A Lick and a Promise – Vanessa Hart
Lisa Pinckney has built herself a reputation, that of love ‘em and leave ‘em Lisa. She never forgot the advice of her mother: romance leaves a relationship after a month when the novelty wears off and boredom sets in. To that end, she never dates a guy for more than a month. She’s pretty casual about sex, and has a very healthy carnal appetite. Only one guy has ever turned her down: Ethan Parker. On their one and only date, Lisa was so attracted she was fully prepared to sleep with him immediately. Only, it seems he’s an old fashioned type of guy and rather than being turned on he was completely turned off by her forwardness. The hurtful words he threw at her have left their mark. Whilst colleagues, they have avoided each other ever since. With the hostile takeover of their company, all that changes. The pair become the most unlikely of friends, and Ethan proves to be the shoulder Lisa can lean on. As they come to know one another, they learn about each other’s secrets and the reasons for why they are the way they are. A sexual relationship blooms, but will love? Will Lisa be open to romance, as her astrologist Aunt Jo advised?

Polar Opposites – Paige Burns
Lance Cullen’s company is about to become the success he has worked hard to make it. On the way to seal a deal for the production of his newest video game, Lance’s flight is delayed and by chance he happens upon Jo, a quirky, aging though sprightly astrologist, who gives him his chart reading. Whilst he doesn’t believe in what she tells him, he likes her and finds her very personable, so he decides to humor her. He hadn’t counted on any of her predictions coming true, so was amazed upon meeting the bubbly Aries, to whom he felt an instant attraction and whom Jo had predicted was his future. Nor had he foresaw Aries’ open pursuit of him. With a past that comes back to haunt him and Aries hot on his heels, how is he going to fare over the next few weeks? Does his astrological chart come true?

These two tales, both part of the Zodiac Series, are unusual in that they have a character in common in each of them: Jo Nell Clarke. In A Lick And A Promise, Jo is Lisa’s aunt. In Polar Opposites Jo appears as the astrologist Lance meets in the airport. This is something I have not come across in the Zodiac stories before, and I have read a number of these fabulous tales. I liked this commonality very much. Both of these tales are enjoyable and slightly funny. You will wear a smile whilst reading them, for they are truly uplifting. They are also both similar in that the characters in each of them are so different from one another. Vanessa Hart’s Lisa is a modern woman, very casual in her attitude towards sex, whereas Ethan is old fashioned and believes in having a meaningful relationship before engaging in a sexual one. Paige Burn’s Aries is a bubbly go-getter, who goes after what she wants full steam ahead, whilst Lance is a man who tends to hold back thanks to a previous betrayal. There is sex in both of these novellas, including detailed oral sex, and at times explicit language is used. Aquarius is a great addition to the truly unforgettable Zodiac Series!



Reviewed by: Elizabeth