Spin the Plate by Donna Anastasi

Jo is a tattoo artist by day and she roams the streets at night looking for animals or people who are in need of help. She picks up animals who have been treated cruelly and takes them home and nurses them back to health and then finds homes for them. Jo is not a people person and does her best to put people off. Francis is a speech writer for a billionaire philanthropist. He meets Jo on the train one day when she is headed for work. He watches her from afar and finally rides the same bus again. They begin a friendship of sorts that Francis would like to make more. Jo is very leery because she was sexually abused as a child by her father. One day she tells Francis what happened when they were on the way to her uncle's birthday party. Francis puts Jo in touch with an attorney and tells her she needs to make her father accountable. Francis does not flaunt his religion to Jo, he just keeps telling her that God loves her. She rejects the theory at each turn and then finally one day she accepts what Francis has told her and welcomes the Lord into her life.

This was a very good book. I was not sure at the beginning that I was going to like it. But in the end it really sends a powerful message. Loved the fact that Francis was the billionaire but let Jo think he was penniless. Jo has such a tough image and it was nice to see that she could also be soft and vulnerable. In the end she takes charge of her life by turning it over to the Lord. The cover was ok, but didn't really lend anything to the story. All in all it was a pleasant read and one that I will recommend.

Sins of a Highland Devil by Sue Ellen Welfonder

The Glen of Many Legends is in dispute. Clan McDonald holds the main part and their right is being challenged by Clan Cameron and Clan Makintosh. Each of the other Clans has sent a letter to the King and asked to be named as the owner of the prime piece of land. The King decides that there will be a battle between the three Clans to the death and the one who remains standing will guard the Glen. Catronia McDonald abhors James Cameron and he feels the same. They clashed when they were young and neither has forgotten. Now, they meet again on the eve of the battle. James can't get Catronia out of his mind and the passion she stirs in him. Catronia is having the same problem and can't believe she is drawn to her enemy. Catronia wants to goad James into doing things that he doesn't think proper. Each of them worry how the battle will end, not only on the field but between the two of them.

Loved all the description of the Highlands of Scotland. It made the reader feel like they could see the Glen in their mind's eye. The interplay between Catronia and James was funny at times, poignant at others and always sensual. The minor characters that were introduced whetted the reader's interest for the subsequent books to come. The cover was very appropriate to the story. The characters were very believable in their settings. It was a very good and fast read.

Bad Day for the Home Team by Alex O'Meara

Sam Tryor is dead. He can't remember how it happened but he knows that he is dead. He finds that he is a ghost and can follow his brother Nick, the detective in charge of his case Walter Perry and a reporter Sarah Tilly. He was sure one of them would be able to find out what happened. He learns that he was the shooter in a pizza restaurant where 40 people died, not counting him, and twenty one were wounded. Through the whole book Sam tries to find out what happened and why? He remembers growing up in Detroit and moving to Arizona. He learns that he sold double wides and owned a trailer park. He found out he was holding a couple of guns for one of his tenants because the guy was on probation. Sam did not own any guns of his own. He follows the detective, his brother and the reporter for two days and gets a new insight into himself.

This book was very different in that it was written from the shooter's point of view. I liked that through the book you learned about Sam's character. It seemed there was no way this man could commit this crime. You saw Sam through his brother's eyes and the eyes of his neighbors and then the impartial eyes of the detective on the case. You could not help liking Sam from things that were said about him, but also feel disappointed in the way he handled things in the end. The cover was very appropriate since a lot of the book took place at the restaurant. This was a very good book and I enjoyed the way it was written.

Gillian by Linda Andrews

Gillian Grey is on a mission. Her father has asked Aidan Baird to escort his daughter through the desert to look for flowers. That however, is not Gillian's main purpose for her trip. After finding out that her fiance only wanted to marry her for her father's money, Gillian needs something to fill her time so she can forget. She has had a friend all her life named Grimsree. He comes to her now and tells her about women who are being murdered and Gillian decides she is going to find out who the murderer is. Although worried about what Aidan will think when he learns her real reason for traveling with him, Gillian is steadfast in her quest. In the end it could ruin her relationship with Aidan.

