Hello, and welcome back! Summer is drawing to a close, the kids are going back to school (mine went back today!), and pretty soon autumn will begin--more reading time for some of us. I can't wait for the cooler weather, though it won't be long before the holiday season is here, which will mean less reading time again and more stress. I'll take my break now quite happily.

This week, as the title implies, I have the new J. D. Robb to talk about this week. I've had this book for a couple months now and have been dying to share. Purity in Death (Berkley) has Eve in the middle of a long, hot, miserable summer--kind of like what the northeast has endured this year, hm... Anyway, back to the story: the heat makes people mean, and some meaner than others. When she's called in on a case where the only clue she has to go on is a computer monitor reading "Absolute Purity Achieved," it doesn't make things easy for her. Then again, we wouldn't want her to have it too easy, right? Things go from bad to worse, though, when another victim is found. Fans of the "In Death" series will love this one. If you haven't read any of these books, I'd suggest starting at the beginning rather than jumping right into this one. Eve and her sexy husband Roark are still working things out, but then, they're still fairly new to this marriage business. Of Cupid's five arrows, I'm giving this one a four, even though it's not strictly romance. The relationship between Eve and Roark is worth it.

Next up is Ana Seymour's Irish Gypsy (Jove Irish Eyes). Maura Roman has returned to the scene of her crime, not thinking to stay, but when she's hired on as nanny for the three young children of Eamon Riordan's brother, he doesn't believe that she's there for honest reasons. Nonetheless, Eamon finds himself falling for the Gypsy girl who stole his horse seven years ago, and even Maura begins to believe that perhaps things will work out for them. Of course, something happens to throw a wrench into the works. This one isn't a keeper for me. The story's just fine, but it didn't grab me and make me fall in love along with Maura. It's earned only two and a half arrows.

Finally, I have Marta Perry's latest Mother's Wish (Steeple Hill Love Inspired). Sarah Reed is horrified when her late husband's partner Matt Caldwell shows up unannounced and declares that he'll be joining her in the running of their smalltown newspaper. Sarah's endured plenty since her husband's death, but Matt seems to need her in ways he can't even admit to himself. He has no intention of staying here in the small town where he grew up, but he keeps finding himself entangled with the events and people, particularly Sarah and her four children. Sarah and Matt are both believable characters, with problems readers can relate to. You'll be cheering for them, too, even though one of their roadblocks seems insurmountable. I'm giving this one four arrows. Enjoy! And until next week, happy reading!