****
One Night With The Sheikh—by Penny Jordan (Harlequin Presents)

More than a little implausible, this tale revolves around mistaken impressions. She mistakenly thinks he's a scoundrel. He mistakenly thinks she's a gold digger. But of course they're both terribly wrong and they fall madly in love and happiness prevails in the end!

Penny Jordan spins an intriguing and very dramatic tale set in an exotic desert. Somewhat smarmy, but I guess one should expect that from Jordan. A decent read. Just suspend your disbelief.

*****
Texans at Heart—by Diana Palmer

Three stories in one book: Sutton's Way, Ethan, and Connal.

I got this book because I was intrigued by Connal, who apparently marries the boss's daughter during a drunken bout down in Mexico. He awakens with no memory of the ceremony; she assumes that the marriage isn't legit in the States—but later finds out otherwise. How will she tell him what has happened? The premise of this tale is pretty interesting and, as expected, has plenty of Palmer's signature drama and tension (and smarm!).

Sutton is an uptight, rigid fellow who doesn't seem to like women. He's also got strict moral objections about his young son listening to that "wicked" popular music. So what happens when he falls for a popular singer in hiding in a nearby winter cabin (only he doesn't know of her career)? Interesting. Dramatic. Soap-opera-esque. Typical Palmer-style smarm, but fun to read.

Ethan (who just happens to be the brother of Connal) is just not interested in this lovely younger girl who has been chasing him all around town, embarrassing herself, throwing herself at him. Or is he interested after all? Finally he humiliates her to such a degree that she takes the hint and avoids him, but wait—all of a sudden he does want her around . . .

All three stories (reprints from previously published Palmer novels) are fun to read. Recommended if you are a fan of Palmer's writing style.

*****
Mail-Order Marriages—by Debbie Macomber

Debbie Macomber is one of my favorite authors because she creates such a feel of community, of family, that you get sucked into her novels and don't want to leave. This is the first of several books set in Hard Luck, Alaska. The O'Halloran brothers need to keep their charter plane business going, and they can't do it if their pilots keep leaving town. But why would lonely, single pilots want to stay in a small Alaskan town where there are few single women? So, the brothers decide to lure available, single women up to their town with tempting job offers.

The characters of Hard Luck seem to come to life in this book and it doesn't take long for you to feel invested in their continuing stories. You enjoy reading about the romance of each new character, and you can't help wonder who is going to succumb next to the love bug!

Two separate stories are contained in this book—first you read about Sawyer O'Halloran and then his brother Charles. Fun to read, amusing, gentle, and low on smarm.

***
Mother and Mistress—by Kay Thorpe (Harlequin Presents)

Well, it was a sort of okay novel. This tale did not set my world on fire, but it was interesting enough. There were some plausibility problems with it as well.

A woman gave up her out-of-wedlock child for adoption years ago, and now she somehow manages to track down the kid, who just happens to have a hunky, rich widower dad. She is also conveniently able to get a job as nanny. Rich Hunky Dad obligingly falls in love with her, (naturally) and now she must decide: tell him her deep dark secret, or not?

****
Princess Takes a Holiday—by Elizabeth Harbison (Silhouette Romance)

I enjoyed this story, even though Royalty tales aren't any particular draw for me. A widow of some "Monaco" type prince is back home in the USA, and can't resist getting away from all her princessy duties just for a few days to sightsee. She ends up stranded in a "Mayberry" type town, complete with a handsome doctor who is instantly attracted to her. She feigns amnesia and hopes that nobody recognizes her, as she becomes increasingly drawn to Handsome Doctor.

Some of the secondary characters were too "cutesy" or not quite plausible, but for the most part it was a fun, light story, minimal smarm, and I enjoyed it.

****
The Rancher's Hand-picked Bride—by Elizabeth August (Silhouette Romance)

A very sweet romance with quirky supporting characters.

She's always been afraid and mistrustful of people, due to a difficult childhood. He's known her since their days in school, and has been wanting to get to know her better. But she's got a lot of baggage and is afraid of being "vulnerable" to men. Oy. Angst.

He's got an eccentric great-grandmother who helps bring them together with a preposterous scheme. Amusing, heartfelt, gentle, low on smarm. I liked it.

*****
Bullets over Boise—by Kristin Gabriel (Harlequin "Love and Laughter")

Delightful and amusing first romance by Kristin Gabriel. Emphasizes a zany plot and interesting characters. A delight! Low on the "smarm," high on romance and an amusing plot. There's even a Harlequin movie based on this book, called Recipe for Revenge. It varies somewhat from the book, but the general idea is the same, and it has a similarly delightful sense of humor. I also thought that they did a great job with casting—I really liked the actors they chose for the lead rolls.

****
Just a Little Bit Dangerous—Linda Castillo (Silhouette Intimate Moments)

Interesting and unusual plot involving a murder mystery, an escaped female prisoner, and the law officer who is determined to bring her in to justice. Had some plausibility flaws, and a bit more "smarm" than I usually like, but overall, a well-written book.

****
Cassidy Harte and the Comeback Kid—Raeanne Thayne (Silhouette Intimate Moments)

A very nice tale, the last book from the "Outlaw Harte" series. Cassie Harte is mortified when her long-lost fiance rolls back into town, hoping she'll forgive him for leaving her at the altar 10 years before. Some interesting plot twists in this one. A little smarmy, but an overall well told tale.

*****
Operation Babe Magnet/Operation Beauty—Kristin Gabriel (Harlequin Duets)

These are two stories covering the adventures of two brothers. Dexter and Sam are conned by their eccentric grandfather into taking on some unusual "careers" for a month. Nerdy Dexter is supposed to be a male escort, macho lady killer Sam has to dress as a woman to infiltrate a lingerie company. The stories must be read in order, and there is a cute little epilogue at the end which ties both stories together. Especially charming. Slightly smarmy, but totally delightful.

An unusual and charming premise set in Southern California. A rich socialite widow is "kidnapped" by her estranged stepson, who wants to help her reclaim her stolen fortune. A funny and eccentric story that was pretty enjoyable, but a few scenes were a little too smarmy for my tastes.

****
The Valentine Two-Step—Raeanne Thayne (Silhouette Intimate Moments)

The first of the "Outlaw Harte" series. Very nice story set in a small town in Wyoming. Matt Harte, the oldest brother in the Harte family is smitten by the new vet in town. Somewhat smarmy.

*****
Monday Man—Kristin Gabriel (Harlequin "Love and Laughter")

Another very fun story by Kristin Gabriel. Once again, interesting and eccentric characters entertain us in this tale about a feisty librarian and an ex-con policeman who are trying to uncover a mystery. Another story that is low on smarm and high on romance, humor and plot.

***
Cattleman's Choice—Diana Palmer

A rather cute story about a "diamond in the rough" cowboy who needs to be "civilized" so he can catch a wife. Very amusing story. I would have given it 4 stars, but I had just read Palmer's "Diamond Girl," which had a strikingly similar plot line, so I felt this storyline was a little stale. A little too much smarm for my tastes. However, this book was still very fun to read.