I disagree with the lady from Vegas. I really loved With a Stetson...I thought it was an ingenious idea and it was very humorous, romantic and it sizzled under the tree...Kudos! I also loved The Bridesmaid's Bet. Both of these authors displayed talent, sizzle, humor and tons of romance. The hero's and heroines were down to earth and real, someone that you could relate too and feel and see things through their eyes. They weren't the typical damsels in distress.I've read them twice and would recommend them to all my friends, hey, I already did that...

In Thompson's "With a Stetson and a Smile," Quinn Monroe is a city slicker frightened of snakes and bugs, and his travails as he tries to adapt to Montana ranch life are hysterical! His romance with Jo is engaging and often funny, and the secondary characters give this charming story some weight. A lot of Thompson's more recent stuff has a definite eroticism to the love scenes, and "Stetson" is no exception. All around, this is a well-written story with sweet, charming characters and an engaging romance.

In "Bridesmaid's Bet," Ridgeway takes on a familiar plot: tomboy finally grows up and decides to make "friend of family" sit up and take notice! Nothing about this story is especially original and creative, but the characters are well-rounded and engaging, the romance is sweet, and the writing is smooth. Enjoyable.

I thought this was a really cute story, and well written. Light, entertaining and enjoyable. I can always rely on this author to make me laugh.

Studio photographer Kate Cooper rushes to the Warwick, Rhode Island airport to pick up Harry Armstrong, the best man at her sister's wedding. When she sees Harry in person, Kate thinks what a hot hunk, but unbeknownst to her he is Harry's twin brother Hugh, a Hollywood stuntman. Hugh fails to correct Kate's misconception. Hugh mentions being tired from rescuing lives in the ocean, which Kate thinks he is the act of a hero while in reality he did his job as part of a filming for a movie scene.

Hugh and Kate are very attracted to one another and soon make love. However, as they begin to fall in love, he believes she feels deep affection for him, but not as Hugh, as Harry. He also worries about how she reacts when his beloved learns the truth as to who he is.

The second Cooper's Corner tale is an appealing novel that avoids the triteness of the overly used mistaken twin identity theme through a likable cast. The lead characters provide a delightful exchange even if Hugh should have corrected Kate's mistake from the moment he realized who she believed he is. Still, as Kristine Rolfoson did with the first novel, Vickie Lewis Thompson maintains a high level of quality that places double the pressure on the next author Jill Shalvis.

Harriet Klausner

Stuntman Hugh Armstrong pursues his profession for the adrenaline rush. Leaping from flaming buildings, however, comes much easier than risking his heart. Consequently, when he and Kate Cooper just seem to click, Hugh welcomes the opportunity to turn a wedding into his own little weekend tryst. Unfortunately, he does not suspect that Kate's sensuous seduction is partially based on a case of mistaken identity.

With her twin rapped up in last minute wedding preparations, Kate promises to pick up best man Harry Armstrong on the airport. Her gift for photography makes picking him out of the crowd easily, but someone should have told her that he has an identical brother. It is not until after the fireworks lead them to bind blowing pleasure that Kate learns the man in her bed is not Harry. Her outrage is only matched by her mortification. Worse, she is not the type for a weekend fling and a Sunday afternoon goodbye.

Author Vicki Lewis Thompson delivers an outrageous read in DOUBLE EXPOSURE. Mixed identities, coincidence and heat lend DOUBLE EXPOSURE the plot twists that keep Thompson's fans begging for more. With a daring heroine seeking the hero of her dreams, and a hero who does not exactly meet her expectations, DOUBLE EXPOSURE reveals a memorable couple caught in the throws of passion. Further, Kate's gift for making every second count, her need for excitement, and passion for living make her an intriguing heroine. Hugh's persistence in running from a painful past to protect his heart builds deep sympathy in the reader. With a delightful cast of secondary characters, including a charmingly daring child who almost steals the scene, DOUBLE EXPOSURE satisfies. Very highly recommended.

"Two in the Saddle" is the second in the "Three Cowboys and a Baby" series by Thompson. Knowledge of the first book helps but is not required.

In this installment, we meet lighthearted playboy Travis, who seems to be able to get any woman he wants ... except for Gwen, his boss's best friend. Gwen's had it with lighthearted playboy men and wants nothing to do with Travis!

This is a wonderfully funny, engaging read with well-crafted characters and a lot of steamy eroticism. Truly a joy to read. I liked how Travis become something other than what we originally expect, and how we come to know Gwen and her deep insecurities. (And, despite how un-PC this is, I loved the cover! Yum.)

However, I must quibble with two things. First, I hate it when the female characters really don't want anything to do with the guy, yet their bodies "betray them" and they're overcome with lust. I know this was a popular theme 20-30 years ago, but aren't we past that now? Second, the theme holding this series together, baby Elizabeth, is a little tough to swallow.

