Hey Y'all!
There are a lot of books to go over this time...
12! Far beats last month's FOUR.
There's a lot here, so let's get going. Most of these are pretty short, at under 200 pages, so a nice afternoon read.
1) Jade (Wildflowers Series) V.C. Andrews
The third book in this 4 book series, has me continuing to question why these girls were forced to see this therapist... (Previous books reviewed in April and May blogs.)
I don't have the 4th book, but I will get it at some point to finish the series, but I've come to realize that Andrew Neiderman isn't a very good author. Probably why he "took over" after V.C. died rather than create a name for himself.
What happens to Jade is horrific, and could have been so much worse, but it's conclusion is a bit too glossed over, and then we're back to the horrible parents divorcing story.
Braced For Love
Left with little back in Missouri, Kevin Hunt takes his younger siblings on a journey to Wyoming when he receives news that he's inheriting part of a ranch. The catch is that the ranch is also being given to a half brother he never knew existed. Turns out, Kevin's supposedly dead father led a secret and scandalous life......But danger seems to track Kevin along the way, and he wonders if his half brother, Wyatt, is behind the attacks. Finally arriving at the ranch, everyone is at each other's throats and the only one willing to stand in between is Winona Hawkins, a nearby schoolmarm......Despite being a long-time friend to Wyatt, Winona can't help but be drawn to the earnest, kind Kevin--and that puts her in the cross hairs of somebody's dangerous plot. Will they all be able to put aside their differences long enough to keep anyone from getting truly hurt?
Man With A Past
Falcon Hunt awakens without a past, or at least not one he can recall. He's got brothers he can't remember, and he's interested in the prettiest woman in the area, Cheyenne. Only trouble is, a few flashes of memory make Falcon wonder if he's already married. He can't imagine abandoning a wife. But his pa did just that--twice. When Falcon claims his inheritance in the West, Cheyenne is cut out of the ranch she was raised on, leaving her bitter and angry. And then Falcon kisses her, adding confusion and attraction to the mix......Soon it's clear someone is gunning for the Hunt brothers. When one of his brothers is shot, Falcon and Cheyenne set out to find who attacked him. They encounter rustled cattle, traitorous cowhands, a missing woman, and outlaws that take all their savvy to overcome. As love grows between these two independent people, Falcon must piece together his past if they're to have any chance at a future.
Love On The Range
Falling for someone who doesn't want to get married is soon to be the least of his concerns......While his brothers and their new wives search for who shot him, Wyatt Hunt is temporarily bedridden and completely miserable. Somehow Molly Garner's limited skills have made her the most qualified in their circle to care for Wyatt. But by the time he's healed, she's fed up with him and the whole ungrateful family. For even worse than his grumpiness were the few unguarded moments when he pulled at her heartstrings, and she has been long determined to never repeat her mother's mistakes......When alternate plans of finding her own independent life fall through, Molly volunteers to work for the Pinkertons and help investigate nearby ranch owner Oliver Hawkins. She signs on to be his housekeeper, hoping to find clues to prove his nefarious, and possibly murderous, past. Wyatt refuses to let her risk it alone and offers to act as Hawkins's new foreman......But when another Pinkerton agent gets shot, they realize Hawkins isn't the only danger. The Hunt brothers will have to band together to face all the troubles of life and love that suddenly surround them.
I enjoyed this author’s writing style, but pretty much everything about the plot was either unrealistic or far too convenient. The heroine starts out as a single mum who’s adopted an 8yo foster child and is now fostering said child’s toddler twin siblings (after lying to the case worker about having a boyfriend/prospective husband in the picture). Not only is she a single mum but she’s working tirelessly as a public defender because she refuses to touch her trust fund (in punishment for the hero having gone to jail on her behalf). Oh, and she used to be an underwear model, but one of the last things the hero said to her before he went to jail was that she should use her brains and be a lawyer, so the modeling just paid her way through law school (because, again, wouldn’t use trust fund).
