With life having gotten way too serious recently, it was refreshing to get out of my head and step into my heart. Aubrey and Carter provide the perfect escape. More than a little fun in a time of crisis. Attracting Aubrey lights up the heart with humor and characters that stay with you long after the last word has been read. Flynn continues to be a must read for me.

An unfinished past has lead to a complicated present. Don't Be My Valentine should come with a warning label that reads: "Don't forget to guard your heart." Wright turns dangerous attraction into heartstopping romance. Summer and Matt are a ball of fire that enjoys the chaos. They are their own worst enemy. From spur of the moment choices, to less than ideal situations and secrets that haunt them at every turn, fate may not be on their side. Hopefully love can see them through the unpredictability that is headed their way. Steamy with a side of sensitive that will keep hearts on the edge.

Dear Saint Nick, it would be really nice if one of these years I'd find some of these under my Christmas tree:

* The Oxford Companion to the Book

* The Henry Irving Shakespeare editions (all 8 volumes)

* Granville Barker's Prefaces to Shakespeare (the complete set)

* Will and Ariel Durant's History of Civilization (all 11 volumes)

* Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey / Maturin novels (all 20 volumes completed by O'Brian -- I can do without the unfinished 21st one)

* Jacob Burckhardt's Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy

* ... and last but not least, the two-volume Norton Anthology of Literature by Women

(Task: Write a book wish list to St. Nick / Santa Claus for books that you’ve been eyeing but can’t justify the expense of purchasing.  (E.g., art books? Collector’s editions? Boxed sets?))

So here ends the Aubrey-Maturin epic saga, though a further book was left incomplete at the time of O'Brian's death. It's a good thing, really. The struggle to find anything original for the pair to do, growing ever more difficult since as far back as book 11, had by this point proved impossible. With the Napoleonic Wars over, reasons for further voyages were also getting contrived. Maturin's drug abuse with no real  consequence was getting a little preposterous. Hence ending on the upbeat note of Aubrey finally gaining his Admiral's flag and sailing off to take up command of a squadron on a ship-of-the-line seems the perfect conclusion.

The ship's cats do not like the thunder storm and invade the Captain's cabin, insisting Maturin comfort them with pettins. Aubrey comes in and has them removed, proving that (if philandering and a bastard child didn't already) Lucky Jack is no saint.