Big Sky Secrets by Linda Lael Miller

**This book was received as part of the Amazon Vine program**

Linda Lael Miller is one of my favorite romance novelists.  I like her stories, subjects, and the detail she puts into everything.  This book was technically part of a series, but it isn't really necessary to read them in order, it can be read as a standalone book.  It wasn't one of my favorite of hers, but it still kept me reading.

Ria has started a new life.  After the death of her husband she left the west coast for a small flower farm in Montana and now is content growing her flowers and attending the farmers markets.  Her only agitation is her neighbor Landry, who has a buffalo that likes to get loose quite often.  But he's so darn good looking that she can't help but feel more than agitation for him.

The characters were a little weak in this one.  I especially didn't like the plot twist for Ria's dead husband.  It felt like they had to make him a less likable guy in order for her new romance to be ok.  I just didn't see the need for it.  And Ria herself had a couple bouts with her character going crazy.  Add in her niece Quinn that acted more like 12 than 17, and it was somewhat confusing.  That being said, I did like Landry's butler.  While a weird addition to the book, he was a welcome one.  Landry was the typical rich cowboy, he provided a hunky love interest who was good in the sack.  Which for a romance novel is pretty standard.

The plot was ok.  There wasn't that much strife.  And I did think the ending was a little rushed.  I'm also never sure why the end all be all of these romance novels are marriage and a kid.  I'd love to see marriage and perfectly happy without kids, but I don't think romance novels are allowed to be published without that ending.  I did like that the two had sort of a love-hate relationship going and that it took place in Montana.  Miller is also very descriptive so while this book didn't take place over a long period of time, it felt like what was happening was in a regular timeline while reading because you could picture what was happening.  There were descriptive sex scenes in this book, three, right at the end.  So there's a lot of buildup as you can imagine.

Miller's still my favorite but this one fell just a bit flat.  But it was entertaining, and you can't go too wrong with that if you're not expecting fine literature.

Big Sky Secrets
Copyright 2014
376 pages

Christmas at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels

Well this certainly wasn't a relaxing Christmas romance. It barely had any Christmas at all actually. But there was adventure and mystery.  And this is the fourth book in a series that has had its ups and downs but takes place in the beautiful state of Montana.

Tag headed up to Montana in hopes of spending the holidays with his father.  It was a sentimental thing, and he sure didn't expect to become embroiled with a couple of murders.  Worse, his father is acting like his is a part of it.  And a local lady he just met the acquaintance of seems to be involved as well.

I actually didn't get much of a personality out of Tag.  He was more of a prop to keep Lily out of trouble and respond to what she was doing.  And he's highly suspicious of everyone even though he doesn't know them.  I guess that's a reason to be suspicious, but being that he normally works in a social setting (is in the restaurant business) it just doesn't seem authentic.  Lily is smart.  She's a mathematician and more logical than most.  And it was made clear that she's just helping her brother out by waitressing because she's family, not because she needs to.  There are a couple of reoccurring characters in this book.  Hud and Dana are there, but while they have glimmers of themselves in the first book, they're still much weaker characters than they used to be.

There was a lot going on in this book.  The excitement never ended and there was always someone after somebody else.  It was a little overwhelming in fact.  I think that the author tried to mix in a few too many plotlines and it left the story very convoluted and fast paced.  Just removing a side story (namely the one involving an antagonist from the last book) would have given more detail to the main plot and made the book more believable and easier to read.  I'm not saying that the book was terrible, but it wasn't as good as the last one in the series.  I did enjoy all the descriptions of Montana again and think that the author always has a good setting for her romances.  And there was a little bit of romance in this particular romance novel, which I also appreciated.

I'm sure there will be more books in this series, and I'll probably read them.  It would seem that they are definitely more action oriented than romance though.

**This book was received as a Goodreads Giveaway**

Christmas at Cardwell Ranch
Copyright 2013
218 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2013

Big Sky Christmas by C.J. Carmichael

**This book was received in a Goodreads Giveaway**

I have to say, this fourth and final book in the Coffee Creek Montana series certainly improved upon the third book. The characters were written better and the plot moved along better. And because it is the fourth book, it's one of those series that would be helpful to read in order. Especially because this one relies a lot on the history from the other books.

