It's the author speaking (I only put the 5 stars because you had to put something!) and really I'd just like to thank the readers who posted such glowing reviews for their kind words. Salem Street was my first book published as Anna Jacobs, back in 1994 and it's still in print. I've just had my 21st novel published (12 as Anna Jacobs). ....

This is a wonderfully well-developed work of historical fiction. The characters are interesting, and the storylines are engrossing. When I finished it, I was thrilled to know she had already completed other novels in the series.

Just finished reading it, and now am looking for the rest in the series. Really great book. Kept you interested the whole way through. Shows you that no matter where you start in life, YOU have the capability to overcome anything! A must read!!

Do you have trouble explaining to others why you want to be sexually pure, or why God wants you to be sexually pure? This book speaks frankly about pre-marital sex. It shows practical examples of a spectrum of women, from those in Bible times to the present time, dealing with different sexual situations. Not only that, this book also speaks about Satan's attacks on us, our areas of weakness (often including our minds as well as our bodies), and how the Lord provides us with love, encouragement, and armor to help us in our DAILY battles. "Single, Whole, & Holy" is a book written for ALL CHRISTIAN WOMEN: singles, "marrieds," virgins, "repentant sinners who vow to maintain secondary virginity," and victims of abuse.

Prior to reading this book, I often wondered how anyone can remain a virgin in this day and age. This book spoke to me not only about how to stay sexually pure, but also the reasons why God wants me to be sexually pure. I have a better understanding of myself, my weaknesses, and how I can rid myself of Satan's strongholds in my life. Most importantly to me, I have come to a better understanding of God's character, and the type of relationship that he offers to me and to all of his children.

I wish I'd had the chance to read this book when I was in my teens or 20s--it would have saved me a lot of heartache. It's from an unabashedly Christian perspective, which isn't where everyone is coming from, but it has sound advice for every woman. Kudos to the authors for writing this, to counterbalance all the pressure young women get from magazines like Cosmopolitan, to always be having sex (maybe before they are emotionally ready, or are in the right relationship). I know I felt that pressure.

Single, Whole & Holy is a wonderful book that shows women whether they entered into a sexual relationship before marriage by their own choice, or if they were abused in a sexual way, they have hope. It offers real life examples of women who struggle to forgive themselves and those who have hurt them, and shows that forgiveness is possible through Christ!

This is an excellant choice for women who desire to renew their virginity and also those who struggle with staying pure.

I just ate at Josselin's restaturant at Ceasar's in Las Vegas, 808 (Hawaii's area code). It bills itself as a Hawaiian/French fusion restaurant. It was the best food I've ever had. I did not realize that I had his cookbook until I went to the restaurant. The huli-huli chicken is great, as is the pineapple-maccadamia nut rice. The only problem with the book is that many of the ingredients are difficult/impossible to find outside of Hawaii.

When I lived in Maui, this was my favorite restaurant (A Pacific Café, on South Kihei Road, in Kihei.) This stunning cookbook, leaves me longing to be back, just so I can dine their once again.

Perhaps when I get a bigger apartment, I may try some of these adventurous recipes. Jean Marie Josselin is one of the founders of this kind of cuisine. Classically trained as a French chef, he was one of the first pioneers of "Hawaiian Regional Cuisine". He moved to Kauai and opened his first restaurant there. He used the fresh ingredients that the island provided. When he opened his first restaurant in Maui, it was an experience just to dine there. The architecture of the inside of the restaurant was rumored to cost around $250k. After a hot day out in the sun, you'd come in and sit at the bar, for a glass of wine and an appetizer while waiting for a table (since you were foolish and didn't make reservations.) The service was so good at the bar, that you decided to stay there and watch the surroundings. Across from the bar, was the line. The appetizers were being prepared, followed by the two or three chefs working on the main courses followed by the person making desserts.

Occasionally, you'd see Arnold Schwarrzennegger and his wife come in, or Helen Hunt, and maybe Dustin Hoffman would sit next to you at the bar. The food was so good, he knew you wouldn't talk to him because you'd be eating the entire time.

All of these memories come back, when flipping through this recipe book... Since I'm not in Maui anymore, I'll just have to settle for Roy's or Kaspars'. (Not a bad thing, just not quite Jean Marie's & George Gomes' masterpieces...)

Jean-Marie has created a comprehensive guide to better eating. His creations aren't for the faint of heart in the kitchen, but if you have the patience, it pays beautifully. I have always been more of a "presentation person" and found his recipies were easy to dress and enjoy equally.