However, if you can get past these two points, this is a very well-written, funny, engaging read by Thompson. Enjoy!

Hunky cowboy Travis (in the role of best man) tries to pick up bridesmaid Gwen at their mutual close friends wedding. He an extroverted playboy, and she a reserved, domesticated woman with dreams of white gowns , burst into flames with their attraction for each other. The only complications...she refuses him saying she needs commitment, he pleads with her saying he can't commit, and a minor detail...a baby. This is one of the book in the series "Three cowboys and a baby", in which one of three drunk cowboys impregnate a woman, all of them thinking it's themselves, with nobody knowing who the father is till the last book. In this book, Travis is sure it's his, and Gwen too, disapprovingly, thinks it's Travis who's the irresponsible father, putting more distance between them as Gwen worries the mother will appear on the scene and cause problems. Needless to say, at the risk of revealing too much, things work out in the end with Travis letting out his 'big' secret of why his lifestyle is what it is. A nice, interesting story...something different.The only negative aspect is that the characters are somehow lacking in something. But adding the equation of a reluctant girl, a big-muscled hunk who can change diapers, and lots of attraction, it adds up to a good book.

This series of books is wonderful! It has passion, romance and mystery. Just who is baby Elizabeth's daddy? In this book we meet another cowboy who thinks he is the father of the baby. Is he? When will Jessica return to tell everyone what's going on? Read it and find out! I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Boone's Bounty. This is a really great book with a lot of passion and sexy scenes! Any Harlequin Temptation reader will thoroughly enjoy it!

I used this book, along with a host of other books, transcripts, articles and recordings of capoeira to complete my undergraduate thesis in anthropology. Regarding an earlier post here, i don't think that Lewis was trying to necessarily undermine the black African origins of capoeira, but rather his experiences with capoeiristas around Brazil led him to focus on the wholly Brazilian cultural aspects (samba, too, is a cultural phenomenon with roots in Africa). While i do belive that his treatment of the African origins of capoeira were sketchy, this is to be expected as the data on capoeira's African origins is not very clear, and to the best of my knowledge is to date a matter of conjecture. The only truth regarding that matter is that capoeira did come from Africa with the (primarily West African) slaves and developed into modern capoeira while in Brazil. This last part, "in Brazil", is something that I stress in the sense that although many Caribbean and South American nations received slaves from the same parts of Africa, only Brazil's slaves and mulattos produced capoeira.

More to the point of this type of entry: the book is a definite must-read for anyone (capoeirista or not) interested in the modern expressions of african diasporan culture.

Yes, I think this book deserves five stars, because it gave me insight; both professional and personal. Training Capoeira for seven years (including two trips to Brazil for the same reason) has taken me to the strange border between two cultures: my own Danish average European socio-historic background, and the Afro-brazilian transcultural vegetation in which Capoeira flourishes. Alouring - and as Lewis notes: deceptive, Capoeira as a performance reveals conflictuality on the Afro-brazilian social and historical level, which differs from the writers own background; in this case quite similar to my case. The task of relating to this difference is met by Ring of Liberation through respect of the ontic 'way' of the capoeirista, and at the same time maintaining an epistemic approach. What this means, is that Ring of Liberation can be read by the intellectual layman as well as the non-brazilian capoeira enthusiast, as a guide to experiences already had or about to happen...great stuff!

I found that this is a VERY true to actual accounts of Capoeira. I've been practising Capoeira myself for a while now, and this book reflex the views that I, and most of my Groups shares. It would seem very one-sided, but you NEED to be a Capoeirista to fully understand the concpts and ideas and history of this book. To me, A VERY GOOD BOOK ON WHAT I BELIEVE

PEACE

"Boone's Bounty" is the third installment of the "Three Cowboys and a Baby" series by Thompson. Knowledge of the previous two books helps but is not required.

In this particular installment, Boone is driving back home to meet up with his friends and see the baby he thinks is his when he runs into a blizzard. While waiting for the blizzard to pass, he comes to the aid of a woman and a child who appear to be running from something that terrifies them. He goes to their aid, bringing them back with him to the ranch. And he falls in love, despite his avowal to straighten out the situation with baby Elizabeth first.

The characters in this particular installment of "Three Cowboys" are wonderful, if out of the ordinary for this genre. Boone is especially engaging -- a caring, comforting puppydog of a man with a heart as big as the rest of him. Thompson adds a lot of humor and some steamy sensuality to make this particular installment a good, entertaining, heart-warming read.

My only complaint with this book, as with the rest of the series, is that the baby Elizabeth hook, while sweet, is simply not all that believable. But if you can put any disbelief aside and transcend that, this is a wonderful, engaging book with charming characters.

The two books before this were great. I just finished reading this one and I got a preview for her last one in this series. It comes out in September and I can't wait. If you want a few books that will get you saying "ahww" a lot and make you warm and tingly, buy them all!

