Title: All Gone Author: RJ Nolan ISBN: 978-1-934889-37-4 Publisher: L-book, http://l-book.com Available From: L-book, http://l-book.com; www.amazon.com Price: $17.95 Pages: 200 Genre: Mystery

This is one for animal lovers, though part of it will make you sad.

Dr. Kody Garrett is working in vet clinic owned by a very demanding older doctor. He has a reputation for burning through junior partners at an amazing speed, but Kody is determined to hold on and prove she’s his equal. She thinks she’s getting her chance when her boss goes on vacation and leaves her in charge of the clinic, but then animals start dying. When she suspects that someone is poisoning animals, Kody reports the situation to Animal Control and meets Officer BJ Braden. Unfortunately, her boss didn’t want attention called to his clinic and Kody gets fired, but that doesn’t stop Kody and BJ from trying to catch the killer. Things become more desperate when the killer starts hunting not only animals, but humans.

This is a fast paced, well told story that will keep you guessing about who is poisoning the animals. The characters are pleasant, although one of the “bad girls” is perhaps the most interesting. If you’re looking for some entertainment for a couple of hours, this is your book. If you’re an animal lover, prepare to be angry.
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Reviewed by Lynne Pierce

Title: Clarity Author: Jocelyn Powers ISBN 978-1-935216-07-0 Publisher: Intaglio Publications, www.intagliopub.com Available From: Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com Price: $16.95 Pages: 212 Genre: Romance

Andrea Payton is a network producer in Chicago, who has hit the glass ceiling. After her lover leaves her, Andrea accepts a position as executive producer with KCOR in Frisco, Colorado. Frisco, a small town, is in the heart of Colorado's ski country. For Andrea, it is about as far away from Chicago as she can go.

Quickly welcomed by the staff of KCOR, Andrea finds Frisco a warm and welcoming town. In addition, the beauty of her surroundings warms her injured heart. Life seems perfect until she meets Julianna, the lovely marketing executive for Snow Cap Resort. Julianna is sweet, engaged, and terminally hetero. Andrea is well aware of the dangers of losing her heart to a straight woman.

Clarity is the story of these two beautiful, bright women. Both are climbing in their careers, and both are looking for that illusive "something more." The beautiful cover of Clarity takes the reader along the path into the mountains surrounding the mythical town of Frisco. It also takes the reader along the path of Julianna and Andrea as they search for clarity.
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Reviewed by RLynne

Title: Keile’s Chance Author: Dillon Watson ISBN: 978-1-59493-156-7 Publisher: Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com Available at: Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com; and SCP Books, www.SCPbooks.com Price: $14.95 - Pages: 239 Genre: Romance

“Sweet” isn’t a word that I normally use to describe anything except candy, but, in this case, it applies to this book. Keile’s Chance is a sweet and gentle story about two women who have been severely damaged by other people and are trying to learn whether or not they can move on with their lives.

Keile Griffen’s early life was shattered when her parents abandoned her to a foster care system that provided for her physical needs, but not the emotional nurturing she craved. She moved into adulthood determined to be successful and prove that she could take care of herself without anyone’s help. As an overworked, but extremely gifted planning consultant, she’s achieved her goals, but her personal life, what little there is of it, is lonely. The most constant being in her life is her dog Trashcan, who brings her great happiness, but not really enough. One day when she takes Can to the dog park a little boy wanders out of nowhere and latches onto Keile, who he insists on calling “Mama.” Reuniting Kyle with his mother Hayden Davenport turns Keile’s life upside down. Keile feels an overwhelming and unexplainable love for this little boy and seeing his mother deal with him causes Keile to have feelings she’s never experienced. Hayden finds Keile funny, smart and terribly attractive, but she’s careful with her heart. Her previous partner walked out on her as they were planning their family and Hayden doesn’t want to expose herself or her child to that kind of heartache again. Slowly, surely, Hayden and Keile begin to build a relationship that has great possibility for both of them, then Hayden’s former partner shows up. Keile’s life spins out of control as she feels the rejection of her childhood being repeated and Hayden shuts down her emotions as she fears that she’s making the same mistake with Keile that she made before. Can the love of a little boy lead them to a place of mutual happiness?

