Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
Delacorte Press | ISBN # 0-385-33811-2

Mary Balogh is right up there in my top 5 favorite authors list. I'll read anything she's written, even if it's only her grocery list because she's that good. Her forte is historical romance set in the Regency period of England. She is unparalleled in character development and internal conflict and I'm in the quest presently to purchase and read every book she's ever written. She has yet to disappoint me.

Her last series--the Bedwyn family saga--recently concluded with Slightly Dangerous--Wulfric's story. He is the family patriarch who has appeared in all the other "Slightly" books of the series who seems cold and impenetrable, but deeply loves his siblings at all costs--including the pursuit of his own happiness.

But in Slightly Dangerous--he's finally met his match, and it's definitely not the woman either he--or the reader--would ever have suspected. Ultimately, though, we all realize that nobody could be more perfect.

Beautifully written and expertly crafted, Mary Balogh does it again. Don't miss this book! It should still be available in hardback, but the paperback edition was released in March 2005. Next on my plate is her newest hardcover, Simply Unforgettable, the first in a new series and available in April 2005. Look for a review here soon!

Losing the Moon by Patti Callahan Henry
NAL/Accent ISBN# 0-451-21195-2

This is Patti's first book and what a treat it was to read it! The writing and emotions are evocative--you will feel as if you have known the characters all your life.

The main character, Amy Reynolds, is surprised to find that her college-aged son's new girlfriend is the daughter of the man who had once captivated her heart and soul almost twenty years before--and then inexplicably disappeared. His re-emergence into Amy's world tilts it on its axis, making her question everything she's always thought to be true.

I am already looking forward to Patti's next book, Where the River Runs, which will be released in May 2005.

Silent Lies by M.L. Malcolm
Longstreet Press ISBN# 1-56352-750-2
May 2005

I had the pleasure of reading this book before its publication and all I can say is, "Wow!"

Remember the generational sagas written in the 70's and 80's from Susan Howatch and Taylor Caldwell to name just two? I couldn't get enough of them. Unfortunately, over the years less and less of this type of fiction has been published and I know that I'm not the only one who has missed them.

Now, finally, I'm hoping that M. L. Malcolm is on the brink of their re-birth. The book opens in the early 1900's in Hungary where we are introduced to the young Leopold, a poor Jewish boy who has am amazing ability with languages. Through circumstance and choice, Leopold rises above his birth and finds himself mixing with Hungarian high society. Then comes World War I and his life changes again.

The book takes the reader through four decades of war, upheaval, romance and intrigue. At the end of the novel, we leave Leopold in the United States as the country is on the brink of entering WWII. I truly did not want this book to end. I have it on good authority that the author is working on a sequel and I know that I will not be the only reader clamoring to get my hands on it to find out what happens next in this "brilliantly researched and beautifully written" book.

Check back for more book faves--I always have a pile on my bed stand and I love to talk about books almost as much as I love to write them!

- Great young adult reads

	The Last Silk Dress by Ann Rinaldi - Young Adult ( Historical Fiction) Susan Chilmark wants to do something to help the Confederates, but she finds out it's harder than she thought. She meets her scandalous brother and learns why he was thrown out from her family and forces her to rethink about her family and tests her courage. ( I'm writing this based on the back cover, but I'm not plagiarizing anything.)
	Dreadful Sorry by Kathryn Reiss - Young Adult (Time Travel) Molly has been terrified of the water ever since she was little. Accidentally, she almost drowns at a pool party, so she goes off to live with her dad. Suddenly she finds strange attachments to herself to a girl in the past. Molly is plagued by visions that she feels she can remember, visions that happened long ago in the past.
	The Fifth of March : A Story of the Boston Massacre by Ann Rinaldi (Historical Fiction) Rachel Marsh is a servant for John Adams and his family in 1770. Her loyalty must be split when she becomes friends with British private Matthew Kilroy, a man with not the best reputation. Rachel becomes scared when she finds out Matthew was accused of firing upon a mob in Boston, which became known as the Boston Massacre.
	How Not To Spend Your Senior Year by Cameron Dokey (Teen Romantic Comedy) Jo O'Connor has moved from house to house, state to state, her whole life. Jo gets suspicious when her dad tells her they have to move right now in the middle of the night. But before they move, she wants to visit her school one more time to say goodbye. Now she has to pretend she isn't her. She'll have to talk, act, and be different.