NO

Zimmerman first tells us the fascinating history of fast sailboats and their owner's constant quest for greater speed and longer distances. At first the quest was for commercial reasons. Eventually it became sport. The boats described in this book are its ultimate manifistation.

This is a wonderful book about tough determined people racing extreme boats in extreme seas. A blast from start to finish.

The Runaway Bride was a prime example of what this talented writer can do.

An amnesia story where no one forgets a thing...especially Judi Monroe. She's made mistakes in the past, mainly almost marrying a slug, but as she pretends to be Helga, the nurses aid, she finds her attraction to sexy rancher, Thomas Vance is anything but a mistake. And neither is acting on that attraction. As a matter of fact, it's just might be the most right-ish thing she's ever done. But can Thomas forget and forgive her deception or will this Runaway Bride be forced to walk away from the only man she could ever love?

A fantastic, fun read with memorable characters you'll fall in love with!

Judi saw the horse and rider loom up in front of her as she drove down the lonely Wyoming road. She was going to hit them! She swerved the car off the road and ran smack dab into a tree. As she came to, she slowly opened her eyes. She was staring into the greenest, sexiest eyes she had ever seen. She felt the heat from those eyes clear through her body.

Thomas Vance stared down at the girl in the wrecked car. She was slumped over and bloody. She was dead! Then her hazel eyes slowly opened and she looked up at him. Clear through to his soul. He felt himself being pulled into those eyes. But she was an outsider and Thomas knew all about what could happen when you let outsiders into your life.

"What's your name?" Thomas demanded.

"I don't know-----."

Patricia McLinn has created a wonderfully entertaining story in THE RUNAWAY BRIDE. It takes you from the sophisticated world of Lake Forest, Illinois to the rugged life of a ranch in the wilds of Wyoming. There couldn't have been more of a contrast between two people than there was between Judi Monroe and Thomas Vance. Would Judi and Thomas be able to put the past and their differences behind them and find true love? You won't be able to put THE RUNAWAY BRIDE down until you find out...

The biggest difference between the two romances is that this time around it is the male of the species who is being aggressive and the female who is raising the objection that this relationship is not going to work out. That is the more serious concern; the other is that Ryan is a divorce lawyer and Jessica hates divorce lawyers (jokes abound big time). However, the real problem is that Jessica is intrigued, to say the least, by Ryan's plans for her sexual seduction. The key phrase is certainly "forbidden pleasures," and the big question is whether Janelle Denison and her male lead can meet the challenge of providing both Jessica and the readers with the desired heights of romantic imagination. Things like "Better Than Sex Cake" would certainly be along those lines.

I liked "Seduced" better than "Tempted," not just because it is a "chase" romance, where the guy chases after the gal, but because of the creativity of Ryan's pursuit. If you have a male friend who is clueless when it comes to ways to sweep the woman of their dreams off her feet, then slip them this novel so they can pick up some pointers. I sort of wish that Ryan and Brooke had paired up, but that is mostly because the character of Jessica is forced to put off her submission as long as possible. She cannot really believe that he is offering anything more than sex and does not notice that she is seriously distracting him from his career goals. Consequently the readers get to the point where they think Jessica should be with Ryan long before the character does. However, it is clear that Denison likes to prolong the sexual tension before having her characters consumed by their passions.

You can enjoy "Seduced" without having read "Tempted," and you might even be able to enjoy reading them in the reverse order. Comparing and contrasting the two sisters is rather interesting, but it is the thoughtful and creative campaign of seduction wagged by Ryan Matthews that is the chief attraction in this romantic mini-series.

In this Bolitho adventure, Post Captain Richard Bolitho is made a Commodore and given a small squadron consisting of three 74-gun ships-of-the-line and a couple of smaller vessels and ordered to the Mediterannean to discover the French Fleet's intentions.

Eventually he is instrumental in getting rear admiral Horatio Nelson's attention, and bringing a full-fledged British Fleet into the Med, leading to the Battle of the Nile.

This story has the usual hard fought sea battles, as well as cutting out action and other forays onto foreign soil, with only minimal love interest this time.

Bolitho is faced with a couple of subordinate captains' jealousy, and in one case hatred, but manages to pull it off anyway.