The nice aspect to Keile’s Chance is that it has characters that are totally believable and pacing that allows the story to develop instead of just spilling out. Keile and Hayden are tentative and deal with real issues. They don’t just jump into a relationship and then into bed. The reader gets a chance to see how they wrestle with their pasts, the impact that has on what they are doing and the bumps in the road. The only contrived plot point involves Keile and Hayden’s brother, but though forced, it is possible that something of that type could happen. As a whole this is a very enjoyable book to read, a well-told story. Dillon Watson shows promise for future books.
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Reviewed by Lynne Pierce

Title: Kicker’s Journey Author: Lois Cloarec Hart ISBN 13: 978-1-933720-61-6 - ISBN 10: 1-933720-61-1 Publisher: P.D. Publishing, Inc., www.pdpublishing.com Available From: SCP Books, www.SCPbooks.com Price: $22.99 Pages: 360 pages Genre: Romance/Adventure

Lois C. Hart doesn’t produce books as quickly as some authors, but when they come out, you can depend on a good story. Kicker’s Journey continues in that tradition.

Kicker Stuart has always known she’s different. Unlike her sisters and other girls in her village, she’s always preferred wearing her brother’s pants and working next to her father in his blacksmith shop. Fourteen-year-old Kicker believes she has found the ideal position and is set for life when she is hired to work at the stables of the Grindleshire Academy for Young Ladies. She knows she’s not the social equal of the young women who attend school there, but that has never bothered Kicker. She’s much more at home with the servants and the horses anyway.

Six years later, she meets the new teacher, Madelyn Bristow, and everything changes. What starts out as a friendship blossoms into romance, which will not be tolerated in England in the 1890s, so the women decide to cross the Atlantic Ocean and attempt a new life in the far reaches of Canada. Madelyn and Kicker discover that, while Canada gives them more freedom than England would, there are still obstacles to overcome. The land itself is harsh and demanding, and though most of the people are very accepting, there are still those who cling to social status and pride. As they attempt to establish themselves in the community of Galbraith Crossing, they find themselves surrounded by friends and enemies. Maddie and Kicker will find not only their endurance tested, but their love also.

Kicker’s Journey is almost epic in its proportions. Hart is a master storyteller who knows how to develop characters and settings equally well. As the book moves from boarding school to London to the trip across the ocean, the reader feels the atmosphere of each and is able to see the personalities of the characters unfold as they grow. The concept of class differences in England is clearly explained and then carried over to Canada, where the trip across the continent captures not only the beauty of the land, but the harshness it could inflict on settlers. When the women stop to visit an old friend of Madelyn’s, Hart has a chance to show the suffering that early settlers must have endured.

The story in Galbraith Crossing is reminiscent of stories from the American Old West. There is a frontier town dominated by two powerful ranching families, one noble, the other trouble, and plenty of colorful characters. Hart also captures the feeling of how the very geography of the place could be its biggest challenge through drought, heat and blinding snowstorms. This is a story of women who are challenged by everything around them, including class and gender expectations.

There is a rich feel to the story in this book. It will keep the reader turning pages as each new step in Kicker and Madelyn’s journey provides new obstacles to the women’s relationship. This is excellent reading.
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Reviewed by Lynne Pierce

Title: No Rules of Engagement Author: Tracey Richardson ISBN-10: 1594931593 - ISBN-13: 978-1594931598 Publisher: Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com Available at: Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com; and SCP Books, www.SCPbooks.com Price: $14.95 Pages: 317 Genre: Romance

