I love a good adaptation story - Shakespeare in modern times or the hero's journey in a galaxy far, far away, for example. When I saw the mystery-romance Drowning Rapunzel by Annette Gisby, I figured it was an interesting take on the story we all grew up hearing.

Beth Gregory takes a job as a live-in secretary for the artist Josh Warrington. She's hoping for a new start; she wants to forget her past. And for a while, this long-haired beauty does. However, a murder at Josh's estate outside of London, Holly Lodge, resurrects the paranormal powers Beth thought she'd been able to run away from.

The prologue creeped me out. It was exciting to open a book and get that spine tingling feeling right away. Ms. Gisby has a talent for writing creepy scenes and there weren't nearly enough of them for me.

Because this book is a mystery-romance, a romance is expected. Unfortunately, it felt as though there were two stories fighting throughout the piece: the romance and the mystery. One was constantly being truncated in favor of the other. Or I just felt that way because I was more engaged in the mystery and wanted to hurry to those scenes. The romance was predictable and felt forced. I didn't feel the spark or chemistry between the two lovers. It was like they fell in love because they had to in order to continue on with the story.

How can a people atone for an act against the Gods? A capricious, unruly set of Gods; pleasing one results in offending another. In the second book in The Asphodel Cycles, redemption seems less a gift than something to be earned. The earning itself, given the nature of the Gods concerned, is an impossibility.

The Gift of Redemption, the second book in The Asphodel Cycles, continues the high fantasy story of Tamsen Ka'antiro de Asphodel, heroine of the series. At the conclusion of Book One The Reckoning of Asphodel, Tamsen has successfully regained and rebuilt her father's lands that were destroyed by her half-uncle when he killed Tamsen's parents. As Countess of Asphodel, Tamsen has taken her place in the kingdom of Ansienne, and pursued and killed the assassin of King Lufaux. Despite, or rather because of these successes, the book ends somberly. The conclusion of Book One sets the dominant theme of Book Two The Gift of Redemption: that preserving both Human and Elven peoples has a heavy cost that Tamsen and those she loves must pay.

The Gift of Redemption opens with Tamsen at Asphodel. She has had a miscarriage and lost much of her sorceress power in a duel with her half-uncle Gabril de Spesialle. She has nightmares, which she suspects are sent by de Spesialle. In the dreams, her husband, the Elf Warrior Brial, is destroyed by de Spesialle and she is too weak to protect him.

Need a cure for boredom? The Rx is: take six very rich, good looking women, mix in the fact that they are top chick vigilantes: A group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, because in general, the legal authorities are inadequate. In this case, the community is big, like, "earth-sized" big. The whole green earth., mix in Sin City (aka Las Vegas) and some sex, and you have Final Justice by Fern Michaels.

I have never read Fern Michaels until now. I have seen her name for years in supermarket book rows, pharmacy reading racks and the like. I just never really thought about picking up a romantic thriller. I tend to lean towards more bookish fantasy thrillers with aliens. The title, however, caught my eye. I will say first off, I wish I'd read the first eleven books before reading this one. The reason is that there is so much history between the characters that I got lost between some of the interplay that someone with more familiarity with the characters would have been able to follow more easily. As it was I felt very much like I was in a glass cube trying to figure out the who and why of what was going on.

What can I say? I am a sucker for women in strong roles, because then I can pretend it is me having all that fun. Nothing is more romantic and seductive than a woman appearing to be all of 'the weaker' sex only to find she can kick-box you into China's next week.

In Mechanical Rose there is much of machinery written here including the mechanics of sex. Two misfit characters are thrown into a conflict of values. The heroine, Rose, must persuade this absent minded, though brilliant inventor, to cease his creation, or kill him. She's done it before, many times, and as painless as possible. That's the plan until she starts to fall in love with him. Once that happens, her carefully crafted world of lies starts to fall like so many beer-soaked playing cards.

She's gorgeous! She's incredibly sexy with the perfect body. She's totally obedient, willing to do whatever a man wants, no matter what. So what more could any man ask for? Well, how about one little thing, like maybe a sex drive? Alpha, a marvelous sex-goddess of a robot, one created in the exact image of a famous and beautiful actress, is missing that one vital component. She's built for making love, is a love machine, but she has no idea what that means or how to do it. Now, what to do? What a conundrum!  Love's Reflection by Carol North poses this intriguing and fun question, and so many others, as well.

There is something undeniably romantic about stories set in the Old West. Riding on horseback into the sunset, long lonely nights on the range, strong women and stronger men – life in the Old West just resonates with romantic possibilities and promise.

It was with these classic images in mind that I picked up Helen A. Rosburg's historical romance Blaze of Lightning, Roar of Thunder. Instead of the swooning women and dashing men I expected, what I got was a powerfully moving story of a woman filled with revenge and a troubled man who shares her pain.

Louisa Rodriguez left Santa Rita one morning to gather fuel for the fire only to return in time to see her family murdered and her entire town left in ruin. Catching sight of the villains who robbed her of everything she held close to her heart, Louisa vowed to avenge her family and friends if it took the last breath she breathed.

Faith. How much faith would it take to change the world? How much faith would it take to change a life? What would you do if you could have enough faith to change the future or change the past?

Isanne believes that God will answer her prayer. The question is: does she have enough faith to wait on His timing to forgive the past? Does the past hold sway over her future, or vice versa?

Isanne's Revelation is a quick read that answers the above questions in a most unexpected manner. The points in time that Isanne experiences took me by surprise at first but once understood Isanne's Revelation was a revelation of the power of faith for me.

How do you measure love? Is it by the way he laughs with you? The way he makes you laugh with him? The way he handles all those little things in life that you don't want to be bothered with? Or could it be measured by the sacrifice one is willing to make to be with the one that they love? I like that last one, myself. This is the question posed in Rosemary Kaenel's short It’s Called Love.
 
Pamela Moore is plagued with her daughter's complaints about the inconveniences Pamela endures living on a farm with her second husband, Edward. Shelley just can't understand what could possibly keep her mother in a place with no modern conveniences, not even indoor plumbing. Pamela suffers a fall that renders her helpless when her back is injured. Now Shelley feels justified in asking her mother to move to town. Although Pamela doesn't want to be a burden to Edward, she's not ready to leave the man she loves, even though he has begun to spend more and more time out in the barn, instead of inside with her. Doubts plague Pamela until…

My mother would have loved LIFELINES even more than I did. As a nurse, she would have enjoyed the detailed and real hospital scenes and medical procedures. As someone who became ill when someone else oozed blood or vomited, I grimaced but kept on reading. The story kept my attention, and I had to know what happened next.

CJ Lyons brought her knowledge as a pediatric emergency room physician to her book. The plot deals with Doctor Lydia Fiore arriving for a new position at a hospital across the country from the streets of Los Angeles, where she grew up, lived, and trained. Angels of Mercy Medical Center doesn’t welcome her with open arms, but associate her with the mysterious death of the head of surgery’s son.

Ever wondered what it would be like to be truly swept off your feet? Your eyes meet across a bloody battle scene, birds sing and bell rings letting you know he’s the man, except he’s not really a man, but a creature who lives on blood. Just maybe, it’s not one unnatural creature that speeds up your heart, but two. Oh, there is the issue that you happen to be married to a petty king. Doesn’t sound like your typical love story, but when you’re ready for something different there’s Charlotte Boyett-Campo’s latest novel, WyndRaider.