The allure of romantic deception

REVIEWS BY SANDY HUSEBY

Deceptions take on many guises in women's fiction -- misleading lovers and hunters alike. This month's selection of romance novels explores deception in diverse nuances.

A mysterious e-mail message delivered posthumously to Leonora Hutton sends her on a quest for the truth about the death of her dearest friend, Meredith Spooner, in Jayne Ann Krentz's fiery new suspense novel, Smoke in Mirrors.

In the academic realm of Mirror House on the campus of Eubanks College, Leonora discovers that Meredith's death may not be the only one demanding investigation. Thomas Walker's sister-in-law also died mysteriously, and he joins Leonora to break through the fog of false identities and relationships. The old secrets of Mirror House, and one mirror in particular, hold the answers for Leonora and Thomas, if they can decipher them before losing their own lives.

Krentz is the unparalleled master of cozy suspense, dribbling in tidbits of education about her chosen environment -- mirrors in this tale -- while mercilessly ratcheting up the tension. Every convention of danger and passion is shattered into slivers reflecting an author in command of her story and telling it brilliantly.


Lights, camera, action

Play-acting has marked the four years of their turbulent marriage, but now Raine Marlowe needs Kenzie Scott to achieve her dream in Mary Jo Putney's imaginative contemporary novel, The Spiral Path.

Determined to shift from acting to directing, Raine brings Kenzie a script for a movie titled The Centurion. There will be no financing, no backing, no film without the male superstar. But can the nearly divorced couple survive the tumultuous demands of on-location filming when she'll be the one in charge?

Putney's signature characterizations shine in a story that reminds us that celebrity life can be celluloid-thin, and it is only when actors stop emoting and start digging deep into their own hearts that real life begins.

Noted for her achingly poignant and powerful historical novels, Putney moves into contemporary romance with a clear-eyed candor for her characters that makes them step out of the pages with authority.


Address for romance

Dylan Donovan and Maddie Lamont dance around the truth of their feelings for each other in Pamela Bauer's charming love story fresh from 14 Valentine Place.

Dylan harbors a secret about his family that convinces him he can't surrender to the attraction of Maddie, the gangly kid with braces who grew into a graceful swan. Back in St. Paul to recuperate from surgery, Dylan faces the worst of the four seasons and the worst in himself and his relationships with his family while falling under the mesmerizing spell of the childhood nemesis who now haunts his dreams.

Bauer takes ordinary family life and imbues her story with a touch of winter magic -- magic as beckoning as an opening door at 14 Valentine Place.


Going once, going twice

Anne McAllister breaks out of series romance with a gusto her fans will love in The Great Montana Cowboy Auction. How do you bring a man back to the ranch after he's taken Hollywood by storm? For the good folk of Elmer, Montana, the answer is to whip up a cowboy auction with Sloan Gallagher in the starring role.

Sloan's a reluctant participant; only if the auction's rigged and he knows he can go home with Polly McMaster will he take on the role. But playing house with Polly makes for one hot-blooded, soft-hearted cowboy longing to leave his boots at her door forever. McAllister loves cowboys and it shows -- and if you've never read one of her great western series novels, you're gonna love McAllister.


Sandy Huseby writes and reviews from her homes in Fargo, North Dakota, and lakeside in northern Minnesota.

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