Winnie has finally returned to Coffee Creek. In Book One, we saw her on her wedding day, about to get married to Brock Lambert, when a terrible accident killed him on his way to the church. Now, almost two years later, she returns with her son (she was pregnant with Brock's child)and finds herself trying to fit in with the Lambert family despite an overbearing almost-mother-in-law. And to make things even more complicated, she has feelings for Brock's foster brother, Jackson, who feels so much guilt over the accident that he's just not prepared to have any kind of interest in Winnie.

I was glad we got to see more of Winnie in this book. She kind of just disappears in the first book and then we only have phone conversations between characters with her in the next two. And it did seem unfair that she lost her fiance and never had another chance for love within those books. Jackson is also a well written character. But I can't say I like him. But that's probably because he just isn't my type. Regardless, he has fully developed emotions in this book and is believable. The only character I didn't really like was Olive, the matriarch of the Lambert family. She's hard to get along with anyway, but she has some unexpected changes of heart in this book that are just never fully explained.

This wasn't an exciting plot. It was more angst and emotion driven. But I thought it was well done. I really wanted to see what would happen with Jackson and Winnie. And some side plots that the author had been creating in the previous books were also resolved in this one. So that provided some closure. Maybe they weren't as dramatic as I was expecting, but they were realistic. This is a romance novel, but aside from the unsnapping of a bra, they weren't descriptive. It's a tame romance novel in that regard. So if you're looking for cowboys and love stories, this is going to be in that genre.

I'm glad the series ended on a positive note. Overall it's been pretty good and since I'm partial to cowboys and Montana, I was happy to read about Coffee Creek. I also wouldn't be adverse to this not being the final book in the series.

Big Sky Christmas
Copyright 2013
216 pages

Promise From A Cowboy by C.J. Carmichael

You would expect grown men to have a little more sense. Especially if they're trying harder to be responsible. But in this 3rd book of the Coffee Creek Montana series, common sense is hard to find. And being that it's the 3rd book, I'd highly recommend reading the series in order if you want to understand the characters, although it isn't entirely necessary.

B.J. Lambert has decided that the rodeo just doesn't hold the draw for him it used to. In fact, the sheriff from his hometown has more appeal. But then again, she always has for him. But it's a shame she doesn't trust him because of an unfortunately fire that involved him and her brother as youths. Because of that, and the new evidence found in it, he may find that Sheriff Savannah will never be willing to have feelings for him.

B.J. is infuriating. He tries to hold back things on the pretense of not hurting someone, even when they tell him the truth would make them feel better. It makes absolutely no sense and is just used to drive the plot. I quickly became disgusted with his character and would not have seen him the way that Savannah does. Savannah herself is a pretty strong woman. She has to be, to be the sheriff, so that too baffles me why she would fall for someone who's obviously not up to her standards. I was relieved to see the mother drama of the Lambert clan was toned down a bit. I don't like the woman, and that's probably the intent of the book, but it makes me want to skip over the parts that mention her.

The fact that a poor decision on keeping the truth is what drives this plot makes this one of the weaker ones in the series. Sure it moves along at a good pace and more loose ends in the Lambert family are tied up, but I've come to expect better from the series. Since they have a great setting (Montana) and cowboy characters, there's some good ingredients in the mix. It's not a bad book, but it certainly isn't one of the better ones in the series. And for the romance aspect of it, it's all pretty mild, so if you don't like graphic sex scenes, this would probably be a series right up your alley.

I'm eager to see what the fourth and final book will bring. Hopefully it will be better than this one.

Promise From a Cowboy
Copyright 2013
216 pages

Her Cowboy Dilemma by C.J. Carmichael

This is the second book in the Coffee Creek Montana series. You could read them in order, but having read the first book, I don't think it's entirely necessary. There's a prologue on this one so it kind of fills in the backstory and you can muddle through without any trouble. That being said, I do think the first was a better written book.

Cassidy has just graduated and while she waits to hear about a job interview, she's moving back home. Something she's not looking forward to with her overbearing mother. And her arrival coincides with an outbreak of illness in their horses on the ranch. Which means that she's going to have to spend a lot of time with the local vet; a man whose heart she broke and he's never forgiven her for it.

