Hello, and welcome back! We had our first snow flurries yesterday, as I was driving to work, and they were lovely. Today, though, it's just cold and sunny. Oh well, it's not as if we really want a blizzard quite yet, after all. But all this cold weather has given me reading time galore. I'm through most of the November books on my desk, though I haven't found a lot of keepers this month, I'm afraid. I'm hoping for better with the December releases.

This time out, I have Delilah Devlin's Down in Texas (Aphrodisia), a trio of erotic novellas set in Texas, and with related characters. 'Wearing His Brand' has Lyssa McDonough frustrated with her attraction to Brandon Tynan, her brother's best friend, who feels he has to resist. But Lyssa's got a new plan to win her cowboy, and while Brand may think he's come out on top, so to speak, they're both going to wind up happy with the results. 'Slow Ride' has Brand's brother Danny heading to a new job on a ranch where he worked as a teenager and lusted after the rancher's wife. Now the rancher is gone, and the wife is still as lovely as ever. And this time, Danny intends to have her for his own. 'Straight Up Soldier' has Lyssa's brother Mac returned from the Middle East, wounded and at loose ends. Until their pal Tara sends him on a mission to keep her buddy Suki safe from an ex who doesn't like being an ex. I liked these better than I've liked Ms. Devlin's previous tales, though there's nothing complicated about any of these stories. On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with a quick, light read once in a while, and these were just the thing to wipe out all the ick left from some of the other November releases I've been reading. These are hot, with just enough emotional nuances to satisfy romance readers who prefer the romance to the erotica. This one's earned three and a half of Cupid's five arrows.These are hot, with just enough emotional nuances to satisfy romance readers who prefer the romance to the erotica. This one's earned three and a half of Cupid's five arrows.