I loved this book. It was interesting from start to finish and kept me turning pages. It was nice to be transported back in time with such a good story. The characters were very believable for the period that the story takes place. Gillian has spunk and it does not deter Aidan at all. She shows her proficiency throughout the book. It was good to see in the end that her self confidence was in all areas and not just her prowess with her knife. The cover is very nice but i'm not sure it lends anything to the story except to hint of the romance to come. I hope others who read it will enjoy it as much as I did.

Highland Master by Amanda Scott

Lady Catronia finds an injured man on one of her walks. The man turns out to be Finlagh Cameron. Although Cat does not know he is a Cameron to start with. Their families have been bitter enemies. Fin is working for Davy Stewart who wants a meeting with some Highland chiefs and sent Fin to discuss it with the Mackintosh. Cat takes Fin home to meet her grandfather, the Mackintosh so he can tell him Davy's request. Fin and Cat become friends during his stay there. When the chiefs come and meet with Davy, he takes a shine to Cat. She tells him that she is in love with Fin and Davy forces them to wed. Meanwhile Rory Comyn who thinks he has an agreement with Cat's father for her hand, decides to start some mischief. He is helping Davy's uncle Albany who wants to unseat Davy as governor.

I enjoyed this story very much. It was a very easy and fast read those are the kind that I like best. The plot was interesting and kept my attention all the way through. Fin and Cat were very strong personalities and meshed together very well. They worked well together when they needed to. I also enjoyed the romance aspect of the story. Even though there were a lot of minor characters they did not detract from the plot but enhanced it. The cover was very appropriate to the storyline. I don't really have any suggestions to make it better, I thought it was very good as it is.

My Immortal Assassin by Caroyn Jewel

Grayson Spencer was not born with magic. She acquired her's when her lover Tigran was murdered by his mage, Christophe. Durian was an assassin sent to take out Grayson for trying to kill Christophe. He sees something in her and decides to save her life. He then has to teach her how to deal with the magic she now has. They also would both like to find a way to get rid of Christophe but can not obtain a sanction for the kill. Gray was supposedly killed along with her sister Emily and a friend in their apartment. However, Gray runs into her sister one day on the street and Emily does not recognize her and tells her she is mistaken that her name is Erin. This makes Gray want to kill Christophe that much more. In the meantime, Christophe sends magehelds to get Gray and bring her to him. He wants the magic that Gray obtained of his when he killed Tigran.

This book took some getting into for me. It's not my normal kind of reading, but in the end I did enjoy it. In some places it was hard to figure out what the author meant having not read any of the other books in the series. Some things might have been explained in the others. But, it really didn't detract from the story for me. The plot was a very good one and I loved both the characters of Gray and Durian. They were both such forceful personalities and played off each other very well. I also enjoyed some of the minor characters and will be looking for the other books to read their stories. Thought the cover was very nice but did not really lend anything to the plot.

To Tempt a Rake by Cara Elliott

Kate Woodbridge came to live with her grandfather when her parents died. Kate was used to the life of a pirate and did some things that she was not axious for her grandfather to find out about. She and some of her friends formed an intellectual group called cirle of sin. Kate loves to study botany which is also an interest of her grandfather. Marco Ghiradelli is the cousin of one of Kate's good friends. They met on several occasions and Kate is afraid that he will remember where he had seen her before. There is to be a meeting in Vienna and before that happens Kate's grandfather has a house party for some of the attendees. Marco is sent to have a look and see if he can learn anything that would help England thwart any problems. Kate is not happy to see him, she fears the more they are around each other the more likely he is to remember her past. One of the members of the house party is murdered and Kate's dagger is found in his chest. Marco tells Kate that he does remember her and that he is going to help her clear her name.

Good story from beginning to end. It flowed nicely and the interaction between the characters was very appealing. The interplay between Kate and Marco lent some humor to the story. Loved the transformation of her grandfather and the spark between him and Kate's friend Charlotte. There was more description than I usually like and I would have liked a little more conversation. Really liked the cover and thought it was very true to the storyline. Still I enjoyed the book and will look for the others in the series.