Cassidy is kind of a weak character. She spends all this time being passionate about something but doesn't seem to truly know herself and has multiple changes of heart. She's flaky. The male lead is actually the better character this time around. He had a wide range of emotions and strong feelings and was very appealing. The mother; I can't decide if she's for real or not. I know there are people out there like her, but it's hard to believe no one has really called her down for her actions and gave her some consequences. It's infuriating at times. I also grew tired of the conflict with her sister. Since the author isn't willing to even let a tidbit drop about what was going on, I kind of just lost interest.

I also thought the plot was weaker this time around. It seemed very out there with the cause of the horse illness and the "strife" between Cassidy and Dan seemed forced. Especially since they are able to dash it away pretty quickly. But being that this is a romance novel I can't absolutely trash the book. It was still mostly entertaining and involved cowboys. Those are good things. I just sometimes wish that romance novel writers would spend more time developing stories and characters, especially if they have a lot of potential to begin with. And since this was a quick read, it was hard to put down. On the romance side of things there wasn't a whole lot of description, but things were insinuated.

Not the best in the series so far, but I still think this is a series worth reading. Can't wait to get on to the next

Her Cowboy Dilemma
Copyright 2013
219 pages

Remember Me, Cowboy by C.J. Carmichael

Cowboy romances, they are definitely my guilty pleasure. After all, what's better than some handsome dude on the cover in a cowboy hat? The story doesn't even have to be good as long as I can keep flipping back to the cover. Luckily, the story in this one is decent even if the cover is tantalizing. Although I keep looking at it and forgetting what it is I'm trying to write here...

Laurel is in town for her friend's wedding. She hasn't been to Montana for awhile since moving to New York and starting a life there for herself. But the day of the wedding several members of the party are involved in a terrible accident. Including the man that Laurel slept with at the rehearsal dinner. The man that is the father of her unborn child and now doesn't have a clue who she is due to amnesia.

This is a short romance novel. None of the characters are particularly well developed. There's a lot of hints at their stories and pasts, but nothing is fully fleshed out. And a lot is left hanging (this is the 1st book in a series though, so anything could happen). We have conflict between characters that is never resolved, and that's a little irritating. Laurel is decent. She starts out knowing what she wants but then kind of has to readjust her whole way of thinking when she finds out she is pregnant. And I do think that she lets people walk on her too much. Corb didn't have much of a personality.
Sure he does sweet things, but aside from the amnesia, we don't really know that much about him. It makes it hard to really go crazy for him as a character.

I'm never too tough on romance novel plots. They have to follow a formula and getting the next bestseller out of those kinds of conditions just isn't going to happen. This one was decent. Rushed, and a lot of conflict thrown in in an attempt to make it interesting. But the amnesia wasn't the usual so I found that unique at least. I also liked the family issues thrown in as they made it seem realistic. This was a regular romance novel so I was surprised to see the romantic parts glossed over. All flash and no bang. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but just surprising. So if you're looking for something descriptive in that realm, it's just not here.

I'll keep reading the series. They are entertaining and I do like my cowboys. For the first in a series, it wasn't a bad start.

Remember Me, Cowboy
Copyright 2013
217 pages

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty

Never saw the show and I was never really a fan of Westerns in general.  But I was told this was an American classic, so I had to check it out for myself.  And I'm very glad I did.  This book just has a way of drawing you in.

Gus and Call run a small horse trading operation on the border of Mexico in Texas.  But after a friend of theirs stops by and tells of the wonders of Montana, they decide to take a herd of cattle up North and establish a ranch there.  But it's a long hard drive with many hardships.  They have to watch out for Indians, outlaws, weather, and ornery critters at every step of the way.  And then there's the personal drama with fights, love and hatred, which can sometimes be a greater hardship than the physical things.