Just a follow up to a previous poster, ISBN 1879751372 is the translation by Schultz-Behrend (the one you consider poor).

The other reviewer is much more knowledgeable than I am. All I can say is that I found this book, regardless of the translator, hilarious and remarkably rich. It tends to drag a little if you read too much at once but is great fun when you spread the sections across a number of days. Very readable and wicked clever.

Simplicius Simplicissimus is an artful and stunningly humorous account of the adventures of naive and utterly simple idiot boy who acquires a rich knowledge of life through a series of amazing adventures. This book was written in 1669 - nearly 100 years prior to Voltaire's Candide. Unfortunately, Amazon.com does not list the name of the translator of the offered edition. There are several English language translations available. The British translation by Walter Wallich is excellent and true to the original, preserving both the author's wit and creative prose. An American translation by George Schulz-Behrend is utterly lamentable and should be avoided at all costs - it completely sterilizes the author's humor and has the appearance of having been translated under the close and fastidious censorship of a puritan sect. It is not advisable to purchase the version offered by amazon.com, unless and until they can clearly specify the name of the translator.

This book is beautifully produced in every way. If you can imagine poetry translated into a visual language, Arreguin's paintings are that... and more! Surely Arreguin is one of the NW's greatest living artists. This book is a truly wonderful introduction to his work.

Alfredo Arreguin's paintings are spectacular. Arreguin is one of the most important and awe-inspiring artists of the age. This book does an excellent job of detailing his life and art, as well as duplicating the intense colors of his canvasses. I cannot recommend this book enough. It would be a delight on the coffee table or as a gift.

If you want intense color, intricate patterns and a forever drifting, shifting visual experience, then this book is the Intro to Arreguin for you! There is a color plate on most pages and the text is in English and Spanish in side-by side columns.

This book is so low-priced because 1) the publishers found donors to underwrite this first edition 2) Arreguin is not making a dime in royalties off this book.

If you don't know Arreguin's work yet, just type "Alfredo Arreguin" into your browser's search box and you will get several relevant hits.

Try it, you'll like it!

I bought five copies: four copies for gifts, and one copy for me.

The story of Arreguin's childhood and family turmoil will add some optimism and empathy for troubled children of divorced parents, I hope.

chris matzen
Bremerton, WA 98312

This timely, provocative book combines and shows the relationship between two large themes: a)the nature and importance of spiritual and religous values and b) the nature and spiritual character of American democray, with all its flaws. I was struck to find this book and the manner in which Needleman developed his themes. In broad outline, Needleman's preocupations are my own. Without agreeing with everything he said, I came away from his book with my own ideas clarified and strengthened -- and a bit envious of Needleman's eloquence and ability to put his ideas into print.

Needleman draws a double picture of American freedom and its use. One picture is that freedom means everyone does simply as he or she pleases. This is, for Needleman, an America which has been criticized by many for its materialism, its emphasis on growth, its sole focus on the profit motive, its greed, racism, and, sometimes, bellicosity.

The other America is a spiritual American whose ideas of freedom and democracy was founded upon religous and metaphysical ideas of the nature of man, human commonality, the uniqueness of each person, and the search inward of each person for what is valuable and important. The ideal of democracy on this view is not simple pursuit of material wealth but rather a turning inward so that each person may pursue life and truth in his or her own way.

And what is the relationship between these two concepts of America? How do we help transform the one into the other?
Needleman's answer is in part a study of the wisdom literature common to all religions and great philosophy of life. (Needleman evidences a great deal of impatience with standard church or synagogue-going. He argues that he himself has found such conventional forms of religion sterile and routine.) He finds such wisdom, in various of its phases, in the writings of the American founders.

Thus the larger part of the book is a discussion and creative discussion of the American founders and a reading of certain of American texts. Thus Needleman gives us a paragraph-by-paragraph discussion of Washington's Farewell Address, The Tenth Federalist Paper, Lincoln's Second Inauguaral Address, an Oration of Frederick Douglass, and Iroquois Indian creation myth, and Walt Whitman's late essay, Democratic Vistas. He tries to show how these texts show an America of spiritual values rather than money-making. His aim is, avowedly, to remythologize America and its past.

