This week, I had the pleasure of reading Nora Roberts´ Carolina Moon(Jove). I honestly believe she is the queen of romance. First of all, she has produced so many wonderful books in the last 15 years or so. Secondly, her characters are so like real people that you feel they might just jump off the page and into human form. Not all authors can claim that honestly. Ms. Roberts can make a reader sigh in pleasure and a writer either feel they ought to just give up or aspire to being half as good as she is. I know I said last time I read one of her books that I hate to gush. I just can´t help myself when I read one of her stories. Tory Bodeen has returned to the small town where she lived as a child and finds that the nightmares that plagued her then are still around. Cade Lavelle--brother of her best childhood friend--is still around, too, and now he´s interested in Tory. But so is a killer, and Tory´s gift might not be enough to save her. I just love these characters. Tory is amazingly real--vulnerable and strong at the same time--and Cade is the hero we all hope to find--sexy and determined and able to be vulnerable, too. The cast of secondary characters only add to the reality of this tale. I´m giving this one four and a half of Cupid´s five arrows.

The book I read first last week is Night the Stars Fell by Christina Kingston (Jove Historical). Katherine, Countess of Rushmore, is by all appearances a proper widow, caring for her brothers and fending off the unwanted advances of an overeager suitor. However, in the dark of night, she rides about the countryside hoping to find evidence to prove her brother´s innocence. Then Chalfont Blysdale comes to call, in search of the nighwayman plaguing the area. Too bad his coach was the one she´d stopped the previous night. Though I wanted to like this book, the story just wasn´t compelling to me. There´s little suspense in wondering when Bly is going to learn Kate´s secret, and I just didn´t feel the attraction between this pair. This one earns only two of Cupid´s arrows. Not a keeper.

Until next week, happy reading!