Gus is a great character.  He's kind, jovial and just the type of guy you'd like to be around.  He's really the glue that holds the whole story together.  Call on the other hand, is just the complete opposite.  And I wasn't really interested in him or his story.  He was too dour for my tastes but I guess he had to be the solid one while Gus was off having a good time.  The women in the book, Lorena and Carla, were interesting characters.  It was nice to see that they had independent streaks and could take care of themselves for the most part.  Although Lorena's personality changed a bit on me.  There were plenty of other characters of course and too many good ones to mention them all by name.  They all worked together and you could really see the saga of this cattle drive through them.

This really was a saga.  For a book it was exactly like following a tv series that you enjoy.  You were always wanting to know what happened next and even at over nine hundred pages, it was hard to put down.  I wouldn't quite call it a soap opera, but there was a lot of drama.  The characters were always doing something you didn't want them to and yelling at the book didn't keep them from doing it.  I have to admit it was a very slow start and about fifty pages in I kept thinking, "why am I reading this?".  But I'm glad I stuck with it as I felt completely different by the end of the book.  I'm not in the habit of holding on to books anymore, but this one will earn a permanent position on my shelf.

It should be warned though that this is a Western and all it entails.  Cussing, violence, murder, rape, death scenes, and everything else you could imagine is in it.  McMurtry doesn't curb the description and the details to make the book tamer.  It really is Western wildness.  And like a good many Westerns, it doesn't look favorably upon minority races, although there were a few strong minority characters in the book.  Reader, you have been warned.

A very good book and one I can envision myself going back and reading again and again.  I'm eager to see the others in the series as well.

Lonesome Dove
Copyright 1985
945 pages

Big Sky River by Linda Lael Miller

**This review is part of the Amazon Vine program**

 I'm not going to lie, I read Miller's books because of the covers. Oh my! Well, that and the fact that she's my guilty pleasure, I like her romances generally. This one wasn't too bad, it makes me want to go back and read the rest of the Parable series (although you don't really have to, this can be a stand-alone).

After a rough divorce, Tara moves to Parable County Montana to start life as a chicken rancher. She's sad to be leaving her stepdaughters, but life in the country is just what she needs right now. The only problem she has to deal with is the eyesore double-wide next door owned by handsome Sheriff Boone. And he's got his own problems, after his wife died a few years back he sent his sons to live with his sister. But her husband was in an accident and now the boys have to come back and live with him. He's secretly pleased, but scared at the same time. At least they'll have someone to play with though since Tara's stepdaughters are also coming for a visit. And despite her snooty ways, he's looking forward to seeing Tara a little more as well.

I have to say that Tara got the bad end of the bargain in this book. Sure Boone is handsome and helps out a little bit. But the man abandoned his kids (which is softly ignored in the book, although Tara does think about it at some point) and couldn't even keep his house up to par. I know grief does things to a person, but if you have responsibilities and can still handle being a sheriff, it shouldn't excuse you from being a parent for so long. Tara herself is wonderfully nice. She has a way with children and while I can't figure out how she's making a living at chicken farming, it still provides a background for her. There are numerous side characters that are always harping on them to not be single, which is a bit disingenuous, but maybe I'm just jealous because my friends don't set me up with handsome cowboys.

The plot was formulaic, as Miller's books tend to be. She always has a headstrong couple that doesn't like each other at first but then blossom into passionate feelings for each other. I'm not complaining, it makes for some steamy romance scenes, but if you like variety, it's probably not going to be found here. All the kids added in made this book kind of interesting too, since they added to the dynamic and the troubles that the main characters had. One element I wasn't expecting was the religious tone in this book. Miller's other books had hints of it here and there, but this one was a little more in your face than her other books, and I just couldn't wrap my head around it. It wasn't preachy, but it wasn't her normal either. But it was an entertaining read, perfect for a glass of wine and a bubble bath on a cold winters day.

So as it stands I want the cowboy on the front cover. But I suppose I'll just have to live vicariously through another one of Miller's books as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Big Sky River
Copyright 2012
338 pages

A Stone Creek Christmas by Linda Lael Miller

Linda Lael Miller is my guilty pleasure. Sure I read other romances, but I don't seem to enjoy them nearly as much as I do hers. And since this one combined a Miller romance with Christmas, well it definitely "tis the season."

