First, let me say this is a keeper. I will re-read this book! I love how Minnie is the mouse that roars. With her head down and her voice quiet, she speaks volumes. The unsuspecting don't notice, but a certain Duke tunes in loud and clear.

With few choices to an impoverished, scandalized young lady, Minnie is forced to assume a false identity to protect herself from the past, but in protecting herself, she also silences her opportunities, until she meets a certain Duke who also has reasons to hide his activities (moreso than his past). Minnie quickly discovers his secret thanks to her astute skills of observation, carefully honed as a mouse living an "invisible" life. Together, they must figure out how to overcome the sins of the past, the moral crimes committed against them.

Ms. Milan threads heart-rending conflict throughout the book, feeding the reader just enough information without allowing her characters to disclose their secrets too soon, and then making the payoff worthwhile. We walk beside the characters toward trust, and the impossible decisions that threaten to breach that fragile trust. A tale of betrayal, forgiveness, trust and most importantly, finding love against all odds. Well done! Looking forward to the other Brothers Sinister books.

I'm a big fan of Ms. Shalvis. I'm going to start by saying this one isn't my favorite (but it's still excellent).

The good: If you've ready any of Jill Shalvis's books, you know that they are steamy, and that a lot of the times the romances are based on chemistry. A big plus for this one - while there is plenty of steam, there is plenty of heart to go with it. Emotions, big and bold to accompany that steam, more so than in most of the other books I've read.

The bad: The first quarter of the book felt a little like we're trying to hard to make the hero the biggest bad-ass ever written. Assholery? (there is a tendency to create new words based on the level of bad-ass-ness). Not one of the better starts to a story.

The story? A severely emotionally damaged woman, a man carrying baggage of his own. We come to expect that from Ms. Shalvis, and this story is no exception. Going back to the bad, I felt she was trying to out-do herself on the damagedness of the characters (I can make up words, too). I liked Aiden's steadfastness, I wasn't too sure about Lily's need for isolation.

Bottom line - it was still an excellent read, but not the first one I'd recommend if you are new to Jill Shalvis books.

Globe Trotting Ben hasn't seen his ex in 13 years. That doesn't mean he's forgotten about her. An abandoned baby, he's used to hearing "Just Go Away." So when Rachel tells him she doesn't love him rather than tie him down with an unwanted pregnancy, he does just that. He goes away. Wanders the globe. No one has ever wanted him.

Rachel's father moved her family around frequently, so once she has the opportunity to put down roots, she does. Her and the daughter she is raising. Although Ben was the love of her life, they were at cross purposes and she won't tie him down.

When Rachel is hit by a car, her daughter calls on daddy to nurse mom back to health, hoping to rebuild her family. Ben discovers the hit-and-run was no accident, and comes back to watch over the people he loves, even if Rachel doesn't want anything to do with him.

Smart and sexy, as you would expect from Ms. Shalvis, she provides Ben and Rachel multiple opportunities to right the past, gives the characters room to grow. While the ending was satisfying, I envisioned a different route to get there, letting the two protagonists work together to surprise their daughter. They both had to compromise, and the conclusion is foreshadowed well enough that it could have been less of a "surprise."

All in all, another fabulous book by a fabulous author.

Yet another awesome book by Jill Shalvis. This one is the second in the Cedar Ridge series, with Hudson Kincaid in the starring role.

Hud's a busy guy. Doesn't have time for a life. Between running the ski patrol and filling in as a part-time cop, he's lucky he gets time to sleep. But Hud is nothing if not dedicated. To his family, to those he loves. He shoulders the responsibility for his fractured family. The last thing he needs is one more person to worry about, but that's what he gets when his mother, suffering from Alzheimers, invites Bailey Moore to the mountain to paint a mural.

Bailey is three months cancer free and ready to live. Really live. After ten years fighting the disease that was meant to kill her, she is looking at a future for the first time. Her shining optimism cuts through Hud's brooding mantle of responsibility.

Ms. Shalvis nails this one, taking on a scary subject and looking into the heart of a cancer survivor. And Hud, yeah, she has a way of writing men that makes your mouth water. I wasn't so taken with Aidan in the first book in the series, but Hud... yep. This book is everything you'd expect from a Jill Shalvis novel. It tugs at your heart, it makes you laugh, with plenty of heat to keep you warm in the brittle cold of winter.

I started reading this and recognized the Cinderella parallels immediately. Had it been any other author, I might have abandoned ship, but I know Julia Quinn would not disappoint.

And she didn't.

