Title: Across Time Author: Linda Kay Silva ISBN 978-1-883523-91-6 Publisher: Spinsters Ink Available From: StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz; and Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com Price: $14.95 - Pages: 264 Genre: fantasy

Jessie Ferguson is the perfect picture of teenage angst. She's doing poorly in school, and she's dabbled with drugs, alcohol and sex. Now, in an effort to "make a new start," her parents have bought an old Victorian on the coast of Oregon. They dream of having a truly "family run" B & B. Jessie dreams of moving back to San Francisco!

In the process of exploring the old Victorian, Jessie discovers a passage to the past--two thousand years in the past. She is being called to help the Druids as they fight against the Romans. As she searches for knowledge of how to help, Jessie meets some of the characters of the small Oregon town. Her searches also help her to solve her own feelings of emptiness and longing.

Silva has definitely done her homework, as she brings ancient history to life. Her characters are real, as are her descriptions of Druid customs and life. She weaves fact and fiction with skill and artistry, so the reader is gaining knowledge of an ancient time while being thoroughly involved in the story. Across Time is a haunting read which will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
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Reviewed by RLynne

Title: American Goth Author: JD Glass ISBN: 10:1-60282-002-3 Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Available From: StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz; and Bold Strokes Books, www.boldstrokes.com Price: $15.95 - Pages: 259 Genre: Fantasy

American Goth takes the reader to London and Leeds, England. Samantha Cray, an orphan, has been taken in by her Uncle Cort. Samantha's mother died when she was two, and when she was fifteen, her firefighter father was killed. Uncle Cort and Elizabeth have undertaken the task of teaching Samantha to be Wielder. They are showing her how to walk the path of Light, and how to walk and balance between worlds.

As Samantha learns the ways of the Inner Circle, she is also learning to handle the loss of her father, and of her first love. Samantha is a teenager who is finding herself, even as she discovers the mysteries of a new world. Glass skillfully shows the bewilderment, anger, and struggles young women endure as they deal with what life has thrown at them. Samantha's angst is her own, even as it is universal. Her new love, Frankie, is passionate, filled with the hunger of youth.

American Goth takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride filled with new worlds, hidden dangers, past treacheries, and heart stopping battles. It's a wonderful ride which ends with a cliff hanger.
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Reviewed by RLynne

Title: Blind Leap (A Blind Eye Mystery) Authors: Jacob and Diane Anderson-Minshall ISBN-10: 1933110910 ISBN-13: 978-1933110912 Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Available From: StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz; and Bold Strokes Books, www.boldstrokesbooks.com Price: $12.95 - Pages: 242 Genre: Mystery

The team from the Blind Eye series rallies around Velvet Erickson, once again, as she tries to reconcile the Jeff Conant she knows as an enthusiastic, successful film festival organizer with the desperate “jumper” who lost his life leaping from the Golden Gate Bridge. Once Yoshi takes up the cause, it becomes more and more evident that this could not have been a suicide, yet how or why Jeff could have been murdered is not clear.

As the detectives sort through clues, separating the red herrings from the possible real culprit, Yoshi must come to terms with her disability, and Velvet and her lover, Tucker, realize just what they mean to one another when the danger comes a little too close to them. And if Jeff didn’t kill himself, then someone else, with a very dangerous motive did.

When the group discovers that an independent filmmaker may have caught jumpers plunging to their deaths from the bridge, it’s time to go to the movies and, hopefully, find out what really happened the night Jeff Conant died, no matter how gruesome the film may be to watch.

All the usual characters are back in Blind Leap with their quirks and foibles. The acerbic wheelchair bound Bud, tough marshmallow Tucker, powerful butch AJ, inscrutable Yoshi, Velvet, the femme Chronicle reporter who seems to attract trouble, all team up to get to the bottom of the curious turn of events. The rag-tag bunch seems like old friends as they assemble to work their mystery magic before our eyes. Diane and Jake Anderson-Minshall have given us another entertaining and thoughtful mystery seen through the eyes of the Blind Eye detectives, and they deliver a tale that is sure to provide hours of spellbinding reading.
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Reviewed by Anna Furtado

Title: Deception Author: Erin O'Reilly ISBN: 9781933113876 Publisher: Intaglio Publications Available From: StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz Price: $16.95 Pages: 214 Genre: Crime drama

Knowing what genre to put Deception in is a challenge. There is a murder mystery, lots of criminal court scenes and a romance all woven together. There are enough plot points to please just about any type of reader.