Olivia is a veterinarian in the small town of Stone Creek. Her brother, Brad, once a famous magician is now building a shelter that she'll be the head of. He's brought in Tanner Quinn to build it too. Tanner is a good guy, but flighty. After the death of his wife he sent his daughter to boarding schools with high security to try to keep her safe, and has moved around quite a bit, never staying in the same place year after year. So when he develops an attraction to Olivia, it pulls at him a little bit. Nevermind the fact that she thinks she can talk to animals and may be just a little strange in his opinion.

Olivia was pretty tame for a heroine of the book. Sure she had her thing with animals but it is downplayed so I kind of wonder why it was mentioned at all unless it was just to make the dog, Ginger, a more interesting character. I kind of would have liked to see more about it. Tanner was a pretty believable character though. His desperation between wanting to keep his daughter safe yet still wanting to make her happy was a conflict that I think a lot of parents would have and could relate to. And the daughter was cute, although she definitely acted older than her age. The only real problem I have with the characters is that they usually seem to be insanely rich or at least know someone or is related to someone who is. It'd be nice to have an average joe thrown in once in awhile who has some money issues. But I suppose that would ruin the fantasy of it all.

The plot was simple. Tanner comes to town, meets strange veterinarian, has worries about daughter and they all have family issues that they have to come to terms with. But they threw in the Christmas aspect and a little bit of magic (supernatural) and it gives it a twist. Since this is a romance novel I do have to say that there are sex scenes in the book. They aren't long or greatly graphic by any means, but they are there. So if you prefer your romances without the love scenes, Miller is probably not an author for you. The rest of the writing is down to earth and comfortable and it made it an enjoyable holiday read because of all the Christmas aspects in it.

I'll definitely continue to read Miller. It's hard to find a terrible book by her and I enjoy most of her books that I've come across.

A Stone Creek Christmas
Copyright 2008
211 pages

His Country Girl by Jillian Hart

Hmm, glad to be back amongst the decent romance novels again. Its amazing how you can get into a streak of bad ones. But anyways, I digress. This romance was pretty enjoyable. Sure it had a few flaws, but they weren't enough to spoil the book at all.

Sierra Baker is a nervous wreck. Her little boy is due for surgery and since he's all she has after her husband left both of them, she can't really contain what she feels. So she has mixed emotions when little Owen gets his miracle wish fulfilled in the form of Tucker Granger, a rodeo cowboy she grew up with. But Tucker turns out to be a surprise. He's excellent with Owen and she finds herself becoming very attached to him. But that's not what either of them want because Sierra doesn't want upheaval in her life and Tucker isn't the type to settle down. But there is an attraction there, regardless of what they want to feel.

I think Tucker was my favorite character in all of this. He seemed like a good down to earth guy who wasn't afraid to just be himself. And he had believable emotions and motivations. Sierra, I haven't quite decided on her yet. She was very very skittish. Which is somewhat understandable, but she changed her mind so easily on everything that she wasn't as believable as Tucker. Owen, the kid, was ok too. He bounced around the book in a cheerful haze for the most part and was genuinely kid-like.

The sick kid theme is actually one I haven't read before. I'm sure there are plenty of books out there that involve that theme, but since this was the first one I read it was unique. And I liked it. Although I think a little more drama could have been squeezed in. The romance was satisfactory. Since this is a Love Inspired it was kind of slow going and tame. But at least this one wasn't very preachy like some from that romance line can be. In fact it was very tolerable. And the romantic parts were pretty tame as well, maybe a few sneaky kisses. The ending was kind of rushed, but that was probably the most noticeable problem with the book, and still not a huge deal.

A nice smooth read with likable characters. This is a romance that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to fans of the genre.

His Country Girl
Copyright 2011
218 pages

A Cowboy's Redemption by Jeannie Watt

Yikes, this book just went a little too fast. And it could have been really exciting and interesting. Characters were decent, but not spectacular too.

Kira Jennings needs to make a business deal, especially if she wants to make it in the family business. Her brother Bryce, is her main competitor, and there's no love lost between the two. So when she heads into the country to talk to a property owner, Jason Ross, she knows its going to be tough. Jason and Bryce have a history and it resulted in Jason being sent to prison for awhile. Kira isn't sure what happened there, but she does realize that it is going to make this business transaction hard. Add in a fire and some underhanded dealings and things certainly stay exciting for the two.