Alexander Kent has written another winner, and provided us with another great vicarious adventure.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

As much as the author excels at technical accuracy, his character development and knowledge of human nature is even stronger. He shows that the politics, gameplaying, and back-stabbing aboard a warship can be every bit as complex as that in a Turkish harem. Yet, there is the underlying sense of the imperative of setting a positive example as an officer, of showing your people that you can truly LEAD as well as you can simply COMMAND their daily lives.

In this volume Bolitho has been promoted to Commodore and given command of a squadron (three seventy-fours, a thirty-two gun frigate, and a sloop of war.) He takes command with orders to find out what Napoleon is up to in the Mediterrean- and then to handle it as best he sees fit. As the majority of the British fleet is tied up on blockade duty in the Atlantic, he will be the sole projection of British naval might this side of Gibraltar. The details of commanding an entire task force instead of a single vessel, as in the earlier volumes, is fascinating in and of itself. Ultimately, Bolitho finds that he must place his command between the Nile and an entire French fleet....

The suspense in this series is partly the eventual goal and task set to Bolitho and mostly how Bolitho is ever going to solve impossible tactical situations at sea. The usual solution he proposes is a surprise maneuver, but what form will it take this time? Like many of Kent's book titles, "Signal - Close Action!" is a stirring phrase but barely hints at the situations and solutions to be found within. Conversely, his chapter titles too often prefigure the event. As usual it's easy to spot who will be "good" officers and who "bad," so thorough are the differences, but Kent does provide one surprising development. As always, it is absolutely vital to pay closest attention to the sailing directions (wind, tack, etc.) if you want to visualize the sea maneuvers, because Kent won't tell us in lubber's terms. The cover bears an excellent wrap-around picture, "ripped from the living text."

RA has choosen this group because of the purity of their intent and makes himself available to them for questions about the Universe, the Creator, the dimensions, Karma, the law of One and any other material that might aid people in understanding universal truths that might be helpful for mankinds evolution.

The materail is very esoteric and requires some concentration. However, it is well worth the effort, as it is enlightening, very precise, accurate and informative. The explanations around the shift in dimensions we are about to undergo on the planet, that Ra defines as the harvest, are devoid of hype and sensation. Harvest is a process that all beings and planetary bodies eventually encur, following physical/spiritual law just as eclipses do or the seasons.The science of the harvest ( ascension) is explained in depth here as is the chakra system and it's role in Soul evolution.

Also extremely interesting the explanation of the polarization of entities into Service to Self orintated entities and Service to Others orientated entities and the implications these have in the ascension process and the roles they play within the bigger picture.

A really deep read and well worth the effort. I have read all four volumes and I am about to tackle vol 5. I thoroughly recommend it.

Guaranteed to interest students of forteana, metaphysics, and matters of the spirit... But, to those of you on the straight and narrow spiritual path, a cautionary note is advised whenever the possibility arises of engaging in "spiritual gossip" that may accompany the "true teachings". And said Goethe: "Thought widens, but paralyzes; whereas action enlivens, but narrows."

Hope I haven't confused you too much with this electronic "contact". Happy distorting.

Within these pages you'll find a story involving both the crew of the Enterprise NCC-1701-D and Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Stargazer, some twenty five years earlier. You'll also have a chance to visit Cestus III, first seen in the classic Star Trek episode, "Arena" and of course, the Gorn, who claimed sovereignty over the planet.

Although the cover art does contain an "interesting" image of a younger Captain Jean Luc Picard and a drawing of the Gorn from "Arena," it's pretty much standard fare for the time in which this novel was published.

The premise:

Twenty five years prior to this story; Captain Jean Luc Picard, captain of the USS Stargazer, negotiated a breakthrough with the Gorn. Now, on the twenty fifth anniversary of that breakthrough, Captain Picard and the Enterprise are headed for the Gorn Homeworld to continue those negotiations.

While en route to the Gorn Home world, the Enterprise discovers a mysterious alien artifact and suddenly, Captain Picard disappears. Just as Commander Riker and the Enterprise begins the investigation in to what happened to their Captain, the summit with the Gorn goes terribly wrong and war now looms over the Alpha Quadrant and Captain Picard is desperately needed to prevent it. Captain Picard finds that he's been transported through time and is now on Cestus III, shortly before the Gorn attack it, leaving only one survivor.