Lane Cuthbert has had a plan for her life since she was very young. Not satisfied to simply inherit a position in her father's successful law firm, she has calculated every move she has made, from the college she attended to the jobs she's accepted, to move her in the direction of achieving her goal of being a legal commentator for a major TV network. All she needs now is one big, high profile case to catapult her to the fame she needs.

Bryce Clayton is a reclusive, but very successful and powerful businesswoman. She's known for being difficult to get along with, but she's also fair, honest and drawn to take care of people who are in trouble. Her nemesis is Preston Garrett, a big bully of a rancher, who fights with Bryce every chance he gets and makes it clear to everyone in town that he intends to destroy her.

When Garrett is murdered, the police don't consider anyone a suspect except Bryce and Lane has the case she believes will make her future. Bryce is as difficult a client as she is a person because she refuses to reveal where she was at the time of the murder. She's decided it's worth sitting in prison for twenty-five years to keep some secrets hidden. Lane will need all of her skills to keep that from happening, especially when she begins to realize that Bryce is more to her than just a client. As the case develops, Lane finds herself reevaluating her goals and Bryce discovers someone who may help her understand that her "secret" doesn't have to stay hidden.

O'Reilly has created two very strong women, neither of whom feels any reason to be weak so that the other one can dominate. She's surrounded them with a cast of engaging characters and a plot that is well put together. O'Reilly works the case with a strong sense of reality. No witness breaks down on the stand or suddenly loses control and admits to being the true murderer.

Lane has to work her way through the trial using her skills and refuting the evidence as it is presented. Bryce stays true to her character throughout the book, avoiding the personality "change" that is so frequent in romances. The mystery of the murder is left hanging until the very end of the book and there is a dramatic scene at the end of the trial that will surprise readers. Deception has the characteristics that make a book pleasurable to read and a good way to spend a few hours.
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Reviewed by Lynne Pierce

Title: Heartland Author: Julie Cannon ISBN-10: 1-60282-009-0 Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Available From: StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz; and Bold Strokes Books, www.boldstrokesbooks.com Price: $15.95 - Pages: 241 Genre: Romance

Heartland has two well-drawn, completely different women as its protagonists. Rachel Stanton is a political strategist who feels as though she has gone from strategist to spin doctor. A graduate of the foster child system, her adult life and connections are as transitory as her childhood.

Shivley McCoy runs a dude ranch in Northern Arizona. She is a widow, having lost her partner of four years to cancer. The ranch, its horses, and its work, provide all she needs in life.

Rachel and Shivley meet when Rachel books a vacation at Springdale, Shivley's ranch. Actually, they practically run into each other on a dirt road a few weeks before, but . . .that wasn't really meeting!

Julie Cannon has created a wonderful romance. Rachel and Shivley are believable, likeable, bright, and funny. The scenery of the ranch is beautifully described, down to the smells, work, and dust. This is an extremely engaging book, full of humor, drama, and some very hot, hot sex!
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Reviewed by RLynne

Title: In the Name of the Father Author: Gerri Hill ISBN: 9781594931086 Publisher: Bella Books Available from: Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com; and StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz Price: $13.95 - Pages: 230 Genre: Mystery

The main characters from Gerri Hill's previous book Hunter's Way reappear in this sequel. Homicide detectives Tori Hunter and Samantha Kennedy, who are partners both at work and at home, are still trying to clarify their new relationship when they are called in to investigate a controversial case. A popular priest is found murdered and naked in the rectory and a sex scandal threatens to engulf the Catholic Church and the Dallas political structure. Dead bodies begin to mount up as attempts are made to cover up the story and authorities try to force the police to close a case that really hasn't been solved.

