Prolific author Morris (House of Winslow series) opens a new series set in the years leading up to the Civil War. Widower Daniel Tremayne returns to his Amish roots, but his son, Yancy, joins a Virginia militia and becomes one of "Stonewall's Boys" in the War between the States. The novel is rich with characters struggling to make sense of the war and of Amish pacifism while maintaining loyalty to family. Yancy's grandmother says, "I saw that you'd decided to be a soldier. And we always told you that we would respect your decisions, and we do. But I have to tell you that it grieves me, it truly does." Injured in battle, Yancy is nursed back to health by Lorena, who wrestles with her own past. The first in "The Last Cavaliers" series combines adventure and romance in a thick historical and religious setting that fills the page with believable missives, news reports, and a love story in the midst of war. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/31/2011 | Release date: 02/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Kaye turns out a lackluster fourth contemporary (after Too Hot to Handle). Rich, smart, and sexy, Ben Walsh resists marriage until his billionaire grandpa threatens to deprive him of the one piece of real estate he's always wanted. Ben then proposes a legitimate but businesslike marriage to Latina bombshell Gina Reyez, a hard-working and upwardly mobile administrative assistant. Gina accepts Ben's offer to be his wife on paper only, despite both her misgivings and her attraction to him. Soon Ben finds himself drawn to her, and he begins engineering plots to make the sham marriage last. Ben's attraction and his family's heartfelt approval of his new wife are puzzling, as Gina vents a constant barrage of insults and always insists on being right. The passionate sex scenes can't make up for the uninspired storyline and obnoxious protagonist. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 01/31/2011 | Release date: 01/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Only readers of Skin Game and Skin Tight will be able to make sense of this sequel. A mad scientist has kidnapped people with special abilities to alter their DNA. Alabama dirt farmer Zeke Noble was one of them, and he returns home a changed man. No longer able to read, but with enhanced senses, increased stamina, and the ability to communicate with animals, he gets a job assisting riches-to-rags veterinarian Neva Harper, who has been improbably disowned for wanting to pursue a career. Their attraction blossoms, but suffers because he fears his animalistic qualities. Meanwhile, a serial killer is targeting women who look like her. This silly subplot pales in comparison to Zeke's tortuous journey, and while the romance is achingly beautiful, sweet, and sexy, it's difficult to believe that even a vet could really love someone more animal than man. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 01/31/2011 | Release date: 01/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Little is known about Kentauros, who mated with a mare to create the centaur. Of the Greek poets, only Pindar writes of him, though little beyond the circumstances of his conception, when Zeus laid a trap to catch King Ixion coveting his wife, and giving birth to Kentauros, who "bore a curse that offended gods and men alike." With this beguiling new work, Feeley (Arabian Wine) examines Pindar's words closely for clues about Kentauros, neither mortal nor god, "conceived on Olympus but exiled to a companionless life on earth." The author also intersperses his own myth, in which he imagines the lonely life of Kentauros, seeking survival in a cruel world, and his ill-fated coupling with the mare. And Feeley imagines the circumstances surrounding Percy Shelley's allusions to King Ixion in his poetry; a fantastic interlude finds Mary Shelley attempting to continue her husband's work after his death with the help of Lord Byron and James Leigh Hunt. Feeley's work is an unusual and somewhat disturbing reminder that "myths live where we do" and that "we respond to myths not because they are culture-affirming but because they are frightening." (Dec.)