This story hooks you right from the beginning. The author makes you care about the characters and provides background if you have not read the two previous in the series.

Vickie Lewis Thompson continues to please with her sense of humor and steadily improving story development. The humor she inserts always makes her books a fun read. The initial contact between the two main characters deserves more detail, but then their relationship doesn't really begin until nine months later. This is one book I will share with my mother! Truly high praise for a cute read and kept my mind off Hurricane Floyd even when I was stuck in the house with my kids.

Gabe is a bounty hunter with a mission, find the rapist who raped his sister and got away with it, thanks to a not guilty verdict by the jury. Problem is, Dallas was on the jury. Gabe is attracted to Dallas from the first, but doesn't want to tell her she released a man who raped his sister, but after the rapist starts targeting Dallas as his next victem, Gabe is forced to protect the headstrong Dallas, whether she likes it or not. The romance moves quickly, and the love is believable, even though fast. I really liked Gabe's character a great deal, for a drifter. He was trying to avenge his sister, and trying to protect the woman he fell in love with. Dallas is a bit too headstrong, and she didn't figure out she helped a guilty man go free until the very end, but redeemed herself by using herself as bait. Its a great love story, lots of steam but not to the point of being just gratuitious porn. I think its an excellent read!

If you like to read Romance novels, this is a great book to read. As usual, Ann Stuart manages to deliver a story that is both slightly sinister and humorous. The characters in this book are memorable and exciting. As this was the first time that I had read any stories by Cathy Gillen Thacker and Vicki Lewis Thompson, I was pleasantly surprised by the qaulity of their work. Another aspect that I like about this book is that you get three seperate stories that carry a main theme. Well, as you can see, I relly liked this book and hope that you do too.

Generieve Terrence's scheme to jump in the sack with her GQ-hunk of a boss Nick Brogan when she accompanies him on a trip to Maui turns nightmarishly awry. The twist comes when Nick is an psychotic embezzler who concocts a plan to crash the plane along with geeky programmer Jack Farley and her secretary and parachute his way out. The full-length debut by Harlequin veteran Vicki Lewis Thompson is at once a heart-thumping revenge of the nerds which chucks stereotypes to the bin. It is boisterous fun and sass as readers soak themselves in the sunny chemistry between Jack and Gen and fan themselves under the heat of their sizzling passion. Jack charms with sincerity as the leading alpha-male who saves the day while Gen regains her former feisty self as a triumphant survivor in poverty-stricken Tennessee. And no less compelling is the secondary romance between Gen's mother Annabelle and Matt - the acting executive at Gen's company. Ms. Thompson's characters are immensely amicable, complete with tart parlance and wits to make this a riotous trip of love and fun.

Have you ever wanted to be stranded on a deserted island with someone of the opposite sex? No computers, no telephones, no animals to take care of, no cares in the world? Then, you've GOT to read this book! I absolutely loved this book! Not to mention that it was on sale and [cheap](I would have paid way for it) is always a pleasant surprise.

This story will take you to a far away place to forget your daily grind. I wish that I would have been close to a beach when reading, because it would have been the perfect scenario to read.

It's like a mix between Survivor meets Blue Lagoon. The passion between Gen and (the nerd) Jack is so believable that you will instantly feel like you've known these characters for years.

This is my first read by Vicki L Thompson, but will definetley NOT be my last! BRAVO!!

Vicki Lewis Thompson is not a newcomer to the romance genre, but her debut single title release, A NERD IN SHINING ARMOR, shines with a fresh, risky perspective that enthralled me. Her trademark humor and ultra-hot love scenes are the perfect foundation for this quirky, not-the-least-bit-average story.

Genevieve Terrance thinks she has everything all figured out. A secretary at a software firm, Gen is convinced that her boss, Nick Brogan, is the man for her--sexy, sophisticated and charming. He's just the type of man Gen wants, particularly since she's worked pretty hard to shed her hillbilly upbringing. She's certain that once she gets him into bed, she'll be able to show him the true love he's been missing in his life.

Too bad Nick has other plans...and too bad Gen can't see the nerd in shining armor that is her co-worker, Jackson Farley...until they're stranded together on an island and engaging in one hot affair.

To contrast this incendiary storyline, Thompson introduces a secondary plot regarding Jackson's boss and Genevieve's mother. The sweet, emotional depth of this secondary story provides just the right balance to the hot and heavy goings-on between Jack and Gen. Add to the mix Gen's outrageous younger brother, her hilarious hillbilly past, and a tense suspense plot, and you've got a book that has everything a reader could want.

I just ordered the novella collection, INVITATIONS TO SEDUCTION, that Thompson has out next month with Carly Phillips and Janelle Denison. Then I'll be going back to my keeper shelf to re-read a few of the outstanding books she's written to date (particularly Harlequin Blaze's NOTORIOUS and Temptation's LOVERBOY.) This is one author that a romance reader shouldn't miss!