Spies Don't Fall For Their Neighbors by Meg Easton

 How can a cozy-sounding town like Cipher Springs contain a company of spies and a plumber that need each other?  

Charlie typically spends her day at her computer directing spy operatives out of dangerous positions as they attempt to take out the illegal activities of criminals.  At night, she relaxes with a shower and a dinner with her BFF roommate.  The night her relaxation is interrupted with a wet floor and water spouting out of the wall of her townhome, she is forced to confront her new neighbor, Owen.

The wall in question is also Owen's wall of his temporary townhome.  It doesn't matter that Owen is a totally hot and maybe available man, but it does matter that he's a plumber and is proficient in construction.  

Forced into approaching Owen, Charlie confronts him about the leak in the shared wall.  

The first sparks fly when the wall needs to be taken out to expose and fix the leak.  Now, except for a plastic wall, they share a home.  

Getting to know each other and to diminish the uncomfortable closeness, Charlie leaves Owen small treats, notes, and gifts.  He reciprocates, which allows them to learn fun things about one another.  

Owen plans to be in town only until a historical building makeover is complete, so a relationship isn't welcome.  Charlie has a well-hidden job making it possibly dangerous to allow romance into her life.  The plumbing dilemma may change their minds.    

When the owner of the building Owen is working on appears on Charlie's work radar, things get complicated and their relationship gets closer.  We can only hope the closeness is amicable and tender feelings result versus it exploding like a leaky pipe.  

Happy reading,

Dawn

Make Me Shiver by Heather Slade

 There are still dukes and duchesses, spies, and assassins in the current world.

The Duke of Wells, nicknamed Shiver, is in line to move up when his ailing father dies.  Intelligent and iconically good looking, he has a problem that keeps him on his toes other than running a county in the near future.  His problem comes in the female form with a lot of metaphorical fires to put out.  

Losha is her name.  The rest about her is unimaginable such as she is a former Russian assassin on the run with her baby.  Once the property of Russia, it's impossible to divorce yourself from the government's grip.  She has a bounty on her head and only a few people she can trust to help her escape.  

With a large team to help him find Losha, Shiver will not stop his search and believes he can save her and the baby, no matter who the father is.  

Their past, filled with intensity and lust and love, does not allow Losha to give in to Shiver.  It's a path of deception, killing, and hiding until a romance may have a chance if the heart wins on both sides of the game.

Happy reading,

Dawn

The Unsung Hero

     Pirates and scoundrels and rakes, oh my! Cowboys and Highlanders and Dukes. Let’s not forget spies and corporate raiders, doctors, lawyers and military men. Lawmen and thieves, too. These are the heroes who populate the novels we love. And admittedly, we fall in love with each one as we read their stories.

           

     Why wouldn’t we? Indeed, how can we not? Each and every one has something to offer. Excitement and daring. A chance for redemption or forgiveness. The promise of love, eternal and everlasting.

           

     How many times have you been lost in the pages of a romance and fallen in love with the wounded Duke, the one who, despite it all, falls in love with the heroine, no matter how hard he fights it? Or the Highlander, bound by duty, who falls for the spirited daughter of the rival clan’s laird? Or the lawman, sworn to uphold the law, who can’t help loving the woman who breaks those laws.

           

     Even lonesome cowboys have their code of honor. I admit, I have a certain weakness for cowboys. This weakness dates back to my younger years when I saw my first John Wayne movie, but then again, I have a weakness for debonair spies (James Bond, anyone?) and men in uniform. Oh, and let’s not forget sea captains….I have a weakness for them too, but what about the unsung heroes? The men whose stories aren’t told in the pages of a book? The men who work hard every day and come home, kiss their wives and read bedtime stories to their daughters? Or play catch with their sons? He may not be an Earl. He may not be rich as Midas, but he’s still a hero. At least in my eyes.

           

 So who’s your favorite? And aren’t you glad you don’t have to choose?

As always, happy reading!

Marie