Hello, and welcome back! It's hot and sticky here today, so I'm planning to spend my afternoon digging further into the stack of June romances still here on the corner of my desk rather than going outside to pull weeds, which I really should do. One of these days, I'll have the day off when it's not too miserable to spend a couple hours outside. I hope.

This time out, I have Real Men Last All Night (St. Martin's Griffin) with stories from Lori Foster, Heidi Betts, Cheyenne McCray, and Lora Leigh. Foster's 'Luring Lucy' is the only reprinted story in the collection, but it was such a great story when it was first published eight years ago, and it still is. Lucy's gone to her vacation home to have a fling. But her ex-husband's best friend (and her own) Bram doesn't want anyone else to have her, and he'll stop at nothing to make her his own, and not just for a sexy summer fling. And it will be sexy. Very, very sexy. Betts's 'Wanted: a Real Man' has Claire coming to her high school sweetheart Linc for help finding their daughter. Only she never told him before that he had a daughter. Neither has forgotten their steamy young love, and the sparks of desire are still there, ready to be fanned back to life as they trek cross-country to find her vengeful ex and get their daughter back. McCray's 'The Edge of Sin' has secret government agent Zane wishing he could spill his secrets with the sexy Willow. And Willow is determined not to give up her man once she's got him. Leigh's 'Cooper's Fall' has Ethan getting a private view of his sexy neighbor Sarah, and wanting to make sure no one else ever gets the chance to see the same thing again. My favorite here is the Foster, even though I'd read it already. She always creates fantastic characters and her stories are sexy without going over the top. I also enjoyed the Betts tale, as those first love stories are always appealing, and Linc is one terrific hero. I'm not a big fan of McCray or Leigh, but I'll say I enjoyed the McCray more than the Leigh, though I just didn't love Willow. For the Foster and Betts, I'm borrowing four of Cupid's five arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!