In a broad sense his project is carried through well. Some of his readings of the texts, particularly of Washington's Farewell Address and of the Iroquois myth, seem to me forced. Needleman would have done better to let Washington speak for himself rather than create a Washington with, perhaps, Needleman's own spiritual preocupations. The readings of Whitman, Douglass, and Lincoln work much better, even on Needleman's own terms.

In trying to get people to think about America -- and to reassess its values in spiritual terms --Needleman has critical things to say about America's treatment of the Indians and about the long legacy of slavery. These themes are valuable and important and Needleman is right to dwell upon them. I have some question about whether the treatment of the Indians is inself free from a degree of modern stereotyping. Be that as it may, Needleman's point is that we may see America with its flaws and crimes and love it and try to recognize and bring about the ideal in the sometimes shabby nature of the real.

There is a great deal of erudition in this book, both on spiritual texts and on American history. In addition to his treatment of certain standard figures in American history, Needleman has a fascinating discussion of the Ephrata community in Pennsylvania and its founder Conrad Bissel. This Protestant spiritual community flourished briefly during the period just before the Revolutionary War.

Walt Whitman has the last word in this book, as he properly should, with his vision of America and of the American person.
There is a great deal of interest, as best as I can tell, in American history, as evidenced by the many new books on the Founders and the unending interest in Lincoln and the Civil War, and in spirituality, which I myself have found in a study of Buddhism. This book combines these two broad themes in an attempt to help the reader rething and reunderstand America. It is a worthy goal and the book carries it out well.

The American Soul: Rediscovering The Wisdom Of The Founders is an impressive compendium of timeless truths deeply embedded withing the founding vision of the United States of America. Here presented are the key ideals underlying democracy, individual liberty, freedom of conscience, and a human wisdom freed from religious dogmas and philosophical imperialisms which have proved essential to the success of the uniquely American perspectives on government, community, and the worth of the individual citizen. Read by the author Jacob Needleman, and additional enhanced with the narrations of Gabriello de Cuir, Stefan Rudnicki, M.E. Willis, and William Windom, The American Soul is whole heartedly recommended to students of American History, Political Science, and Philosophy. (Running Time: 3 hours).

No matter how much I dislike the oversimplifications of broad, emotionally loaded categories, I have always had to admit that I fall into two common ones. The first is "spiritual." The second is "patriot." How odd, at first glance! Aren't they rather contradictory? Am I a redneck if I put (as I have done since September 11th) an American flag on my car? It's puzzled me, as well as others.

Needleman's American Soul clarifies (I almost said "dispels," but it doesn't really make the mystery go "away," it deepens and enriches it) the mystery for me: without being in any way blind to human shortcomings, he reminds us of the spiritual ideals that this country was founded on and which can still be effective agents in life if we seek and create the America inside our souls. Our founders, like Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin were not naïve idealists who ignored the abundant greed, folly and hatred that existed then, exists now, and has always existed. The external form they created in the Constitution recognized these and created a system that could keep them in check, while promoting a unique societal climate that allowed for the spiritual growth (they called it "Reason," but meant far more than contemporary logic chopping) in both individuals and the community. Exploring the details of this is fascinating! For instance:

"... Scholarly controversies aside, the fact is that many of the ideals that Americans now consider definitive of our nation were introduced and developed by these mystical communities, and the original and deeper meaning of these ideals may be astonishingly different than what we now understand of them. For example, the ideas of human equality and independence in these communities are rooted in the notion that God, or "the inner light,? exists within every human being, and that the aim of life revolves around the endeavor and the necessity for every man or woman to make conscious contact with this inner divine force. This interior divinity?in William Penn?s language, ?the inner Christ"?is the source of true happiness, intelligence and moral capacity, and is meant to be the guide and ultimate authority in the conduct and assessment of our lives and obligations."

"Seen from this perspective, no human being can have ultimate authority over another, not because the individual has the right to satisfy the desires of the body or the ego; not because every individual has the right to plot the scheme of his or her own actions with respect to the social, economic or sexual aspects of life; not because every individual has the right to say whatever he wants to say. No, a human being is his own authority only because he has within him the inner Christ, the inner divinity."

These kind of thoughtful and stimulating insights abound in American Soul. This is one of Needleman's most profound books, and I recommend it enthusiastically!

