The second in Georgina Gentry's Texans series (Diablo) lacks subtlety and features clichés: the villain is literally weak-chinned; the half-Mexican hero lusts so greatly for the heroine that he visits a whorehouse to relieve himself, then can't perform; and the feisty heroine is fond of "sassy" answers. Blue-eyed, pale-skinned Turquoise Sanchez longs to escape her half-Mexican heritage and sets her eyes on the older, sophisticated Senator Edwin Forester. Her desires are complicated by Rio Kelly, an illegitimate cowboy, who lusts after her. However, the senator won't be denied and sets in motion, along with Snidely Whiplash, multiple plans to end Rio's life. Gentry's writing reads very much like romances from the 1980s, when her first book was published, but today's readers have moved beyond hair-tossing heroines who are clueless to villains' plans and heroes who call their heroines whores. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 04/11/2011 | Release date: 02/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

The eagerly awaited return of Joanne Walker starts off with a bang in Murphy's latest. Walker, who has started to embrace her shamanic powers, attends a dance performance with her boss Morrison. There's a great deal of attendant sexual tension and, during the performance, Walker is so caught up in the magic of the performers that she transforms into a coyote. If that isn't enough, in the middle of the performance, one of the dancers is magically attacked and killed. Walker begins the hunt for the killer, which leads her into situations she never expected—including accidentally transforming Morrison into a wolf and encountering a murderous werewolf. The adventure forces her to decide which path in life she wishes to fully embrace—cop or shaman. Readers will be thrilled to see Murphy's return to the Walker Papers, and they won't be disappointed. The author keeps the action fast-paced, Walker and Morrison's repartee is fantastic (even when he's a wolf), and the magic is exciting. If anything, it seems a little short, and readers will be left eager to see what happens next, both with Walker's shamanic career and her ever-evolving relationship with Morrison. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 04/11/2011 | Release date: 03/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

In Berg's anemic new novel, John and Irene Marsh, though divorced for some time, remain adoring parents to daughter Sadie, who is about to start college. Both parents are now in their fifties and trying to sort out dating and relationships, with varying levels of success. But when Sadie is kidnapped, their separate lives quickly cleave, and coping with the tragedy means that they must come together as a family. When Sadie is safely returned, and rushes into marriage, John and Irene are forced to deal with their own failures, and finally start to understand where they went wrong (as well as what they did right). Unfortunately, Berg doesn't give readers a reason to like care for any of her players, much less to invest in their relationship. And the kidnapping, both exploitative and anticlimactic, is too contrived, nothing but mechanics, the most obvious of inciting incidents. If Berg (The Last Time I Saw You) is out to plumb the depths of the modern marriage in the hopes of touching the profound, it fails to come across here. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 04/11/2011 | Release date: 04/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Bess Gray, single and in her thirties, is starting to despair of ever finding a decent man in the Washington D.C. area. But that all changes when she meets Irish musician Rory McMillan. They hit it off immediately and within a few months he asks for her hand. What he doesn't say is that she would be accompanying him on his ninth walk down the aisle. Once he confesses he's been married eight times before, Bess doesn't know what to think—or what to do. So she takes a cross country trip with her older neighbor, Cricket, a gay man, and her grandparents, who will move into an assisted care facility when they reach Arizona. Along the way, Bess hunts down Rory's ex-wives and try to figure out what sort of a man could have eight of them, in the process learning a great deal about relationships, love, and trust. Stolls's (Palms to the Ground) first foray into adult fiction offers a nuanced take on relationships. Though the book shines most brightly in Rory's reflections, the contrivance of the road trip mars an otherwise interesting tale. (May)

Reviewed on 04/11/2011 | Release date: 05/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Alice Wynter left her childhood home of Redding, Maine as soon as she could, in favor of a comfortable new life working as a successful marketing executive and married to a Wall Street attorney. Since leaving, she's had no thought of returning for anything—or anyone—but her twin brother, a troubled alcoholic. Now, rapidly approaching middle age, Alice's father winds up dead and her brother, missing, in Seidel's modest debut. Though Alice's relationship with both family members have been complex, she returns, alone, to pick up the pieces of their life—and hers. As her brother's history reveals itself in vignettes from 1984, his and Alice's last year in school, the pieces fit together to reveal just what Alice was running from back then. Nothing, however, will likely prepare the reader for the terrible truths that Alice is forced to confront as the final pieces fall into place. Fairly well-drawn characters, romance, a creepy twist, a plot that thuds along, and loads of psychosexual drama amount to a somewhat clunky but effective thrill ride. (May)