I liked Jason. Even if he is considered a felon he's an all around good guy. A bit bitter perhaps, but that's understandable. And he has a love for animals which is nice. Kira didn't have much of a personality for me. Sure she wants to belong to her family and do her best, but that's really all the personality we get for her. It would have been nice for her to open up a little more. The brother, of course, was a jerk. He only served as the bad guy in the book, no other sides to him.

I'm not used to having a guy who's been in prison as a main character. It was an interesting twist. And the fact that he's running a ranch, while common in itself, makes it a little different as well. Add in a wealthy family trying to get something from him and yes, that part of the plot is pretty standard. But the felon thing, that's not. So a little twist, not huge, but interesting. As this is a romance, there are romance scenes. You have been warned if that's not your thing. Honestly the worse thing about this book is the pace. It just went way too fast in my opinion. Slow it down a bit and it might have been a little better.

Just an average romance. Nothing too special but not a terrible read. Good for a rainy day I suppose.

A Cowboy's Redemption
Copyright 2009
246 pages

Jenna's Cowboy Hero by Brenda Minton

I've read one of Minton's other books and enjoyed it. This one, not as much. It wasn't a horrible book, but it just didn't hold the charm that "The Cowboy's Family" did, even if it does take place in the same fictional town.

Adam isn't very happy when he has to go back to Oklahoma. But with his cousin's death, the camp he invested in either has to be sold or worked on to get it running. And he could use some shine to his name considering his previous football career included quite a bit of him losing his temper and making himself noticed. What he doesn't expect though, is to meet Jenna, when he returns to Oklahoma. But Jenna isn't really looking for anyone. She has two boys to raise and a missing leg from her time in Iraq and she knows that a relationship probably isn't going to happen for her. But she does want to be Adam's friend and get the camp running.

So little character development in this book. Backstories are hinted at but rarely go in depth as much as they should. We know a little about Jenna's time in Iraq but hardly anything about her childhood, which is the whole motivation for her wanting the camp so it should have been described. Adam we know a little more about his past but I just didn't feel he was connectable as a character. He tried to claim to be a bad boy, but he really wasn't from anything shown in the book. The two kids were kind of two dimensional. They more served as props.

The camp was a nice idea, but it ran kind of slow and there wasn't really any serious conflict in the book. Which made it read quick, but that's not always a good thing. Being that this was a Love Inspired Romance I expected religion to be in it, but unlike Minton's other one, this one was kind of preachy and it turned me off a bit. I can handle a little bit but I have trouble believing there are people out there that talk like the people in this book do about religion. Especially since all the characters in the town seem to do it. But as you may expect, since this is a Love Inspired, there are no risque scenes, so appropriate for almost all ages if you will.

I didn't really like it. Characters could have been better, plot had more conflict, and less preaching would have been great. I'll probably still read more of Minton's books though since I liked her other one.

Jenna's Cowboy Hero
Copyright 2009
211 pages

Maddie Inherits a Cowboy by Jeannie Watt

A different take on a Western romance, but still, not as good as it probably could have been. I just couldn't really connect to the characters in this one, although I liked the theme.

Madeline is headed out to visit a ranch. A ranch that she inherited a share of when her brother died. It hasn't been doing as well financially, but that's not the real reason she's going. She needs to hideout for awhile as she's under investigation for academic misconduct. Even though she's not guilty, she still needs to get away from it for awhile. Her brother's partner, Ty isn't too thrilled about the visit though. He doesn't like the way Madeline questions his business running tactics and he can't really look at her without remembering what happened to her brother Skip. Skip's death is something he blames himself for and he hasn't really been the same since the accident. But Madeline isn't the type to let him hide from her, and he does find himself a bit attracted to her.

Madeline is a little too hard nosed for me. I know that's the way she's supposed to be, but it comes off as irritating sometimes. Especially when she rushes forward aimlessly. Considering she's a college professor, I guess I just expected her actions to be more thought out. Ty is a bit irritating too. He has this martyr vibe going on and its not attractive, even if Madeline thinks so. He's real I guess, but just not as likable as I'd like. And since they're both out on an isolated ranch we really don't have much contact with a whole lot of other characters in the book. So its mainly just the two of them to keep us entertained.

