Reviewed by Gannon Carr
Grand Central Publishing
4 stars

Babette Robinson has a rotten track record where commitment is concerned:  relationships, jobs, hair color, you name it.  But she has discovered that she has a real knack for reading people’s body language and helping them with their relationships.  She decides to start a match-mending business in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama and soon becomes known as “The Love Doctor.”  With her business booming, Babette becomes a local celebrity and eventually catches the attention of socialite Kitty Carelle.  Kitty hires the Birmingham “Love Doctor” to repair her broken engagement to Jeff Eubanks, who just happens to be Babette’s ex-lover!

Babette and Jeff’s relationship was heavy on chemistry, but when she couldn’t commit to a long-term, serious relationship, they called it quits.  Now that Kitty has…

Reviewed by Gannon Carr
Publisher: Harlequin
3.75 stars

Will and Debra Bradley have been happily married for thirty-five years and have provided a good life for their three children.  To Will, family means building a safe place, where being an interracial couple doesn’t matter and never has.  To Debra, family means being with the one you love, despite the odds and protecting your children from an occasionally cruel world.  They are still deeply in love and the best of friends.  But now their daughter, Angie, pregnant and estranged from her husband, has returned to Buffalo.  Will and Debra must help Angie discover what family means to her and what’s worth fighting for.

Debra and Will met as children in 1950’s Buffalo, NY.  Will’s father was a local doctor and Debra’s mother worked in his…

Adrik Wilder, the hero of Christina Dodd’s Into the Shadow, is so hard and fierce in the beginning of the novel he seems more like the villain, albeit a very sexy one!  Cursed with the ability to change in to a panther, Adrik abandons his family and embraces the darkness.  He becomes a powerful mercenary, known only as Warlord, in the desolate landscape between Tibet and Nepal.  He crosses paths with Karen Sonnet while she is overseeing construction of her father’s hotel.  Adrik desires her immediately and kidnaps her to use for his own selfish reasons.  Karen’s passion and courage win Adrik over and make him wonder if he can be saved from his family’s curse.  In time he must choose whether to continue his path in darkness or be…

Reviewed by Gannon Carr
Publisher: NAL/Berkley
3.75 stars

“Innocence in women is a vastly overrated quality, and an unnecessary one at that.”

So the author sets the stage for the erotic escapades of young Marianna Wren, a foundling who was taken in and trained as a scullery maid.  After willingly being seduced and “ruined” by the handsome Mr. Lyon, Marianna is dismissed and left to fend for herself.  She is decides to set off for London and all the adventures it has to offer.  But fate intervenes, when Calliope, a member of the demimonde, decides to take Marianna under her wing and introduce her to a world of sexual pleasures.

Under Calliope’s tutelage, Marianna transforms herself into Madame Bliss and becomes sought after by the gentlemen of London.  Her world is filled with seductions, fantasies,…

Reviewed by Gannon Carr
4.5 stars

Madeline Fallon, Lady Redcombe, is known throughout the ton as a proper widow with a pleasant demeanor and incredibly beautiful face and figure.  No one realizes she is a gifted member of the Lavender House coven.  When several young women mysteriously disappear, Maddie decides to investigate, even if it means putting herself in danger.

Jasper Reeves, the handsome and cool headed director of the coven, has loved Maddie from the moment he rescued her and brought her to London.  But he dares not share his feelings with her.  Concerned for Maddie’s safety, Jasper joins her in her investigation, but he is haunted by vivid, sexual visions of Maddie.  He thinks that Maddie has put a spell on him, but he doesn’t realize that Maddie shares the same…

Reviewed by Gannon Carr
Publisher: Avon
4 stars

After a near death experience six months ago, Nicki Styx “came back” with the ability to see and talk to ghosts.  So far she’s dealt fairly well with helping these spirits find the Light and move on.  Her vintage clothing store, Handbags and Gladrags is thriving, thanks to her partner and best friend, Evan.  And she’s enjoying her relationship with the handsome Dr. Joe Bascombe, the ER doctor who quite literally brought her back to life.  Then it all goes to hell when the Devil—yes, that one—moves in next door.

Sammy Divine is the current owner of Divinyls, the indie music store across the street from Nicki’s shop.  Everyone else may think he’s just a very hot blonde, blue-eyed hunk, but Nicki knows all too well…