Reviewed on 04/11/2011 | Release date: 05/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Launching a trilogy spun off from her Nicki Styx series, Garey (Silent Night, Haunted Night) focuses on popular supporting character Sammy Divine, the titular devil. Having lost the only woman he cared for to a mortal, Sammy is in a rut. When offered a shot at redemption if he plays guardian angel for a human, he accepts, albeit in his own capricious manner. Claiming he can cure her son's brain cancer, Sammy persuades single mother Faith McFarland to seduce rock star Finn Payne and steal the ring symbolizing the musician's own infernal pact. Finn and Faith swiftly hit it off, but their battle over the ring turns ruthless with lives and souls on the line. Meanwhile, Sammy learns he's a father, courtesy of an old lover. Readers will enjoy the devil's manipulations and the sweet yet smoldering chemistry between Faith and Finn. (June)

Reviewed on 04/11/2011 | Release date: 05/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

The fifth installment in Kantra's rich and sensual Children of the Sea series (after Immortal Sea) features selkie Iestyn, aka Justin Miller, living as a sailor and only slowly becoming aware of his heritage after a shipwreck that stole his memory, and fallen angel Lara Rho, who feels Justin's powerful energy and wrongly identifies him as another angel needing protection. After Lara's colleagues imprison Justin as a threat, she escapes with him to find his true home while they evade both her hidebound mentors and the demonic Children of Fire, who are drawn by the powerful erotic energies released in Lara and Justin's powerful lovemaking. Series fans will be intrigued by new details of the high-intensity, soap opera world. First-time readers will be able to dive in and enjoy the heart-pounding pace and the growth of the reckless but emotionally engaging characters. (June)

Reviewed on 04/11/2011 | Release date: 06/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Ashwood's fourth Dark Forgotten paranormal (after Unchained) is fast paced and captivating. Talia Rostova is a vampire on the run from her powerful, deranged creator, living under the radar in fictional Fairview. When her cousin and roommate is murdered, she knows she was the intended target, while the authorities suspect her of the killing. Lore, the local hellhound Alpha and keeper of the peace, apprehends and hides Talia to determine her innocence. Fighting a mutual, forbidden cross-species attraction, they join forces to stop the killer. While Talia deals with her family wanting to kill her, Lore struggles to maintain control of his pack and protect the city. Their chemistry is immediate and undeniable, and the love scenes are scorching hot. With solid world building and fully realized supporting characters, this strong offering works equally well as a stand-alone or part of a series. (June)

Reviewed on 04/11/2011 | Release date: 06/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Three novellas form this well-mixed anthology of bodyguards who violate the big rule: no personal attachment to the client. In Monroe's sexy whodunit, "Who's Been Sleeping in My Brother's Bed?" brilliant Ph.D. student Danusia flees to her brother's empty apartment after her place is burglarized, and finds black-ops agent Maxwell Baker temporarily staying there. In Denton's humorous "Hot Mess," Alyssa, office worker for a security firm, heads to LAX to pick up whistle-blower Charles Rolston; the man in her passenger seat is actually handsome FBI special agent Noah Temple, who lets her think he's Rolston through some hilarious hijinks and hot sex. In Naughton's suspenseful "Acapulco Heat," former army ranger Finn Tierney guards supermodel Lauren on a beach photo shoot with a male model whose family is a drug cartel. Variety and plenty of spice make for entertaining summer reading. (June)

Reviewed on 04/11/2011 | Release date: 06/01/2011 | Details & Permalink

Swift's debut, a brisk and easy read, depicts a charming traditional romance between a spunky young noblewoman and a quietly honorable knight in strife-torn 12th-century England, which is divided between warring monarchs Stephen and Matilda. When Rosamund Galleia, daughter of a minor baron, is sent to the earl of Duloe's court as a lady-in-waiting, she is immediately drawn to her escort, handsome knight Alexander Ringewar, despite an embarrassing first encounter. Though of lower social status than her companions, Rosamund makes a place for herself at Duloe Castle while Alexander, focused on family and military obligations, finds himself increasingly drawn to her free spirit and love of the outdoors. Despite the story's brevity and predictable plotting, competent pacing allows Alexander and Rosamund's attraction to mature at a gentle pace against a colorful knights-and-ladies background in an undemanding but enjoyable romance. (June)

Reviewed on 04/11/2011 | Release date: 01/01/2011 | Details & Permalink