by Ellen Byerrum

This fun …wait…FUN romp through the life and times of an investigative DC FASHION reporter is a unexpected diamond. The work is enjoyable and easy. The tension cute and unpretentious. The leading lady not a diva, and not angsty. The perfect blend of reality and mayhem.

Writing: 8, characters: 9.5; plot: 8.1; conclusion: 8.5 Please read… a 8.5!

by Leslie Langtry

Part of a hilarious series including “‘Scuze Me While I Kill This Guy,” “Stand by Your Hitman” is a combination of madness, wanna be “Survivor” reality show, (Can you imagine what would happen if Canada tried to duplicate “Survivor” eh?) and the ongoing saga of Langtry’s eclectic first family of assassins, the Bombays.

Around since ancient Greece, when hell didn’t know the fury of a woman scorned, this matriarchial family of hitmen (excuse me, hitwomen…) is no Coreleone cliche’. No, think Keystone Cops, Bond style.

Hilarity and star-crossed love seeps through the zany adventures of Mississippi Bombay, mother of twin terrorists (oops!) teenage boys. Mississippi is the Bombays’ very own Q. Her mild-mannered days on her personal island are spent wrangling her active sons, doing laundry, and figuring out whether sticky wall-walkers could be used as a remote explosive device.

Interrupting her “hum-drum” life is her family’s “request” for her to take on a job. Apparently the reality TV craze is not immune from harboring the world’s most wanted terrorists. But the Bombays don’t know which contestant it is. Mississippi’s mission (should she survive it…) is to find out who the bad guy is, and eliminate him. Easy, right?

Enter Lex Danby.

…and two stowaways

…and a lecherous producer

…and a cast resembling Gilligan’s Island

Doh! 7.0

by Dakota Cassidy

This chick-lit foul-mouthed paranormal fantasy is the second of the accidental series by Dakota Cassidy. The plucky heroine is Jersey gal all the way who inadvertently, or accidentally gets made into a vampire. Mayhem and madness ensue within a well-toned book that skips from page to page with just enough “aw” factor to wow the reader.

While stereotypical of the new genre, this book has substance in character growth. HEA’s don’t come easy or emotionally cheap here. Good read.

By Annette Blair

Do you ever remember tasting Iced milk products and saying to yourself “Ew! It’s not ice cream! I’m never eating that again.”

Ha! What ends up happening? Of course, you make the same mistake again.

In the case of Gone With the Witch, this flavor of ice milk romance isn’t as bad as Sex and the Psychic Witch (as the quirky characters would say…THANK THE GODDESS) but it’s not ice cream and certainly NOT Ben and Jerry’s.

If you like cliche’d leads, simpering sexual “banter”, and cats…you might like this book. It was okay. Kind of like Full House was okay. Plenty of cutesy action, cute leads, cardboard tension, and cute wrap up with plenty of candy heart oogling and talk of marriage.

EWWWW someone fed me ice milk again. And my daughter’s friend’s dog ate the cover. It was a library book for cryin’ out loud!!!! Now I gotta buy it. *sniff*

Overall: 5.4

by Katie MacAlister

Plot twists, dastardly demon dogs with snappy one-liners, a deceivingly dubious detective story, dragons, dopplegangers, baddies and super-baddies…and set in the funny world of the Guardians led by Aisling Grey. This offshoot of the Guardian world features Gabriel, sexy wyvern of the Silver dragons, May Northcott, his destined mate with a big secret, and a host of supporting roles that make this quirky tale deliciously complex.

Warning: subtle and not so subtle humor(Demon dog Jim returns with comedic timing that will make you spew your coffee all over the page if you take a drink at the wrong time), lovely twists and turns and a heck of a story line. It is a perfect stepping stone off the beaten path and a wonderful direction to meander into while exploring the crazy worlds of Katie MacAlister. Be careful because this one will suck you in.

Overall: 8.5

by Christopher Moore

What I really enjoy about dipping my feet beyond the paranormal romance pond is the opportunity to savor phrases, passages, laugh out loud, wonder what twist comes next and step beyond formula and into the realm of true genius.

Whether Moore is a genius or a madman could be debated.

But he makes me laugh. Moreover, I stop and re-read passages for the alliterative tickles, the subtle digs, the fantastic faux pas that he litters so freely in his books. To call them mere books is almost a misnomer.

Coyote Blue features Native Americans, ditzy children of flower children, bad bikers, a trickster of a god, and a drunk uncle. Dash in a bit of Vegas and you have a truly unforgettable sordid mess that you simply feast upon because it’s like peanut butter, bananas, and potato chips. You just don’t know what it’s going to taste like, but somehow it’s excellent.

The madcap mayhem is almost tragic so I cried between belly laughs. (Mostly because I was laughing so hard…)10.

by Gemma Halliday

What is a girl to do in Hollywood? I’m giggling here. This crime and ditz story rolls along with the steamy power of a tinsel-town steel locomotive. Shoe designer (yes, someone actually does that job…) Maddie Springer can’t keep her Jimmy Choo’s out of trouble. That’s doubly bad cause she’s dating Eric Estrada-worthy hunk detective Jack Ramirez.

Damsel in distress with internet porn stars adding campy fun. Great stuff.

Overall: 7.5 Despite the typical formula, Halliday manages unique corkscrews that keep you guessing.