First Tracey Richardson gave us a strong leader in a story about a lesbian candidate for President of the United States (The Candidate). Then she gave us insight into culinary TV personalities and golf pros (Side Order of Love). Now she offers up a story about a medical doctor serving in a military hospital in Afghanistan. Canadian Dr. Logan Sharp is a woman with inner strength and perseverance, who, in spite of the ugliness of war that surrounds her, tries to be the kind of medical doctor that anyone could hope to have as their physician in the most difficult of circumstances.
In No Rules of Engagement, Sharp is assigned to escort and protect an award-winning American photojournalist on assignment to show the world what happens in a military facility in a war zone. Although not thrilled with the assignment, Logan accepts it as one of the duties that must be tolerated since the visit will result in good public relations for their work. However, when she finally meets Jillian Knight, she quickly changes her mind about the duty being a burden.
Jillian is a genuine, caring person who quickly sees the strain that Logan is under and wants to try to help. Jillian is feeling her own stress from the assignment, because it has taken her from her two-year-old daughter. Because of this, she wonders if she can continue with assignments that take her halfway around the globe, even for short periods of time.
In spite of her struggles, Jillian’s compassionate attitude quickly gets under Logan’s skin. The more Logan tries to resist, the more futile the effort becomes—and the more the two women are drawn to each other. However, neither will acknowledge what is happening between them as any more than a friendship. At the end of Jillian’s assignment, the two part company, but the feelings stirred up in Jillian cause her to begin to question her long-term relationship with her partner.
In the second part of this saga, Logan is working in a Canadian hospital just north of the US border, her tour of duty ended. She is unsure of her ability to battle the wounds and demons of war and what seems like an eternity without someone special in her life to help her in the fight. In a happenstance turn of events, Logan and Jillian meet again, forcing them to examine their lives and their relationships once more.
This story is filled with the angst of war, the strength of women, the staying power of love, and just the right touch of humor to break the tension now and then. The characters of Logan Sharp and Jillian Knight easily become our friends and we can’t help but care deeply about them both. An enduring love story that will linger in the reader’s thoughts long after the last page is read. This is Richardson’s finest writing.
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Reviewed by Anna Furtado

Title: Not Quite The Same Author: Sheila Morris ISBN: 9780966119947 Publisher: Red Letter Press Distributed by Red Letter Press, redletterpress@gmail.com Price: $14.95 Pages: 177 Genre: Memoir/Lesbian

Leaving behind the childhood of her previous award-winning memoir, Deep in the Heart, Sheila Morris continues her life’s journey in Not Quite the Same. Beginning with her college experiences, she shares her personal growth, her loves, her heartbreaks, and her continuing relationship with family. Morris reveals how it was for her to strike out on her own, move from Texas to the Pacific Northwest, and finally make her way to settle in the South, where she continues to live. She gives us a sometimes-humorous, often poignant insight into the life of a naive young lesbian, not very in touch with her orientation, but struggling to find a soul mate, nevertheless. As she becomes more aware of who she is and where life is leading, she attempts to find love, a life’s work, and begins to make important contributions to the community. We shouldn’t be surprised to see a little of our own personal struggles in her stories.

The book includes a section of family letters, which, although interesting, slow the flow of the story and may have been better put into an appendix at the end of the book. However, the reader shouldn’t be put off by this, because when Morris picks up and continues the story thread, she ends on a high note by catching us up to her present life, introducing us to the soul mate she sought in younger years and giving us a truly engaging read.

Using the same wit and humor as in her previous memoir, Morris insightfully shows us how she grew up, became aware, came out, and lived a new life of freedom with the love of her life. It is an inspiring tale.
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Reviewed by Anna Furtado

Title: Sanctuary Author: I. Beacham ISBN 13: 978-1-60282-055-5 - ISBN 10: 1-60282-055-4 Publisher: Bold Strokes Books; www.boldstrokesbooks.com Available from: Bold Strokes Books, www.boldstrokesbooks.com; and SCP Books, www.SCPbooks.com Price: $16.95 - Pages: 258 Genre : Romance

Sanctuary is a story of revenge and misunderstanding that has a conclusion none of the characters could have suspected.

