HOW SWEET IT IS by SOPHIE GUNN

HOW SWEET IT IS by SOPHIE GUNN

01/01/11 - Grand Central Publishing - Mass Market Paperback, 416 pages

Hot happenings in a small town make for a big storyline….

Lizzie Bea Carpenter has successfully lived life as a waitress and single mother with her daughter Paige for the last 14 years. She didn’t need the rat that deserted her as an unwed mother in a small town and she doesn’t need Dante “Tay” Giovanni either even though he is quite the handyman. What she needs are her friends who were enemies but now her closest confidents to talk to. Lizzie and her girlfriends rewrote the book on frenemies and truth being told all the time is not always in the best interest of anyone.

But Tay is doing penance for a poor decision that changed too many lives including his own and helping Lizzie around her broken down house helps. He gave up everything to try and correct his mistake and never thought that be the answer to a waitress’s prayer would be one of them. Lizzie works hard at her job and keeps life for her and Paige good but not great and all she needs is someone to help fix up her house before the past comes knocking on her door trying to wreak havoc and attempting to take her comfortable life away.

Lizzie lets Tay and his assorted menagerie of animals work on her property and he finds a way to finagle a place in her heart. Lizzie knows how to stay strong and tough but sometimes it does not hurt to let someone else mend the fence or fix the front porch light. No strings attached with men and surrounded by her friends was how Lizzie saw herself until Tay showed up and they were able to teach one another how to forgive and live life without guilt and try to let go of the burdens that weigh us down.

With money flying around, a man in her present stirring up long buried feeling, the past causing problems and a sister recovering from postpartum depression Lizzie has her hands full. She hopes that some of her prayers are answered but she knows what she really wants now is to find a way to convince Tay that showing your fears is not a weakness but a strength you grow from.

Lizzie and Tay are each bearing their own crosses in life and both of them are trying to figure out a way to put one foot in front of the other without tripping. They both have dreams but fear they are unrealistic and won’t hope enter into the picture yet they discover not only hope but faith and a belief that prayers are answered in one fashion or another. You just have to keep saying out loud what you want for it to happen.

SINS OF A HIGHLAND DEVIL by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Sins of a Highland Devil by Sue-Ellen Welfonder Book #1 in the Highland Warriors Trilogy 01/01/11 - Grand Central Publishing - Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages

Strong men and mysterious ways make for a sizzling and romantic read

When one clan lays claim to a piece of land there is the devil in trying to keep it in the family. When three clans inherit one piece of property and the only way to determine who winds up with it in the end is a battle to the death, the hounds of hell come calling.

But even amongst all the chaos of war and the determination to win there is a man that crosses path with a woman and regardless of how the battle ends these two will change the destiny of so many and that is the present couple as well as the one from the past. They are from opposite sides of the battlefield but when you have your heart beating as one the lines drawn start to blue and the ice that is frozen and keeping you apart starts to crack and thaw good things can happen.

This is the case for Lady Catriona a fiery woman who will fight anyone who dare cross her even when that someone is a man she has loved since childhood. James Cameron teased and tormented Catriona and while he no longer pulls her hair he still likes to taunt her with cryptic words, tease with his devilish smile and tempt her with oh so sweet kisses. But James is with part another clan and not sure who will die on the battlefield yet knows he very well might be Catriona’s brother and clansmen.

The battle is looming and fast approaching but Catriona still craves the feel of James’ lips pressed to hers and knows she is breaking all the rules but still chases after him. She clutches her amber necklace for good luck and prays that the shadows she feels are chasing her are mist and fog not the devil himself. There is much trickery going on and allot of the past of caught up in the present but still Catriona fights for her right to be with James and win him and his heart over.

There is such passion and intensity in this first book that I can’t wait to read the others. Catriona is charming and wildly protective of her brother and clan but James is so strong with his emotions and gushes with testosterone to the point it is coming through the pages of the book. Fabulous!

AGAINST THE WIND (Book #1 in the Raines Brothers Trilogy) by Kat Martin

AGAINST THE WIND (Book #1 in the Raines Brothers Trilogy) by Kat Martin

12/10 - Mira - Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages - ISBN-13: 9780778329190

A wonderful wind sweeping romance and mystery

Sarah Allen is not running from her past she is just packing it up and moving away from it with her daughter Holly. Leaving the baggage her murdered husband created is the best option since his life left her bankrupt, physically abused and trying to convince the people he did business with that she does not have whatever it is they are looking for. Moving forward is a step backward for Sarah as she decides to return home to Wyoming and start life fresh as a cub reporter for a small newspaper. She has rented a lovely cottage and knows a clean slate will be best.

