What do you mean it's Thursday?

I would swear it was only Monday yes- er, three days ago.

OK - I admit it - characters know best. At least Nikos did. Rememeber when he told me that he was going to tell her (her, being Sadie) right now? And he wasn't supposed to say anything until the end of the book? Well he was right!

Nikos has just given me a look that says of course he was right - he's a hero after all!

And yes he was right and yes the book did take off and that's where I've been - writing at x words per minute, occasionally eating, breathing when I remembered to and - sleep? What's sleep?

Well sleeping is what I've been doing since I finished and sent Nikos and Sadie off to meet my editor and I hope they all get on wonderfuly well together. I miss them. It felt wierd to go on my walk this morning and not have them talking and arguing and explaining why they did things inside my head. Wierd but nice.

Because now I have time for other people's books for a while and having promised myself that I would just as soon as I was free, I read Anne McAllister's latest Savas' Defiant Mistress.

And I fell in love.

I know it's Antonides' Forbidden Wife that got the RITA nomination but - sorry PJ - Sebastian Savas took the honours for me so he might well be up there in the lists too next year. It's no secret that I love Anne's books but Sebastian Iceman Savas is one of my favourite heroes of hers for quite some time. And I've been reading Anne's books for years. Yes. I have to agree. Not for nothing is Seb known as the Iceman - but when ice melts . . .

On the Pink Heart Reviews, Julie Bonello said that:

Refreshingly original, wonderfully moving and fabulously absorbing, Savas' Defiant Mistress is another Anne McAllister classic! Fall in love with feisty and independent Neely and gorgeous but guarded Seb in this amusing, enthralling and thoroughly captivating romance by this RITA award-winning author!

And it had nothing to do with the menageries of kittens and the bloodhound (though Harm was a star in himself) . Sid would be shocked that when Seb wasn't 'on stage' even the kittens couldn't appease me.

I've often pointed out how Anne's books widen the scope of the Presents line - as I believe it shod be widened to get away from nothing but revenge and blackmail. (Says she who's just completed a revenge book! Oh well.) And I know that several people who are aiming at writing for Presents are going to be looking at this book and going - huh? There's no thunder and lighting, no 'cute meet'. The hero and heroine aren't on the page together right from the start. There is a cast of a zillion characters . . .

But it's wonderful writing. And it just goes to show that you can't break 'the rules' because there aren't any rules. Except telling a great story. And above and beyond all, it is a great story - a real story about love. About a woman being brave enough to give love where she's not sure it's wanted and a man learning how to love when he's not even sure he wants to. And that results in one of the best, most believable, heart tugging lovemaking scenes (note I did not say sex scenes) I've ever read.

Lovely book! Thanks Anne.

And as an intriguing addition - this is the book that Anne wrote when I shared with her my hero inspiration for Santos. I think it's a fascinating insight into just how different two writers' approaches to romance can be and the very different books they produce even when they have the same man in mind for the hero. Just goes to show that it's that unique thing the 'author's voice' that has such an impact.

If you want to try it for yourself, then Savas' Defiant Mistress is out now in Presents and will be on the shelves in the UK in May.