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Is it true? All her life she's thought that she was fun to be around, that people liked her. Was it only because she was pretty (say it — because she's got incredible breasts)? Or is Pam, tired of playing second fiddle, now playing her? All Scarlett knows is that she's never found the man she believes is out there, her One True Love. So maybe Scarlett needs to change things up.

So it's goodbye, Scarlett and hello, dowdier, schlumpier Lettie Shaw. And with her new look, new name, new home, and new job, is there a chance that Lettie-nee-Scarlett will find someone who loves her for who she is inside? Or has Scarlett's little change of face turned into the biggest mistake of her life?

Thriller scribe Sophie Katz is as hard-boiled as a woman who drinks Grande Caramel Brownie Frappuccinos can be — maybe it's from a lifetime of fielding dumb comments about her half-black, half-Jewish ethnicity. ("My sister married a Polynesian! I just love your culture!") So Sophie knows it's not paranoia, or post-divorce, living-alone-again jitters, when she becomes convinced that a crazed reader is sneaking into her apartment to reenact scenes from her books. The police, however, can't tell a good plot from an unmarked grave.

When a filmmaker friend is brutally murdered in the manner of a death scene in one of his movies, Sophie becomes convinced that a copycat killer is on the loose — and that she's the next target. If she doesn't solve the mystery, her own bestseller will spell out her doom. Cursing her imagination (why, oh, why did she have to pick the axe?), Sophie engages in some real-life gumshoe tactics. The man who swoops in to save her in dark alleys at night is mysterious new love interest Anatoly Darinsky. Of course, if this were fiction, Anatoly would be her prime suspect . . .

Stephanie Grant's first step onto the secret third floor of Chez Sophia frightens her…and strengthens her resolve. Here in New Orleans, in this luxurious world of beautiful women, wealthy men, and heady champagne, she's about to begin a perilous charade to find her missing sister. But her most reckless-and thrilling-journey will be surrendering to the spell of one man's desire.

DANGEROUS

Her guide will be Jake Broussard, the bartender and ex-cop who immediately sees through her act and becomes her ally. As his eyes and soft Cajun accent send her senses reeling, she'll find herself experiencing pleasure for the very first time in her life…and losing control. Her defenses are about to slip away with her satin gown and her lacy lingerie, baring her body and soul.

Thank you for your attention to this issue. Now on to Too Wilde to Tame.

Jennifer Crusie's beloved Anyone But You was originally released in 1996. HQN has re-released this classic title in hardcover this month. I fell madly in love with the book when I first read it, and was pleased to know that my memory didn't fail me. It is a rare romance that stands the test of time -- it is even rarer for a category romance to rise above the sheer volume of titles released every month. That so many of Jennifer Crusie's titles are remembered fondly is a testament to her skill as a writer and storyteller.

Let us review the formula of this novel: a sexually repressed widow hires a disreputable rake (as opposed, I suppose, a reputable one) to help her find her kidnapped brother. Along the way, she discovers there’s more to the rake than people realize. Also that she’s one lusty lady. They find the brother, vanquish the bad guy, fall in love, and live happily ever after.

The romance world loves a great series. Heck, I love a great series, but like so many readers, I am fickle. So few series compel me to continue to the very end (a certain man named Miles Vorkosigan excepted, and even he has his moments). The problem with all series, great and small, is that not every character should be resolved. Some should remain the mist.

In Jo Beverley’s The Rogue’s Return, Simon St. Bride, an English aristocrat in Regency Canada, is preparing to return home with evidence of thievery in the Indian Affairs group. His temper leads to a forced duel with the man he’s fingered; his actions lead to a forced marriage with Jane (Jancy) Otterburn, a recent immigrant from England. Only this Jane Otterburn isn’t the Jane Otterburn he thinks she is – rather than a poor relation of aristocracy, he ends up with the bastard daughter of a respected family.