The hero is a testosterone-laden, lay-his-heart-at-her-altar, came-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks mechanic who gave up ten years of his life when he allowed the charge of vehicular manslaughter to be laid at his feet rather than the girl he loved (at the tender age of seventeen). And he’s great with kids. And old ladies. Of course.
Hero makes a valiant effort at rejecting the heroine at the beginning, but caves pretty easily when he realises how much the heroine is running herself into the ground in self flagellation. The central conflict is around how the hero will manage to earn a living now that he’s an ex-con, and how the heroine can convince the adoption agency to let her adopt the twins, even though the only man she really wants is an ex-con and likely to be rejected by the adoption agency.
10) Wedding Bells in Christmas, Debbie Mason
11-12) Rowdy Ranch Series Books 1 & 2, Vicki Lewis Thompson
What have you been reading? Any suggestions? Let me know!
Left with little back in Missouri, Kevin Hunt takes his younger siblings on a journey to Wyoming when he receives news that he's inheriting part of a ranch. The catch is that the ranch is also being given to a half brother he never knew existed. Turns out, Kevin's supposedly dead father led a secret and scandalous life......But danger seems to track Kevin along the way, and he wonders if his half brother, Wyatt, is behind the attacks. Finally arriving at the ranch, everyone is at each other's throats and the only one willing to stand in between is Winona Hawkins, a nearby schoolmarm......Despite being a long-time friend to Wyatt, Winona can't help but be drawn to the earnest, kind Kevin--and that puts her in the cross hairs of somebody's dangerous plot. Will they all be able to put aside their differences long enough to keep anyone from getting truly hurt?
Man With A Past
Falcon Hunt awakens without a past, or at least not one he can recall. He's got brothers he can't remember, and he's interested in the prettiest woman in the area, Cheyenne. Only trouble is, a few flashes of memory make Falcon wonder if he's already married. He can't imagine abandoning a wife. But his pa did just that--twice. When Falcon claims his inheritance in the West, Cheyenne is cut out of the ranch she was raised on, leaving her bitter and angry. And then Falcon kisses her, adding confusion and attraction to the mix......Soon it's clear someone is gunning for the Hunt brothers. When one of his brothers is shot, Falcon and Cheyenne set out to find who attacked him. They encounter rustled cattle, traitorous cowhands, a missing woman, and outlaws that take all their savvy to overcome. As love grows between these two independent people, Falcon must piece together his past if they're to have any chance at a future.
Love On The Range
Falling for someone who doesn't want to get married is soon to be the least of his concerns......While his brothers and their new wives search for who shot him, Wyatt Hunt is temporarily bedridden and completely miserable. Somehow Molly Garner's limited skills have made her the most qualified in their circle to care for Wyatt. But by the time he's healed, she's fed up with him and the whole ungrateful family. For even worse than his grumpiness were the few unguarded moments when he pulled at her heartstrings, and she has been long determined to never repeat her mother's mistakes......When alternate plans of finding her own independent life fall through, Molly volunteers to work for the Pinkertons and help investigate nearby ranch owner Oliver Hawkins. She signs on to be his housekeeper, hoping to find clues to prove his nefarious, and possibly murderous, past. Wyatt refuses to let her risk it alone and offers to act as Hawkins's new foreman......But when another Pinkerton agent gets shot, they realize Hawkins isn't the only danger. The Hunt brothers will have to band together to face all the troubles of life and love that suddenly surround them.
The story flows from one book to the next pretty easily, without much repeating lead up. Because of this I wouldn't call these stand alone by any means.
It's a bit predictable, with 3 men (or 4 if you count the baby brother that pretty much drops from the plot for the bulk of books 2 & 3) and 3 women, but the stories are fun & interesting.
Well written, and easy likeable main characters throughout all three books. I liked the series, and was easily able to visualize their world.
