Janet Evanovich - The Rocky Road to Romance (1991)

This is the fourth book in the Elsie Hawkins series and another wacky high-spirited romance from Evanovich.

When WZZZ's usual traffic reporter breaks his leg Daisy Adams, from the station's dog trivia and recipes slot, offers to fill in until he can return to work. Station owner, Steve Crow, would like to turn her down, but it's love at first sight and all he can think of is how to keep Daisy in his life.

This book is part of the Elsie Hawkins series, but like the others, Elsie plays a bit part. In this book she comes in as security guard to protect Daisy from a drug pedler she accidentally caught. In all the books Elsie carries a big gun, is a terrible shot and reminds me a lot of the character Grandma Mazur from the Plum series. I'm qite fond of Elsie and I'd really like an 'Elsie' in my life.

This is another fluffy light romance from Evanovich's early books. It's more for when your mind is tired & just needs a fairy-floss distraction. It's not the kind of book that will have you puzzling over anything or leave you wondering at the end.

Janet Evanovich - Foul Play (1989)

This is one of the first books written by Evanovich and it was re-printed recently, along with a handful of others, that she says disappeared from print as soon as they came out. It's interesting to read an early Evanovich, you can see the character development. There are character names and aspects of personalities that start in these early books and are fleshed out for her Stephanie Plum series.

Amy Klasse is fired from her children's TV show job and replaced by a big breasted woman with a dancing chicken. Incensed, she rampages her way through a supermarket and runs into veterinarian Jake Elliott. Jake takes pity on her and gives Amy a job as his receptionist. Unfortunately, the chicken disappears and Amy is suspect number one in this wacky romantic adventure.

It's an okay book. It's a nice bit of fluff for the end of a tiring day when you just want a light crazy-romance-comedy-adventure with a happy ending.

Lisa Shearin - The Dragon Conspiracy (2015)

This is the second book in the SPI Files series.

They're the Supernatural Protection and Investigations Agency. They try to stop what roams in the night from eating you. In this book they have to find a cluster of diamond eggs, stolen by Harpies, that can cause complete chaos in the supernatural community. Mostly by unmasking supernaturals, removing their glamour and exposing them to the world. In a city as big as New York with a large supernatural community, that's a lot of rioting, burning torches and pitchforks once the humans learn what lives alongside them.

Once more it's down to the human seer Makenna and her human partner Ian to solve the mystery and save New York - with the help of the SPI team. I really love these books. There's nothing Shearin has written that I haven't loved. Shearin is a fantastic writer, her characters are so evolved you feel sad even when a walk-through character dies. This book was a fun ride, I was sad when it was over. I like the way the characters and the stories are developing. I cannot wait for book three - although I hope it has better cover art.

Jennifer Archer - The Shadow Girl (2013)

Lily Winston has a voice in her head - it belongs to Iris. They've been together forever and now Iris is pushing Lily to find out the truth about their past. To solve the mystery of why they exist and how Lily can remember things that Iris did before she was ever born. Is Iris a ghost? Is Lily possessed?

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, so I can't really explain more than that. It was an interesting book and it raised a lot of questions in my mind. Mostly about whether souls exist or the mind just creates a personality? Also, is who we are a part of every cell in our body? What does this mean for organ transplants? The concept of the book is a worrying pit of questions without answers, but it's a future we're rapidly moving towards.

Ellery Adams - Peach Pies and Alibis (2013)

This is book two in the Charmed Pie Shoppe mystery series.

American writers really do love to "Americanise" the Arthurian myth. In this series the LeFaye women are direct descendants of the good Morgan LeFay, and their nasty counter-parts are from Queen Guinevere. Perhaps America is a mirror-verse of England?

Having grown up on the Arthurian myth, particularly via Susan Cooper and T.H. White, the book seemed really implausible. Why would all of the Arthurian characters ditch England for America? Particularly when one of the main aspects of the myth is how Arthur is the great hero for England's times of peril? (Although I think he missed the boat on World War II. Perhaps his supernatural alarm didn't go off?)

Anyways, ignore the myth and you do have a good book. The story is interesting, each of the LeFaye women has a specific gift. The lead character, Ella Mae, can bake pies that enchant people to do or feel what she wants them to. It borders on manipulation (or has crossed that border), but fortunately Ella Mae is a good encantress and she tries to help make people's lives better, even when she doesn't like them. This helps her solve mysteries and find murderers - although in this book Ella Mae has to do it before they all lose their powers. No pressure kid.

Janet Evanovich & Charlotte Hughes - Full House (2002)

This is the first book in the Max Holt series. It starts with the genius Max as a teenage boy on his uncle Nick's ranch. Nick is trying to run a Polo school, but Max is busy fighting inequality in society - by blowing things up. Add to the mix Max's much older and very self-involved sister Dee, who is about to enter her fourth marriage, but is crashing at Nick's home until the wedding - and driving him crazy.

So Nick does the only reasonable thing - he tricks the woman he's lusting after, Billie, into taking Dee into her home. It's an avalanche of the usual calamitous high-jinks Evanovich is infamous for until the explosive ending.

The book was okay, but I found Nick's character super-cold. Particularly near the end (SPOILER) where Billie has only been kidnapped for an hour, but he's all ready to sink into despair and assume she's dead. Umm... that's the spirit??! Apart from that it was interesting seeing a teenage Max, he's a fun character.

Lilith Saintcrow - The Iron Wyrm Affair (2012)

The Bannon & Clare series is an interesting mix of magic and steampunk. The world is very dark, but that's usual for a Saintcrow novel. Clare is the deductive of the pair - think Sherlock Holmes. Bannon, though, is no Dr. Watson. She's a powerful sorceress in the employ of the Queen. A distant and controlled woman, intent on her duty at the expense of everything, even herself.

This series is fun - and not just because there are dragons! But, seriously, DRAGONS!!! The Iron Wyrm Affair is a search for conspirators who are killing off Mentaths, the only people with the ability to locate and stop them before they achieve their aim - taking over the Empire. The dialog is a bit naff - Saintcrow is trying for Victorian mannerisms and sounding stiff and mocking. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book. I'm so glad Saintcrow has written another strong woman character who doesn't need a man, doesn't give in to men's insecurities, doesn't give a damn what men think. That's my favourite part of her books - all the strong capable women who do what has to be done, almost without emotion, because it's the only way they survive the dark worlds.