HelenKay: Romance and serial killers - two topics one might not view as being compatible. Books about one generally don't sit on the shelves with books about the other. Sure, some authors write romantic suspense. Some write it very well. In most, the suspense centers around a crime or a murder. Some even touch on multiple murders. In Are You Afraid? you get a creepy serial killer. Scary and suspenseful - it's all in here. So is a smart and realistic romance between two wounded and lonely people.

Wendy: Bittersweet, freezer burn, front end…Christian romance? Is it another oxymoron or can a genre largely geared to titillate work god into the relationship between hero and heroine? Inspirational romance has been around too long to question the legitimacy of its existence or perhaps even ponder the necessity of mixing faith into a genre famed for its carnality. But what appeal can Inspirationals have for a readership not interested in finding a morality play intertwined with their foreplay? If Fair Warning, the latest offering from the husband and wife writing team known as Hannah Alexander, is any indication, not a lot.

I was suckered. There they were, two grown women, giggling like twelve-year old girls who’d seen their first half-naked man on a book cover, and still I walked up to them. I should have been wary – they were holding matching books and offered me one. Instead I picked up Jaid Black’s Deep, Dark, & Dangerous. It was like they’d planned for me to do that all along; the hers-and-hers books were a diversion. I said, sure, I’ll read it for review. And I did, all because they looked so sweet and innocent.

If this discussion were a television show, it would probably fall into the "Fear Factor" category: a beloved author goes off and, horrors!, collaborates with another author. Immediately, worst case scenarios fill your mind. What if her style is overwhelmed? What if the stuff I like isn't there? What if it isn't good?

We (Kassia, Wendy, and HelenKay) faced our fears and lived to write about it. When Jennifer Crusie announced that she was co-authoring a book with Bob Mayer (who is that? we all said), people wondered how it would all work out. After all, Crusie is one of those authors who doesn't need help. She's great just the way she is. And that hasn't changed. What is different became the stuff of our lengthy discussion. Which naturally does not require you to have read the book first, though if you did, we want to hear your thoughts on our thoughts.

World's shortest plot synopsis: Lucy Armstrong is brought in to direct some final (and pointless) scenes of a movie. On set is her sister (Daisy), niece (Pepper), and ex-husband (Connor Nash). Also, J.T. Wilder, stunt double and Green Beret. Things quickly get out of control, danger ensues, shadowy figures try to play puppet master, and Lucy and J.T. try to make sense of it all. There are crosses and double-crosses and possibly a triple-cross. Action and romance and alligators (Moot). It's all there.

Why is it that most books about vampires and werewolves are so deadly serious? Oh, right, deadly. All those sharp teeth, the blood-sucking, the tearing from limb-to-limb. I suppose evil beings might strike some as non-frivolous subjects. But not MaryJanice Davidson – in her newest short story collection, Dead and Loving It, she offers vampires and werewolves with humor to spare.

Housekeeping first: Dead and Loving It is a collection of three previously published short stories and one brand-spanking new story. The older stories came out in e-book format – “Santa Claws”, “Monster Love”, and “There’s No Such Thing As A Werewolf” were published by Ellora’s Cave. This little bit of knowledge explains some of the action in the sex scenes, if you know what I mean. The final story, “A Fiend In Need” is original and, apparently, highly anticipated. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

As fairy tales go, the one where the handsome prince sweeps into a small village and tells a pretty—if unassuming—young woman that she is his princess, is hard to beat. Whether the young girl is cleaning out fireplaces or just living an ordinary life, wife of royalty is a more exciting proposition. Then there is the prince himself, who in the fairy tales is always tall, dark, and handsome, and never ever has ears like dinner plates. In romances the prince (be that literal or figurative) is monstrously well endowed, with a prowess that never abates, and enough skill to coax even the most shy and reluctant future princess into multiple earth shattering orgasms. The enduring and wide spread appeal of this fairy tale is understandable. Who wouldn’t want Prince Charming? Jennifer Ashley takes on the tale and the prince in Penelope & Prince Charming and proves that the story is worth telling again.

