Texas: Yeehaw! I put on my cowboy boots, poured a nice margarita (rocks, of course), and played me some Lyle Lovett. I was all set for my RITA Reader Challenge: historical romance in a small Texas town so quirky it has TWO TIME ZONES! I settled in for a good read, but a third of the way in, I was mystified. The hero was described as distinguished looking, and tall, and distinguishably tall, but why … Continue reading Left at the Altar by Margaret Brownley →
Sierra Bailey has just been fired from her job as a physical therapist and needs a temporary job while she evaluates her future and tries to find a long-term position. A former client gives her a lead to a job in the tiny Texas town of Cupid’s Bow, which has the added bonus of being out of reach of Sierra’s overbearing mother. The job is part physical therapist, part live-in help for Vicki, a 19-year … Continue reading Falling for the Rancher by Tanya Michaels →
Falling for the Rancher is someone’s catnip, but it was definitely not a book for me. Overall, I liked the relationship between the hero and heroine well enough. I believed how they came to care for each other and in the things keeping them apart. I have issues with Jarrett, but I liked Sierra enough to believe that she would kick his butt if needed. The sibling dynamic was real and painful and beautiful. I … Continue reading Falling for the Rancher by Tanya Michaels →
I am a big fan of regency romance, so I thought I would step out of my comfort zone a little for the RITA© Reader Challenge and read a contemporary. Well, that and I am apparently not the only fan of Regency romance so they were pretty much all spoken for by the time I got around to signing up- but I digress! I don’t usually gravitate towards contemporary romance and I have never read … Continue reading Brokedown Cowboy by Maisey Yates →
I had high hopes for this book, I really did. A widower finds love with his best friend? Sounded like my kind of story, but about ¼ of the way through it I knew that I was ONLY going to finish so that I could write this review, because I love me some SBTB. Let’s start with the good. Maisey Yates is a damn good writer. Untouched is one of my favorite contemporaries ever. She … Continue reading Brokedown Cowboy by Maisey Yates →
Ransom Canyon is the first in the new series set in Crossroads, Texas. Even though it’s not my usual thing, I liked this book. It focuses on five people individually, two couples and one ex-convict. The conversations and inner thoughts came across as authentic, and if I ever have a cattle-rustling problem, I know what to do. This book is sweet, and non-explicit. The characters have some major back story, but the romances themselves were … Continue reading Ransom Canyon by Jodi Thomas →
[NB: Trigger warning for rape and assault. – SW] This is a sweet spin on the small town romance, the eighth book in a so far nine book series. The book is a prequel about the founding of the town of Harmony. I have not read any of the previous books in the series, but had no trouble following the action and understanding the characters in the context of the book. I assume that there … Continue reading A Place Called Harmony by Jodi Thomas →
When the list of RITA-nominated books came out, I signed up to review Where the Horses Run, well, because “horses.” I am a horsewoman and have sought out horse stories since I started reading. When I first looked the book up, I thought it was a contemporary Western from its cover. I could handle that. I’ve read and enjoyed a number of cowboy contemporaries lately since finding the genre. I don’t remember many millionaires or … Continue reading Where the Horses Run by Kaki Warner →
This is not the worst book I’ve ever read, but it’s tedious and cliched. We open on a dark and stormy night. Widowed Ivy Powell is watching the weather with her rifle close at hand, ruminating on some recent “troubles.” Suddenly, a shadowy figure appears on her porch. It’s Gideon Black, a “giant of a man” with a “hard jaw and glittering eyes.” Ivy’s brother (who has an injury that prevents him from assisting personally) … Continue reading The Cowboy’s Reluctant Bride by Debra Cowan →