The whodunit was not an easy to figure out subplot, so I also enjoyed it. I really thought I knew who was involved- it took a turn I definitely didn't see coming!
When her mother dies after a long illness, Ingrid Torfa must sell the family home to cover the medical bills. Her career as a book illustrator not yet exactly launched, Ingrid faces two options: live in her battered old Volkswagen, or go back to her mother's small town in northern Minnesota.
The small town that still haunts her dreams more than a decade since she last visited it. Or rather, not the town but the grandmother.
All of the drawings she fills notebooks with witches and the trolls that do their bidding? Not as whimsical in her nightmares as she sketches them in the bright light of day.
If not for her beloved cat Mjolner, living in the Volkswagen just might tempt her.
But the cat wants four walls and a door, so north she goes. And finds trouble in the form of a dead body before she even finds her grandmother's little town. How much can a town of stoic fishermen possibly be hiding?
As Ingrid is about to find out, quite a lot.
The small town that still haunts her dreams more than a decade since she last visited it. Or rather, not the town but the grandmother.
All of the drawings she fills notebooks with witches and the trolls that do their bidding? Not as whimsical in her nightmares as she sketches them in the bright light of day.
If not for her beloved cat Mjolner, living in the Volkswagen just might tempt her.
But the cat wants four walls and a door, so north she goes. And finds trouble in the form of a dead body before she even finds her grandmother's little town. How much can a town of stoic fishermen possibly be hiding?
As Ingrid is about to find out, quite a lot.
I'll not write my own review here, because this one is perfect:
Heather says...
This is an odd book and I have mixed feelings about it. I like the concept a lot, and the author did a nice job of immersing us in the Norwegian-American culture. And I like the idea of a witch who solves mysteries.
But...I really disliked the concept of us being in the head of someone who is clueless about what's happening. It made me feel lost through the whole book. The author has set up two Brigadoon-like communities along Minnesota's northern shore of Lake Superior. The one near the road is difficult to see, but is visible. But you have to be a special snowflake to see the one that's located on the other side of the waterfall. Ingrid has come back to these towns (and her grandmother) after visiting them as a child. At times she sees things (like the town hall) one way and at other times, another way entirely, and I'm not sure why that was the case. And she spends the entire book rushing from one location to another while completely clueless the whole time. Then in the last couple of pages the author tries to clear up all the confusion, but only manages part of it. So the reader is left with lots of unanswered question and a general feeling of disorientation.
But...I really disliked the concept of us being in the head of someone who is clueless about what's happening. It made me feel lost through the whole book. The author has set up two Brigadoon-like communities along Minnesota's northern shore of Lake Superior. The one near the road is difficult to see, but is visible. But you have to be a special snowflake to see the one that's located on the other side of the waterfall. Ingrid has come back to these towns (and her grandmother) after visiting them as a child. At times she sees things (like the town hall) one way and at other times, another way entirely, and I'm not sure why that was the case. And she spends the entire book rushing from one location to another while completely clueless the whole time. Then in the last couple of pages the author tries to clear up all the confusion, but only manages part of it. So the reader is left with lots of unanswered question and a general feeling of disorientation.
Sydney hides out at her goat ranch, unwilling to ask for the help she desperately needs. She clings to her loneliness as a badge, that is until a cowboy who strangely matches her crazy birthday wish shows up at her door.
She is half-scared, half-intrigued by this handsome but bruised up cowboy with no memory. Does she allow him to stay in her barn and help, or send him on his way and hope he listens?
Jameson wakes up on the side of a country road in the middle of nowhere hurting pretty much everywhere and having no idea of who he is or why he is there. When he walks to the nearest house, he’s both relieved and fearful that a beautiful single woman answers his call for help.
He has to find out who he is, but Sydney has captured his heart and he makes excuses to stay near her, helping at her ranch. A nagging feeling like time closing in keeps tugging at him, until the Sheriff pays Sydney a call and Jameson recognizes his voice—a voice that causes a chill to run down his spine.
