Hello, and welcome back! I don't think we can call it Indian Summer yet, since it hasn't really cooled off that much here in the northeast, but I wish it would. It's warm and sticky again, though not quite summer-like. I'm going to keep hoping for real fall weather to stick around as I continue to work my way through the October books, which seem to have multiplied on the corner of my desk. All kinds of good stuff here to share with you, including two new ones tonight.

Never Say Never (Signet) by Geralyn Dawson is up first with Torie Bradshaw meeting up with a superspy just when she needs some assistance most--escaping into an island jungle after witnessing a murder. Matt Callahan thinks he's rescuing her sister, and he's very attracted to her, even after things go seriously awry. Torie tracks him down later when she needs help again, but Matt isn't exactly putting out a welcome mat at his vineyard. He's got issues to work out, some thanks to his last encounter with Torie, and her company isn't going to help him do that. The sparks between them haven't gone away, however, and he can't help but want to indulge that attraction, even when it's clear that trouble has followed her into hiding. Torie and Matt are a very engaging couple from the very start, Torie with her fixation on comparing Matt with James Bond, and Matt with his stoic capability. There is a lot of humor here, not to mention some serious chemistry that'll scorch your fingers in the reading. This one reminds me a lot of Linda Howard's style, the humor, the steam, the suspense, and makes me happy to have something so good to look forward to in the long months between Howard romances. This one is just plain fantastic, and I've already turned a bunch of reading buddies on to it. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series! This one's earned four of Cupid's five arrows.

Decadent (Heat) by Shayla Black is next. Virginal Kimber Edgington can't think of anyone better suited to introduce her to the world of threesomes than Deke Trenton, a man who's always behaved as if she's barely worth his attention. That's only the first step in this one that annoyed the heck out of me. The next is that she's only doing this because she wants to be the woman for her long-time pal Jesse McCall, a bad boy rocker whose sexual proclivities are international news. This girl has some self-esteem issues. Then there's big, bad, nasty Deke, whose excuse for his terrible treatment of Kimber is that he wants her. Um, yeah, okay. And his cousin Luc, who behaves much more nicely, but harbors his own dark secrets as they dive into Kimber's training. If you're not looking for much more than sex, this might be the story for you, because there's plenty of that. But if you want a coherent, believable tale, skip this one. There are far better choices on the bookstore shelves for your reading dollars and time.

Until next time, happy reading!