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.

When I think of romantic suspense, I think of Catherine Coulter’s FBI series and Iris Johansen’s Eve Duncan books as "must have" authors. There are a few other authors fast approaching the "must have" point: Cheyenne McCray and Lora Leigh to name a couple (I originally fell in love with both Cheyenne’s and Lora’s other work but their suspense stuff is really good). And now there is Michelle Perry. Paint It Black is the second book of hers I have read.

After spending a week reading horror stories, I decided to give my paranoia a breather and find myself a tasty romance. I picked Christine Carroll's The Senator's Daughter off my desk and settled in for an afternoon's reading.

Though I initially didn't think I'd enjoy the book since I generally prefer works of a spicier nature, I must admit that The Senator's Daughter is one of the best contemporary romances I've read in the last few months. The elements of suspense that Ms. Carroll added make this a fast-paced and enjoyable read.

Did you ever want to have a big brother who would take care of everything, no matter what the cost? Did you ever find that big brother? Did you fall in love with him, and worship him…though he never knew? Dusty Zamora did all of those things, all before she was eighteen and wanted for murder. Yes, Dusty Rose by Lauren N. Sharman, the latest and greatest of the McCassey Brothers' series is now available and starts out with five blasts from a .357 Magnum.

Mystery and romance mix well in reading material. Add a taste of murder and suspense, and I am hooked. I wanted to read and review Far from Montana because it had “Montana” in the title, since Montana brings images of cowboys and adventure. I finished reading it, even though it literally was far from Montana, because the characters drew me into their situation.

After being falsely accused and convicted of a murder he didn’t commit and finally found innocent, Dell Blackfeather returns home long enough to get his pickup from his cousin, and get as far from Montana as possible, to forget that he once trusted Wilson Long and thought him a friend.

Most readers have heard of Nora Roberts. Most readers have read at least one or a few of her books. Most readers say the same thing about her and that is that she consistently delivers a good, solid book. But as with all authors, particularly those with extensive backlists, some books are better than others. Not in this case and I have to say this now, High Noon is one of the best Roberts books I’ve read.

I have all of Cheyenne McCray's books and some of my absolute favorites are her Wild series. There is just something about a lawman and a damsel in distress or, in the case of Ms. McCray's damsels, a woman ready to stand up for herself when in distress. Soooo, Chosen Prey was an absolute must have.

Lyra Collins is living the quiet life, making a living for herself as an artist in Arizona. She is finally convinced she's safe. Safe is a new feeling for Lyra after being on the run for five years from a cult leader who is determined that she is the woman to bear his child, who he feels will the next Messiah. Unfortunately, that feeling of laying down roots and believing that the psycho, Neal, won't track her, is gone all too soon.

Virginia Brown’s wise-cracking heroine Harley Jean Davidson is back in her latest adventure. Evil Elvis is the third in the series that brings Harley and all the zany characters that surround her to life. It's hard to find a book in this genre these days that is refreshing and fun to read, so after reading the blurb for Evil Elvis I knew I had to get it.

Harley is back to work for Memphis Tour Tyme. Things have been going well in the romance department with Mike Morgan. It’s been a couple of months since she has been attacked or found a dead body, so life is good. Just as she thinks her life has returned to normal, she finds a dead Elvis in the back of her van. Harley really tries to avoid Elvis week. Her job as a tour bus driver gets hectic enough without a bus full of devoted fans singing Elvis songs all the way to Graceland. It’s the yearly convention for the Elvis impersonators and the busiest time of year for Memphis Tour Tyme.

How far would you go for a friend? How much would you be willing to give up to help someone who helped you in the past? Would you give up your personal freedom? Your life? These questions would take a lot of thought to answer, but they are all questions Lauren N. Sharman has set before Blackie McCassey in the second book of the McCassey Brothers' trilogy, The Devil's Candy.

Blackie McCassey, known in Hagerstown, Maryland as "The Devil," was just fine with people staying out of his way. He couldn't be bothered with a social life. If he wanted a woman, that was no problem, as long as she didn’t get any ideas about staying around longer than a couple of hours in his bed. Beyond that, women were only trouble. Blackie was a close friend of trouble since he was a young man, spending half his life in and out of prison. Now, at thirty-nine, he lives life his own way and does pretty much what he pleases. No one would dare tell him he couldn't. Free, and on his own: that's the way he likes it. Then Digger Shelby calls in a long overdue favor.

