Ravenswood's Lady by Amanda Scott

As daughter to the Duke of Malmsbury, Cicely knew her duty. She had to obey her father's command to wed the only man who could assure the family's future position and prosperity. Unfortunately, that man was the Viscount Ravenwood. Ravenwood was no stranger to Cicely. She knew him all too well as the arrogant, conceited, totally infuriating male who had been her natural enemy since their childhood days.

So, though Cicely stiffened her upper lip and agreed to give Ravenwood her hand, she secretly made the most dangerous vow that the bride of this elegant, iron-willed lord could make: no matter what seductive wiles Ravenwood might employ, he would never conquer her heart... 

Cicely is a twit and Gilbert isn't any better. Talk to each other for goodness sakes and grow up!

Otherwise a pleasant, light read.
 

The Offer by Catherine Coulter

Sabrina Eversleigh runs away from home after her new brother-in-law attempts to rape her. She would surely have died in a blizzard if Phillip Mercerault had not rescued her. He nurses her back to health only to find that he is not a hero. Instead, he's a gentleman who has compromised a lady. Now there's only one thing left for him to do - marry her.

But Sabrina turns him down, leaving him completely baffled. However, things don't turn out quite the way Sabrina planned, and it is she, then, who must propose, sweetening the pot with a big dowry and an offer of freedom for Phillip. But what's a husband to do when he knows his bride is afraid of men? And more important, what is the bride to do when she follows her husband to his mistress' lodgings and discovers him on the point of indulging?

Phillip and Sabrina have a long way to go before they can sit amicably at the same table together. 

 Stupid man (he REALLY thought spending his wedding night with his mistress rather than his bride was a good idea!), immature girl, all works out in the end. Nice light read that din't take any brain-power. Just what I needed. 

Otherworld Nights by Kelley Armstrong

 The short stories range from adventures whilst on honeymoon for favourite characters in the Otherworld series to the background of what happens when a young demon comes into his power. 

My favourites were Hidden and Vanishing Act. The others were not as good.

Flashback by Michael Palmer

Toby is eight years old. He had a routine operation. It was fine. Now he's gone home to terror. Months have passed. But Toby still bursts into tortured screams. Because something is very wrong. Toby can remember evey moment of the operation. All the trauma. All the pain. He relives evrey horrifying detail of surgery while he's awake. Now someone must expose the unspeakable truth about this hospital. Or else an innocent child will die. And he won't be the last. The next victim is being wheeled into surgery right now.

Medical thriller with some plot twists and a satisfying ending. OK, not great.

My Hundred Lovers by Susan Johnson

A woman, on the eve of her fiftieth birthday, reflects on one hundred moments from a lifetime's sensual adventures. After the love, hatred and despair are done with, the great and trivial acts of her bodily life reveal an imperfect, yet whole self. By turns humorous, sharp, haunting and wise, this is an original and exhilarating novel from one of Australia's premier writers.

This was an unconventional creative form of memoir written by Susan Johnson. The 100 loves each take up a brief chapter and are sensually described.
The loves include people (lovers, parents, grand-parents) , objects (her favourite house, a bridge in Paris) and moments (mud squishing between in her toes, lying on her back in the grass looking up through the branches of a tree covered in blossom) written in an original , easily read way.

It was very well done, very well written, very evocative.

Girl In Translation by Jean Kwok

Kimberly and her mother find themselves in New York looking for a better future than the life they'd known in Hong Kong. They are, unfortunately, at the mercy of Kimberly's aunt and uncle as they are quite indebted to them for arranging green cards and for taking care of medical bills for Kimberly's mom (who has had TB) as well as paying for their accommodations to New York.

When the story starts Kimberly is a middle school age girl who speaks and reads some English but not enough to create any real level of understanding of her surroundings. Her mother speaks almost no English. They've just arrived and their mother's sister (herself with a story that I won't spoil) has arranged an apartment and a job. The apartment is a heat-less, roach and rodent infested slum tenancy, and the job working at a sweatshop making pennies for long hours. The Chinese culture is front and center here and it is interesting to understand why Kimberly and her mom would agree to these conditions. 

 A moving, inspiring, captivating story. 

Maybe This time by Jennifer Crusie

Andromeda (Andie) Miller decides that she needs to make a clear break from her past - from her ex-husband North Archer that is - so that she can move forward in her new relationship. She intends to just tell him to stop sending her alimony (and give him 10 years worth of uncashed checks) and be done with him. Instead, she finds herself agreeing to help him with his 2 wards - 2 children of his cousin who are only living with a housekeeper in a very Gothic house. The other nannies have quit and North is hoping that Andie will get things straightened out so that he can get the kids moved away from that house.

Modern gothic with ghosts, murders, a creepy housekeeper, quirky characters and romance.