HelenKay: Jumping into the middle of an ongoing romantic suspense series is a risky proposition. The plot is running. Backstories have been told. Many times the villian has appeared and disappeared, and it's time to find him again. The fear is in being unable to keep up or, worse, in being unable to catch up and immerse. Hide in Plain Sight avoids many of those pitfalls by keeping a tight focus on this installment of the series.

HelenKay: Loving a new author can be a dangerous thing. You hear about a book, take a risk and buy a hardcover by an unknown, enjoy the debut, recommend the book to everyone you know and sit to wait not-so-patiently for the next in the series to arrive in the bookstores. When that second book arrives, you're excited and a bit apprehensive. The worry? Book #2 may not live up to Book #1. The release of Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights carried with it that level of excitement and that twinge of danger. It is the follow-up and second in a series by new author Kyra Davis. Her first, Sex, Murder And A Double Latte, was one of those books. One hyped and highlighted in magazines and Big Newspaper reviews. Davis' first book hit the shelves with a significant amount of fanfare and excitement. Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights enjoyed a quieter release but one still highly anticipated. The good news is that Davis' second book does not disappoint.

HelenKay: Bad break-ups are nothing new in romance and chick lit novels. Loser males dump these strong, smart and vibrant women all the time. Just as often (if not more so) these strong, smart and vibrant women dump their loser male mates after finding them naked and horizontal with the Maid of Honor/woman's best friend/woman's younger sister. The action then picks up at the dump or post-dump and follows the woman as she struggles to find a new life and new love in a world seemingly filled with male losers.

A book titled Your Big Break suggests the ultimate in dumping books. In some ways, it is. It follows the life and career of Dani Myers as she navigates through a world of unwanted relationships. The difference here is that Dani plays the role of professional dumper, not dumpee.

Just in time for wedding season, Catch of the Day arrives with wedding themed novellas by Whitney Lyles, Beverly Brandt, Cathie Linz and Pamela Clare. This anthology offers readers a quick and uncomplicated dip into stories that stay tightly focused on the hero and heroine, while wading through bridal bouquets, pre-wedding jitters, extreme ceremonies, and ugly bridesmaid dresses. Like any wedding, Catch of the Day's crescendos are well planned and well carried out and conversely the low points are as painful and disastrous as a fumbled wedding cake.

It would seem romance is a genre that easily lends itself to camp. The larger-than-life heroes, the too-good-to-be-true heroines, the often overwrought storylines, and most especially the clinch covers--with the flowing locks and bare chests--are undertaken with a seriousness that belies the pulp nature of this form of entertainment. That more romances don’t come off as campy is, frankly, surprising and likely a testament to the skill of romance authors which manage to take their material seriously enough for it to be engaging and compelling; but not so serious that the material is easily ridiculous. Nina Bangs’ novel Wicked Pleasure, on the other hand, doesn’t find this balance and, despite a humorous style, falls firmly into camp.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the beauty of a good Regency romance comes from the execution. Ever since William Makepeace Thackeray made his name skewering the social structures in Vanity Fair, writers have used the Regency era to excellent comic effect...while allowing the Regency’s unique point in history to explore specific cultural issues.

While Nicole Byrd’s Seducing Lord Oliver doesn’t quite achieve the standard of Thackeray (honestly, who could?), it reminded me that nothing beats a good Regency. Sure, I think this could have been a better story, but it’s been a while since I sat down and devoured a historical romance. What Byrd lacks in plotting and story development, she enhances with energy and nuanced characterization.

When is a vampire not a vampire? When is the flu just the flu? When is an engagement not an engagement? When is a bad guy not a bad guy? And...when is it okay to get bitten by a complete stranger at a literary party?

