Novelspot

There are several classic romance situations and one of my favorites has always been a romance between a teacher and student.  Perhaps it is that we can all relate to such a situation since we've all been students at one point or another. I know I myself have had a crush or two on my professors so it was easy to relate to the romantic encounter Ramona Hilliger presents in Dangerous Desire.

Amy Anderson's writing classes are just the escape she needs from her frustrating marriage to Keith. The sparks that used to fly between them have long since disappeared and the only romance she has in her life is in the stories she writes for her creative writing class.

I’m a reader who loves to be surprised by a book. You see the book, you read the jacket and you think the book is one thing. But a couple pages into it, you realize you were dead wrong on what the book was going to be. Sometimes the surprise is a good thing, sometimes not. The surprise I got from Run Among Thorns was absolutely wonderful.

Our first moments with Jenny Waring find her in an unpleasant situation. Her workplace is being held up and the whole office is being held hostage. In a moment of clear thinking and quick action, Jenny expertly defends her coworkers against the attackers allowing them all the chance to live.

I've never been much for westerns. Not since the spaghetti western days of Clint Eastwood and the classic John Wayne films. Of course, "Young Guns" was an unexpected treat. Not my choice but I truly enjoyed that one, largely due to the assortment of actors. Reading a western was pretty much out of my league. You know this is going to be followed by "Until…" Yup. You're right. Until I found Rebecca Goings' In Your Arms.

Melissa Bloom has pretty much give up on every catching a man. Her younger sister, Shirley is far too pretty and "girly" for any man to bother looking at the hardworking Melissa. They both work in their father's general store. Melissa does all the work and Shirley tends to all the young men. So when jaw-dropping Marcus McCaide rides into Gideon's Gulch, all Lissa can do is stare and watch him walk away to speak to her father about a job. Obviously, once Mr. McCaide finds her sister sitting prim and pretty inside, Lissa will be totally forgotten…again. She wonders if her father will be hiring the man to help around the store, seeing as how the man is wearing a gun on each hip. What kind of man wears guns? Lissa isn't sure she wants to find out.

I have a confession: I’m a sucker for anything that has to do with Scotland and castles. My family went to Scotland when I was in high school and I made them stop at every castle we came to…that’s like tripping over Starbucks here in the US. While I’m not the biggest romance reader, when I saw that Amy Tolnitch’s A Lost Touch of Magic took place in the medieval highlands, I had to read it.

A Lost Touch of Magic is the fourth in Ms. Tolnitch’s Lost Touch series, a series which focuses on the lives and loves of intertwined characters. The heroes of previous books make small cameos in this one and vice versa. This was my first of the Lost Touch series and I was able to slip into the world easily. Not having read the others did not hinder my reading or understanding of this book. I suspect, however, that reading all of the series will deepen readers’ enjoyment.

The purpose of genre is to give the customer some basic idea of the fiction or nonfiction category the book falls in. This makes it easier for them to find it on the bookshelf. From there it's usually the fight of the well-known author, or for that rare reader, inquisitive enough to traverse new territory, it might be the arresting cover, or the concise blurb inside the cover or on the back of the book. In the adult fiction category, there are your three basic genres: romance, mystery, and science fiction.

Science Fiction is primarily the genre of ideas. In Matt Browne's series The Perennial Project, his focus is on the movement of mankind to the stars. The first book, The Future Happens Twice explores the how and why we get to the stars. Why we go, is simply because to not do so, mankind will become extinct. Earth and the solar system can not last forever.

The promises of a book’s premise is often what grabs my attention and entices me to read, sometimes even before I check out the author. I want to know that the story I’m about to embark upon is something that interests me, even if the characters, plot and setting fail to engage me.

The premise of Mardi Ballou’s Long, Slow Ride from Ellora’s Cave drew me in from the start: an older woman (not that old, as heroine Lori Nelson is 36, a year younger than myself), a younger man, and a boring wedding reception. An interesting combination I couldn’t pass up.

When chauffer Jeff Russo approaches Lori Nelson and invites her to dance at the wedding reception of one of Lori’s co-workers, Lori’s refusal falls on deaf ears. Jeff has been attracted to her all evening, and taking no for an answer isn’t a part of this twenty-five year old’s M.O. He sweeps her to her feet and they enjoy a fast dance that segues into something a little more slow and sensual as the evening moves on. When he’s called to finish his duties by driving the bride and groom away, Jeff promises to return for Lori.

There is something undeniably romantic about stories set in the Old West. Riding on horseback into the sunset, long lonely nights on the range, strong women and stronger men – life in the Old West just resonates with romantic possibilities and promise.

It was with these classic images in mind that I picked up Helen A. Rosburg's historical romance Blaze of Lightning, Roar of Thunder. Instead of the swooning women and dashing men I expected, what I got was a powerfully moving story of a woman filled with revenge and a troubled man who shares her pain.

Louisa Rodriguez left Santa Rita one morning to gather fuel for the fire only to return in time to see her family murdered and her entire town left in ruin. Catching sight of the villains who robbed her of everything she held close to her heart, Louisa vowed to avenge her family and friends if it took the last breath she breathed.

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