likes the changes. Inevitably, the former
ne’er-do-well Edward must reveal the
truth to Julia; quite realistically, she is
appalled and saddened to realize her
actual husband has died. Edward’s deception creates several barriers to happiness,
and once he and Julia realize they’d like to
continue being spouses, they must overcome an ancient English law that forbids
relatives by marriage to marry each other.
Readers will eagerly follow Edward and
Julia’s pursuit of an unusual happy ending.
Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (May)
Alpha Wolf Need Not Apply
Terry Spear. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $7.99
mass market (352p) ISBN 978-1-4926-2186-7
The Silver Town Wolf series, spun off
from Spear’s long-running Heart of the
Wolf books (A Silver Wolf Christmas),
kicks off with this anemic paranormal
romance. With two alpha werewolves in
the lead roles—park ranger Eric Silver
and forester Pepper Grayling—why is
their courtship so low-key and ultimately
disappointing? Pack leader Pepper isn’t
satisfied with her dispassionate first
mating with a beta (who then gets himself killed, conveniently for the later
romance plot). She knows a fellow alpha
would be a more interesting and exciting
mate, but also a threat to her authority.
Eric is eager to involve himself in
Pepper’s life, but he woos her subtly to
avoid scaring her off. By convincing her
that he’s strong enough to be her mate,
yet not so strong that he’ll overpower her,
he nearly eliminates the animalistic sexuality that readers have come to expect in
shape-shifter romances. Instead, the
action focuses on weed-growing werewolves using San Isabel National Forest
in Colorado as their base of operation, and
the machinations of a dangerous pack
leader attempting to win Pepper as his
mate. (May)
Every Bride Has Her Day
Lynnette Austin. Sourcebooks Casablanca,
$7.99 mass market (416p) ISBN 978-1-4926-
1800-3
Austin’s engaging second Magnolia
Brides contemporary (after The Best Laid
Wedding Plans) brings a Yankee into the
heart of the South. N. Y.C. detective Sam
DeLuca rides his Harley into Misty
Bottoms, Ga., to claim the neglected
house he inherited from his aunt.
Wounded both mentally and physically
by the betrayal of a woman, Sam needs a
place to heal, and where better than the
small town where he spent boyhood sum-
mers? He feels like he’s being watched,
and his city instincts scream danger, but
across the country road, trusting Cricket,
the new owner of the flower shop in town,
doesn’t even lock her doors. Sparks fly
when the two meet, and the attraction
increases as Sam, claiming he’ll only stay
long enough to fix up his old house, gets
sucked into Southern life via an old man,
an abandoned dog, and a juvenile delin-
quent. The charming side of small-town
living and some creative flower-arrange-
ment tips make this sweet romance a
delightful read. Agent: Nicole Resciniti,
Seymour Agency. (May)
Built to Last
Aurora Rey. Bold Strokes, $16.95 trade paper
(264p) ISBN 978-1-62639-552-7
Rey’s frothy contemporary romance
brings two women together to restore an
ancient farmhouse in Ithaca, N. Y. The
dilapidated house is perfect for trans-
planted Southerner Olivia Bennett, who’s
now a tenure-track English professor at
Cornell University. She just needs to hire
a local contractor to fix it up. When Joss
Bauer of Bauer and Sons Construction
answers the call, she instinctively appreci-
ates Olivia’s vision for the old place. Even
though they can both see the home’s
potential, they don’t really appear able
to see each other.
In fact, when
they first meet,
Joss totally misreads Olivia and
tries to set her
up with Joss’s
brother Ben.
That’s just the
first of several
misunder-
standings that
threaten to derail the women’s mutual
attraction. Tension mounts as Olivia’s
colleagues and her snobbish family collide
with Joss’s down-home demeanor. But
the women totally click in bed, as well as
when they’re poring over paint chips, and
readers will enjoy finding out whether
love conquers all. (Apr.)
; ’Til Death Do Us Part
Amanda Quick. Berkley, $27 (352p) ISBN 978-
0-399-17446-9
Quick’s ambitious Victorian historical
mixes witty, occasionally self-referential
banter with gothic undertones and a solid
; The Obsession
Nora Roberts. Berkley, $28 (464p) ISBN 978-0-399-17516-9
Romance queen Roberts entices readers with a winning tale in which a woman tries to embrace love even as horrific events of her past threaten her happiness. Naomi Bowes was just a young girl living in West
Virginia when she discovered a cellar where her father was
keeping his latest rape victim. After helping the victim
escape and getting the police involved, Naomi and her
mother and brother try to go on with their lives, though
it’s a constant struggle. The past seems to constantly
encroach on Naomi’s life, even though she changes her
name and lives with her uncle and his husband. Years later, Naomi is a successful
photographer who finds solace in the small town of Sunrise Cove, Wash., where
she buys an old house and works on remodeling it. She also finds unexpected love
with local mechanic Xander Keaton. As she lets him into her heart, her world is
shattered by a series of gory murders. Roberts has an unparalleled ability to paint
a picture with words—readers will easily picture Naomi’s photographic art and
her rambling home with its beautiful view—and the story is expertly executed.
Sizzling romance, affable characters, and enticing suspense make this a read to be
savored. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Apr.)