowan discovers she faces a far more immediate danger. Someone is killing people and setting fires to cover up the crimes. Each of the victims is known to Rowan and it’s soon clear that she is being targeted. With Gull’s help, Rowan must search for a murderer at the same time the two are fighting monster forest fires. Gull is determined to protect Rowan, but the killer always seems to stay three steps ahead of them and danger lurks at every turn. Both Gull and Rowan know they must move quickly to solve the murders before they or one of their fellow Zulies become the next to die.   

 

Roberts knocks it out of the park with this latest novel, delivering enough thrills, chills, romance and mayhem to satisfy the most demanding reader. The dangerous life of the men and women who spend their days fighting forest fires provides an intriguing, colorful backdrop to the suspense and romance of Chasing Fire.

 

Lois Faye Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.

Over the course of an amazingly productive career that’s made her a household name, author Nora Roberts has delighted romantic suspense fans with nearly 200 titles. After delivering so many consistently excellent novels, one might assume a writer could grow complacent. Ms. Roberts proves there’s zero chance of that happening with her latest, Chasing Fire. […]

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