I did like the western ranch theme of this book. Anyone running an organic cattle ranch is something I can get behind. And launching a professor into the middle of it is a good twist. Although I did think that the chores and the running of the ranch seemed greatly watered down from what I would have expected them to be. Granted, I don't know a lot about the business, but it just seemed too easy. There is a sex scene in this book, but it was fairly mild in my opinion. The rest of the book read fast and was an easy read, didn't require a lot of concentration.

Ok romance, nothing special. But nothing I would rush out of my way for definitely.

Maddie Inherits a Cowboy
Copyright 2011
283 pages

The Cowboy Takes a Bride by Lori Wilde

**This review is part of the Amazon Vine Program**

Yay for cowboy romances! Seriously, I think they're about my favorite type of romances. Something about a guy in a stetson does a girl good. At the very least I get to live vicariously.

When Mariah inherits a little piece of ranch land from her estranged father, her first thought is to sell it and get out of there. She's a city girl, and even though she's down on her luck, she has some plans for herself. But that changes when she comes into contact with Joe Daniels. Joe is a widower, and still grieving, but there's something about him that gets Mariah's attention. And the feeling is mutual as Joe starts to feel a spark he thought long gone after his wife's death. But they can't seem to keep from arguing, and Mariah plans on leaving, so their's is a relationship that just won't work. At least not in their minds.

I like Mariah, she's spunky, has an idea of what she wants, but at the same time can remain aloof. She protects herself. And I can understand that completely. Its hard to get out there all the way after you've been burned. Which makes Joe a good match for her. He's been burned too and isn't interested in rushing into anything. And hey, he's a cowboy, that's always a good attribute. The side characters were ok. I liked some better than others. Ila I found annoying and kind of unneeded. She was just a side plot to throw in some interest I think and so her personality didn't come through very well. Mariah's father, while dead, actually played a pretty big role and I think the author did a good job of describing him and why he was the way he was.

For a romance, this was pretty funny. There were some good punch lines here and there and I found the book amusing. The plot too wasn't as sappy as I thought it was going to be, considering it involved a wedding planner. I actually like how the author kept it mostly realistic. Now since this is a romance there is sex and sex descriptions and that sort of stuff in it. But that's pretty much par for the course when it comes to these books. The writing for the rest of the book was southern and homey and easy to read.

I liked it. I would probably read more from this author. A nice way to round out a long stressful day.

The Cowboy Takes a Bride
Copyright 2012
348 pages

Two Brothers and a Bride by Elizabeth Harbison

Wow, what a less than mediocre romance. Don't get me wrong, I don't demand too much from my romances, I know they're penned off pretty quickly sometimes. But I do expect more than this book had to offer. I was actually a little sad at how disappointed I was by the end of reading this.

Joleen is thirty and still working at the diner, something that her mother never wanted for her. But that's about to change, a rich oil tycoon by the name of Carl has swept her off her feet. A politician as well, he's searching for a wife that will appeal to the working class, and slightly overweight, down home girl Joleen is it. The problem is, he wants her to do an awful lot of changing for the position. When she agrees to spend the summer with him she doesn't know he'll be out of town and his brother will be picking her up and taking her to the family ranch instead. And there's some sparks when she seems his brother Jake that she just can't ignore. But she wants this life with Carl, or at least she thinks she can do the most good in that life. Joleen has to try to decide what she's willing to sacrifice to get what she wants.

The characters are pretty much what makes this whole book not the greatest. Joleen is completely bouncy and all over the place. Not to mention she's constantly describing herself as pudgy, chubby, etc. at only a size twelve while Jake is going all gaga over what he describes as her "hot" body. Either she has a poor self image or a size twelve got a lot larger than what I thought it was by the way she's described here. At least Jake has some sense where that's concerned. Unfortunately that's the only area Jake has sense though. I just couldn't understand the whole attraction/dynamic with Joleen, Carl, and Jake. I didn't see where the appeal was for any of them except for Carl, who's motives were selfish and completely believable.

