Lady Emma's Dilemma by Rhonda Woodward

This was about a widow who rejoins society after her husband dies, only to come across an old flame who she still has feelings for, despite the misunderstanding which ruined their original courtship. It's an unusual take for a Regency, as this widow is originally looking for a lover rather than a husband.

If they had just talked to each other all the misunderstandings would have been fixed in the first couple of chapters….but perhaps that wouldn't have made for much of a story.  

It was an OK light read, but I did find the heroine a bit annoying.

Until The Sun Falls From The Sky by Kristen Ashley

E - Book

Leah Buchanan’s family has been in service to vampires for five centuries. Even so, Leah wants nothing to do with her family’s legacy. But when she’s summoned to her Selection by the Vampire Dominion, under familial pressure, she has no choice but to go.

Lucien has been living under the strict edicts of the Vampire Dominion for centuries but he’s tired of these ancient laws stripping away everything that is the essence of the vampire.

So he’s taking it back.

And this is because Lucien has been watching and waiting for decades for Leah to become available for a Selection and he will not be limited with what he can do with her. He will have her, all of her.

Therefore, Lucien is going to tame Leah, even if he gets hunted and killed for doing it.

Lucien is  a dominant, possessive, protective, controlling vampire. Leah is 40 years old but doesn't intend to grow up until she is 93 (I liked her attitude).  She never wanted to be chosen to be a Concubine and fights Lucien at first. As she gets to know him she falls in love with him.

Overall a good read. I'll be looking for the next in the series.

Big Jack by J.D. Robb

 In New York City in 2059, someone is pursuing missing gems from a decades-old heist...someone who's willing to kill for them. Sharp-witted and sexy, NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas is used to travelling in the shadowy corners outside the law. And in a future where crime meets cutting-edge technology, she will attempt to track down the diamonds once and for all-and stop the danger and death that have surrounded them for years. 

Never disappointed in Eve and Roarke. Love their chemistry and, as always, an interesting mystery to solve. 

The Stranding by Karen Viggers

A man arrives in a small coastal town, obsessed with that he has lost, broken by grief. He is drawn to Callista, a young artist who has her own compelling reasons for wanting to be alone. A friendship develops, then a passionate affair, but everything is challenged when their past demons are accidentally revealed. Everything comes to a head with a whale stranding on a remote beach, and the whole town becomes involved in a tense and uncertain rescue; a rescue that challenges the beliefs and philosophies of the local community as well as the outsiders who assist in the rescue. The stranding brings the characters together in an emotionally charged situation that produces unusual rifts and liaisons and an unexpected outcome.

Loved the description of the area (I can take a guess as to where it was set), loved the whales. The characters let the book down for me. 

A House Somewhere; Tales of Life Abroad

We’ve all dreamt of escaping to a House Somewhere. In this collection some of the finest names in contemporary travel writing reveal the perils and pleasures of exchanging the familiar for the foreign.

Isabel Allende discovers love and paradise in California, Pico Iyer finds home in Japan amidst the alien and indecipherable, and a dank barge on the Seine opens up a new side of Paris for Mort Rosenblum.

Revealing the flip side to the dream, relocating to the juicy heart of New York proves fiery for Lily Brett, Chris Stewart is frightened for his life in Andalucia, and the plumbing in William Dalrymple’s rooftop Delhi flat is held to ransom by his water-conserving landlady.

 A very enjoyable look at living in a foreign country. There were only 2 stories that I couldn't get into.

My favourites were The Alien Home set in Japan, Tiwarik an Kansulay set in the Philippines, City Of Djinns set in India, Digging Mr Benny's Dead Uncle set in Thailand (possibly partly because I've just returned from a holiday in Thailand) and Coming Home in Massachusetts.
Overall an excellent read.