Hello, and welcome back! Spring is definitely here, though the April showers are a tad early. At least I still have plenty of reading material here to keep me occupied while it's raining.

First up this time out is the latest from Emily LaForge, Shadow Haven: A Contemporary Gothic Novel (Pocket). Gabriella Deveaux has left her late husband's home for her family estate in the bayous of Louisiana, amid threats from her in-laws. Lawyer Jarrod Landry, handsome as he might be, can't be completely trusted, so Gabriella relies on herself and the ghost inhabiting her home. I don't think I'd go so far as to call this one a gothic, though, not with all the paranormal elements in the story. It's told in first person, so that kept me from getting into the story as I'd hoped I could, which means I just didn't love this one. It's earned two and a half of Cupid's five arrows.

Next is Goodnight, Sweetheart (Berkley) by Suzanne Simmons, the next in her Sweetheart, Indiana series. This one gets off to a slow start, with Sydney St. John returning home to Sweetheart and rescuing Eric Law, who hurt her deeply when they were teenagers. There are the usual meddling families and neighbors here, plus a little bit of danger following Sydney home, but it just didn't grab me unfortunately. I wanted to be absorbed from the very beginning, but it took a couple chapters just to get into the story, so that didn't help the cause. I'm only giving this one two and a half arrows as well.

Finally, we have Shannon McKenna's Out of Control (Brava), with the latest McCloud brother Davy taking on whoever's stalking Margot Vetter. You won't be disappointed by the level of sensuality, or by the taut suspense. I did like Davy better than Margot, though. Still, I enjoyed this one as much as past McKenna tales, and it's earned three and a half arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!