The book is very fast paced. Too fast paced to make it believable unfortunately. While I like the idea of the two brothers wanting the same woman for different reasons, I don't think it was played off very well here. There was a lot more detail that could have been added to improve the story. Since the characters didn't have chemistry to me, it kind of fell short in the romance department for a romance novel. For a romance novel, there is no sex in this book. So its pretty clean actually. Hardly any bad words either. This is definitely part of the tamer side of the romance genre. Which is just fine, it doesn't have to have sex to be a romance. But if that's what you're looking for, you won't find it here.

Definitely not a good romance in my opinion. I've read several better, even put out by the same publisher.

Two Brothers and a Bride
Copyright 1998
216 pages

Going Cowboy Crazy by Katie Lane

So the cover is what attracted me to this book. I can't deny it, its of a pretty fabulous looking cowboy. So right away you know this is going to be a romance. And it was. And not a half bad romance, but nothing out of this world. The cowboy on the cover was more exciting, but hey they can't all be winners.

When Faith rides into the small Texas town of Bramble she hopes to just find her long lost twin sister. What she doesn't expect is to run into handsome Slate, a cowboy coach who is well known about town. And she also doesn't expect to be taken for her twin sister Hope but things roll into one another and soon enough the entire town is convinced she's Hope and that she and Slate are meant to be together. Not that that's a problem of course, she's pretty attracted to Slate, but her goal is not to stay there, she just wants to find her sister and regain whatever sort of family she can since she lost her adoptive parents. Slate isn't sure what to think of Faith either. He's very attracted to her but he's not really the settling type. But there's something about Faith that makes him think he could change his mind.

Faith is a pretty good character. Much more likable than her sister Hope in my eyes anyway. She has just enough innocence to be believable but some fire too. Slate even is a decent character. He's strong, handsome, and has a few flaws to make him realistic. The problem I have is pairing the two together. Besides physical attraction I just couldn't figure out the draw between the two. The hot and cold elements of their relationship were confounding and I was never quite sure why different actions triggered different attractions between them. The townspeople were pretty dense too. It seemed pretty unbelievable that they would confuse Faith for Hope for the amount of time that they did.

As a romance goes it was ok. The bedroom scenes were pretty steamy and there were quite a few of them. I liked the idea of the plot and of the two twin sisters who didn't know about each other. It did seem plausible to me that Faith would seek her sister out, but the rest of the antics of the town and just the general goings on didn't ring authentic to me at all. There were just so many things that people did or believed that I figured either they were a town of idiots or reality really was suspended for the plot. I guess I just wish there were more plausible motivations for people's actions in the book. I also thought that the pace moved very very fast. Slowing it up might have given more room for better plot devices.

I'll still read the sequel probably. Just because of the cover on that one too. And they are a quick light read for those who like cowboy romances.

Going Cowboy Crazy
Copyright 2011
345 pages

True Grit by Charles Portis

So I absolutely loved this movie when it came out a little while ago so I was really eager to read this book. And it was a good book. I actually liked the movie better, but the book was still very good.

Mattie has come to town to seek vengeance on her father's murderer. She hires a drunk Marshall known as Rooster Cogburn to catch the criminal and insists on setting out with him on the journey. They are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf who also wants to catch this criminal for other reasons. But the woods are a rough place and the criminal in with a bad crowd. Mattie may just be in the way but she's determined to see the venture through.

Mattie is a very strong character. She knows what she wants and she's willing to do anything to get her way. She is also very astute in her business dealings. She makes a nice pair with Cogburn who is mostly gruff and at times humorous in his drinking. But as the book is about, he has grit. LaBoeuf I actually don't care for as much and I really don't think he adds a whole lot to the book. The bad guys are kind of tame in this book as well.

I like the notion of Mattie avenging her father and having an adventure. Its not your typical western with the damsel in distress. Its also not as gruff as a lot of westerns so its an easy read in that aspect as well. Its definitely a quick read as you get so caught up in the story that it just flys right on by. My only complaint would be that there is not a whole ton of detail, and that could account for some of the quickness in the book.

But as Westerns go, this is a great one. I highly recommend both the book and the movie.

True Grit
Copyright 1968
190 pages