Green Oranges on Lion Mountain by Emily Joy

An interesting and very honest read about the experiences of a young female doctor in Sierra Leone at the start of the civil war. It's written in a lighthearted tone with lots of self deprecating humour; but that does not negate the impossible conditions, the huge lack of resources, the poverty, and the dramas and tragedies. Through it all shines the beauty, courage and resilience of the Sierra Leonean people.

She describes the setting and the people very well.  I found her a bit annoying.

Rapture by Jacqueline Frank

The Shadowdwellers live in a realm of darkness and sensuality, where order is prized and sin must be punished. Yet for Magnus, the head priest of Sanctuary, salvation rests with the one woman who can entice him to break every rule. . .

Magnus is a man of contradictions--a spiritual leader in a warrior's body. To him, laws are for enforcing and visions must be followed--even if that means freeing a beautiful slave and making her his reluctant handmaiden. Betrayed once before, Magnus can barely bring himself to trust another woman. Yet Daenaira's fiery innocence is drawing them both into a reckless inferno of desire.

Daenaira grew up hearing tales of a fearsome priest who seemed more myth than reality. But Magnus is very real--every inch of him--and so is the treachery surrounding them. Beneath Sanctuary's calm surface, an enemy is scheming to unleash havoc on the Shadowdwellers, unless Magnus trusts in a union ordained by fate, and sealed by unending bliss. . .

This book was hard to put down because it makes you want to get to the next chapter of their steamy love story.  Really good, now I want the next in the series.

Three Views of Crystal Water by Katherine Govier

Suddenly finding herself motherless at the age of six, Vera is left in the care of her grandfather, who spends long periods away at sea, leaving her alone back in Vancouver. When she reaches her teens, Vera is taken by her grandfather's mistress to a small island in Japan.

After years of loneliness, she finds an island where she can feel comfortable. The women of the island take her in and she learns to dive for pearls. Immersed in her surroundings, she meets a mysterious stranger, a man who is trained as a ceremonial sword polisher, who brings her into touch with the outside world. Every day, they listen to the mounting rhetoric on the radio and must live with the knowledge of the havoc that the Japanese are wreaking in China.

Then the worst happens. Vera is forced to return to Canada by a father whom she has long thought is dead. World War Two breaks out. The idyll is over.

But Vera never forgets her island life, the sword polisher, or her true identity. Determined to regain the passion and joy that she once knew, she must return to Japan, to the one place that she truly belonged. 

A slow, quiet read that drew me into the world of pearls.

I loved the descriptions of the prints of the title: Japanese woodblock prints with running water in them. Each time Vera views them, as a girl, a teenager and an adult, she interprets them differently.

Really enjoyed this book.

Beauty Awakened by Gena Showalter

His name is Koldo. He is scarred, powerful, his control legendary—and he lives only for vengeance against the angel who viciously removed his wings. But if he yields to the forces of hatred, he will be eternally damned.

Nicola Lane was born with a defective heart, yet this fragile human shows surprising strength as demons stalk her every move, determined to end her. She is the key to Koldo's deliverance…and his downfall. Though he fights duty, destiny and his first addictive taste of desire, his toughest battle will be the one for Nicola's life—even if he has to sacrifice his own…. 

 What I enjoyed about the story is how effortless the romance is between Nicola and Koldo. I can see how and why they fall for each other. There is no great misunderstanding or hurtful mistake one has to forgive the other for. Koldo just wants to be loved and Nicola is the balm to his tattered soul.

None of the misunderstandings that are often a part of the romance, or something one of them needs to be forgiven for.  It was a very pleasant change.

The disappointing part of the story was the sex scenes.  Gena Showalter usually writes very hot scenes, not so much this time.  Still a very enjoyable read.

Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier

London 1792. The Kellaways move from familiar rural Dorset to the tumult of a cramped, unforgiving city. They are leaving behind a terrible loss, a blow that only a completely new life may soften.

Against the backdrop of a city jittery over the increasingly bloody French Revolution, a surprising bond forms between Jem, the youngest Kellaway boy, and streetwise Londoner Maggie Butterfield. Their friendship takes a dramatic turn when they become entangled in the life of their neighbour, the printer, poet and radical, William Blake. He is a guiding spirit as Jem and Maggie navigate the unpredictable, exhilarating passage from innocence to experience. 

I really enjoyed Girl with a Pearl Earring by the same author and had hoped to enjoy this as much.  It was a pleasant read that gave a great description of life at the time, but didn't grab like her previous book had.

His Little Tart by Sindra van Yssel

E - Book

Constance knows her pastries are the best. Hard work and talent ought
to mean business success, but somehow she's barely scraping by. So she
takes a job making snacks for the kinky folk at Bondage Ranch. She's
fascinated by what's going on around her, but she doesn't have time
for play--she's got a business to run.

All work and no play is no way to live, and Aidan knows that. He's in
Bondage Ranch for a little R&R between business trips that take him
all over the world. So when he sees Constance sneaking peeks at BDSM
scenes, he decides to find out what she's like under that chef's
uniform and show her the joys of sex and submission.

This is another good series based around a BDSM club.  Not as good as Cherise Sinclair though.

The fairly usual she's interested in BDSM but not really willing to admit it. He's experienced and willing to introduce her to the delights.  He stuffs up, there's a misunderstanding or two. She gets into trouble (being ripped off by her friendly accountant). He comes to her rescue. All ends happily with lots of hot sex along the way.

The Unquiet

Five New York Times bestselling authors-five superlative stories.

From J.D. Robb: Eve and Rourke return to investigate a series of murders connected to a brilliant young surgeon in Chaos in Death.

From Mary Blayney: A shopkeeper's solitude is complicated by a magic coin, a daring rogue, and dreams of her late husband, who whispers but one word...wish.

From Patricia Gaffney: A lonely woman and a hotline psychic turn their astonishing connection to the other side into an unexpected romance.

From Ruth Ryan Langan: The shattered soul of an angry spirit imprisoned in a Scottish manor house could be a young widow's only salvation.

From Mary Kay McComas: A young ghost eases his brother's pain and guilt by inviting him into the dreams of an imaginative author of children's books. 

My favourite was Chaos in Death, the J.D. Robb offering.  2 I skimmed, the other 2 were about ghosts and were OK.