...but I'm not. I'm in the chilly midwest where it's going to be about 55 degrees today. Brrr! Some hot cocoa sounds really good right about now.

Labels: hiatus

Labels: winner

If you know anything about me at all, you've probably figured out that I'm a pretty forgiving reader. I will endure while other will throw up their hands in disgust. I can let things slide that make other readers see violatile shades of red. I prefer to enjoy than rip apart. Most of the time. Of course I have my own hot buttons and issues that turn me into a raving critic, and I can be adequately scathing when the need arises.

My latest complaint revolves around a series that many people have given up on awhile ago. I came to the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich relatively late, but caught up rather quickly. What I loved about the stories was that they were quick, fluffy reads that didn't take a lot of concentration or dedication on my part. I just had to read and enjoy. And I had been. For thirteen books. Sure, I was ready for a commitment. Our cupcake has been vascillating between Joe Morelli and Ranger for years now, but like Stephanie, I myself had a hard time choosing sides. Yeah, Joe is sexy and stable and he loves our girl, but Ranger was a temptation no living, breathing woman could pass up, and for some mysterious reason that even baffles me, he's got a bit of a thing for Ms. Plum. He might even love her. In his own way of course.

I finally picked up "Fearless Fourteen" over the weekend, and I gotta tell you, I'm done. I'm bored. I'm plain tired of the same old, same old. Even Grandma Mazur has failed to elicit a giggle out of me this time around, and she was always a sure thing. These characters don't evolve, and entire conversations can be said in a word:

"Babe".

That's it. One word which holds a wealth of meaning. But a woman likes to talk, and there's not much talking going on here by anyone. Like Joe and Ranger, I'm feeling like the readers are being strung along here. I'm also thinking Ms. Evanovich might be trying to count to 100 with this series, and I'm gonna die long before then.

I hate to say it, and I know it's already been said by stronger readers than me, but the series has officially jumped the shark. It's time to pick a team and let the boys off the hook, Stephanie. Cuz we ain't getting any younger here, and really, we already know the winner; it has been decided almost from the get-go, so now we just need to finish the game and bow out of the race.

Have you read the Plum series?

How far did you get before you declared defeat?

And because I just have to ask: Joe or Ranger????

Any other series that have jumped the shark?

Labels: Janet Evanovich, series

Judith McNaught, to me, is an icon. My very first all-time favorite author. Say what you will about her writer's block or that you hate Whitney and/or Clayton with a passion; that's your prerogative. For me, reading "Almost Heaven" years ago as a young teen cemented her place in my heart.

Labels: Judith McNaught

Of course being a single girl, I admit to also feeling twinges of sadness amidst all the excitement. 99.9999% of the time I'm basically good with the status quo, but on a day like Saturday, where romance was in the air and everyone looked happy and beautiful and in love, it made me a littl weepy. J is just starting out her new life, and as thrilled as I am for her and her , there's also a bit of envy in my heart. Bad Stacy, LOL. Srsly though, I hope J is this happy for the rest of her life. I can't think of too many people who deserve it as much as she does. She's one of those genuinely nice people who is liked by everyone, and seeing her so radiant on Saturday lifted my spirits. So with much affection, I wish all the best to J & S for a long and happy life together :)

Labels: friends, movies

I know this has already been making the rounds here in blogland, but I would be remiss if I didn't offer up a huge, big, ole congratulations to our very own Carolyn Crane, aka. C.J. for the gorgeous cover of her first release, scheduled for March 23, 2010. It's so exciting to see people you know making their dreams come true, and I wish all the very best to C.J. She's a dear girl with a hilarious sense of humor and an amazing imagination.

Labels: bookcovers, Carolyn Crane

Labels: winner

Labels: friends

Labels: blogs

Julie Anne Long is a relatively new-to-me author, but one that had a significant impact on me in 2008. I had read the first book in her Pennyroyal Green series, "The Perils of Pleasure", and enjoyed it very much.

Labels: Julie Anne Long

Labels: Children's Memorial Hospital

Today I'm really excited to be giving away not just one book, or even two books, but all three books in the impressive Black CAT series by Leslie Parrish. I've really enjoyed these books, and I'm hoping that Leslie will continue to write more, as there are other characters I'm dying to find out more about (i.e. Brandon!)

Soooo, are you ready? Good, because so am I! It's not hard, I promise.