What follows from there is, as stated above, one of the best numbered Star Trek The Next Generation novels to date. I highly recommend this novel to any and all fans of the genre and especially to those who've read MJ Friedman's Stargazer novels and would like to read as much on Captain Picard's time as the Captain of that ship as possible. {ssintrepid}

This book starts out on the U.S.S. Stargazer Captain Jean-Luc Picard's first command, twenty-five years prior to his command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Picard works on negotiations with the Gorn, but as we know the Gorn are sneaky for lizards and can hardly be trusted. But the Enterprise and her crew are now sent to finish the negotiations with the Gorn some twenty-five years after Picard's initial contact. While on their way, the Enterprize comes into contact with an alien space station, as the crew begins to evacuate, Picard is caught in a blinding light and is transported 100 years back in time to Cestus III.

At first Picard does not know where he is, then befriends the Doctor on the colony. All this time that Picard has been missing, Riker and the Enterprise crew have been searching , but to no avail, and the Gorn negotiations are going to hell in a hand basket. While on Cestus III, Picard witnesses the Gorn invasion and is in a position to change history.

This is classic TREK at its very best. You will not be disappointed reading this book, as it keeps the reader well engrossed with a tale written for the trekker in mind. You will be thouroghly entertained as war looms over the galaxy.

Picard is the key, the challenges are great, only now will the future of the Federation be held in the past?

Silhouette Intimate Moments #1045 12/00

by Merline Lovelace, Maggie Price and Debra Cowan

Silhouette Intimate Moments kicks off the month with SPECIAL REPORT (4.5), three fabulous interconnected vignettes. _Midnight Seduction_ from Maggie Price gets the tale off the ground with a spunky airport director dealing with a new job, a tornado and a hijacked federal prison transport plane. But the real challenge is the police captain, an ex-lover who walked away years before and took her heart with him. _Cover Me_ from Debra Cowan takes the story from the airport to the plane as the prisoner in charge demands to speak with his ex-wife. A handsome federal marshal agrees to escort the lovely bank secretary, but protection turns to passion and then panic when her husband kidnaps her. Merline Lovelace moves to the sky with _Final Approach._ A high-spirited pilot_s efforts to land the plane are aided by a sexy prisoner whose charm proves dangerous to her heart when a crash landing finds them high and dry for the night. But before they can explore their feelings he has to track down the woman who sent him to jail and clear his name. All three novellas are chock-full of richly created characters, heart-stopping action and a touch of sizzle.

Carl Hart is being talked into giving up hostages for each and every demand he makes to get Flight 407 under way. He is willing to give up more hostages in exchange for his ex-wife, Kelly Jackson. Kelly is terrified of Carl.

Spence Cantrell promises Kelly that she will not have to face Carl alone. Can he keep that promise? Agent Taggart has his own agenda and it doesn't include losing any hostages.

Wouldn't you just like to know the real reason Carl desperately needs Kelly? Kelly was shocked to find out the reason. Cantrell was not about to lose Kelly, not after she thawed out his frozen heart.

Wow! passion and action, you can't beat it. These 3 authors stories flow into each other to make a complete book without losing touch with the characters. This is a really great accomplishment that produces a great story and holds you enthralled to the end -- Highly Recommended with a triple --M.

Quinn Buchanan had to walk away from Christine amid an overwhelming sense of guilt and grief - only now to find out that his love for her is as strong as ever.

These two wounded souls must make a powerful effort to put the past behind them and try to get the Airport operational after being hit by a tornado. Destruction is everywhere.

Now a hi-jacking crisis was added to the mix -- FBI Agent Mason Taggart is working with Marshal Spence Contrell to secure the release of the 108 hostages on board Flight 407, taken over by Carl Hart.

It is up to Captain Quinn Buchanan. as chief of police security for the Airport, to find out who smuggled a gun on board the "flying prison". And at the last minute to save Christine.

This one you won't want to put down. Reminds you of some of the good movies. Highly Recommended with triple --M -- these gals did an excellent job of story telling.