When the past catches up in a web of danger, they realize there is more at stake than just their hearts—their lives hang on the thread of his lost memory.
She is half-scared, half-intrigued by this handsome but bruised up cowboy with no memory. Does she allow him to stay in her barn and help, or send him on his way and hope he listens?
Jameson wakes up on the side of a country road in the middle of nowhere hurting pretty much everywhere and having no idea of who he is or why he is there. When he walks to the nearest house, he’s both relieved and fearful that a beautiful single woman answers his call for help.
He has to find out who he is, but Sydney has captured his heart and he makes excuses to stay near her, helping at her ranch. A nagging feeling like time closing in keeps tugging at him, until the Sheriff pays Sydney a call and Jameson recognizes his voice—a voice that causes a chill to run down his spine.
When the past catches up in a web of danger, they realize there is more at stake than just their hearts—their lives hang on the thread of his lost memory.
This one was a pretty good read, if you can overlook the glaring "yeah right" of the whole thing.
They're immediately infatuated, even though he has no idea who HE is. She wants a peaceful, quiet life and he's anything but that. Then- you get to the end and nothing is resolved, yet there are 3 big things that happen in the epilogue.
It is a fun story, regardless of the unlikelihood of the whole thing. It's not, however, good enough to continue the series. I don't care about them, or the drug ring, enough to continue.
One night changed everything…
Cassidy Kimbell killed a man when she was only nineteen.
Torque Baxter took the blame, serving ten years for her crime.
He told her to flee the scene of the accident. He told her to run. He told her to keep her mouth shut, so that’s what she’d done. She’d let a boy with a crush become an innocent man behind bars.
Today, that man is being released.
Cassidy expects Torque to hate her. She knows nothing she has done to atone all these years can compare to what he’s lost. But she hopes becoming his sponsor on the outside, especially since she’s a lawyer now, might help.
Little does she know, Torque doesn’t want her to owe him.
He wants her to love him.
But to do that Cassidy would have to give up the life she’s built for the last ten years. She'd have to sacrifice it all, just like he did.
Cassidy Kimbell killed a man when she was only nineteen.
Torque Baxter took the blame, serving ten years for her crime.
He told her to flee the scene of the accident. He told her to run. He told her to keep her mouth shut, so that’s what she’d done. She’d let a boy with a crush become an innocent man behind bars.
Today, that man is being released.
Cassidy expects Torque to hate her. She knows nothing she has done to atone all these years can compare to what he’s lost. But she hopes becoming his sponsor on the outside, especially since she’s a lawyer now, might help.
Little does she know, Torque doesn’t want her to owe him.
He wants her to love him.
But to do that Cassidy would have to give up the life she’s built for the last ten years. She'd have to sacrifice it all, just like he did.
While I actually did like the book, Fiction Aficionado writes a pretty good review:
The hero is a testosterone-laden, lay-his-heart-at-her-altar, came-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks mechanic who gave up ten years of his life when he allowed the charge of vehicular manslaughter to be laid at his feet rather than the girl he loved (at the tender age of seventeen). And he’s great with kids. And old ladies. Of course.
Hero makes a valiant effort at rejecting the heroine at the beginning, but caves pretty easily when he realises how much the heroine is running herself into the ground in self flagellation. The central conflict is around how the hero will manage to earn a living now that he’s an ex-con, and how the heroine can convince the adoption agency to let her adopt the twins, even though the only man she really wants is an ex-con and likely to be rejected by the adoption agency.
The resolution not only relied on a huge coincidence but was unrealistic to boot. Definitely a story designed to tug at the heartstrings, but I couldn’t get past the lack of realism.
