The Right Twin-Gina Wilkins

The Right Twin

Gina Wilkins

Harlequin Special Edition, Feb 19 2013, $5.25

ISBN: 9780373657308

 

Aaron Walker grew up as one of the “Terrible Trio” in Texas.  His cousin Casey has recently married and set up a law practice in Tennessee (see The Texan’s Tennessee Romance); his twin brother Andrew has become a successful private investigator.  Only Aaron remains a “Terrible” one with debacles and screw-ups his norm.

 

Fleeing his family’s condemnation of his latest fiasco, Aaron travels to the Bell Resort and Marina on Lake Livingston.  He is stunned when a beautiful blond greets him with an enthusiastic hug.  Shelby Bell mistook Aaron for Andrew who has helped her family.  She persuades him to go undercover as her pretend boyfriend to catch a thief.  However, quickly both acknowledge (to themselves) that they wish the modifier was dropped from boyfriend.

 

The latest Walker extended family romance contains a strong investigative mystery that enhances the changing relationship between the lead couple.  Readers will enjoy when Aaron sets out to prove initially to himself but soon to his beloved that he is The Right Twin for her. 

 

Harriet Klausner

One Less Lonely Cowboy-Kathleen Eagle

One Less Lonely Cowboy

Kathleen Eagle

Harlequin Special Edition, Feb 19 2013, $5.25

ISBN: 9780373657278

 

Thirteen years ago, Mike Reardon kicked his pregnant daughter Lily out of their home.  Now with no money, the unemployed schoolteacher accompanied by her daughter Iris heads to her family Rocking R Ranch in Lowdown, Montana hoping her dad will allow her and his granddaughter to temporarily stay.  Iris’ plans to work as a substitute teacher until she and Iris can get a place to stay.

 

Day worker Jack McKenzie works on several of the ranches though recently he is spending most of his time helping his mentor Mike.  A divorcee with two kids (Becky and Wade) living with his remarried ex, Jack has heard Mike proudly talk about Lily for years.  At the ranch, Lily helps out with the chores; while she and Jack feel an immense attraction though both have doubts because they do not wanting to hurt an ailing Mike.

 

One Less Lonely Cowboy is an engaging warm romance with a second chance at family underlying premise.  The lead couple and her family make for a tender Big Sky contemporary as a small family operation struggles to survive amidst the mega corporations.

 

Harriet Klausner

Smooth Sailing-Lori Wilde

Smooth Sailing

Lori Wilde

Harlequin Blaze, Feb 19 2013, $5.25

ISBN: 9780373797462

 

Affluent playboy Jeb Whitcomb spent a year in atonement to prove to his ex, marine biologist Ph.D. candidate Jackie Birchard; he earned a second chance with her.  He spent one year of near celibacy while redeeming himself working on the rebuilding of St. Michael’s Island in the Caribbean. 

 

Instead he learns his Jackie is marrying Coast Guard Lieutenant Scott Everly in Key West in four days.  Jeb reacts poorly as he desperately needs to stop the wedding unless he is the groom.  Jeb sails to Key West only to find an angry nurse Haley French on board.  Someone attending the bash he threw drugged her.  As Mr. Shallow and Ms. Irate sail together, each struggles to ignore the desire that accompanies them on their sea cruise.

 

The second male obsessing over Stop the Wedding (see Night Driving for Jackie’s half-brother Boone on land) of Birchard-Everly wedding makes for another zany at sea romance starring two opposites falling in love.  Character driven by the lead couple, fans will enjoy the changing relationship between the hedonist playboy and the dedicated nurse.

 

Harriet Klausner

Sizzle-Katherine Garbera

Sizzle

Katherine Garbera

Harlequin Blaze, Feb 19 2013, $5.25

ISBN: 9780373797455

 

San Diego based Sweet Dreams Bakery owner Staci Rowland meets New Orleans chef Remy Cruzel in the elevator just before they and others vie for slots on the Premier Chef reality TV show competition.  The selecting committee teams up in pairs the contestants leading to the Cupcake Girl and the Cajun Chef arguing over who should lead whom.  Each makes the cut.

 

As the contest continues on the air, the heated attraction between sweet and spice improves both their performances.  Over the weeks of the show, Staci and Remy fall in love, but he conceals his wealth as the heir to his family’s renowned Gastrophile Restaurant.  When his beloved learns the truth, Remy fears she will dump him as trust in the kitchen means a lot to sweet Staci.