No one book has more information than this one, and it's simply the best all-in-one traveling companion available. But it isn't perfect. Personal anecdotes and incidents sometimes seem amateurish, and Moscow changes so quickly that some of them are now quaintly outdated. The maps are minimal to the point of being useless; the best maps are in "Great Moscow", "Three Days in Moscow" (if you can tolerate the outdated street names), or one of the building-by-building atlases now available (all of these are published and available only in Russia). Finally, the level of detail is so great that some errors inevitably crept in, and hopefully they will be corrected in the next edition.

Rough Guide's book on Moscow is by far one of the best tour books I have seen for that city. Recently we had the chance to live in Moscow for two months. This book, along with the Rough Guides Russian phrase book, were our constant companions. The Moscow book was essential for giving us really indepth information about most of the sites we went to see. Also, the history section was invaluable to us as we found it necessary to do a little homeschooling of our children while there. I still refer to the history section of the Moscow book to refresh my memory on the complicated story of Russian history.

We also had Fodor's along with us but found that we relied much more on Rough Guides as a source of important and reliable information. Rough Guides is a must if you visit Moscow.

When I packed my bags for Moscow last summer I included about 4 different guide books, and the only one that came home ragged was this one. Absolutely the best I have seen or ever expect to see -- Step by step suggestions to get you exactly where you need to go, maps and more maps, and a small language primer. The thing that puts this book above the rest is that it gives you a complete historical story behind each destination. I came away with beautiful pictures and the history to go with them. This book even features short day trips outside of Moscow. The Rough Guide pocket sized language primer (available from Amazon) is also an essential. Take these two books and prepare yourself for some of the greatest times you will ever have. P.S. -- Check out the new edition

This book tells the traditional story of Sleeping Beauty with magnificent language, accompanied by spectacular illustrations. As in the original, Sleeping Beauty's mother is told that her dream of having a child would finally come true and that she would have a baby girl. The Queen did have the baby girl and her husband was so pleased he threw the biggest and grandest birthday party. He invited all but one person and not inviting her was the result in a terrible spell cast upon his daughter, Briar Rose. The spell was to put her to sleep on her 15th birthday, in which it did, after she touched the spinning wheel. Only a handsome man could wake her from the spell, and many years later that is what one man did. By kissing her, she returned to life and brought the whole castle life back with her. What catches the reader's attention in this particular book is the depth and colors of the illustrations. The position of the text also is very relevant in this story. Each picture is extremely detailed and shows that a great amount of thought was put into completing each page. It is very unique that the placement of the words on each page is located in some form of an opening. The text is placed in open skies, doorways, and blank walls on each page. In the beginning of the book, when the tone is darker, opening words are placed in a smaller and darker area; when Sleeping Beauty is awoken, the tone is much livelier. An example of this transition is relevant on the first two pages of the book, from the time when you are told the Queen could not have children to the time she has given birth to a baby girl. The first picture has dark colors and the trees are scary, close together and representative of a dark tone. With a turn of the page the tone takes a great positive change with open skies, doves, and vibrant colors. The text on both pages is in the middle of the darkness and then in the middle of a window. The position of the text and the illustrations are key factors in determining the over all tone and mood of the story. This book tells such an amazing story with the pictures that words are not even necessary. Children can read this book and better understand because of the colors and detail that each picture possesses. The doves that are used on the page of the birth of Briar Rose and the end of the book symbolize her life and what joy she lived. The colors in general are also used a symbol for joy and sadness, with such powerful colors meaning and representing happy times.

Trina Schart Hyman entranced me with her illustrations of Snow White when I was just a child. This book, with all its wonderful depictions, is equally as rich and magical. I have always loved the way her drawings looked and she was a direct inspiration for me to take up illustration when I got to college. I definitely reccomend it. It is a lovely, well-written tale and anyone, young or old, will love it.

As soon as you see the cover, you will know this is an edition of Sleeping Beauty that you will want. You actually feel the joy of the baby's christening, and the hurt and turmoil of the wicked fairy's curse. The scenes in this book are medeieval looking and it even shows some of the seasons that pass. This might not be the way that you see Sleeping Beauty often depicted. The princess, Briar Rose has long red hair and she wears a knife around her waist, in true medieval princess style. This is definetly a good change for the story. With it's expressive wording and beautiful, unique illustrations, you will want to check out her other books such as Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and some others!!!!

Courtesy of Love Romances

Hiho, Ohio is celebrating its centennial with festivities galore, beginning with the beauty pageant. What no one knows is that Hiho is really only 99 years old and if word leaked out, the town would be crushed.