Cate Canton is a successful clothing designer who has established her own company as a force in the fashion world, but that isn’t enough. She feels that her father unfairly turned her away years ago and robbed her of her heritage, Seraphim, the design house started by her mother. Cate is determined to get her revenge on her father and take back what is hers. While they’re both on vacation in Italy, Cate accidentally meets Dita Newton, the young designer who has been put in charge of Seraphim, and fate seems to be playing into her hands. Cate starts out looking for ways to undermine Dita, but finds herself falling in love with her instead. By the time Cate realizes how she truly feels it’s too late to stop what’s she’s done to hurt Seraphim and when Dita finds out what has happened, she turns on Cate with hatred. Dita is injured seriously in a mugging later and Cate steps in anonymously to save the company and Dita’s career. It means making a truce with her father and facing truths about herself, but Cate is willing to try. She does it knowing that it may not be enough to show Dita that she’s changed or earn her a second chance to make their relationship work.

Sanctuary is a much better than average romance. The characters are interesting and, even when the reader knows they’re doing negative things, it’s hard to dislike any of them. The story gives some insight into the fashion industry, but it’s the characters and their relationships that drive the book. Cate and her father clearly demonstrate how a family can become dysfunctional because the members don’t communicate. Sanctuary is one of those books that’s hard to put down, though why may not be clear. Maybe it’s that it’s a well told story. The reader should get a few hours of good entertainment from this one.
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Reviewed by Lynne Pierce

Title: Summer Winds Author: Andrews & Austin ISBN 10: 1-60282-120-8 Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, www.boldstrokesbooks.com Available from: Bold Strokes Books, www.boldstrokesbooks.com; and SCP Books, www.SCPbooks.com Price: $16.95 - Pages: 235 Genre: Romance

Andrews and Austin have taken their readers to the Kansas prairies. Their protagonist, Maggie Tanner, owns a large ranch with acres of hayfields, cattle, and horses. A widow, she relies on hired hands to help her with the work. When an old friend offers to send her one of his offspring to help with the summer work, she's delighted. What she doesn't expect is Cash Tate, a tall, handsome, androgynous looking woman. Cash, a twenty-eight-year-old, is fifteen years younger than Maggie. Summer Winds takes readers on a wonderful ride as two very independent women learn to accept and treasure each other.

Ranch owners themselves, Andrews and Austin give readers a firsthand look at the beauty and the bleakness of the windswept prairies. Their description of small town life is extremely apt, as are their scenes describing how the ranchers pull together to put out a wildfire and to help each other harvest their crops.

Summer Winds is equally plot and character driven. Maggie and Cash are complex and extremely likeable. As with Andrews and Austin’s previous novels, Summer Winds is a great read!
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Reviewed by RLynne

Title: Survive the Dawn Author: Kate Sweeney ISBN 13: 978-1-935216-04-9 – ISBN 10: 1-935216-04-X Publisher: Intaglio Publications Available From: Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com; and SCP Books, www.SCPbooks.com Price: $16.95 - Pages: 245 Genre: Romance/Paranormal

Survive the Dawn is the sequel to Sweeney’s Away From the Dawn, featuring the characters Sebastian the vampire and her lover Dr. Alex Taylor. Alex carries a serum in her body that will allow vampires to stay out during the day and is searching for a way to process it so that it will be more accessible to Sebastian and other vampires who think like her. They travel to England so that Alex can consult with another scientist who is working on the same idea. While Alex deals with her, Sebastian prepares for the confrontation with Nicolae, who is trying to take over sole leadership of the vampires. He goes to the extent of resurrecting Leigh, a dead vampire destroyed by Sebastian. Nothing can stop Sebastian from assuming her power though, and the lines are clearly drawn for a future conflict. Will vampires follow the brutal, murderous methods of Nicolae or let Sebastian take them into a new future, possibly in the light of day? Alex may hold the answer to that question in her blood if Sebastian can keep her alive.

Even people who are not normally vampire fans will likely find this book interesting. The story is well written, but it’s the details about vampire life that make it different. Sweeney spends time explaining the history of how the creatures were created and their culture, some of which contradicts commonly held beliefs. There’s also something intriguing about a character who is trying to battle what is her intrinsic nature to become something better. Sebastian can’t help being pulled into the violence of her world, but she resists as much as she can and isn’t satisfied when it happens.

