“Holiday Affair” by Annie Seaton (contemporary, Entangled, March 2012, $2.99, 119pp)

Summary:
Staid professor Lissy McIntyre believes that choosing a mate should be based on common sense, not runaway passion. And she would certainly never pick a rolling stone like Nick Richards for long-term love. But a red-hot, tropical romance? Oh, yeah. He’s got a body just made for sinning and his sizzling kisses leave her senseless.

When Nick blows into town, he’s stunned to discover that his no-nonsense new neighbor and co-worker is the same sultry creature he seduced for one night of forbidden island pleasure. He’s unaccustomed to staying in one place for long, but he just can’t seem to keep his hands off the multi-faceted woman. Will Nick break loyal Lissy’s heart or will she be the one woman he simply can’t walk away from?

“Hannah’s Joy” by Marta Perry (Amish, contemporary, Berkley, May 2012, $15.00, 336pp)

Series: Pleasant Valley

1. “Leah’s Choice”
2. “Rachel’s Garden”
3. “Anna’s Return”
4. “Sarah’s Gift”
5. “Katie’s Way”

“Karma” by Carly Phillips (contemporary, Berkley, May 2012, $7.99, 304 pp)

Series: Serendipity Series

1. “Serendipity” – Faith Harrington & Ethan Barron
2. “Kismet” – Ellisabetta Gardelli & Trevor Dane (ebook only novella)
3. “Destiny” – Nash Barron & Kelly Moss
4. “Karma” – Dare Barron & Liza McKnight

“The Fireman Who Loved Me” by Jennifer Bernard  (contemporary, Avon Impulse, May 2012, $5.99, 384pp)

Series: Bachelor Fireman of San Gabriel

1. “The Fireman Who Loved Me” – Melissa & Harry
2. “Hot for Fireman” – Katie & Ryan (releases on May 29, 2012)

Summary: 
After a failed romance Melissa leaves a high profile job in LA to move back with her grandmother. Her grandmother drags her to a bachelor fireman auction where Melissa is mortified to learn her relative has won her a date with fireman Ryan Blake. Melissa only dates artists or intellectuals. Meanwhile, Ryan is horrified to go on a day with an "old lady" and begs his boss Harry Brody to go on the date instead.  Although, not her type, according to Melissa, the two immediately hit it off and the remainder of the book is a fun and sexy story as the two deal with family, co-workers and other situations to finally get together.

“About That Night” by Julie James (contemporary, Berkley, April 2012, $7.99, 304pp)

Series: FBI/US Attorney Series

1. “Something About You” – Cameron Lynde & Jack Pallas
2. “A lot Like Love” – Jordan Rhodes & Nick McCall
3. “About That Night” – Kyle Rhodes & Rylann Pierce

“Barefoot Season” by Susan Mallery (contemporary, women’s fiction, Mira, March 2012, $14.95, 368pp)

Summary:
Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person she wants to see.

Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn’s cheerful veneer.

Single mother Carly has weathered rumors, lies and secrets for a lifetime, and is finally starting to move forward with love and life. But if the Blackberry Island Inn goes under, Carly and her daughter will go with it.

To save their livelihoods, Carly and Michelle will undertake a turbulent truce. It’ll take more than a successful season to move beyond their devastating past, but with a little luck and a beautiful summer, they may just rediscover the friendship of a lifetime.  

“Still Hot for You” by Diane Escalera (contemporary, Lyrical Press, March 2012, $3.99, 23,000 words)

Summary:
Want to get your man talking? Give him booty!

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And Shay LaCosta is pretty desperate. She's wrecked her blissful marriage of five years by demanding she and her husband Dylan have a baby. What the hell was she thinking? She knows she was wrong and she's ready to set things right, if only Dylan will let her. Bet he can't shun her Booty Camp offer: delicious, white-hot sex in exchange for what's going on inside his brain.

Dylan may be macho and stubborn, but he really does miss his wife. A little of Shay's pushing gets him past their estrangement and into her web of seduction. She seems to have an erotic week mapped out to perfection, and who is he to complain? Their marriage is meant to be, so they'll fight with each other, and they'll fight for each other.

“The Bro-Magnet” by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (contemporary, TKA Distribution, December 2011, $4.99, 757kb): This is one of those books that generated a great deal of buzz online – much of it positive. I admit I was intrigued. After all, this story is told entirely from the male perspective. It sounded different, and I love to check out books that are different. They might not always works so well, but they are often entertaining. And boy, this book is entertaining. It is funny, charming and odd, and it has much to say about the differences between men and women.

Johnny Smith is a guy that men love and that women don’t. He loves sports, is a fan of old cars, often makes stupid decisions, is a house painter and has never had a serious relationship with a woman. Now in his thirties, he has been a best man countless times as his male friends keep finding love, but is still alone. Johnny wants nothing more than to find someone to love, despite the fact that he believes it is unlikely that he will. After all, ever since he killed his mother (according to his aunt) shortly after his birth, women have had very little use for him.

“Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman” by JB Lynn (contemporary, Avon Impulse, February 2012, $7.99, 400pp)

For those who might be looking for some levity to balance out the craziness of life, “Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman” by JB Lynn might be just the thing. Think Stephanie Plum (from Janet Evanovich’s Plum series), Charley Davidson (from Darynda Jones’ books) and Mrs. Smith (character played by Angelina Jolie in the movie, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”) rolled up into the hilarious Maggie Lee who will have readers wondering if their friends might be moonlighting as bumbling hitmen and hitwomen. Be prepared to laugh, to shake your head in amazement and to root for this killer in training.

“Scrumptious” by Amanda Usen (contemporary, Sourcebooks, January 2012, $6.99, 320pp)

Do you ever wonder why you choose to read a book? I was looking for a paper book to read last week, and I saw this on my To Be Read shelf. Because it was an ARC from Sourcebooks, I know that I requested it. I found that a bit odd because this isn’t the type of book that would normally catch my eye – and because it is a book about food and chefs. I’m so not a foodie. I mean when my husband wants to make me happy, he takes me to McDonalds. I kid you not. I crave McDonalds’ hamburgers. Regardless of such low-brow food tastes, I did decide to give this one a chance. And I’m so glad that I did. Usen seamlessly blends raw emotion, humor, and sexual tension into one superbly enticing package.