The situation becomes more stressful when Tori and Samantha are separated by the department and put in different divisions. The pressure from their professional lives and the disruption to their private lives threatens their relationship. Tori finds herself battling public relations experts, the police department and City Hall by herself as she tries to settle the crime and adjust to not having Samantha with her on the job. Each clue leads in a new direction and Tori wonders if she has finally encountered the case that can't be resolved.

In the Name of the Father is a way to spend an afternoon reading. If you're a Gerri Hill fan, you'll enjoy catching up with the characters from the previous book; however, this is not one of Hill's better books. The plot never clicked with me. The reader never really cares that this priest was murdered, and there's no connection with the other characters.

What Hill does well is to keep the solution to the murders a puzzle until the end of the book, and there is a quirky twist to the end of the book that is rather nice. If this is the first Hill book you're reading, don't let it keep you from trying the others.
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Reviewed by Lynne Pierce

Title: Laura’s War Author: Ursula Steck ISBN-10: 1594930902 ISBN-13: 978-1594930904 Publisher: Bella Books Available from: Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com; and StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz Price: $13.95 - Pages: 275 Genre: Mystery

Anna Spring was first introduced to us in Ursula Steck’s first American novel, The Next World. However, in Steck’s current work, Laura’s War, a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award in the Women’s Mystery category, the microbiologist, turned security officer, turned amateur sleuth, has finally found her way to opening her own detective agency with her business partner, Martha Bega.

Wheelchair-bound Martha is a computer whiz and a former police officer. Anna is the risk-taking, imaginatively talented gumshoe who does most of the legwork. She would rather break into an apartment because it’s quicker and easier, rather than take the time to go through proper channels to gain entry. Together the two women try to sort out truth from fiction in the murder of a daughter of a wealthy San Francisco matron.

Laura Cunningham was brutally slain, and her lover is in prison for the crime. Anna has been tasked with finding Laura’s personal belongings, especially a manuscript that may not even exist, but as the detective learns more about Laura, her family, and her former lover, she realizes that everything is not always as it seems and she expands her investigation. Anna’s life becomes endangered as she exposes more clues to the complex story of Laura’s life. The danger Anna unearths becomes a very real threat to her own life as she becomes entangled. Working her way through the hazards proves difficult as Anna carries the heartache of her absent lover, Mido, and wonders if they two are really meant to be together at all.

Steck reveals a fascinating thought process in the topics that she chooses to examine in Laura’s War, as in her previous work. The main character takes on more dimension in this second installment. Anna reveals herself to be a bit of an imp, in spite of her often more serious side. Mido is interestingly remote, causing Anna much angst. Laura’s War will give the reader pause, as well as a thrilling read, while trying to figure out the clues to this absorbing story.
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Reviewed by Anna Furtado

Title: The Candidate Author: Tracey Richardson ISBN: 9781594931338 Publisher: Bella Books Available From: StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz; and Bella Books, www.bellabooks.com Price: $13.95 - Pages: 256 Genre: Romance

Jane Kincaid has her sights on the White House and she’s taking America by storm. Alex Warner, a member of the Secret Service, is assigned to the dynamic and beautiful frontrunner. Their first meeting is tentative as they feel each other out. Alex just wants to do her job well, but Jane doesn’t want to be stifled in her attempts to be close to the people during her campaign.

As Jane and Alex come to know one another better, they are drawn together. Jane considers Alex a friend and confidant, but Alex has no illusions about her feelings for Jane. She is attracted to her—and begins to question her effectiveness in protecting Jane once she realizes that she’s losing her objectivity.

The attraction grows between the two women, causing Jane to be conflicted about her true feelings for Alex. The campaign becomes a convenient escape as Jane continues to garner support and votes as she steamrolls toward Washington’s highest office. The campaign trail is taxing, but the feelings she has for Alex take an even bigger toll on Jane.