Joel Carter is the great great grandchild of Hiho's founders, Hiram and Hortense Hump. He is representing his ancestors by presiding over events as the guest of honor. He's also a man on a mission: his boss, Big Bert, owner of the up and coming Vision Motors, is looking for a spokesmodel for his new vehicle, the Incline. Joel has no desire to be there, for he positively despises small towns. He grew up moving from small town to small town, always being "the new kid" and the brunt of all the bullies taunting and abuse. Hiho brings back those bad memories for him, and he has no desire to be there for two weeks, preferring the hustle and bustle of big city life. Until he sees her...

Katy Sloane is the children's librarian for the town, and a volunteer on the pageant committee. When Bert sees her, he is determined she is the perfect woman to represent his new vehicle, and commands Joel to see that she wins. Unfortunately for Joel, Katy has no desire to compete, finding beauty competitions to be insulting and demeaning to women. She much prefers her simple small town life and her job at the library.

Joel's got his work cut out for him, trying to figure out how to convince Katy to compete. When the two of them discover Hiho's real age, Katy promises to compete if Joel will keep the secret about the town. Though he feels slightly guilty over her reasons for entering the pageant, she volunteered, so he isn't above using that to his benefit.

Joel takes on the job of being Katy's coach, pleased at the opportunity to spend more time with her. However, neither counted on one of the fringe benefits of their forced closeness... falling in love. Katy is convinced Joel only wants her to win because he thinks her unattractive, like the "butt-ugly" vehicle she'd be representing. He is reluctant because of her strong ties to the town that epitomizes everything he hates. So how does he convince Katy he truly loves her, knowing he could never agree to stay, or her to leave?

This was a delightful story! The writing duo that is Jennifer Drew, has penned a comical story that one will love to read. Joel and Katy are enchanting characters, as are the whole town. From Edna the gym teacher to loud Petey the car salesman, from "mature" contestant Sadie to cute Brandi and her domineering mother, the whole town is full of people the reader can't help but care for... people. Hiho is a lovely town, so characteristic of small towns all over the country.

This tale has everything the Harlequin Duets line is known for, making it a perfect choice to be included in the landmark 100th volume. If one loves sparkling wit and humor, lively characters and fun stories, this is a prime choice! This story is this reviewer's first glimpse of Jennifer Drew's work, but it certainly won't be the last.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, March 2003. All rights reserved.

It is the week before Hiho, Ohio's huge centennial celebration. Zoe Wallace, formerly of New York City, who came to Hiho in search of happiness and less stress in her life, is the Chairperson of the committee organizing activities. She is busy working hard to make things run smoothly and really doesn't have the time to show around a visiting news reporter, but agrees to do so, as long as it does not interfere with her responsibilities to the committee and running the town's weekly newspaper, The Herald.

Theodore "Mace" Mason is feeling hindered in his job as a news reporter for TV channel, WMAC "where nice news matters," in Erie, PA, and longs for the bigger and brighter opportunities only available to him in a big city. The last thing he wants is to spend a week in a hodunk town like Hiho (founded by Hiram and Hortense Hump of Erie, PA), reporting on something as insignificant to him as its centennial. Mace's boss is adamant that he covers the celebration, and the preparations leading up to it, also using Hiram as the subject of the next edition in his documentary series, "Chronicles."

Mace goes reluctantly, planning to use the week to evaluate his options for what direction he wants his career to take. Then he meets Zoe, complete with her "big" teased hair and horrendous makeup (the result of a makeover she grudgingly agreed to for one of the beauty shops in town). The entire time they are talking, he uses all of his willpower not to even crack a smile at the image before him, winning Zoe's respect when he doesn't poke fun at her appearance... until she overhears him insult her adopted home.

Zoe doesn't like Mace's attitude, even though she finds herself attracted to him. She captivates him, in spite of the fact she is just a small-town woman, the antithesis to what he always thought he wanted. They are thrown together when it is brought to Zoe's attention that Hiho may not be 100 years old after all, but actually 99, which would have a huge negative impact on the local library and college, who are counting on funding to be granted from the Pawley Trust, upon the town's centennial. Zoe and Mace have to work together to find the answer, even tough they are not quite sure how each other will handle it. Attraction grows between them, but they wonder if anything can come of it because of their conflicting views.

As always, this story is another winner for Ms. Jacobs. The Hundred Year Itch is full of everything indicative of her personal style and flair. There are loveable characters that come to life, a charming storyline, and an abundance of the humor one has come to associate with Holly Jacobs' books.

