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Susan Sey’s debut novel Money, Honey, a light romantic suspense, shows how to give, and make the most of, second (and even third) chances. Patrick O’Connor gave up a successful career as a jewel thief to keep his little sister, Mara, out of jail. To do that he betrayed his partner, Villanueva, who has now, six years later, left his Central American hideaway bent on revenge. Patrick returns to Minnesota to help his sister, ostensibly to find a counterfeiter in the casino and restaurant she owns with her husband, but more important to protect Mara and her family from Villanueva. FBI agent Liz Brynn, the only woman Patrick has ever wanted and couldn’t have, works the counterfeiting case by the rules, but Patrick prefers to do things his way. He starts by forcing a move up from weasel to paid civilian consultant and continues until, well, read the book and see. Patrick is a drool-worthy hero (but not on his $3,000 suits or cashmere sweaters, please!). I have few authors on my Automatic Buy List; Sey is a welcome addition. I look forward to her next novel.

Susan Kay Law’s latest novel, The Paper Marriage, is for anyone who understands John Lennon’s words, “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” Sometimes you swing for a fast ball and totally miss the change up when it arrives. Tom Nash, the former Twins pitcher, understands that. Ann McCrary doesn’t. The fast ball she aimed for was a long-term marriage and children with her childhood sweetheart, sharing a home and the architectural firm they started together. The change up was the auto accident that left her husband in a coma. At least in the batter’s box either you’re out or you immediately get ready for the next pitch. In Ann’s case it has been twelve years since that fateful changeup, twelve years of faithfulness to a man who doesn’t know she’s there. Twelve years until Tom Nash moves in next door, followed by his teenage Goth daughter Mer. In spite of the blown shoulder that ended his baseball career, he delivers another change up to Ann. Mer, raised by her gold-digging baseball groupie mother, comes from Chicago for the summer to live with the father she barely knows. Tom is clueless on how to make up for everything he missed in his daughter’s life and how to accept her for who she is. It’s the people and canines in Ann’s life –- her aging hippy mother; her in-laws, the perfect couple until Martin finally decides he wants to live again and Mary, so faithful to her son, has to find a new life for herself; her dog, Cleo, and Cooper the mutt next door (and the puppies); her neighbors; the denizens of the nursing home; and especially Mer and Tom -- who finally convince her she can move on, that she can maintain her loyalty to her husband and find a life of her own at the same time. The Paper Marriage tells a story we can all identify with, full of intriguing characters who live their lives in spite of the change ups.

What?s a female Gineal to do when she unexpectedly wakes up with a handsome, naked human man next to her in her bed? Especially when she has risked much to rescue him from his cartoon entrapment? O?Shea hooked me from page 1 as Ryne, the Gineal troubleshooter who protects the innocent, kicks butt defending a possessed boy, then twice defends the near-helpless Deke in a great role reversal ? and the man cooks for her, too. Anise, Ryne?s former teacher who now practices black magic, cast Deke into a cartoon, and Ryne uses gray magic to rescue him. But the rescue will only last until the full moon ? unless Ryne can defeat Anise for good Deke will be permanently returned to his cartoon prison. Some days it seems impossible to find a good romance that has a reader repeatedly saying, ?just one more chapter.? In the Midnight Hour is one of those books, keeping me up well past bedtime so I could finish it.