A Duke by inheritance, Hannish MacGreagor soon learned the title came with very little wealth, so he bought a silver mine in Idaho, left his wife of two weeks in Scotland, and sailed to America. Later, he sold the mine, became one of the wealthiest men in Colorado and built Marblestone Mansion on a bluff overlooking Colorado Springs. His hopes were high when he sent for his wife, but something was amiss - his wife was not what she pretended to be.
At first, I thought his wife was going to leave him and I was 100% on her side. They were married a couple weeks, and he leaves for 3+ YEARS! A lot can happen/change in that amount of time, and I feel like other than the title, what loyalty is to be had in a two week marriage.
I did like Hannish, and his family (and servants). We do learn, once his wife shows up, that she is a horrible person. She is the most interesting character, and I'd like to read more about her, and find out her "why". Other subplots took up a lot of time, for seemingly little reason, and because of this nothing really gets fleshed out. The romance is a bit silly, then bam they marry. Very unlikely, even in that time. I won't seek out the other books in the series, but I'd read them if they fell in my lap.
" A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller"
When the world collapses, the real monsters emerge.
Mark and Lisa are on the run—not just from the infected, but from something far worse. What starts as a desperate escape through abandoned towns quickly spirals into a nightmare. The creatures hunting them aren’t mindless. They’re evolving. Learning. And they’ve chosen Mark and Lisa as their prey.
After a brutal encounter leaves Mark infected, Lisa must fight not only to keep him alive but to stop the darkness spreading inside him. As they flee through a world where every shadow hides a new horror, they discover a terrifying this isn’t just an outbreak. It’s a game. And the rules are changing.
Trapped between a relentless horde and a mysterious force pulling the strings, Lisa must make an impossible choice—save the man she loves or burn everything down before the infection consumes them all.
Hunted is a relentless, high-stakes survival thriller perfect for fans of The Last of Us and Bird Box. If you love heart-pounding tension, terrifying creatures, and desperate fights for survival, this is your next obsession.
Grab your copy now—if you dare.
When the world collapses, the real monsters emerge.
Mark and Lisa are on the run—not just from the infected, but from something far worse. What starts as a desperate escape through abandoned towns quickly spirals into a nightmare. The creatures hunting them aren’t mindless. They’re evolving. Learning. And they’ve chosen Mark and Lisa as their prey.
After a brutal encounter leaves Mark infected, Lisa must fight not only to keep him alive but to stop the darkness spreading inside him. As they flee through a world where every shadow hides a new horror, they discover a terrifying this isn’t just an outbreak. It’s a game. And the rules are changing.
Trapped between a relentless horde and a mysterious force pulling the strings, Lisa must make an impossible choice—save the man she loves or burn everything down before the infection consumes them all.
Hunted is a relentless, high-stakes survival thriller perfect for fans of The Last of Us and Bird Box. If you love heart-pounding tension, terrifying creatures, and desperate fights for survival, this is your next obsession.
Grab your copy now—if you dare.
I read the first draft already, and this doesn't differ much...
Pick up your copy on Amazon now!
I read book five after I picked it up at a thrift store, thinking it was a different author- happy accident. I then purchased books 1-3 on google books...
This is book 4 in the series:
Wedding bells are ringing in the charming town of Christmas, but not for Vivian Westfield. She's just had her heart trampled under the cowboy boots of Chance McBride and lost her dream job at a big-city newspaper. But when she returns for a wedding, she stumbles on a story that could resurrect her career. First, though, she'll have to deal with the handsome man standing in her way... and a still-burning flame that's too hot to ignore.
Chance recognizes trouble when he sees it. He just didn't expect to find it in the first-class cabin on the flight home for his father's wedding. Yet there she is, as gorgeous as ever. Vivi dared Chance to want things he knew he could never have. It's why he left her. But Christmas's meddling matchmakers have them firmly in their sights. So if they want to survive the next week, they'll have to play the part of an adoring couple—an irresistible charade that may give them a second chance at the real thing...
