Kathy4

One Love For Liv
By Marianne Arkins
Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 1-59998-325-7
February 2008
Contemporary Romance

Olivia "Liv" Leigh was going undercover. She needed to find out if her fiancé, Geoff, was cheating on her. She wasn't certain, but there seemed to be a trail of evidence proving that he wasn't the perfect man she had thought.

Unfortunately, trying to be an investigator was more difficult than Liv had imagined. First she was attacked by a door, and then she was helped into the absolutely messiest apartment she had ever seen. The good news was that Mike, whose apartment she was in, thought that she was down on her luck and offered to hire her to clean his apartment, and he lived next to Daisy, who she suspected Geoff was cheating on her with. The bad news was that the more Liv was with Mike, she worried that even if Geoff was innocent, she no longer was. For Liv was beginning to realize that the life she was living was the life her father and Geoff thought she should live.

It was a life with Mike that she would want to have. But if Mike were to learn the truth of who she was, and how she had used his trust, would he still be interested?

One Love For Liv was an enjoyable romance of a heroine completely out of her element, and a hero who is, at heart, a hero. Liv has absolutely no concept of how to perform the job assignments she received from Mike, so she has ingenious alternatives - primarily to have others do it for her. I particularly loved when she went grocery shopping. Mike knows that it is risky to trust a stranger, but he can't not help someone in need. It is just an innate reaction, just as he kept the ferret that was left in his apartment, and brings leftovers for the local stray dog. I simply adored Mike.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com

Even For Me
Short Story in "On The Prowl Anthology"
By Taryn Blackthorne
Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 1-59998-916-6
April 2008
Urban Fantasy

Aislyn was scared. There was a killer dubbed the Ghost Cat on the loose, but she didn't fear for her safety. No, she feared that she was the Ghost Cat. She had few recollections of when the Change overtook her, and the murders were occurring at locations near where she had been. As a precaution, Aislyn decides to leave town.

Jackson was on the hunt. He would have preferred to simply kill his prey, but his client wanted her taken alive. He thought he could understand that request, until he learned the true reasons behind her actions.

Detective Rodriguez was a man determined to stop the Ghost Cat killer. He initially considers Aislyn a suspect, but Aislyn recognizes they are still on the same side. Aislyn needed all the help she could get. She wasn't in complete control of her new ability to Change, the police were investigating her in the Ghost Cat killings, and a witch had, possibly irrevocably, bonded Aislyn with Jackson.

Even For Me was an intriguing, suspenseful short story. Aislyn is facing multiple enemies. Jackson is a hunter of people with her abilities, there is the witch who hired Jackson, and the Ghost Cat killer, who she could possibly be. Plus, Aislyn still hadn't mastered the Change. I enjoyed the different facets to the story. However, I felt that the ending was abrupt and the story incomplete. Also, I couldn't believe that if she thought she might be a serial killer, that she considered simply leaving town to be an adequate precaution.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com

Crazy For Kate
By Kelly McDonough
Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 1-59998-602-7
April 2008
Contemporary Romance

Kate McKaye thought that Chris Shields set the standard for the perfect man. He was giving, a family man, great with kids, and very easy on the eyes. She remembered him from school, but he had been a bit shy, and always with his steady girlfriend. It had been a given that the two would marry and start a family. Instead, Chris was single, apparently interested in her, yet seemed a bit sad.

Chris had been devastated when his long time girlfriend had broken up with him when they found out he couldn't have children. Then, Kate had shown up in his path. They volunteered together for a church function, and Chris enjoyed the time he spent with her and her girls. He wanted to spend more time with them, and hoped that perhaps since Kate already had children, the fact that he couldn't give her more might not be a problem.

Crazy For Kate was a sweet romance of two lost people finding home together. Kate was recovering from a divorce from a man who hadn't wanted a family, and Chris was a man who desperately wanted a family, but feared he wouldn't ever have one. I enjoyed the characters, and the interaction with his family and the priest. However, the issue of Chris's problem dragged on, and should have been addressed earlier, or maybe the story should have been a bit shorter.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com
April 2008

Leap of Faith
By Arianna Hart
Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 1-59998-897-6
March 2008
Romantic Suspense

Dr. Jane Farmer's life had spiraled out of control. First, she had lost her job hosting a talk show for marital issues. Then she had returned home only to find it ransacked. The culmination of the day had been when she had been somewhat kidnapped by her neighbor, Lex D'Angelo, a man who just might have more layers than the playboy persona she saw.

Lex had no idea why someone had come after his uptight neighbor Jane, and it also wasn't something he typically encountered either. Still, in his line of work, he had to be ready for anything, and now, he was on the run from some bad guys with a novice as his partner. It all boiled down to a package sent to him, but accidentally delivered to Jane. Now, Lex had to decipher what the information meant, determine who the mole in their organization was, and keep Jane and himself alive.

Leap of Faith was non-stop action from the first page. It is full of danger, suspense, and romance. I loved watching Lex and Jane's romance unfold amid the chaos that had become their lives. Arianna Hart has become a "Must Read" author when I want a thrilling romantic suspense.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com

Her Cinderella Complex
By Jenna Bayley-Burke
Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 1-59998-472-5
February 2008
Contemporary Romance

Heather Tindall needed this job. It didn't matter how rude her boss was, that he didn't want her, or that none of the previous temps had lasted even one day as Curtis Frye's personal assistant. She would prove that she could do the job, and excel.

Curtis quickly realized Heather's worth at his company, and hired her. What he couldn't comprehend at first was how well she handled not only the professional aspect of his life, but the personal as well. Not until she started protecting him from the paparazzi due to a recent article. Then, he realized just how perfect Heather is, and decided to propose marriage, but for practical matters. She could help turn the gossip from him, and he could help her financially. It was a perfect solution.

Except to Heather, who had already fallen in love with her boss.

Her Cinderella Complex is a sweet romance about a woman who is dreaming of happily ever after with a man who views their relationship as yet another business transaction. I enjoyed watching the development of their relationship. However, I also thought at times things were a little too dramatic, and the overall story a bit long.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com