The four stars only because it started out so much like Cinderella, but once we got past the unfortunate parallels, Sophie and Benedict's story it was drew me in until I couldn't put it down.

Another stellar book by Jill Shalvis. In this third of the Cedar Ridge series, we finally meet Jacob Kincaid, the twin who ran away to play GI Joe, away from his family and the twin who disowned him for leaving. Yep, that's gonna leave a mark on someone.

Enter Sophie. Fiery redhead, complete with the temperament. Divorced from a lying, cheating man everyone loves to hate, her spark and determination lights a fire inside Jacob. As usual in a Jill Shalvis novel, the chemistry is incendiary, their awareness of each other despite their brokenness and resolve not to become attached pulls them together. Two extremely damaged people who find healing through each other. I love how Ms. Shalvis shows human spirit, two people who have been through emotional hell and stand tall to reclaim their lives. Jacob may be my favorite of the Kincaids.

The end took a turn I wasn't expecting. I'd half expected Sophie to sell the boat and buy the down-on-its-luck resort, but the machinations of the "karma seeker" worked so much better, even if it was a 180 for that character.

For fans of Jill Shalvis, this is another keeper.

At her foster brother's funeral, someone leaves a mysterious note for chef Sabrina Barton. A string of incidents send her in search of the man her brother told her to look up in case she ever needed help. But does she? Or is she jumping at shadows?

Derek Cooper left the rangers to work for Blackthorne, Inc., and then left Blackthorne in favor of a quieter lifestyle running the family ranch. When his Ranger-buddy's sister shows up on his doorstep, there is no doubt about the danger that follows her, but he's retired from the rescuing people life, especially after one too many failed missions. But there's something about Sabrina...

For fans of Ms. Odell, this is a spin-off from her Blackthorne books, without the covert ops playing front and center. Ranchers to the Rescue, Derek's team steps up to give law enforcement an extra boost to protect one of their own, while finding love along the way. I especially enjoyed Derek's willingness to step back into a role that never quite fit him, and Sabrina's strength despite the danger that threatened at every turn.

I took a break from reading Ms. balogh's books in favor of contemporary, as a change of pace. What a delight to rediscover her Survivor's club after my historical hiatus. Her perfectly tortured hero is counterbalanced by a secretly damaged herpne, who thinks quickly on her feet despite being afraid of herself. The antagonist was delightfully wicked. 4 stars instead if five more because Agnes rolled a little too well with the punches. I had no issue that she rolled with them, more that she threatened that she couldn't or wouldn't and then changed her mind. I admird her strength, but felt her story was a bit unreplved. All said, i enjoy Ms. balogh's writing enough that I still loved the book.

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed the story, thought it was well done.

Fiona is a fiery redhead who is somewhat unorthodox. Surrounded by family who doesn't understand her, she clings to her ailing grandmother for the support she needs. But she's told a big fib. To avoid going into society, she's told her grandmother she is engaged to a Captain fighting the Napoleanic wars. But now the war is over.

Percival has returned from the war minus one leg, lost when his cousin, the duke took a blade intended for Percival. As heir to the dukedom, he is determined to live his cousin's life for him, until he happens across a woman wielding a knife that his driver mistakes for a highwayman - or highwaywoman.

The conflict holds through most of the book until the duke decides he's gonna do what he's gonna do (very un-dukelike after presenting himself as duty bound), but if he didn't we wouldn't have much of a story! I picked up this book because she compared herself to Tessa Dare, and Ms. Dare did a similar book that I very much enjoyed. The similarities are there, and I would agree that fans of Ms. Dare would enjoy this. I think the one thing that didn't work for me was the "intimate" scenes. They were distracting and unnecessary, and the terms used jarred a little.

All in all, a fun read.

Tina Whittle's Tai Randolph series hits with another win. Her perfectly mismatched protagonists take us on another wild ride through the Deep South, perfectly pitting wild, untamed Tai with letter-of-the-law injured hero Trey.

Family rears its ugly head, catching Tai in the middle between her ex-husband, his wife, her convicted cousin and the rest of her redneck family. In an intricately woven, suspenseful attempt to keep her nose clean and her name on the right side of the law, Tai takes off to Savannah to face down her demons, with Trey chomping at the bit to protect her, and unable to do so without violating his code of ethics.

Ms. Whittle's attention to detail takes the reader through gracious hotels, into gator pits and shows off the beauty of Georgia, dotted with the seamy underbelly of the cities. The perfect juxtaposition of Trey and Tai, Ying and Yang, is as much a highlight of her stories as is the nonstop action. A must read!