Sweeney has created a curious character in the resurrected Leigh. She comes back from the undead (maybe that should be the un-undead) and is more than a little crazy. It’s quite obvious that Sweeney is planning another book in this series. The reader will have to wait to find out what happens with Alex’s quest for the serum, Sebastian’s battle with Nicolae, and just what part Leigh’s insanity will play in the story.

Survive the Dawn was a fun and informative book to read. The characters stay interesting and that helps to make the book. This would be a perfect book for an afternoon read. If you’re susceptible to vampire stories, you might not want to read it at night.
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Reviewed by Lynne Pierce

Title: Tumbleweed Fever Author: LJ Maas ISBN-13: 978-1-933113-51-7 - ISBN-10: 193092805X Publisher: Intaglio Publications, www.intagliopub.com Available From: Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com; and SCP Books, www.SCPbooks.com Price: $16.95 - Pages: 256 Genre: Romance

Devlin Brown is a loner—a retired outlaw turned cattle wrangler, living in a man’s world, daring her counterparts to give her trouble. Sarah Tolliver is a ranch owner. Widowed with two young children, she reluctantly accepts help from her uncle, the owner of a neighboring ranch where Devlin works. He sends Devlin to work for Sarah, something she, too is reluctant to agree to, until she meets the young widow and is immediately smitten.

Together the two women try to find their place in one another’s lives while they protect the ranch from predators of all kinds—the human ones, the most deadly of all. All the while these two women try to figure out what their true feelings are for one another as they battle rustlers, outlaws, and dangerous and powerful men intent on running Sarah off her land. At least Devlin has friends among the native peoples—and can turn to them for help when things get really tough, although to do so means that she must face her own inner demons and overcome her own pride. If Sarah means as much as we think she does, then she will have to put her past aside and come to Sarah’s aid in order to save her.

LJ Maas was a wonderful storyteller and it’s apparent in this tale. Full of adventure that includes interactions with friend and foe, children and adult, the European whites and the native peoples of the region, we gain insight into life in the West before the territories were tamed. Sarah’s fierce loyalty to her dream and her children is fast encompassing Devlin Brown. As Dev lowers her defenses and lets Sarah and her children in, a crack appears in her armor, releasing the pain and anguish she has carried throughout her life. This story is filled with rich characters and plot—an LJ Mass classic
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Reviewed by Anna Furtado

Title: Twenty-four Days Author: Janet Albert ISBN 13: 978-1-935053-16-3 – ISBN 10: 1-935053-16-7 Publisher: Regal Crest Enterprises, LCC Available from: Allied Crest Editions, www.acebooks.biz; and SCP Books, www.SCPbooks.com Price: $15.95 - Pages: 170 Genre: Romance

Dr. Miranda Ross is trying to recover from a failed relationship by working as a doctor on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea. She doesn’t trust anyone with her heart, especially not Jamie Jeffries the head fitness trainer who is good-looking and has a reputation of sleeping with every available woman on the ship. What Miranda doesn’t know is that Jamie’s reputation is based on conjecture, not reality. Jamie is focused on a goal, to save enough money to open her own fitness center, and doesn’t have time to play around with everyone who makes a pass at her.

As ship activities throw them together, the women discover there is an attraction, but Miranda won’t allow herself to trust Jamie and the end of the cruise appears to be the end of their relationship. Months later Miranda has started her own practice and realized that she made a serious mistake not pursuing the situation with Jamie. When they accidentally run into each other, Miranda is determined to make up the situation with Jamie, but she still has trouble trusting her enough to move the relationship forward. This time Jamie also has a trust problem based on Miranda’s previous behavior and the question is whether each of them can let down her barriers enough to see what’s possible.

Twenty-four Days is a standard romance with two women trying to overcome the odds and become a couple. It follows the formula for most romances with little deviation. Lovers of steamy sex scenes will be rewarded with this book and for everyone else it’s an entertaining story to pass a few hours.
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Reviewed by Lynne Pierce