Wolf in the Shadows by Marcia muller

Sharon is a private investigator for All Souls Legal Cooperative in San Francisco. Her lover, Hy Ripinsky, has disappeared and she is searching for him. At the same time, All Souls offers her a "promotion" - a desk job managing investigators and paralegals, and that doesn't hold much appeal for her. Sharon's search for Hy leads her to RKI, a security agency with questionable practices. Hy was delivering a 2 million dollar ransom for RKI when he went missing, so they assumed he'd stolen it. Sharon agrees to find Hy, but first she must shake the agents RKI has tailing her.

My favourite line from the book - "Beware of the wolf in the shadows. He is watchful and patient, and when he catches you he will eat you up - skin and bones and heart."  

A really good mystery/thriller with a touch of romance.  Well written, fun read with lots of twists and turns that kept me interested.

Night's Honour by Thea Harrison

On the run from her former employer, Tess knows that she's vulnerable on her own amongst the Elder Races. That's why she decides to audition to become the human attendant of a powerful Vampyre of the Nightkind demesne. But while her position affords her the safety she seeks, her protector turns out to be more than she bargained for.

The right-hand man of the Nightkind King, Xavier del Torro is both terrifying and alluring. While his true nature frightens Tess, she can't ignore the appeal of his innate sense of integrity and self-restraint. Thrown into Xavier's world, Tess must quickly learn to navigate the dangers-both to her life, and to her heart. But the biggest threat comes from her own past . . . 

Romance with action.   The action started straight away, the romance took a while.  It was actually a pleasant change that the characters got to know each other a bit before they jumped into bed.

I enjoyed this enough to go looking for more in the series.

A Door Into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski

The planet Shora is covered completely by water, giving it the name The Ocean Moon. Its inhabitants, all female, have lived peacefully for tens of thousands of years, peacefully co-existing with all the creatures of the planet. That is, until the Valan traders from the neighboring planet of Valedon come, bringing with them pollution and a terrible stonesickness.
To understand the Valans, two Sharers leave for Valedon with the hope of sharing learning with them: Usha the Inconsiderate and her lovesharer, Merwen the Imaptient, who believes deep down that Valans are humans, too, like the Sharers of Shora. For her to prove this, she must teach a Valan the ways of Shora, and after their ordeal on Valedon, they bring home with them a young stonecutter's son, Spinel.
As Spinel's learnsharing begins, the Patriarch, protector of Valedon, wants to bring Shora into its folds in order to make use of its valuable resources such as minerals and fish. His Envoy dispatches a military unit to move relations along, at first with kind words. When that goes nowhere, he resorts to terrorism, both ecological and physical. Undaunted, the Sharers, unaccustomed to useless killing, fight back with pacifism and intelligence, hoping to bring an end to this unwanted presence on their homeworld.

This is an intriguing ocean world with its own culture and biological adaptions. Particularly clever are the clickflies—insects that are both a living computer and a communications network.  An excellent if slow read with great world-building and characters.

The Summer Kitchen by Lisa Wingate

With her adopted son missing and the rest of her family increasingly estranged, Sandra Kaye Darden is drawn to the little pink house where her Uncle Poppy once provided security. What begins for Sandra as a simple painting project, meant to prepare the house for sale, becomes a secret venture that eventually changes everything.

Cass Blue is having trouble keeping food on the table since she ditched foster care. When Sandra Kaye shows up with lunch one day, Cass has no way of knowing that the meeting will lead to the creation of a place of refuge that could reunite a divided community.

In this moving story of second chances, two unlikely allies realize their ability to make a difference...and the power of what becomes known as the Summer Kitchen to nourish the soul. 

A book that entertains and leave you with a smile inside. A really nice, feel good ending.

D'shai by Joel Rosenberg

The book is set in D'Shai, a land ruled by the Lord Toshtai, where the people have magical talents - kazuh. Some have the kazuh for running, others for acrobatics, swordsmanship, cooking, etc. Kami Khuzud, eldest son of a kazuh acrobat, seems to have none, but finds his talent - an undiscovered kazuh - during his investigation of his sister's death.

A well-written, light mystery set in an interesting Asian /Japanese feeling world. I enjoyed this and would be interested in reading more in this series.

Snow Angels by James Thompson

It is called kaamos-two weeks of unrelenting darkness and soul-numbing cold that falls upon Finnish Lapland, a hundred miles into the Arctic Circle, just before Christmas. Some get through it with the help of cheap Russian alcohol; some sink into depression.

This year, it may have driven someone mad enough to commit murder. The brutalized body of a beautiful Somali woman has been found in the snow, and Inspector Kari Vaara must find her killer. It will be a challenge in a place where ugly things lurk under frozen surfaces, and silence is a way of life. 

 I liked the exotic atmosphere. I knew very little about Finland, but it's delightful to pick up the nuggets of culture, history, and climate that are revealed in the book. It's a pleasure to read something set in a totally different locale.

The mystery was interesting with a few surprise revelations along the way. 

I would eagerly read more by this author.

Alien Embrace by Tracy St John

e-book

Amelia Ryan fled Earth’s fanatically religious government to live quietly among the aliens of Plasius. Her life of peace shatters when a three-man clan from the planet Kalquor kidnaps her and holds her prisoner.

With their people poised on the verge of extinction, the Kalquorians are determined to have Amelia for their mate. Amelia is equally determined to escape. But when her body thrills to the ruthless domination of her captors, she finds herself surrendering to desires she never imagined possible.

Aliens with 2 cocks, 3 dominant men who want to care for and spoil you and lots of kinky sex....what's not to like?