 

The Sweet Dreams sequel (see One More Kiss starring Staci’s partner Alysse Dresden) is a lighthearted culinary competitive romance.  Using a chef reality show contest is not a new device, but made fresh by the lead couple who turn sweet and spicy into a sizzling sexy story.

 

Harriet Klausner

Where The Peacock Sings: A Palace, a Prince, and the Search for Home-Alison Singh Gee

Where The Peacock Sings: A Palace, a Prince, and the Search for Home

Alison Singh Gee

St. Martin’s Press, Feb 19 2013, $25.99

ISBN: 9780312378783

 

Alison Gee lived the good life as an American journalist based in Hong Kong writing for the top magazines.  Though dedicated to her work, she also enjoyed the best that Beverly Hills, Hong King and other locales offered.  However, her self-perceived perfect lifestyle crashes when Alison meets Indian reporter Ajay Singh.  Falling in love, he takes her to meet his royal family living in a dilapidated historical palace Mokimpur in the rural village with the same name.  As his family doubts that a Southern California American “princess” has the grip to be their Ajay’s mate, she wonders also especially dealing with the plumbing.  This is a terrific memoir that looks deep into what a family and a home are; made interesting by Alison Singh Gee’s ability to blend humor and seriousness into an enjoyable read.  The road to the so “happily ever after” ending leads to Ms. Gee feeling bipolar with highs and lows; and readers to wonder whether his family is right that an American (even one in love) cannot slow down long enough to enjoy the peacocks singing.

 

Harriet Klausner

Destiny-Karen Wiesner

Destiny

Karen Wiesner

Karen Wiesner print, Feb 14 2013

www.karenwiesner.com

ISBN: 978130002633

 

In Peaceful, Wisconsin, Christian and Elizabeth Riley, and Oscar and Yolie Albright are receiving Humanitarian Awards while both couples also celebrate their Platinum wedding anniversaries.  Chris’ twenty year old daughter Destiny tells him that her boyfriend James Sparks proposed though they know each other for a relatively short time.  She says she knows her parents dated forever, but Chris corrects her by saying they knew each other as church brats but did not date until they were thirty.

 

Chris felt stifled as a “church kid” so he moved to Los Angeles in spite of believing he loved Elizabeth Horace and she loved him back.  Over the years he morally floated adrift with a flavor of the month girlfriend, but Chris always turned to Elizabeth for solace (and sex).  When they make love, she becomes pregnant but wonders how God’s most beautiful blessing seems wrong.  Downtown Don Juan the serial killer rapist assaults Elizabeth in a garage, but her screams brings the attendant to her.  She physically survives but wishes she loved steady Oscar as she ends her dysfunctional relationship with Chris.  Stunned, Chris realizes what he lost; to get her back, he needs to return to the Lord he deserted.

 

The latest inspirational visit to Peaceful, Wisconsin (see Family Heirlooms and the Friendship Heirlooms Series) is a wonderful romance starring a lost soul and the love of a woman destined to return him to the flock.  The lead couple and Oscar make for a strong tale as love is blind but in this case not in the traditional meaning.  Fans will enjoy playing Destiny Poker as Karen Wiesner provides a tender second chance at love between soul mates and with the Lord drama.

 

Harriet Klausner

Her Sister-Karen Rose Smith

Her Sister

Karen Rose Smith

Amazon Digital Services, Feb 19 2013, $3.99

ASIN: B00BFFJ79Y

 

When Clare Thaddeus was five years old, someone abducts her three year old sister Lynnie.  The child never came home and their parents Amanda and Max divorced.  Clare never quite recovered from her loss and subsequent family collapse; behaving wildly as a teen years.  

 

Almost three decades since the tragedy that changed her life, single mom Clare struggles with her defiant teenage daughter Shara while musing fate is giving to her what she gave to her parents when she was sixteen.  Clare’s mom calls to tell her that retired Detective Grove, who worked the Lynnie kidnapping twenty-seven years ago, thinks he has a lead.  He meets with Clare and her parents at her Amanda’s Yesteryear office.  The former cop says Luther Brown on death row in Texas for killing two little girls says his sister struck a deal with authorities that led to the corpses, but now dying from pancreatic cancer, she gave her sibling’s journal to the FBI.  Two girls Winnie and Barbara were abandoned in Pittsburgh.  A DNA test will prove whether one of them is Lynnie.

