Fresh Fiction

Somehow I got caught at home with very few library books and a big stack of books to review for www.freshfiction.com, so I just dug in for a read-a-thon of epic romance proportions. (and I even got my reviews done too!) Where did I get all of this reading time, you ask? Well, this middle trimester has been less of a sleep-induced fatigue-ridden fog, so some nights when I lay down at 9:30 pm, I actually can get some reading done before I pass out! These books were all ARCs so they won't be published until April or May.

Take Me If You Can by Karen Kendall
Avy Hunt steals art for a living. Actually, insurance companies hire her to return stolen art to the rightful owners, so she feels justified in her actions. When she tries to steal from master thief Liam James, she may have met her match though. Witty, very Thomas Crowne Affair, and fun.
336 pages.

Fiance at her Fingertips by Kathleen Bacus
I think I just was not meant to be a paranormal romance reader. Why, oh why, must helpful spirits from beyond intervene in the characters lives causing confusion for both them and the reader? Anyway, this is the story of a woman who buys a novelty toy fake fiance which then turns out to be a real man who thinks he is her fiance and then she looses him just when it was getting good and the secold half of the story plays out in reverse as they both learn their lesson about love.
352 pages.

Fast and Loose by Elizabeth Bevarly
I am a sucker for romances in which people meet in interestingly contrived ways. In this case, glass artist Lulu Flannery rents out her bungalow for two weeks during the Kentucky Derby to famous horse trainer, Cole Early, who learns about her from living in her house while she is off worrying that someone is wrecking it. Unforgivably in my book, he reads her journal, but otherwise this was a great quick read. (And for a book about the Kentucky Derby there were very few horse scenes!)
284 pages

Don't Hex with Texas by Shanna Swendson
If the only contemporary romance writer in the whole world was Shanna Swendson, that would be okay with me. Her stories are like Harry Potter chick lit (she calls them fairy tales for modern times) and this fourth book in the series was just as delightful as the rest. These are stories are good clean fun, appropriate for teens readers looking to branch out, as well as enjoyable for any romance reader looking for magical escape.
304 pages.