When I saw the title of Michelle Perry’s newest book The Three Motives for Murder, it made me wonder what the three motives for murder are. Could love, greed and revenge be those motives? Ms. Perry draws the reader into an expanding web of lies, intrigue and desire. This action packed suspense is full of old flames and old secrets that will keep you reading to the very end.

The small town of Coalmont, Tennessee has had its share of tragedy when a car crash on graduation night leaves six of its teenagers either dead or fighting for their lives. Years later, the aftermath sends ripples through the town, when one of the three survivors is murdered and no one feels the ripples more than Natasha Hawthorne, the young driver responsible for the crash.

Solid protection smothered with a love that is secure and a family willing to give their lives for you. Who wouldn't want to have a life like that? I know I certainly would enjoy that kind of security. So, having never watched my mother murdered, nor had my father, the murderer, promise to end my life as soon as the first chance arises, I probably cannot fully understand what Rebel McCassey truly means to Gypsy Lance. I'd sure love to feel that kind of security anyway, if only for a few moments.

The astrological sign of Scorpio has long been associated with intrigue, strong emotions and renewal. It is also considered by many to be the sexiest icon in the zodiac. Authors Jenna Howard and Deanna Lee have drawn upon these qualities for Scorpio, their contribution to the Zodiac Series from Liquid Silver Books.

She Was A Showgirl by Deanna Lee
Lola Bridges used to work as a showgirl at the Zodiac Hotel & Casino where her life was fun and carefree. This was before witnessing her former boss, mobster Phil Moretti, carry out two brutal murders. For the past year Lola has been on the run as she knows Moretti has her on a hit list. During this time Lola has relied on her own cunning and the skills learned from her policeman father to evade Moretti. She has also stayed under the sights of the police because she feels they cannot protect her.

Set in New York City in 2060, JD Robb’s Lt. Eve Dallas series (Naked in Death, etc.) offers her usual engaging characters. Along with the usual is the long-awaited arrival of Mavis’s baby. I know that I for one have been anxiously waiting for this book.

This latest installment opens with both Eve and Roarke attending a birthing class with Mavis and Leonardo shortly before the arrival of the baby. There they meet Tandy Willoughby, a single and very pregnant mother-to-be, who Mavis has taken under her wing. A recent immigrant from London, Tandy has few friends in New York, and no family-and she was really looking forward to the baby shower that Eve was throwing for Mavis and her baby.

Anytime I can walk away from a story and keep thinking about it, I think it's a good thing. It doesn't matter if I'm thinking about what the author should have, or could have, done differently, or if I'm thinking of how great a scene was. If I walk away thinking about the story that means the author did his/her job in making me care about the characters.
 
All Of Me by B. Lynch Black did just that. Though listed as a suspense/thriller by the author I found this short story to be more romance than suspense. Susan Bean is your basic, everyday woman. When she meets the new lawyer in the firm, Gordon Davis, she's instantly taken with him. A beautiful friendship ensues in which Susan is desperately falling in love with Gordon. If you've ever had a crush on somebody then you'll understand Susan's emotions. Her feelings run deeper than infatuation; she's in love, utterly smitten with one Gordon Davis. She not only sees every similarity of things they have in common from hair and eye color down to similar histories, but she also starts planning their life together.

Rock stars are often viewed as 'higher beings' by today's society. They lead the life of privilege and always seem to be having a blast. The "sex, drugs, and rock n' roll" lifestyle is soaked up by millions of fans, and they still beg for more. But leading that life can also lead to trouble: drug addiction, and the accident of sleeping with someone who is underage or already married.

Such is the problem for the band mates of ShadowsForge, coming to you live from ShadowsForge 2: Trials on Tour, the second book in Ms. Jena Galifany's ShadowsForge series. I didn't have the pleasure of reading the first book in Ms. Galifany's series, but now that I've gotten a taste, I want more.