1. Leslie and her family love Halloween, so my question is: what is your favorite thing about Halloween? Or if you don't like Halloween, what is your favorite holiday?

2. The Black CAT books are categorized as romantic suspense. Who is your favorite romantic suspense author?

3. The Black CAT group deals with solving internet crimes. What is your favorite thing to do on the internet? (blogging, twitter, Facebook, Google, etc.)

4. Leslie loves scary movies. Do you like scary movies? Optional question: what was the first scary movie you watched?


5. Leslie started reading romances when she was around 12 years old. How old were you when you read your first adult romance and what was the name of it?

6. Leslie names her husband as her inspiration for a romantic hero. Who's YOUR inspiration for a romantic hero?

7. Some of Leslie's guilty pleasures are Nacho Cheese Doritos and diet Coke. What are some of your guilty pleasures?

Okay, that's it! See, not so bad LOL. Please be sure to answer all 7 questions to be eligible for the random drawing. Please DO NOT include your email address in your response. Thank you for stopping by!

Good luck!

Labels: contest, Leslie Parrish

Hugs and smooches to you all.

Labels: remembering

S~ You've been published for about 10 years now. During that time, how often did you think of writing something besides the funny, sexy romances you are known for? What finally prompted you to do it?

Actually, I thought about it a lot before I sold because my two favorite genres are romance and horror. (Quite a dichotomy, I know!) If I hadn’t sold romance, I am quite sure I would have eventually tried my hand at thrillers, suspense or horror. Once I had sold, however, I barely had enough times to make my deadlines and trying something else was something I had to put on the shelf.

I was prompted to actually do it when the bottom fell out of my Leslie Kelly single title career. I was still happily writing Blazes, but found myself unable to sell another longer, stand-alone contemporary romance. So it seemed a good time to invent a new creative persona and give it my best shot.

S~ As a writer, what have been some of your most memorable experiences, whether it's a specific character or that "aha!" moment? When you look back, what stands out?

When I wrote BLACK AT HEART I had a picture in my mind of what the story was going to be, who would star in it and who the villain was. But once I started to write, I found myself going in really unexpected places. Then one day, I typed a sentence, without forethought or planning, and the whole thing opened up and went in a different direction. It was really the perfect plot twist because it brought things full circle and so totally matched the theme of the entire book. I had to go back in and layer things differently, but I really love how it all turned out. (Don’t want to say exactly what it was, because it’s a big spoiler. Sorry!)

S~ How is writing and getting published different today than it was 10 + years ago?

Getting published has always been difficult (despite my Cinderella story on my 1st book) but I think it’s now harder to stay published than it was then. There are fewer publishers now than there were a decade ago. Those that are left have gradually wrapped their accountant’s fists around the midlist and squeezed until the pressure is almost at the popping point. Used to be a publisher would stick with an author, build her career, confident in the talent and the books. Nowadays, I know people who have been dropped on the basis of one or two bad-selling books.

In that respect, I am very lucky that my publisher, NAL-Signet, wanted to go back to contract with me even before the Black CATs trilogy debuted. They could have waited to see if it did well, then decided. Instead, they wanted to get me lined up for more release slots in 2010 so they went ahead and bought two books in a completely different series. My hope (theirs, too!) is that the Black CATs will do well enough that we can then add more of those books on another contract.

S~ Out of your Leslie Kelly books, which was the most difficult to write, and why do you think that is?

The books that have always been hardest for me to write are the ones in which I was given certain parameters in which to work and had to develop my characters and stories to fit them. I guess I’m just not a good team player when it comes to writing—I like to do my own thing. So being told I had to write a book about a gorgeous, health-conscious former cosmetics model who had In-Vitro fertilization to have a child when she was only in her twenties (gag!), paired with a really wimpy hospital administrator whose male biological clock is ticking (at 30!!!) so he wants to adopt a baby on his own (double gag!) did NOT make me happy. (This was just so not me!) But when you do a continuity book for Harlequin, you do get assigned stories with that level of detail. So writing THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY, part of Harlequin’s Forrester Square series, was pure torture.

I hated every minute of it, but forced myself to stay at my desk to get it done, ignoring the pain in my back. Then after I sent it off, ended up having to be taken to the hospital and had emergency spinal surgery for two herniated discs.

Damn book almost killed me! (Thank God that didn't happen!)

S~ Writing for the Blaze line must have really been an eye-opening experience at the time, considering how far they were willing to let you explore the possibilities when you leave those bedroom doors wide open. Do you ever see yourself writing more erotic type romances, or are you happy with the level of heat your books currently contain? When do you think it becomes too much?