All good questions. For that last one, the answer probably is "never" but maybe not. The other answers aren't as clear and answers are exactly what you'll want. See, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula is one of those books that raises several questions as it goes flying off in a hundred different directions. The book is hard to define in terms of romance versus paranormal versus chick lit with a twist. But, and here's the best part, it's equally hard to put down. This is due, in part, to Acosta's engaging voice and, in even bigger part, to a desire to know what the hell is happening here.

Though a Minnesota native, Betsy Taylor is the quintessential Valley Girl. Tall, blonde and leggy with a shoe fetish, she was living an ordinary life when she had a day from hell that cumulated in her dying—and rising again as Queen of the Vampires. Undead and Unreturnable is the fourth book in the series that follows the trials and tribulations of Queen Betsy as she tries to come to terms with her undead life. Though Undead and Unreturnable can stand on its own, like most series it’s better to read the books in sequence, including MaryJanice Davidson’s short stories in this universe. While Davidson does a decent job in reintroducing characters and storylines, there’s enough back story that a reader starting at Undead and Unreturnable might be a little confused on who fits where and why.

Romance and chick lit are not art forms that succeed or fail on originality. Readers and authors alike might chafe at the notion that every romance is the same, save for the hair color of the hero and heroine, and one chick lit novel is only distinguishable from another by the shade of pink on the cover, but those sentiments hold a lot of truth, even if the verbiage is meant to demean. And that truth -- that plotlines like Cinderella’s maid to princess tale are told over and over again -- is really OK. Really. There is a certain comfort in knowing what a book holds before the first page is read. What isn’t known, and where romance and chick lit have the opportunity to succeed or fail, is with what each author will bring to well used constructs. It’s the reworking of the familiar and injection of freshness into the staid that makes a twice (or more) told tale something that stands out. Without those elements, romance and chick lit become caricatures of themselves.

Alesia Holliday’s Seven Ways to Lose Your Lover is intended as a lighthearted romp through the minefield of personals relationships. Its goal isn’t any loftier than to entertain. The end result is decidedly mixed, as it’s too easy to see the well worn elements and not easy enough to see the freshness.

Chicklit gets a bad rap because over-zealous acquisitions editors went crazy with “single girl looking for love and high-paying jobs in the city” stories. The commensurate market saturation left a bad taste in many a reader’s mouth (not to mention creating much fodder for dissing an entire genre). I suspect a lot of readers were like me – desperately seeking fiction with a romantic edge, realistic stories, and smart writing (oh, for more smart writing).

I suspect a lot of readers were like me and dropped out of chicklit game because finding the good was damn hard work.

I dedicate this review to those readers. There is hope.

This is the fifth book in MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead series, following the death and times of Betsy, Queen of the Vampires. Though a Minnesota native, Betsy Taylor is the quintessential Valley Girl. Tall, blonde and leggy with a shoe fetish, she was living an ordinary life when she was killed in an auto accident—and rose again as Queen of the Vampires. Undead and Unpopular follows the trials and tribulations of Queen Betsy as she tries to come to terms with her undead life. Like the previous book, Undead and Unreturnable, Undead and Unpopular can stand on its own. However, it’s better to read the books in sequence, beginning with Undead and Unwed.

Carlotta Wren's life is a mess. Her parents skipped town rather than stand up in a courtroom for their white collar crimes. So, at eighteen, Carlotta lost her fiancee and financial security, but gained full-time care of her baby brother Wesley. Now, years later, her baby brother continues to seek out trouble and every gambling opportunity possible. Being on the financial edge and in debt to everyone, Wesley's antics threaten both Carlotta and Wesley.

But Wesley is the least of Carlotta's problems. There's the return of her ex-fiancee, the murder of the ex-fiancee's now-wife, a mysterious detective, a hot former doctor who gives Wesley a chance and Carlotta more than one look, a questionable female attorney with a shady link to Carlotta's father and a probation officer who looks more like a stripper than a member of law enforcement. And those are only the main characters in Stephanie Bond's newest, Body Movers, the first installment in an ongoing series.

Let the discussion begin.