Chance recognizes trouble when he sees it. He just didn't expect to find it in the first-class cabin on the flight home for his father's wedding. Yet there she is, as gorgeous as ever. Vivi dared Chance to want things he knew he could never have. It's why he left her. But Christmas's meddling matchmakers have them firmly in their sights. So if they want to survive the next week, they'll have to play the part of an adoring couple—an irresistible charade that may give them a second chance at the real thing...
I really like this series. The writing is good, and the stories weave together well.
The laugh’s on him…
Fun-loving cowboy Beau McLintock is floored when ex-girlfriend Jess Hartmann announces she’s pregnant. He’s the life of the party, not a father figure. He has a joke to fit every occasion. But there’s nothing funny about this.
Although Jess feels honor-bound to inform Beau, he’s the last person she’d choose to be her baby-daddy. He’s not cut out to be a family man. He made that clear two months ago and she broke up with him. Yet now he’s singing a different tune. And turning up the heat.
With her baby’s future at stake, can she trust his change of heart?
Saddle up for the fun-filled Rowdy Ranch series! Steamy western romances from the NYT bestselling author who brought you the Buckskin Brotherhood of Apple Grove, Montana. If you like sexy cowboys, charming small towns, and laugh-out-loud adventures, you’ll love meeting the McLintocks of Rowdy Ranch.
Fun-loving cowboy Beau McLintock is floored when ex-girlfriend Jess Hartmann announces she’s pregnant. He’s the life of the party, not a father figure. He has a joke to fit every occasion. But there’s nothing funny about this.
Although Jess feels honor-bound to inform Beau, he’s the last person she’d choose to be her baby-daddy. He’s not cut out to be a family man. He made that clear two months ago and she broke up with him. Yet now he’s singing a different tune. And turning up the heat.
With her baby’s future at stake, can she trust his change of heart?
Saddle up for the fun-filled Rowdy Ranch series! Steamy western romances from the NYT bestselling author who brought you the Buckskin Brotherhood of Apple Grove, Montana. If you like sexy cowboys, charming small towns, and laugh-out-loud adventures, you’ll love meeting the McLintocks of Rowdy Ranch.
This book starts off... odd. Can't really tell if these are adults or teenagers. It gets better, and I really like the family. I do wish the joke/comment Beau made was revealed, but it never is.
I don't love the ending of both book one and two being so similar, but overall I liked them enough to want to continue the series.
Sold to his sister’s best friend…
Cowboy and firefighter Cheyenne McLintock would rather battle a five-alarm blaze than participate in a bachelor auction. But the station needs a new firetruck. Then his sister’s bestie, Kendall Abbott, takes charge of the bidding. He’s kept her at arm’s length until now, but that’s no longer an option. And her innocence is more tempting than he wants to admit.
When she was a teen, Kendall decided Cheyenne would be her first lover. She’s been patient for ten years, and now her opportunity has come. The time she won with her fantasy cowboy should do the trick. Baking his favorite cookies and concocting a reason he needs to spend the night gets the ball rolling. No match for her schemes, he goes down in flames.
He knows she should expand her horizons. Then why does he hate that idea?
Cowboy and firefighter Cheyenne McLintock would rather battle a five-alarm blaze than participate in a bachelor auction. But the station needs a new firetruck. Then his sister’s bestie, Kendall Abbott, takes charge of the bidding. He’s kept her at arm’s length until now, but that’s no longer an option. And her innocence is more tempting than he wants to admit.
When she was a teen, Kendall decided Cheyenne would be her first lover. She’s been patient for ten years, and now her opportunity has come. The time she won with her fantasy cowboy should do the trick. Baking his favorite cookies and concocting a reason he needs to spend the night gets the ball rolling. No match for her schemes, he goes down in flames.
He knows she should expand her horizons. Then why does he hate that idea?
It's a bit too bang like bunny's = love for me, but both characters are likeable, and the rest of the story is good. I still really like the family and want to know more about them.
Have a great day,
Craftin' Wife
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