The two women struggle to find their place in one another’s lives until, finally, each is confronted with a crisis that makes them realize that what’s best for the object of their affection is not always the path that they would choose for themselves. In a dramatic turn, the women find their hearts leading them where neither could have imagined.

Richardson has given us a fascinating look at a Presidential campaign and what it might be like if a charismatic, vibrant woman who was open to a relationship with another woman were to run for that office. It was especially interesting to read this work during the early Presidential primaries. The Candidate is Richardson’s first offering with Bella Books, after a hiatus from previously written works that were published with Naiad in the 1990s. The main characters in The Candidate are strong, compelling women and their story does not disappoint.
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Reviewed by Anna Furtado

Title: The Walking Man Autor: Constance O. Irvin ISBN: 9780595434060 Publisher: iUniverse Available at: iUniverse.com; Amazon.com Price: $13.95 - Pages: 173 Genre: Fiction

Constance Irvin's second novel delivers a strong story of a different time and place. Most of the tale is told in flashback as Maggie Green returns to her hometown fifty years later to confront an episode from her childhood and fulfill a promise she made then.

Maggie is living a rather idyllic life in a small town in Alabama in the 1950's. Days are happily spent roaming the town with her friends, stopping in the local store to buy penny candy, and discovering adventure in the surrounding countryside. One of those adventures however leads to the murder of Angel, the little girl that Maggie loves without understanding what her feelings mean. When Maggie lies about what the children were doing that day, she unleashes a period of turmoil and danger in the town.

The frustration of the adults is vented against the "odd" characters, the Walking Man and Maggie's friend Mozell, the old Negro woman who lives on the outskirts of the town, as prejudice and racism are unleashed. As Maggie tries to find a way to reveal what she knows without getting her friends in trouble, the life of the town is changed and takes on a sinister nature. When the truth finally comes out, Maggie finds her own life threatened by a source she never suspected. Though she obviously survives to tell her story, her life and the town are changed forever.

The feel of this book is reminiscent of the works of Harper Lee and Carson McCullers. The reader is transported to a time in Southern history when small town life was lazy and comfortable. There was an uneasy accommodation between the races made possible by everyone "knowing their places." Civil rights had not become an issue yet; all women, white and black, were known as Miss Maggie or Miss Mozell, regardless of age; and men kept their war stories to themselves and focused on supporting their families.

Soda came in bottles that required an opener and laundry had to be hung on the line outside to dry. (There is a delightful passage that will sound very familiar to women of a certain age where Maggie explains the system her mother made her learn.) Women baked every day, men chewed tobacco, and children felt safe to run free for hours without their parents worrying about what could be happening to them. Unique characters existed in abundance and usually were tolerated by people who knew the secret stories of what made them "strange."

The setting of the story strikes a chord deep inside and draws the reader into the tale even more than the characters do. Tomboy Maggie is so vividly painted that it's easy to picture her strolling down the street with her pigtails, blue jeans and trusty Daisy BB gun, using fence posts and trees for target practice. Irvin tells a simple story, but one that is difficult to put down before it's finished.

The Walking Man is not a typical lesbian novel, although it is written by a lesbian and a lesbian character does appear in the book. What it is, is a good book that should not be missed.
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Reviewed by Lynne Pierce

Title: The Lonely Hearts Club Author: Radclyffe ISBN-10: 1-60282-005-8 - ISBN-13: 978-1-60282-005-0 Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, Inc. Available From: StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz; Bold Strokes Books, www.boldstrokesbooks.com Price: $15.95 - Pages: 275 Genre: Romance

It is a pleasure reading unconventional and inventive romances. With Radclyffe's newest, The Lonely Hearts Club, this reader was quickly absorbed in the characters' lives, their bonds of friendship as well as their individual explorations of love. I did not want this thoroughly enjoyable and titillating book to end.