It’s funny, I really resisted writing Blaze at first. I was very happy writing Temptations and just couldn’t see myself having to come up with “a sexy premise” which was required for Blaze in the early days. Eventually I was tempted by the chance to do a simultaneous-release miniseries with my bud Jill Shalvis. (Love her!)

I don’t think I’ll ever go any further with the heat content in my books. Overexposed and One Wild Wedding Night were about the max for my own personal comfort level as a writer. I love both of those books and think they have just the right amount of heat.

And I think it becomes too much in any story, not just my own, whenever the sexual content takes the center stage over the emotional content. I don’t mind scorching heat as long as the safety net of true emotional connection is always right there.

S~ How did you approach writing the Parrish books as opposed to writing the Kelly books? There's obviously more research involved, so how do you prepare?

Despite the fact that I go away with the Plotmonkeys to plot out my books, I rarely sat down and follow detailed plots or outlines. For me, the work we do on those retreats was always just to talk about the stories and get all my juices flowing. Big picture stuff, not little plotty stuff.

The Black CATs books, however, HAD to be more thoroughly plotted. They were a lot more intricate, have more characters, needed clues and red herrings and villains. Plus there’s a storyline that weaves throughout all three books! There was absolutely no chance of going the seat-of-my-pants route with those books.

I also did a lot of research. Bought books on crime investigation, crime scene analysis, profiling. I spent a lot of time taking notes from the FBI website, and lots of time interacting with an Internet expert who agreed to answer questions for me. Usually my process is to just sit down and write, look up something as I stumble across the moment in the book when I need it. Just can’t do that with the Parrish books or I’ll be stopping every couple of pages!

S~ Having read all 3 of the Black CAT books with the 3rd one at the top of my re-read pile, I'm dying to get my hands on more. I think you've really approached the stories from a realistic standpoint, invested in creating some smart, savvy characters who are utterly believable in their reactions and emotions. I'm totally hooked on the series. What can we expect next from this incredible series?

Thank you so much, Stacy, I really appreciate that! I would love to write more of these books. I actually did a full proposal for B.C. # 4, featuring Christian, a character who is introduced in Black At Heart. I was hoping to get another 3 book contract, his book first, then Anna Delaney, another new team member who showed up in BAH. All that to build to Brandon’s story. That’s the one I would really like to write—I just needed to age him a little, make him the end of another story arc in the 2nd trilogy. (I really hope to read more about Brandon!)

Great plan, I thought. But the publisher just wasn’t willing to invest more in this series until they found out if it was going to do well. So while they are still interested in more Black CATs books, they instead contracted me to start an entirely new series.(It’s called eXtreme Investigations—all the books are about detectives with a paranormal detective agency.)

If the first B.C. trilogy does well, I am very hopeful that NAL will give me the nod to proceed with the next set of books. Fingers crossed! (Mine too!)

S~ You've written some creepy, utterly chilling scenarios in your books, sadly many of which have been or could be enacted in real life. How does this affect you emotionally to write such gritty, horrific storylines? How do you unwind from writing such grim, tragic scenes?

They’re certainly not easy. Writing anything that’s too close to my real life is especially difficult. I have teen and college-aged daughters, so there were parts of FADE TO BLACK that were very difficult. But I knew what needed to happen for the sake of the story, so I just shoved Leslie Kelly the mother into a mental closet and let Leslie Parrish the romantic-thriller writer take over for the day or the week or however long it took to get through the more difficult stuff.

Probably the most disturbing scene I wrote is one that ended up getting cut out altogether because it so bothered my editor. It was to be the prologue of book 3 and was in the point of view of a pedophile on the way to a clandestine meeting. Being inside his twisted head was very difficult and though I thought the scene was effective, my editor convinced me that inside the head of a pedophile was one place romance readers just would not want to be. I took her advice and cut it. (Watch for that deleted scene on my blog in late August!)

S~ Other than the Plotmonkeys (which is a given) which authors' books do you enjoy reading? What book are you currently enjoying?

I go through waves where I read new books and then reread old favorites, obsess on one genre, then get bored and switch. A month or two ago, I got in a mood to read nothing but historical stories so I dove into all of Philippa Gregory’s Tudor books. (Other Boleyn Girl, Boleyn Inheritance, etc.) Then I went into a reread of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth (one of my favorite books ever, though I wasn’t crazy about the sequel.) And caught some historical romances I’d somehow missed—one of which was Anne Stuart’s Lady Fortune, where the hero is a royal fool—literally. Loved it!

