Today's discovery

This morning while cleaning the bathroom I discovered something: where the scale sits makes a 10 pound difference. While on the bathmat (where I usually step on it, then slide it back under the vanity) -- highest. Flat on the tile -- 10 pounds less. On the hardwood outside the bathroom -- 7 pounds less. On the area rug further down -- 5 pounds less. I'm pretty sure there shouldn't be such a variation based on the flooring, so I guess it is time for a new scale.

The estimate for a new floor, backsplash and painting the kitchen is much less than I anticipated. Must go pick out tile and paint.

Susan Napier's latest category

The title of Napier's most recent Harlequin series (HP) is Mistress for a Weekend. It's awful, the title I mean. And not accurate. And even if it was accurate, the word mistress is so old-fashioned and dated (in a bad way) that it would still make me cringe. Frankly, I bought the book despite the title, because I've enjoyed some of Napier's older series books; PDevi mentioned last winter that Napier was going to be published again after a break of several years, so I added it to my Amazon wishlist. It arrived with some other books last week, and was the last book I read before falling into a pit of book-disinterest.

What else isn't accurate about this book? The back blurb.

From mouse to mistress...
Nora Lang needs the most dangerous man she can find!

Enter tycoon Blake MacLeod. He normally prefers sophisticated blondes that don't require too much of his brainpower. But Nora's a challenge . . . the perfect opportunity for a little light relief. Until she acquires some important information that he can't risk being leaked.

Now Blake hs to make sure Nora doesn't leave his sight -- he'll make love to her for a whole weekend!

Okay, let's see, in how many ways is this inaccurate? First, Nora doesn't need a dangerous man. She meets Blake at a party while rebounding -- she just discovered her boyfriend cheating on her with her roommate and is looking for a little bit of an ego-boost. Second, light relief? Blake sees Nora as outside his usual range of taste in women but not a relief particularly. In fact, he recognizes that she's trouble for him the minute he sees her. Third, there is no mistressing going on. And finally, the lovemaking comes extremely late in the weekend and in the plot. It isn't rushed and actually fits where it occurs.

My personal plot summary: While attempting to nurse her wounded ego, Nora Lang bumps into Blake MacLeod at a party -- literally dumping herself and her capacious bag o' stuff at his feet. After a botched attempt at a fling, Nora abandons Blake, bundling up her coat and clothes and bag o' stuff and accidentally taking a disc of important information from Blake. Suspicious of Nora's motives, Blake pursues her. Although he eventually believes that she didn't intentionally take the disc, he's concerned that she may accidentally share the time-sensitive secrets on the disc, especially since she works for one of his competitors. What to do? Another taking, this time of Nora's person, all the way to Blakes beach house. His goal: to keep her under wraps over the holiday weekend until the business maneuvering is complete.

Despite the awful title and backblurb, this is a pretty good series book. The love story is fairly sweet and straight-forward. The only conflict really is the information security. While Nora is initially pissed off by Blake's cavalier abduction of her, when given the opporunity to escape or get help, she chose not to. She's attracted to him, and regrets running out on him initially and looks forward to picking up where she left off once she gets over her irritation at him. Blake does believe her explanation for the inadvertent theft of the valuable information, and is worried more about an accidental information leak than any intentional damage. The two characters actually :gasp: talk to each other and learn about each other. And when they finally get around to having sex (late-ish in the book, although not late in the scheme of things, since the entire action of the book spans only about a week and a half), it is playful and funny and quite hot (in my opinion, especially for an HP).

No secret babies. No cowboys. No sheikhs or counts or dukes. No Big Mis. No butthead misogynist hero. In fact, Blake is surrounded by a family of women -- mother, sisters, nieces, all of whom keep him pretty well grounded. The heroine, despite being a bit downtrodden at the start, is smart and capable. She's great at her job and not afraid to share that information with anyone. Her family is a bit scattered and she has a bit of baggage, but she isn't weighed down by it and doesn't harm the development of their relationship.

The only thing that feels a little lacking to me is the POV. It would be nice to get inside Blake's head a little bit and see more from his perspective rather than Nora's all the time. But that's a minor quibble.

All in all, a nice light read. Surprisingly hot given the format. B+.