 

The seventh Search For Love contemporary tale (see HEARTFIRE and CASSIDY’S COWBOY) is an engaging family drama that looks deeply into the impact on people when a tragedy destroys their idyllic world.  Two well-developed romances rightfully play second fiddle to the mystery of Lynnie with each affected by the kidnapping and now the DNA test.  Though there may be too much tsuris as an unwanted pregnancy adds to the family issues, the character-driven strong storyline showcases how each Thaddeus deals differently to the abduction that devastated their loving home though they have a second chance at coming together after failing to do twenty-seven years ago.  

 

Harriet Klausner

Yes, Master-Tawny Taylor, Anne Rainey and Vonna Harper

Yes, Master

Tawny Taylor, Anne Rainey and Vonna Harper

Kensington Aphrodisia, Feb 26 2013, $14.00

ISBN: 9780758287847

 

Stark Pleasure” by Tawny Taylor.  College student Alice Barlow poses as a model for an artist.  Dominant Tristan Stark sees her and wants the virgin as his sub.

 

“Ruby’s Awakening” by Anne Rainey.  In Ohio Drake South has his choice of females except the one he covets, his neighbor Ruby; he even sends away the hot Skylar.  When Ruby’s boyfriend Bryan rejects a weekend of sex, eavesdropper Drake drops in as better replacement.

 

“Runa’s High” by Vonna Harper.  College runner Runa Mullan hopes to set the school’s female record at 800 meters.  She asks Olympic silver medalist Jeff Tappe for advice.  He says there is more to life than just the track.  Soon, the two runners and Ken Paro run an erotic marathon with the males as her Master to help her break her mental barrier preventing her from achieving her goal.

 

These three heated BDSM tales contain strong protagonists who make for a fun hot time for erotica readers.

 

Harriet Klausner

Illicit-Opal Carew

Illicit

Opal Carew

St. Martin’s Griffin, Feb 26 2013, $15.99

ISBN: 9780312674625

 

Recently Lindsay ended her relationship with philandering Glen to the scorn of her stepmother Audrey who assumes she sucks (figuratively) in bed.  Lindsay and three hunks (Erik, Connor and Travis) ride the apartment complex elevator together.  She mentions seeing them to her BFF Jill who knows Connor and Travis from the swimming pool.  When Lindsay receives an invitation for fun in the penthouse, she assumes Jill is playing her.  Instead her three hunks welcome her for a weekend of sex. 

 

She and Erik are attracted to each other, but once the weekend ends he leaves with no plans for future trysts.  His two roommates and her best friend intercede as they know this pair has something special.

 

Fans who relish sex, sex, sex and more sex (of all kinds) will want to read the torrid Illicit.  The four lead characters are not full-blooded (except for the males’ lower heads) and the romance feels out of place in this ultra-hot ménage a quatre.  Still erotica readers will want to follow the sexploits of Lindsay and her studs as they heat the sheets with the aid of Erik’s special ability (not just that one) to know her fantasies. 

 

Harriet Klausner

Daybreak-Shelley Shepard Gray

Daybreak

Shelley Shepard Gray

Avon Inspire, Feb 12 2013, $12.99

ISBN: 9780062204400

 

For the past six months New Order Amish Viola Keim has worked at the Daybreak Retirement Home.  Her favorite resident is Mennonite Atle Swartz who cherishes his son Edward; every time he receives a letter from his offspring, Atle reads it to everyone especially Viola.  She cannot understand why Edward traipses around the world instead of his daed living with him at home as she would never abandon her medically needy twin sister.

 

When Ed makes a surprise return from his missionary work in Nicaragua, Viola condemns him for abandoning his father to strangers.  He is shocked by her animosity as she seems so kind to his daed.  As they become better acquainted, Viola realizes Ed is a caring son adhering to his beloved daed’s wishes.  She and her siblings learn a secret about their austere grandmother that causes a family schism.  Meanwhile Viola and Ed fall in love and want to marry.  However, she has never left home and hates leaving behind her family especially her sister, but must decide whether to accompany him back to Nicaragua, wait for him at home or end their relationship.

 

The first Days of Redemption Amish family drama is an engaging tale as each Keim member has issues to deal with though Viola’s is the storyline’s prime focus.  Viola has choices to make at a time when she believes her family needs her most.  As it should be, the romance is straightforward; with the Keim brood struggling to deal with a shocking revelation that has Viola pondering between love of her family and love of Ed.

 

Harriet Klausner