More recently I’ve been glomming horror and thrillers. I just went through a Peter Straub phase and reread Mystery, Throat and Lost Boy, Lost Girl. I absolutely loved Steig Larsen’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and am dying to get my hands on the sequel. Also can’t wait for Chelsea Cain’s new book.

S~ In these days of Twitter, FB and other instant social networking sites which allow you access to information immediately, how do you maintain that edge to keep readers coming back for more?

I am not really that active on those social networking sites. I have different FB accounts, but keep my Leslie Kelly one private, for friends and family I actually know in person. (I do take all friend requests for the Leslie Parrish page, though!) They can be a lot of fun but also a huge time suck, and I’m already really bad about letting myself find any distraction I can to avoid working! (Follow Leslie on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lesliekelly)

S~ I'll be honest. I started reading romance around the age of 12 and gained quite an education because of it, and that was 20+ years ago. How do you feel about having readers that young, and do you believe it is up to you to write for your audience, knowing you might have pre-teen fans, and how they may be influenced by what they read?

I started reading them at the same age, Stacy! I read The Flame And The Flower sitting in a closet with a flashlight, then was stupid enough to ask one of my sisters what a “manhood” was. Busted!

I know younger readers do pick up these books, but honestly, I can’t think about that when I’m writing them. I think of my Blazes as being appropriate for anyone who’s sexually active. These days, that means teenagers. Younger than that, probably not.

The thrillers are definitely less sexy, but there’s a lot of violence in them. (Though it’s probably no worse than you’d find in an average episode of Criminal Minds.) They are pretty dark and I would hope they wouldn’t fall into the hands of really young kids. Hopefully their parents are paying attention (or their older sisters are…lol!)

S~ Your husband Bruce is the definition of a romance hero. How does he stay so down to earth when you write all these stories based on him? LOL

You figured that out, huh? Seriously, he might not be the firefighter or the FBI agent or the journalist, but Bruce is absolutely the soul of every hero I have ever written, and I make no attempt to hide that. I guess because he has such a good, loving, tender soul, he doesn’t let it go to his head. (Awww...)

S~ What do you want your girls to know about romance novels? Do any of them read your stories?

None of the three are into romance novels, possibly because they just associate them too closely with me, and with my writer friends, many of whom they have met. Plus the younger two are really into fantasy and are totally entrenched in these long, epic series (the Terry Goodkind one is the newest fad.) Oldest is very eclectic, goes from reading classics to Christopher Moore.

That said, my girls have all read at least one or more of my books. The oldest two have tried the Leslie Kelly books but I have to paper-clip the sex pages together. They just don’t want to go there…lololol! They do, however, absolutely love the Leslie Parrish books. Oldest even did an entire Bible of the series for me so I could keep everything and everyone straight as I wrote subsequent books. (Any writers out there who need this service, let me know—she did a fabulous job and is looking for part-time work. )

The 13 year old is right now reading her very first book of mine. Fade To Black. It’s a little dark for her, but she is the bloodthirsty one who loves scary books and wants to be a coroner and so far she is loving it!

S~ Okay, let's have a little fun. What actor/celebrity are you crushing on? Have they inspired any of your stories?

Hugh Jackman. Of course, I liked Hugh Jackman before it was totally cool to like Hugh Jackman. Way back in 2002, I even included a scene in Naturally Naughty where the heroine is fantasizing him while she, er…never mind.
S~ Considering your enjoyment of the theatre, have you ever based a story based around the world of the stage?

The same book I mentioned above, Naturally Naughty, has a very sexy scene on the stage of an old theater. It is completely based on the gorgeous old building in which Bruce and I used to do plays when we first met and started dating.

S~ Do you think there's any classic romance novel that's highly overrated? What's your idea of the perfect love story?

I am not a huge fan of Laura Kinsale’s For My Lady’s Heart, which seems to make a lot of readers’ and reviewers’ “favorites” list. I have loved several of her other books, just not that particular one. I found the language too distracting to really enjoy the story.

S~ What's your idea of the perfect romantic getaway?

