You would have thought the greedy bookworm in me will be satisfied with that last outing to the bookstore. 

But no, I had no sooner found spaces on my overstuffed shelf for those new books than I start thinking about completing my Goddess Summoning series. Next thing I knew, I’m inside Amazon adding these to the cart faster than you could blink your eye: 

Goddess of Spring

Goddess of the Sea

Goddess of the Rose

Besides its beauty and allure as one of the incomparably romantic places I’ve visited, Paris will always be remembered for introducing me to Jessica Inclan and her brilliant Paranormal Fantasy work, When You Believe. 

I had gone into Shakespeare & Co intending only to be a gawking tourist and soak in the atmosphere. But my love of books soon had me browsing and my surprise find is this marvelous debut of Inclan’s planned trilogy about Les Croyants du Trois, a group of powerful telepaths and healers. I started this book the very next night after buying it and by the time I finished chapter two, I was hooked. 

Besides the striking cover, which Beverly finds interesting, this ‘magical, mystical tale’ is such a refreshing departure from your usual paranormal fare of vampires, werewolves, and other magical semi-human beings that I got into the story pretty quickly, unlike Jayne. 

Poet Miranda Stead stumbled into a council meeting of the mysterious Les Croyants, a magical organisation pledged to protect the human (moyenne) world from dark forces, while escaping from three thugs one fateful night. Suspected at first of being a spy for an evil enemy, Miranda was rescued by mindreading healer Sariel Valasay who, attracted to her beauty, wit and spirit, and recognising that he may have found his soulmate, was reluctant to erase her memories of the evening as he has been entrusted to do. How could he when all he wants is for her to believe … in the magic of their love. 

Went into Borders (it’s so near my office now the temptation to step in there every evening is almost unbearable!) last evening after knocking off, intending to check the shelves for Magic Study, Reason to Believe, and just maybe, the Goddess of Spring and the latest Madeline Hunter. 

The bookstore’s having a hot sale and it’s 20% off romances and thrillers, plus I’ve still got that $20 voucher to use up. So what did I do? I gave in to impulse and hauled back these lovelies instead: 

Goddess of Light by P C Cast

Under Camelot’s Banner by Sarah Zettel (I’m so sucked in by these Arthurian tales)

Cold as Ice by Anne Stuart (she’s revamped her website, and it looks super cool) 

Make no mistake, P C Cast’s Divine By Mistake is more a Fantasy novel than Romance. But she has written it with such humour and verve that you’ll enjoy it hugely. 

After you’ve made peace with the idea of having her heroine wed to a centaur … which I did after a couple of chapters. I was rather horrified at the hint of bestiality (woman and horse, get it?), but thank goodness the Centaur is a shaman who can assume human form. But still … it took quite a while to accept the angle. 

For the unenlightened, Divine casts high school English teacher Shannon Parker across time and space, to switch place with her doppelganger from another lost (?) civilization, Partholon, where Centaurs and humans coexist, along with dark magic and evil beings. As Shannon eases into her role as the Goddess Incarnate of Epona, and enjoys the perks and privileges that come with her elevated status, it seems she must wed the Centaur shaman leader, ClanFintan, to seal an old alliance made between her twin’s father and the old Centaur leader. 

Confession time … I picked up Daisy’s Back in Town by Rachel Gibson thinking it was the sequel to Sex, Lies and Online Dating, and was hoping to read Clare Wingate’s story, judging from the excerpt at the end of Sex.

Right silly of me, I know. But this book didn’t turn out too bad after all. It tells of newly widowed Daisy Lee’s attempt to right a wrong done to a man she loved, still loves and is still crazy about, when she decided to return to her hometown after finally accepting her husband’s sad demise to a terminal illness. She had good intentions to seek forgiveness of Jackson Parrish, who’s sworn off falling in love since she ran off and married his best friend 15 years ago. But Daisy has a secret that involves him, and the fire between them may just prove too strong for them to stay away from each other.

What I like about this roller coaster romance is the powerful emotions packed between its pages, and the sweet, small town Texan setting that gives this contemporary tale a wee touch of nostalgia. The twangs, the cowboy boots, the references to the auto business, and some of the most heart warming scenes of a close-knit family’s love for each other, are the ingredients that make this a pretty decent book to curl up with for a cosy evening in.

First up, thanks, ladies for all the warm wishes and advice, despite all that jealously (ha!) at my extreme good fortune. What can I say except that God has blessed me richly with a generous employer? And I will always remember this trip and be grateful for this opportunity. And now, on with my Parisian adventure …

None of the travel guides and sites I’ve read could have prepared me for the beauty and majesty that is Paris. Cliched as it may sound, this is a city that far surpasses the imagination, and is truly deserving of every sigh and exclamation that it has inspired. This is the first time I’ve encountered a city so full of strikingly gorgeous residents.

I’ve only had a taste of a small part of it, and yet my heart yearns to return to this French capital, if only to learn more of its secrets. This is a city that is extremely easily to fall in love with, and I’m but a mere mortal. Of course I succumbed to the lights, the sights, the very air and sense of romance that seems to permeate every enchanted alley and avenue.