What Sarah does not know is the past of her youth is going to be facing her in the form of Jackson Raines the boy who loved her and she threw away. He is still hurt all these years later from that rejection but it doesn’t take 5 minutes for the pain of youth to be replaced by the passion of adulthood. Jackson knows better than to trust her again but it is so hard not to when she is so venerable and beautiful.

But leaving trouble behind and that actually happening is easier said than done especially for Sarah. Her late husband’s many criminal friends have ways to find her and threaten her which is exactly what they do. They want the disk they believe she has and will stop at nothing to get it. Sarah is not sure what to do but Jackson calls in his brothers for help because he is positive whatever problem he can’t solve they will.

The more time Sarah and Jackson spend together the more they are not only drawn to one another but consumed with such love and passion it almost burns them up. Sarah fears for what will happen and Jackson pushes to resolve the issues. Both of them know in the end that being together makes them an unstoppable force for love.

Writing a western romance is more than just knowing the lay of the land or the history it is grabbing the flavor for the people and surroundings. Kat Martin has completed captured that with Sarah and Jackson’s story in showcasing these two people and the lives they lead in a part of the country that has its own pace and feel to life. This story brings romance, suspense and the most wonderful feeling that reminds us we are all suckers for romantic ending.

THE TARGET by Bill Bowen

THE TARGET by Bill Bowen

July 2010 - Outskirts Press, Inc. - Paperback, 318 pages - ISBN-13: 9781432734824

What happens when you cross the line and don’t want to go back

Mike Curran has suffered the worst loss in anyone’s life with the death of his beloved wife, the love of his life. This was an calculated act at the hands of a terrorist who attacked in Chicago without a care for who was going to be a victim. Mike can’t move on, he can’t let go, he won’t be consoled with kind words and he can’t forget what was done to his life, his city and his country. Mike wants more than retribution for this act he wants revenge and having both received a stellar education and having served in the military he has the working knowledge and military connections to take his plan from thought to reality and make those who keep getting past our government pay.

What happens when the first initial step is completed changes Mike forever and makes him hungry for more. He involves more people in the next phase and realizes a bigger target and larger destruction. Too many people have been touched by what the terrorists have done and a warning shot has to be sent to jolt everyone and Mike has the men and the plan to make that happen. But is Mike up for this and does he have the right people in place? Mike wants the country to wake up and see what is going on and generate more interest than a few nights of viewing on the national news before the country gets bored with another negative news night.

Mike assembles his group, draws up the plans, organizes the operation and moves forward with something as terrorizing as any other group has done. Once the objective had been set there was no going back because too many people knew about the plan and the timeline had been set with the clock ticking. The final question always is “when this is done is the deed worth the risk”? Mike knows the answer without hesitation and when he is willing to take the fall he knows there is no turning back.

This book serves as a wake-up call to the reader in that it shows how much is going on in the world that we just ignore. It makes you think about the world in a larger picture and serves as a history and geography lesson. I pulled out my world atlas to follow the story and felt woefully inadequate to think these things are going on in the world I live in and I don’t even give it a thought. Mr. Bowen poses an interesting hypothesis in this book and one I hope never comes to fruition but the big “what if” questions sits out there in that if one day an American citizen says enough and can put into play the scenario conceived – heaven help us all.

HARVEST of DREAMS by Alison Henderson

HARVEST of DREAMS by Alison Henderson

September 2010 - The Wild Rose Press - Paperback, 294 pages

ISBN-13: 9781601548450

A world of dreams awaits those you seek them

Lisa Culpepper McAllister is a widow living a lonely life on the farm she hoped would be the home to build a future on. Her husband shortly after their wedding went off to fight in the Civil War and never returned. She is alone with her son and trying to figure out what foot goes in front and take the next step.

There are two men who would like to take those steps with her. One is a childhood friend that has chosen to run with an outlaw group and assumes he has a right to her now that her husband is gone. The other man, Jared Tanner is a freelance gunslinger who keeps the trains safe and the thieves at bay. Lisa knows she does not want to take any steps backwards but she is not sure if going forward with Jared is going to work either. He lives the code of the west with guns and violence both of which she abhors. But the draw to his arms is so strong and the gentle kisses he provides are warmth on a lonely night.

As the months roll away one after another and Jared becomes more of a fixture in Lisa and her son’s life the less likely she is to let him go. She fights the attraction and pushes away the desire but like any other woman drawn to a man regardless of his profession the passion usually wins out.

Lisa and Jared are strong, independent and well developed characters who show a true picture of the west in the post-Civil War era. There was enough rough and tumble world to add conflict and these two know how to keep themselves safe and sound. Everyone will enjoy this book.