Anywhere that gives me a chance to be alone with my husband can be romantic. That can be a picnic in my back yard or a week in the wine country. Really doesn’t matter as long as the entire focus is on the two of us as we enjoy the same connection we have always felt. It’s funny, we’re getting older, the kids are growing—two off to college this fall. And we have often talked about how much we like being back up here in Maryland, where we first met, first dated. (We live less than 5 minutes from the outdoor shrine where we got married!) How appropriate it is to approach the next phase of our lives, when it’s just Bruce and Leslie again, in the place where it all started.

S~ Some of the scenes in your Black CAT books are very violent and the stuff of nightmares (beginning of Pitch Black comes to mind). Do you like scary movies?

I LOOOOOVE scary movies! We have big scary movie marathons in October where I dig out all the scary DVD’s. I really love creepy ones that make me flinch rather than in-your-face terror. (IE I’d much rather watch The Sixth Sense than Texas Chainsaw Massacre!)

And actually, when I wrote that scene in Pitch Black, the whole scene played out in my mind like a movie. I can still close my eyes and visualize it so easily. I think that book would be a terrific film!

S~ I can't not ask about the Plotmonkeys! Have the 4 of you ever thought about writing something together, perhaps an anthology? Maybe something about writers?

Yes, we’ve talked about it.

No, I can’t share details. (EVOL!)

I can say that Julie and I have a Blaze anthology coming out in November. It is absolutely adorable (if I do say so myself.) Fairy tales Blaze style, and we had a ball working on it together!

S~ What are some of your guilty pleasures? Favorite beverage? Favorite food? Do you like something that others might give you weird looks about? (i.e. the Chucky movies perhaps?)

I love Nacho Cheese Doritos. Would happily make a meal on them every day if I could. Along with about a half-dozen Diet Cokes. (I console myself with the fact that I do not drink coffee!)

Chucky—lol! I loved the first one! Probably more shocking, though, is that I adore zombie movies. Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead (even better!), 28 Days Later. And I just can’t wait for Zombietown. We’re all big zombie fans in this house, we always ace the “How would you survive the Zombie apocalypse” and have dinnertime conversations about the best place to go in a zombie attack. (Sam’s Club. Duh!) The girls even got Bruce a machete for Father’s Day, with a tag saying, “Zombie Killer!”

Probably not the typical romance novelist interest, but there you go.

S~ Do you have a book of the heart? One that you hold the most dear?

I have a few that stand out. I really loved the Derryville trilogy I did for Harlequin. Started in Temptation with Trick Me, Treat Me, about a hero who gets conked on the head and wakes up thinking he’s a secret agent. Then Thrill Me, about a timid church secretary who secretly writes hack-em-up horror novels. And finally Killing Time, with probably my favorite all-time hero, Mick Winchester. The guy with the Big Bad Wolf tattooed on his hip and the attitude to match. Just adored him.

Of the Parrish books, I really love Fade To Black. Mainly because of that heroine, something about Stacey Rhodes just captivated me. I wanted to BE her more than I’ve ever wanted to be one of my heroines. So competent and smart and wise and kick-ass. Just loved her. (Me, too.)

S~ If you weren't writing, you'd be....

Working in a job where I could actually make a decent living? lol!

Honestly, I don’t know what that job would (will!) be, but I’m thinking about it a lot these days.

S~ What are your plans for Halloween this year?

Hahahahaha…you do know I love my Halloween! Bruce has been talking for a couple of years about doing a haunted cornfield in our front yard. A major one, with a really scary life-size scarecrow. It’ll be a big project, but I am thinking we’ll try to go for it.

S~ What might people be surprised to learn about you?

I actually have a lovely singing voice. That sounds arrogant, I know, but since I don’t have many talents—can’t dance, can’t draw, can’t paint, can’t play an instrument--I’m going to pipe up on the one I do have!

S~ What are you currently working on?

eXtreme Investigations Book 1. About a psychic who helps locate missing children and the reporter who wants him to help her prove a serial killer is behind a series of local disappearances.

Labels: interview, Leslie Kelly

Labels: movies

Once again I'm shamelessly stealing this from the blog of Julie James, but come on, look at how pretty this is! Just gorgeous! She sure lucked out, but hey, her books are phenomenal, so someone's paying attention. Gotta appreciate that.

And here's the back cover blurb:

Labels: bookcovers, Julie James

Lisa Kleypas is one of my all-time favorite authors. I am a HUGE, HUGE fan. Currently, she is on a list of only 3 authors that have significantly impacted me over the years. Not to say that no one else will end up on that list, but so far the reigning champions have not been defeated. They've all been on the list at least 13 years.

