"My Favorite Witch" sparks with fun

Annette Blair's "My Favorite Witch" (Berkley Sensation, $6.99), reminds me of one of those old Katherine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy movies with the two leads constantly sniping at each other in the most amusing away.

Kira Fitzgerald is one peeved witch (really). The Massachusetts witch relocates to Rhode Island to get away from her (mostly) well-meaning family and a cheating ex-fiance. She has sworn off men, especially jocks like her ex who she caught red, er, handed WITH HER OWN SISTER.

Jason Pickering Goddard, playboy hockey star, comes home to heal after a car accident puts an end, temporarily he vows, to his stellar career. Jason's ex-girlfriend, who was behind the wheel of the vehicle at the time of the accident, walked away without a scratch (or a backward glance) after his hockey star status changes. He has sworn off of women.

Events coordinator Kira new job is director of special events for the Pickering Foundation, a nonprofit that runs St. Anthony's Home for Boys. The foundation is in financial trouble so Jason's grandmother convinces him to take over, just until his knee heals, of course.

The two meet and the sparks fly.

Light and frothy, "My Favorite Witch" is the second in Blair's series about witches from Salem, Mass. I enjoyed it and will definitely dive into my stacks and find the first in the series, "The Kitchen Witch," and read it. I know I saw it the other day, maybe in that stack over there ... .

"Over Her Dead Body" full of secrets worth killing for

"Over Her Dead Body" ($5.99, Zebra) is my first E.C. Sheedy book. I'll have to backtrack and read her earlier books.

Mary Weaver has run Mayday House, a refuge for women in need, for more than 30 years. Over the years, she's helped thousands, but tonight she knows she is dying and before she goes she has to clear her conscience. With the last of her strength, Mary makes three phone calls to right an old wrong.

Keeley Farrell was born and raised at Mayday House. Officially, Mary is her godmother, but unofficially, Keeley thinks of Mary as her grandmother. When she gets a call on her voicemail telling her Mary is seriously ill, she hightails it home. She gets to Mayday House just in time to see Mary's dead body being removed from the premises.

Gus Hammond has had an, let's just say, interesting life. He's a personal friend of the main patronness of Mayday House. He owes the woman a debt and she wants him repay it by visiting Mayday House to make sure that its doors are closed for good, now that Mary is dead.

Keeley has other ideas. She wants to keep the shelter going. But there are others beside Gus' friend who want to doors of Mayday House to close permanently. But first these others want to uncover the secrets that Mayday House holds, secrets that even Keeley are unaware of , but that could be deadly to her.

Gus and Keeley decide to work together to unveil the secrets of the past before those secrets kill.

"Over Her Dead Body" is full unusual characters who I enjoyed meeting.

Two books from the stacks stack up well

What's the common link between Hannah Howell's historical romance "Highland Champion" ($6.50, Zebra Books) and Lucy Monroe's contemporary "Ready" ($14, Brava)?

Well, nothing really except that they're both darn good reads.

In "Highland Champion," Liam Cameron wakes up fit to be tied in a small cottage belonging to a monastery. Actually, healer Kiera Murray MacKail had no choice but to tie him to the bed. Liam had been beaten to within an inch of his life and had sustained, along with his various other injuries, a broken leg. With all the thrashing about he was doing when he was unconscious, Kiera thought it best to tie him down to keep him still so he wouldn't hurt himself.

Kiera, having sought sanctuary at the monastery to recover from injuries of her own, is happy to tend to Liam. She has made a full recovery, but she could still use some time to figure out how she will be able to deal with her enemy.

Kiera was recently widowed when invaders overran her husband's keep, Donncoill. Before his death, her husband Duncan made her swear she would free his people. How she is going to do that without involving her family, the Murrays, Kiera hasn't a clue.

However, Liam has some ideas about that. He happens to think Kiera needs a champion ...

Howell's latest is another winner in her Highland series. Having read Howell before I knew what to expect, but "Ready" was my first Lucy Monroe book. Thankfully, it seems to be the first in a series of three.

In "Ready," writer Lise Barton has left her home in Texas to move to Seattle. True, she can write anywhere, but the move wasn't because she wanted a change of scenery. Lise is being stalked and she wants the danger as from away from her family as she can move it since the local authorities see her complaint as just a publicity stunt.

Once in Seattle, however, Lise discovers that her unknown stalker has followed her to the big city. Her first clue: being shoved into traffic.

However, her family has no idea what is going on and her sister-in-law sends her brother, Joshua Watt, to Seattle to convince Lise it's time for a visit home.

After attempting to brain Joshua with a fire poker when he lets himself into her apartment, I say attempt because Joshua, a former Army Ranger, is a mercenary and poor Lise and the fire poker didn't stand a chance.

But Lise does stand a chance against Nemesis (her stalker), now that Joshua has gotten the story from her and decided to help.

Old favorites start new series with "Sword of Orion"

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller , co-creators of the Liaden Universe, have another winner with "Sword of Orion: Book One of Beneath Strange Skies" ($14.95, Phobos Books).

Leaving the familiar Liaden Universe which fans have come to know and love, Lee and Miller introduce us to Jerel Telmon. The teen has never known her parents, leaders of an alliance that helped overthrow The Oligarchy, who died insuring the start of a free society.

Jerel has been raised by her Uncle Orned on the planet Arantha, where Jerel goes to school works at a part-time job and hangs out with best friend Kay. She feels happy and safe. All that is about to change.

Uncle Orned is an insurance man (a perfectly legal licensed killer). Because of that and because of who Jerel's parents were, Orned has preached five basic rules to Jerel her whole life:

Rule One: Always be alert. Rule Two: Take as few chances as possible. Rule Three: Be concerned about anomaly. Rule Four: Don't attract unnecessary attention. Rule Five: Stay in touch.

Orned is very upset when Jerel fails to observe rules One, Two, Three and Five.

It seems one of Jerel's co-workers, a teen who fits Jerel's description, goes missing and Jerel doesn't mention it to Orned. She gets a lecture and orders to come straight home from work the next day.

But the next day, after Jerel learns her missing co-worker has turned up dead and after Jerel leaves her job under upsetting conditions, she is kidnapped. She manages to escape, but her adventures are only beginning.

Jerel has become a target of the remnants of the old regime. The rebels of the old alliance are also very interested in Jerel. Now, Jerel , her uncle and an old student of Jerel's mother must go on the run after Jerel is blamed for the murder of her co-worker.

Jerel and her companions manage to stay just a jump ahead of her pursuers and the police. On the run and dodging attempts on their lives, they have to figure out just what the Oligarchy wants with Jerel.

"Sword of Orion" is an excellent start to the new Lee and Miller series. Write fast guys, I can't wait to find out happens next.