Hello, and welcome back! Our snowstorm is a little slow in arriving, and the longer it takes to get here, the less likely it is we're going to get much snow out of it. I'm very disappointed. On the other hand, I'm not properly stocked up on tea right now, so I suppose it's not a bad thing if we don't get snowed in for a day or two right now. But I am making progress with my new work-in-progress, as well as shrinking my stack of review books.

This time out, I have the latest from Mary Wine, In the Warrior's Bed (Brava). Bronwyn McQuade lives nearly as a servant in her father's home, but while he's away, she's allowed a precious bit of freedom. And when her brother gets word their father is returning, she goes out for one last ride. That is when she meets Cullen McJames, an enemy of her father, though she doesn't know that. She only knows he's tempting, and that he's in danger by being on McQuade land with her father on his way home from court. When her older brothers, of course, come upon her innocent meeting and drag her back to tattle to their father, who then drags her to court with him to complain to the king about Cullen McJames violating his daughter even though she has said nothing happened. When Cullen speaks to the king about it, he decides to steal Bronwyn away. He's thought of her constantly since their encounter in the hills, and if everyone is going to think he's done something, he may as well do it in reality, although he intends not just to kidnap her, but to wed her. He just has to convince Bronwyn that they should be married, and the attraction they share is just the way to tempt her into agreement. It is not, however, enough to tempt her to forget the manner in which he took her, no matter how alluring her new husband might be. Her father is even more furious when she's taken, though, as he's kept a secret from her all her life. After his violent death, her older brothers come to make certain they do not lose, and if they have to kill her to do it, they will. This was one that I had on my February shopping list, and then it arrived from the publisher, which made me happy. It made me even happier when I really enjoyed the reading of the roguish Cullen and strong-willed Bronwyn's romance. There is also the lovely Scottish setting, which can almost always pull me into a story. I'm borrowing four of Cupid's five arrows for this one.

Until next time, happy reading!