Labels: Lisa Kleypas

Even as he devotes himself to catching the Internet's most despicable criminals, Wyatt Blackstone has become a master of detaching himself from his work. But after losing the vulnerable young agent for whom he cared deeply, Wyatt's famed icy control is starting to crack. He finds himself haunted by her beautiful image, especially now that someone has started picking off evildoers, with one brutal murder after another. Because the clues point to an absolutely impossible suspect: the woman the world thinks is gone forever...

This is the third, and so far final, installment in the Black CAT books by Leslie Parrish, and I'm really hoping there will be more because I hate to see this series end.

Wyatt Blackstone and the rest of his team are devastated by the senseless death of one of their own - Lily Fletcher. Despite working on some pretty horrendous cases, Lily was a sweet young woman who knew way too much about loss. So much so that it colored her world, and affected the way she did her job. Even though she had been walking a dangerous path, there was still no reason she should have died. She was one of the good ones...

But on a bitterly cold January day, he discovers that the horrible tragedy he thought to be true isn't, and so with the help of a trusted member of his team, Wyatt finds Lily and brings her back to the living, only to sequester her in a safe location so that no one knows she survived a madman who is still hunting for her.

But Lily is not the only "issue" that has to be dealt with. In addition to keeping Lily's wherabouts a secret, Wyatt is dealing with the fact that the man who kidnapped her has never been found, and now there's a new serial killer who's methods are eerily familiar. Plus the bureau is none too pleased with the sting operation that "killed" Lily, and heads are going to roll.

Wyatt has a lot on his plate, and to make matters even more complicated, he's drawn to the woman that Lily has become after her horrific ordeal. No longer the shy, people-pleasing young woman he knew before, Lily has become stronger, harder, inside and out, and he finds himself attracted to the raw, elemental woman who stands before him. He knows this time she's not going to break, but Wyatt can't give her what she needs. Never will he be the type of man to give her the white picket fence, and after everything she's been through, she deserves a shot at real happiness.

But Lily is not that woman anymore, and what she wants is exactly what Wyatt can give her. If she survives this, when she makes it through to the other side, she has every intention of showing the man she loves just exactly how good they can be together...

My thoughts:

I was so totally engrossed in the first two installments in this series, and couldn't wait to read "Black At Heart", even though I knew it might possibly be the last book (I sure hope not!). I was curious to find out about what happens to Lily, and even though I was pretty sure I knew, I still had to believe she wasn't going to really die after the 2nd book. Even though in the first two books, Lily came across uncertain and not very strong, I empathized with her after losing so much, and thought it would have been cruel to have her die in the end.

That being said, as much as I enjoyed this book, because I really did, it didn't have quite the same feel as the first two books. Here I felt there was way too much going on, between Lily coming back from the dead, the FBI breathing down Wyatt's neck, the team trying to track down the man who kidnapped Lily as well as capturing the latest serial killer, and then dealing with Wyatt's and Lily's growing feelings for one another. It's also darker; we see into the souls of two very lonely people who understand firsthand what it is to suffer the violent loss of loved ones, and who can never be content living a "normal" life. So while I wasn't expecting flowers and rainbows, the story still felt a little too grim for my liking at times. I think it was just the jarring changes Lily went through, which was totally understandable, but at the same time very sad. I suppose this is what had to happen to her in order to become the woman Wyatt could love, and to become the woman who could love a man like Wyatt.

I do think that for anyone who's read the first two books, reading "Black At Heart" is a must. We see into Wyatt's past, and he's been a character who's intrigued me since the very beginning. We watch the Black CAT team come together as a real family while at the same time using their immense talents to track down some of the most heinous criminals in existence. I love how Leslie continues to primarily focus on the job at hand, though this installment was a little different in that respect since much of the conflict existed between Wyatt and Lily themselves, and the rest fell away while these two were front and center. But it made sense for the story to play out that way in this case. Here we have two people who've known each other, who've worked together, who've gone through some tragic circumstances, both together and apart, and it only seemed right to involve them more intimately and develop their relationship on a stronger, more committed level.

I hope you all enjoyed this series as much as I did, and I'm curious to hear what your favorite story out of the three ends up being. And I am hoping and praying and begging that Leslie gets to write more about those amazing Black CATS!

Rating: **** out of *****

Labels: Leslie Parrish

Labels: winner

Labels: ramblings