Rangers -- and we ain't talking Texas

I have an addiction. It's my friend, S's, fault. She got me hooked in February. Friends and family know about this addiction, but I try not to talk about it or let people know about it because I don't want them to think me less intelligent, less serious, less professional.

My addiction? Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" series. I read the first book, "One for the Money," and moved on to "Two for the Dough." and so on. Yes, the titles are cheesy. Yes, the plots are similar and predictable and I usually know "who done it" before I reach the end of the book. Still I come back.

The reason? Two characters -- One called Ranger -- a hot, mysterious, Latin bounty hunter/former Special Forces guy that makes me drool. And, Joe Morelli -- a hot cop, now a good guy with just enough of a twinge of "bad boy" in him to make me drool too. They both seem to want the main character. Every woman's fantasy.

So I read -- devour this books -- share anecdotes with friends and on my lunch hour at work, plop a big non-fiction on the table that I'm slowly working my way through. Can't possibly let people know I read "gasp" romantic mysteries.

And, I reason with myself -- It's not like it's a Harlequin romance novel. There's no long-haired freaky guy on the cover.

I'm addicted and getting ready to read book No. 12 - the latest in the series. Evanovich better start cranking. She's going to have a bunch of drooling women, jones-ing for a Ranger fix.