Reviewed on 01/31/2011 | Release date: 01/01/2010 | Details & Permalink

This irresistible novel, first in March's Eternity Springs contemporary series, grips the reader's attention in the first few pages as an abandoned, injured dog saves the life of Gabe Callahan, whose deep-seated pain can only be healed by love. Gabe brings the dog to the Colorado town's big-hearted veterinarian, Nic Sullivan, a woman of grace and beauty who stitches up his wounded heart with all the care she lavishes on the hurt animal. Both have a hard time believing that fate has brought them together, but as Nic points out, "It is weird, but we do weird here in Eternity Springs." The novel's erotic scenes have a veiled, romantic touch, and March (a pseudonym for bestseller Geralyn Dawson) displays a special talent for characterizing the close bonds of female friendships. As Nic and Gabe's lives grow suddenly complex, a special troupe of women rally around the lovers and keep them headed toward happy-ever-after. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/31/2011 | Release date: 02/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Evans's debut Regency is filled with sizzling romance. Anthony Craven, the fifth earl of Wickham, wants Lady Cassandra Sudbury as his next mistress. Then his brother's deception results in him bedding Cassie's innocent cousin, Melissa Goodly, whom he is then forced to wed. Melissa tries to seduce her husband and eventually win his love, but Anthony's cruel father has made him believe that he is unlovable and left him unwilling to have children. Melissa is an anachronistically but appealingly independent and stubborn lady who isn't afraid to complain that women of her era are often treated little better than slaves, and a subplot involving England's 19th-century abolitionist movement adds depth to this enticing read. Strong characterizations, smooth plotting, and plenty of explicit sex will appeal to fans of modern Regencies. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/31/2011 | Release date: 03/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Love and laughter prevail in this charming chick lit romp. Daisy MacLean is the manager of Colworth Manor, a beautiful county hotel. In the year since her cheating husband was killed in a car accident, she's been purposefully single. She doesn't trust handsome and charming men, so former rugby star Dev Tyzack clearly doesn't stand a chance with her, and the two initially grate on each other—but they can't deny their increasing attraction. Unfortunately, Daisy's past is getting in the way of her future, in more ways than one. With a madcap crew of characters, including unlucky-in-love chambermaid Tara and Daisy's gregarious father, this screwball romantic comedy piles on the humor and humanity for a clever, absorbing, and very enjoyable read. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/31/2011 | Release date: 03/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

DeHart pairs up a bluestocking and a spy in the third Legend Hunters Victorian romance (after Desire Me and Seduce Me). When scholarly Vanessa Pembrooke travels to Loch Ness to hunt fossils, she accidentally marries Graeme Langford, one of the secretive "Legend Hunters" of Solomon's in London, who's on the trail of the Stone of Destiny. Their mutual love of adventure complements their growing physical attraction, and soon Vanessa is caught up in Graeme's quest to save the stone from a ruthless villain called the Raven. DeHart delivers plenty of adventure and suspense along with the romance: secret passages, ancient encoded texts, and a double helping of theft, blackmail, kidnapping, and murder. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/31/2011 | Release date: 03/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Ramsay's delicious contemporary debut introduces the town of Last Chance, S.C., and its warmhearted inhabitants. Down to her last five bucks, beautiful runaway Wanda Jane Coblentz heads to the town watering hole and picks up local fiddler Clay Rhodes, figuring that a night at the local no-tell motel beats sleeping on a park bench. When Clay catches her going through his wallet, he dumps her purse out and discovers ID for somebody named Mary Smith. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot! Jane, aka Mary, reveals that she's on the run from a shady, possibly dangerous past. Despite her sketchy behavior, Clay falls in love with her, and soon he and his mother are scheming in fine style to give Jane a last chance of her own. Ramsay strikes an excellent balance between tension and humor as she spins a fine yarn. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/31/2011 | Release date: 03/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

The heart-pounding sequel to Deadly Fear and Deadly Heat offers surprise and sexy romance at every turn. Still traumatized by a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer, FBI special agent Samantha Kennedy fights to prove herself by tracking a kidnapper who is targeting the sons of wealthy men. She's also navigating an attraction to business owner Max Ridgeway. When Max's stepbrother disappears, he and Samantha must race against time and the ever-changing whims of a brutal killer while confronting their troubled pasts and their shared passion. Eden's characters are complex and likable, and her plot speeds along breathlessly to a surprising and sizzling conclusion. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/31/2011 | Release date: 03/01/2011 | Details & Permalink