Susan Andersen's Picks

The Thrill of it All by Christie Ridgway

Felicity Charm has worked hard to put her upbringing as the orphaned relative of a family of con artists behind her. She’s finally close to achieving the life she’s always wanted, so when her Aunt Vi calls asking for help, Felicity plans to do the Charms this one final favor-- then divorce herself from them forever.

Michael Magee lost his best friend Simon in a mountain climbing accident and he’s determined to take care of Simon’s wife and daughter. But after quite literally running into Felicity, he finds himself pulled irresistibly into her orbit.

Felicity finds herself drawn into Magee’s as well. It’s not an attraction either one is seeking and they fight like hell to extricate themselves before their two disparate worlds can collide and annihilate not only them, but everyone around them.

I loved this book! It’s hot, it’s sexy, it’s peopled with wonderfully flawed, complex characters and chock full of great conflict and motivation. You want to enjoy it as well?

Get thee to a bookstore! Then build up the fire, pour yourself a nice cuppa Earl Grey and wile away several truly satisfying hours.

To visit Christie Ridgway's site, click here.

Pick posted: 12-01-04

Public Displays of Affection by Susan Donovan

I almost missed this book. Its manuscript landed on my doorstep unsolicited, and the editor who sent it needed a quote within two weeks. Well, that simply wasn't going to happen. I'd started the countdown for my next book's deadline, and I had a stack of nine RITA books to judge in the next few weeks.

No time, no time.

Still--this was sent to me by a sweetheart of an editor who's always been vocal about loving my work. Plus, the soulmate and I and our best buds Doug and Mimi were headed out for a long weekend at our cabin to do some skiing. It was vacation time. So--what the heck--I tossed it in my suitcase.

And, oh. My. Gawd. I'm so glad I did.

Thirteen years ago Charlotte gave her virginity to a dark-eyed stranger on the side of the road on her way to meeting her boyfriend, to whom she expected to become engaged by the end of the day. Today she is a widow with two kids who are still feeling their way through a world without their dad.

And the dark-eyed stranger's name is Joe. He's just moved in next door.

I loved this book. It's about love and family and two people who never forgot each other. It's about the way a loved one's opinion can color a woman's view of her own sexuality. Donovan peoples her story with rich characterization and dialog that sings. I envied certain passages and phrasings. I laughed and read bits aloud to the S-mate and Doug and Mimi. I clenched my thighs on more than one occasion.

And I predict Donvan's going to be a star. You heard it here first.

To visit Susan Donovan's site, click here.

Pick posted: 5-31-04

The following list consists of books I'm looking forward to reading. Not all of the following are brand new summer reads, but all are ones I've been dying to read but haven't had time to or just haven't gotten around to for one reason or another. If you are looking for great books to read, go no further than these six fabulous authors.
A Wanted Man, by Susan Kay Law
Bet Me, by Jennifer Crusie
Seduced By Moonlight, by Laurell K. Hamilton
Play Dead, by Anne Frasier
England's Perfect Hero, by Suzanne Enoch
With a Vengeance, by Eileen Dreyer

Pick posted: 4-30-04

A WEDDING STORY, By Susan Kay Law

I love Susan Kay Law's books and A WEDDING STORY is the third in her series of connected books about three sisters who end up brides. I didn't think Law could do better than A BAD MAN'S BRIDE, which was book one, then she wrote MARRY ME (book two). Well, thought I, that one will never be outdone. Silly me. A WEDDING STORY taught me never to say never, for this book took storytelling to brand new heights . I adored, simply and utterly adored it .

Widow Kathryn Bright Goodale is not looking for a husband. She had one of those and he left her penniless. All she wants is to enter the Grand Centennial Race and win the fifty thousand dollar prize so she can retire to a quiet life where she doesn't have to struggle for every cent. But as a woman in 1899 America she's at a disadvantage for such a venture, so she enlists the help of Lord James Bennett.

James is a renowned adventurer who was much admired by Kathryn's late husband. He is also the man who kissed Kathryn twelve years ago before he realized she was the wife of his old friend. He's never quite been able to shake the memory.

It's a memory Kathyrn has secretly cherished as well, even though she knew as she was doing so that her marital status robbed her of the right. She'd give much not to have to ask James for help now but desperate times call for desperate measures.

A WEDDING STORY is my idea of the perfect book. It has fabulous characters, wickedly wonderful dialog, and crisp writing that simply sings . I smiled my way through the entire story. Give yourself a real Valentines Day treat this year and bag this keeper for your own collection.

Pick posted: 2-2-04

STILL LAKE, By Anne Stuart

Thomas Ingram Griffin has returned as John Smith to Colby, Vermont, twenty years after he was accused of murdering three teenage girls. He doesn't think he did it, but he was drunk and stoned at the time and doesn't really remember the pertinent details of that night, so he plans to get into the old abandoned hospital on his neighbor's property, find something to help jog his memory, and then get the hell back to his real life. With no distractions in between.

Sophie Davis has bought the old Stonygate Farm and plans to turn it into a B & B. Between getting the property in shape before her first customers arrive on her doorstep in time for leaf-peep season, keeping her mother, whose mental capacity is rapidly failing, out of trouble, and riding herd on her rebellious teen-aged stepsister, she's up to her eyeballs in responsibility. She has no intention of getting sidetracked by a sexy stranger with an unlikely name, bold eyes, and a repertoire of sexual innuendoes.

You can see where this is heading, right? Yep, so much for best laid plans. John and Sophie can't seem to stay away from each other-- and that by itself wouldn't be so bad. But it doesn't take long before the heat they generate wakes up a sleeping monster.

Pick posted: 10-1-03

read more of Susan's past Romance picks...