WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 91Review_FICTION Review_FICTION
down his leads via computer. But he can’t
avoid his new neighbor, Vicki Trevor, or
her daughter, Bell, as his tiny dog keeps
sneaking into their yard. Almost immedi-
ately, Juan senses Vicki isn’t being honest
about her history, but Vicki keeps secrets
for her safety: she’s hiding from her
deceased sister’s murderous ex-husband,
who’s a cop. Texas is her second stop after
leaving California, and as people she’s
close to start turning up dead, she won-
ders how much further she’ll have to run.
Craig’s tender development of Juan and
Bell’s relationship is particularly moving.
Series fans will enjoy this continuation.
Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds. (Nov.)The Dragon of New Orleans
Genevieve Jack. Carpe Luna, $12.99 trade
paper (354p) ISBN 978-1-940675-48-0
In the heady first Treasure of Paragon
novel from Jack (the Knight Games
series), an evil voodoo priestess curses
Gabriel, an immortal dragon, and the
only one who can save him is Raven, a
human woman. When Gabriel appears in
Raven’s hospital room, she mistakes him
for the avatar of death. Then he cures her
cancer and bonds her to him for life.
Shocked to find out he’s a dragon, she
reluctantly starts researching how to
break the curse. She’s initially afraid of his
possessiveness, but quickly falls for him.
As she learns about magic powers and
paranormal entities, she realizes she
absorbs any magic she touches. They
begin to hope she’ll find a way around the
curse by developing this gift, which she
didn’t know she had—and Gabriel sus-
pects she’s his fated mate as well.
Although the possessive dragon nature
will be too much for some, fans of para-
normal romance will get swept up in this
quick, steamy romance and the intriguing
mystery wrapped in magic. (BookLife)Comics
The Life & Times of Butch Dykes:
Portraits of Artists, Leaders, and
Dreamers Who Changed the World
Eloisa Aquino. Microcosm, $19.95 (256p)
ISBN 978-1-62106-228-8
Aquino’s quirky, scrapbook-style col-
lection features snapshot narratives of
well-known butch lesbians both livingattraction. Meanwhile, the caricatured,
corrupt fat-cat villains will be fun for
readers to hate. Burrowes’s fans will find
this an excellent continuation of a very
strong series. (Nov.)Not the Girl You Marry
Andie J. Christopher. Berkley, $16 trade paper
(336p) ISBN 978-1-984802-68-2
Christopher (One Night in South Beach)
paints by numbers with this crass take on
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Hannah
Mayfield is a superstar sporting events
planner who dreams of being vice presi-
dent of her company. Dating men who
were uncomfortable with her biracial her-
itage and unfiltered opinions has soured
her hopes for love, so she immerses herself
in work. Then her boss pushes her to
demonstrate her range and expand into
planning gloriously romantic weddings,
which means fixing her reputation as a
cynic. Reporter Jack Nolan is the perfect
gentleman who has bent over backwards
for each of the women he’s loved but can’t
get one to stick around. Determined to
put himself first for a change, he agrees to
do one last fluff piece on surefire ways to
get a woman to dump you, after which
he’ll get the political reporting job he’s
always wanted. Hannah figures she can
date Jack just long enough for her boss to
believe she’s capable of romantic emo-
tions; Jack wants her to dump him so
he’ll have article fodder. Nothing goes as
planned, but their story holds few sur-
prises other than the abundant sexual ref-
erences. This rom-com will appeal to
readers who want a fairy tale ending and
don’t much care how they get there.
Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun
Literary. (Nov.)Don’t Breathe a Word
Christie Craig. Forever, $7.99 mass market
(576p) ISBN 978-1-5387-1162-0
Craig’s warmhearted second romantic
thriller set in Anniston, Tex. (Don’t Close
Your Eyes) again features two engrossing
investigations: one involving cold case
detective Juan Acosta tracking down a
long-missing young mother, and the
other related to uncovering the truth
about Vicki Trevor, Juan’s new neighbor.
Juan withdrew from the world after his
pregnant wife was murdered while he was
working undercover, preferring to tracka tree, and after his would-be killers leave
him to die, Kate cuts him down. The man,
Luke Bolden, tells Kate that his attackers
stole his cattle after wrongly accusing him
of being a thief. Determined to recover his
cattle and protect the woman who saved
his life, Luke takes Kate with him as he
travels toward the town of Lander, where
he believes he will find the thieves. After
recovering the cattle, Luke and Kate
encounter deadly outlaws and enjoy pas-
sionate moments, but Luke emotionally
distances himself from Kate, as being
jilted by his fiancée has left him wary of
women. Touching, passionate romance
between two wounded souls amid the
beautiful landscapes of the West make
this a page-turner sure to please fans of
western historicals. Agent: Maura Kye-
Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (Nov.)Forever and a Duke
Grace Burrowes. Forever, $7.99 mass market
(464p) ISBN 978-1-5387-0027-3
Burrowes’s delightfully geeky third
Rogues to Riches Regency (after When a
Duchess Says I Do) lets its protagonists
impress each other not with riches and
beauty, but with intelligence and atten-
tion. Charming “Rex” Wrexam, Duke of
Elsmore and major stakeholder in Dorset
and Becker Savings and Trust, needs a way
to discreetly examine his family’s disas-
trous finances
before the law-
yers of his sis-
ters’ suitors do.
He asks his col-
league Quinn
Wentworth,
Duke of
Walden, to lend
him the services
of unnervingly
meticulous
auditor Eleanora Hatfield. Ellie focuses on
the work while keeping her distance from
Rex, as she distrusts nobles and is embar-
rassed about her family’s criminal activi-
ties, but long hours over ledgers turn to
trysting, and she allows herself to indulge,
despite the seeming impossibility of the
two developing a long-term relationship.
The likable leads regard each other with
intellectual and personal respect, and the
investigative threads of the story bond
them as partners independent of their