The novel presents an ensemble of characters with complicated histories and varied personalities while focusing on the lives of three friends. Liz finds herself pregnant and newly single at 35. Bren is a popular romance author, but because she uses a pseudonym, her friends aren't privy to that. Candace is a playgirl and is increasingly unhappy with her conquests. Reilly and Parker add to this sparkling cast as Liz and Candace's new love interests. These are everyday down to earth women whom I found fascinating. The characters have depth and real lives with real problems. The heart of the story centers on the friendship of the three. Their strong bonds of friendship help them to weather the storms that they face. Their complex dynamics with each other, and the trials and tribulations of each, kept me riveted to the pages. The blending of their individual forays into romance, and that elusive quest for the perfect mate, rounded out the book.

Radclyffe elevates her storytelling with The Lonely Hearts Club giving us a challenging, intense, and highly emotional novel while remaining true to one of her common themes—redemption through love. The book is easy to read and follows the multiple plots and romances with transparency. The author has stretched her craft and talent and successfully told the story from a unique perspective while building anticipation along the way. She does all of the hard work for us, and we just sit back and delight in this tale.

Throughout the book there were many wonderful surprises for the reader, including some highly erotic sex scenes perfectly positioned. I never knew what would come next or how The Lonely Hearts Club would end. It was not the typical romantic ending, and that made for a most satisfying read. Kudos to Radclyffe for giving her readers a different kind of romance.
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Reviewed by Kathi Isserman

Title: The Lonely Hearts Club Author: Radclyffe ISBN-10: 1-60282-005-8 - ISBN-13: 978-1-60282-005-0 Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, Inc. Available From: StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz; and Bold Strokes Books, www.boldstrokesbooks.com Price: $15.95 - Pages: 275 Genre: Romance

The Lonely Hearts Club is an ensemble piece that follows the lives of three women. Liz, Candace, and Brenda are friends from their days in college. Now in their thirties, the women still meet for lunch once a week to share their joys and troubles, and to give each other love, friendship and support. Radclyffe has drawn her characters with such skill that their strengths, and their weaknesses, enable each to succeed.

Liz Ramsey is a successful attorney who defends a hospital against malpractice suits.. A strong, confident woman, Liz is still somewhat alarmed to find out she's pregnant at the same time that she learns her lover has left her for someone else.

Candace Lory is a high-powered commodities trader who makes it a point to never sleep with the same woman twice. She enjoys the risks she takes in both her professional and personal life.

Brenda Beal lives her life through books. She is a solid rock for both Liz and Candace and seems to live vicariously through them.

The lives of the women change when Liz literally runs into a surgeon at the hospital. Reilly Danvers, tall, dark and handsome, is recovering from the death of her partner. A jock, she invites Liz to watch her play softball. At the game, Liz, Candace, and Brenda meet a field full of athletic, attractive women.

Radclyffe tells the story through each woman, and as the plot twists and turns, the reader is able to see the women open themselves to new possibilities. The plot of The Lonely Hearts Club is as carefully woven as a fine piece of cloth and comes together to a satisfying conclusion.
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Reviewed by RLynne

Title: Venus Besieged Author: Andrews & Austin ISBN-10: 1-60282-004-X Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Available From: StarCrossed Productions, www.SCP-inc.biz; and Bold Strokes Books, www.boldstrokesbooks.com Price: $15.95 - Pages: 224 Genre: Mystery

"People will try to steal women's power." Those ominous words set the stage for Andrews & Austin's third Richfield and Rivers mystery. Set in Sedona, Arizona, surrounded by gorgeous red rocks and mystical vortexes, Venus Besieged skillfully weaves the beliefs of Native Americans with astrology, creating an exciting read. Teague and Callie are supposed to be having a romantic weekend at a cabin in Oak Creek Canyon. Their passionate reunion is interrupted by a shaman from Callie's past, and Barrett Silvers from Teague's present.

Shape-shifting spirits besiege them, a friend is kidnapped, and a scurrilous politician tries to build a shopping center on sacred land, as Callie and Teague try to discover who is killing Native American women. As always, Andrews and Austin have included hilarious dialogue and situations that keep their readers laughing even as they are turning the pages to see what happens next. With well-drawn characters, a tight plot, and a lovable basset, Venus Besieged is another great read.
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Reviewed by RLynne