Hello, and welcome back! We're getting a little taste of winter cold here, though it's supposed to warm up a tiny bit for the weekend, I hear. The only time I plan to spend outside this weekend, though, is waiting to get into the concert venue to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Sunday, which will very nicely kick off our winter holiday season. To get ourselves ready for Sunday's show, we've dug out our TSO cds, including Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Lost Christmas Eve. No matter which winter holiday you celebrate, if you like good music, you should check them out. We see them every year, and have a fantastic time.

This time out, we're digging into the November romances. I've actually put a pretty good dent into the November stack already. Hopefully I haven't pulled all the good ones to read first. First up of the new releases is Erin McCarthy's Flat-Out Sexy (Berkley). Like some other authors recently, she's set her latest (and the first of a new series) in NASCAR-land. Tamara Briggs lost her husband to a deadly racing accident. The last thing she wants is another man in her life who's a racer. Enter Elec Monroe. Not only is he sexy as all get-out, but he's a rookie driver. And her father-in-law and his father have a long-running feud. But she can't deny the serious chemistry they share when they meet...chemistry that leads to her first one-night stand. At least, that's all she plans for it to be. But Elec is a persistent sort, and Tamara discovers she's weak where he's concerned. Still, she has two young children to think about, so having a relationship that's purely sexual is out of the question. Good thing Elec has other plans for them. I'm not NASCAR crazy like some people, though I'll sit with my husband while he's watching a race (and usually I'm reading), and there are, of course, drivers one likes better than others, even when one is a casual observer. But I really liked McCarthy's story. Tamara and Elec are hot, and we're treated to her trademark humor to go along with the steam rising from the pages. I am very much looking forward to seeing the next book in the series as well. This one's earned four of Cupid's five arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!