Zoe and Mace are a perfect match for each other, their respective personalities complementary, while providing plenty of conflict as they try to understand each other's dreams. The town of Hiho is populated with colorful characters like the cloak-and-dagger prone Bertram, sisters Cora and Ida MacIntosh who are infamous for their apple pie, and disgruntled over the selection of the toothless Tom Walters as judge for the festival bake-off. In addition, how can one forget Jed, the love struck bull?

Be forewarned though; take care in when and where choosing to read this amusing tale, or the reader may find oneself bursting with laughter at rather inopportune moments. This reviewer speaks from experience - having done just that at a business conference. Rush out and buy this book today! There is certainly no danger of disappointment in that. Kelley A. Hartsell, March 2003.

YOU'LL BE MINE IN '99 by Jennifer Drew: The mother/daughter writing team of Barbara Andrews and Pam Hanson pen another amusing romp with YOU'LL BE MINE IN '99. Their zany style sparkles as Hiho, Ohio gears up for their centennial celebration. Joel Carter, the great-great grandchild of Hiho's founders presents proof that Hiho is only 99 years old. He despises small towns, but must be present to fulfill work obligations. He doesn't realize that the possibility of loss of funds to this year's budget threaten both the town's library and the nearby college's building plan.

Further, Joel's job is on the line. Vision Motors is sponsoring a beauty pageant in conjunction with the town's centennial celebration. The winner of the pageant will become the spokesperson for their new SUV, called the Incline. Librarian Katy Sloan thinks the Incline, which she nicknames the Decline, is the ugliest vehicle she has ever seen; moreover she is not participating in the pageant. But when Joel's boss sees her, he wants Katy for Vision's spokesperson. But Katy thinks beauty contests are demeaning and insulting. Nevertheless, Joel's proof of 99 years might just be enough to convince her to participate when the alternative is to loose her job to economics.

As small town heroine and big city hero clash, readers will enjoy the comical result. Characters spring to life with remarkable vividness. Be careful where you read this novel. I happened to be in [my local bookstore], and other patrons were startled by my unmistakable giggles. YOU'LL BE MINE IN '99 is definitely one of Jennifer Drew's best!

THE HUNDRED YEAR ITCH by Holly Jacobs: Jacobs picks up perfectly where writing duo Jennifer Drew leaves off, continuing the small town saga of the centennial celebration. Often readers feel a bit of disconnection when moving between authors, particularly when the town and theme are shared. In this case, Jacobs captures the flavor of Hiho, Ohio perfectly, continuing with favored characters and creating a few of her own.

In the week before Hiho, centennial celebration, Zoe Wallace finds herself the Chairperson of the committee organizing activities. Between finding judges with teeth and preventing judges biases, she finds herself showing around a visiting news reporter. Theodore "Mace" Mason feels limited by his reporting job TV channel, WMAC "where nice news matters," in Erie, PA. He longs for the hard bite of real news, and this small "podunk" town detour is irritably unwelcome. When he meets Zoe Wallace, Mace does not bat a lash at her outrageous makeover, earning him a gentleman reputation. But he will be treading heavily on that reputation if he reports his discovery of a small town conspiracy to conceal the flawed dates regarding the centennial celebration.

When she overhears Mace's podunk reference, Zoe does not like his attitude even while she fights their growing attraction. Mace likewise finds Zoe enchanting, but knows at the end of the week he will be returning to big city life. Soon, however, their mutual concern over the legality of the town's centennial celebration forces them to work together. The Pawley Trust pays off when the town celebrates the centennial, and for it to fall through now would be incredibly devastating. Conflicting views and a need to trust lend Mace's and Zoe's attraction a dynamic and fiery element.

If she could not set the tale in Erie, Pennsylvania like the rest of her novels, then Jacobs simply brings a sexy hero from Erie to Hiho, Ohio. The result is the wildly amusing read readers have come to expect from this terrific author. Zoe and Mace compliment each other nicely, even as they struggle with virtually overwhelming conflicts. Secondary characters likewise provide humor, especially with the geriatric baton twirling grandma and the toothless Tom Walters who won't wear dentures even if the pie has nuts.

The simple joy of creation shared by authors Drew and Jacobs makes this collection sparkle with every word. They very obviously had a great time creating Hiho and its memorable citizens. Consequently, this Duets comes very highly recommended!