This 2009 Howard got a B+ from us. It’s steamy.

If there’s a setting more romantic than a savage steamy jungle, I haven’t found it. Anyone who’s fantasized about being alone in the wilderness with Indiana Jones will be lost in this tale before you can say “malaria vaccine.” In the market for a Road Romance? Look no further.

The story begins with Grant Sullivan, retired military expert and reluctant hero, crouching in the brush of a Costa Rican jungle as he watches Jane Hamilton Greer, whose father has hired Grant to get her safely back to the States. An unsavory fellow called Tupelo, who believes Jane knows the location of some top-secret microfilm, is holding her hostage. Grant becomes annoyed when he sees the so-called “hostage” sunning herself in her captor’s back yard as if it were Club Med. He assumes she’s a shallow, empty-headed debutante. When we get inside Jane’s head, however, we discover it’s a front; she has escape plans of her own. Grant’s late-night rescue attempt leads to a tussle that gets ugly when Jane plants her knee in a place most likely to leave a lasting impression.

In response, Grant gags her, binds her, and throws her over his shoulder. Needless to say, they don’t like each other at this point, but Grant has a job to do and Jane knows she needs him to survive. Soon Grant comes to appreciate her determination, her stash of nifty supplies, and her body. Jane is impressed with Grant’s competence, his ability to keep cool under pressure, and his body….

Midnight Rainbow is a fast-paced escapist romp, with likable characters and a few surprises thrown in. It’s a great way to while away afternoon if you can handle some mild violence and a shiver-inducing snake encounter. Just be sure to sit near a fan and stay hydrated.

It’s on sale at Amazon here for 0.99

Jackie Ashenden, like Howard, writes alpha heroes. This one is a winner.

Zane Redmond is on leave from his position as an army sniper. He’s returned home, to his brothers Rush and Quinn and their Lone Star bounty hunter business.  It’s not a place he’s particularly keen on being. But since their father’s death, Quinn and Rush have been determined to keep the business going and they want Zane to help for at least a short time while he’s home. It’s a bittersweet reunion, as all three of the brothers have changed over the last several years. Still family loyalty is what makes Zane agree to take the latest case in Quinn’s hands, the return of one Iris Callahan, bail jumper, to the police. She’s been tracked to a bar near them, and Zane’s top priority is to complete the mission and get back to the army as fast as he can.

Iris‘s poor decision making has landed her in a bucket of hot water. Her boyfriend at the trailer park where she was living convinced her to do some deliveries of unnamed products to earn extra money. Believing he’d got her back, Iris soon found herself arrested for being a drug mule.  She jumped bail and is now being sought after by the drug cartel – who wants to know what secrets she spilled – and the police, and is, as a result, on a bounty hunter watch list. When Zane and one of the drug cartel’s heavies find her at the same time, Zane ends up as her rescuer. He knows that returning her to jail is a death sentence as the cartel will easily find her, and his instinct to protect her outweighs everything else. But neither can deny the searing sexual attraction that exists between them. Though Iris is willing to give Zane her body in return for his protection (after all, she’s lived through worse), Zane’s sense of honour won’t let him accept her offer without her full trust. And once given, there is no going back. With the drug cartel on Iris’s tail, and family loyalty put to the test, will Zane find a way to protect them all and give himself and Iris a shot at a happier ending?

It’s on sale for 2.99 here.

Yes, I know, this book was on sale earlier this year. But if you didn’t pick it up then, here’s another chance. It is worth it!

Emery Blackwood and August Salt were born on the island thirty-two years ago. August fled Saoirse fourteen years ago after being accused of murdering Lily Morgan, Emery’s best friend. Now, August is back and the mystery of what happened that long ago night and the secrets the town has hidden have returned as well.

Adrienne Young’s Spells for Forgetting is the first adult novel by this best selling YA author. It’s a book I started at eight pm and read straight through until the wee hours. A story of true love, powerful women, unstable magic, and betrayal–it held my attention in a way almost no other book has this year.

Emery Blackwood was born into a family of witches all of whom have lived and died on Saoirse Island. The island is a place alive with literal magic. Emery runs her family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings, where she makes infusions for the tourists who flock to the island for its famous apples and its mystical brews….

As for the seemingly cursed lovers, well, Emery and August’s story is the best sort of second chance, slow burn romance. They are, in the way of many a magical tale, destined to be together and whether that’s a tragedy or a gift, well, you’ll have to read the book to know. Spells for Forgetting is one of my favorite books of the year. It’s a DIK from me.

It’s on sale at Amazon for 2.99 here.

Readers love this more than our reviewer did. It’s a 4.4 rated book at Amazon.

Kristen Peterson doesn’t do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don’t get her. She’s also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.

Planning her best friend’s wedding is bittersweet for Kristen — especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He’s funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he’d be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it’s harder and harder to keep him at arm’s length.

It’s on sale at Amazon for 1.99 here.

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