Hello, and welcome back! It is an absolutely gorgeous day here today, and I'm a little sad I'm not outside enjoying it yet. But I will be a bit later. I have some household chores to deal with first, perhaps a trip to the grocery store for some things for dinner. But then I can take another book out to the porch and sit for a while. If summer could be like today everyday, I wouldn't dislike it nearly as much as I do.

This time out I have a book I've been waiting forever to get my hands on, the latest from one of my fave authors, Dee Davis. Her latest, Dark Deceptions (Grand Central, received from publisher) kicks off a new series for her, and this one starts with CIA agent Nash Brennon crossing paths with his ex-partner, in more ways than one, Annie Gallagher. Annie betrayed him years ago before she disappeared, and now she's believed to be a traitor. Nash finds her, and discovers that Annie is desperate. Her son has been kidnapped, and to get him back, she has to kill an ambassador, and, as any mother knows, there is very little one won't do for their children, to keep them safe and out of harm's way. Annie has kept more than one secret in recent years, including one Nash will discover early on, one which gives him even more motivation to work with Annie, even when he doesn't quite trust her. Nash's team also does not trust Annie, at first, which makes working together a bit of a challenge. Annie, however, will do whatever it takes to bring her son home safely, no matter what anyone else believes of her. Then Annie finds herself sucked into the remainder of the mission, to deal with the would-be murderers as well, and working with Nash again amps up all the memories she's held all those years, as well as the emotions that never went away. Things are complicated within their team and with their superiors as well, and that will make this mission more difficult to manage, but never along the way will you doubt that Annie and Nash will find their happy ending. I love Ms. Davis's work, and this book was worth the wait, though I'm very happy we won't have to wait nearly as long for her next installment in the series. Nash is awesome, clearly hero material as a CIA agent, and Annie is terrific, too, willing to do anything for her child, yet able to open her heart again to a man she believed wanted nothing more to do with her. This one has earned four and a half of Cupid's five arrows.

Until next time, happy reading!