Lie By Moonlight by Amanda Quick

Jayne Ann Krentz, writing as Amanda Quick, contributes another entertaining novel of romantic suspense in Lie by Moonlight. In Victorian England not everything is prim and proper, and all is not right at Aldwick Castle.

Concordia Glade wants to protect her four students from an insidious evil that she perceives. She and the four young women are attempting to flee when they meet an enigmatic gentleman, Ambrose Wells. During his investigation of a murder, he stumbles across these ladies, rescuing them from a man with a gun. He soon realizes that they are tied in some mysterious way to a crime lord in London and need his protection. The intrepid Concordia intrigues him, while the dangerous Mr. Wells appeals to her.

To gain emotional distance and keep things professional, Concordia hires Ambrose to investigate the mystery surrounding the young women. They end up working closely together, finding much to admire in each other. Quick’s writing style combines suspense and romance with witty repartee to create an enjoyable page turner.

Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan

On her Web site last December, Christine Feehan said she wanted to give her faithful readers a special Christmas gift. She succeeded brilliantly with Dark Celebration. The basic thread of the story is that lifemated couples have traveled to the Carpathian mountains for a reunion for the Christmas holiday. Prince Mikail, the hero of the first book of the series, Dark Prince, is concerned for the health and safety of his people with so many collected in one place. As he visits each lifemated couple, humorous encounters ensue, but the story isn't a light romp because danger lurks. I look forward to at least two future tales as new couples are added to the familiar favorites Feehan writes about here. Although the end seemed a bit abrupt, it left me wanting more, which is the aim of every author. Dark Celebration is a just that; a celebration of Feehan’s prolific body of work and of her faithful fans.