Hello, and welcome back! Not to mention, Happy New Year! I hope you're all recovered from the rush of holiday season and ready to settle in with some new books--perhaps some that Santa left in your stocking or under the tree? I do hope you all got some lovely new books or at least some gift certificates for your local bookstores. I got both books and gift certificates and have been having a wonderful time reading and shopping in the last couple weeks.

I have two January releases to share with you this week, so let's get started. First up is Ana Seymour's Maid of Killarney (Jove's Irish Eyes). Lily is called the Witch of Whistler's Woods, and when her daughter Daphne is accused of the same and tossed into a pond, the former doctor John Black is there to save her, returning her to her mysterious and aloof mother. Lily has perfectly good reasons for living a hermit's life in her house in the wood, yet John Black intrigues her. The same can be said for Lily's effect on the good doctor, who has come to Ireland to visit with friends but spends quite a bit of time with Lily and Daphne. Enough to realize he's coming to care for the independent lady. For me, John and Lily's story was pleasant but not a keeper, not because there's anything really wrong with the book, just that it didn't make me fall in love. Of Cupid's five arrows, I'm only borrowing three.

The other book I have to share this week is Gail Crease's Poseidon's Kiss(Jove's Magical Love). Chelsea Porter has heard family tales about her great-great-grandmother's near drowning but believes it's simply a myth. But when Nicolas Demitry comes into her life, she has to wonder. I love paranormal stories, but this one's not a keeper either. I liked Nicolas, aka Nikodemus, a lot. He's waited a long time for his love. Chelsea, however, I didn't like so much. She starts off the story too stereotyped--workaholic woman, no man, no life--and I have to say I didn't like her any better later. She doesn't seem to do much growing, and when she did change, I didn't find it believable. Nicolas, however, is the perfect hero--willing to do whatever he has to to make sure the woman he loves is happy, even if it means he is not. This one also gets only three arrows.

Until next week, happy reading!