Mistletoe Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

From Publisher’s Website

‘Tis the season for…

◇ A matchmaking grandma on a long-distance mission

◇ Mistletoe Temptation in every doorway

◇ A sexy cowboy with a killer smile

When Gran Presely agrees to sell Creed Riley the Rockin’ C Ranch for a song at Christmastime, he can hardly believe his good fortune. There’s just one little catch — her tantalizing granddaughter Sage is part of the deal…

My Review:

This was a fun holiday book. A plotting grandmother who wants to sell her ranch and see her granddaughter married to the man she is selling the ranch to. This had one of my favorite winter story tropes; boy and girl are isolated from everyone due to being snowed in. Their first night, Creed was a charming and accommodating cowboy, while Sage was being a shrew. Sage really doesn’t want her grandmother to sell the ranch and plans to do anything to run this cowboy off.

Sage is an artist and needs to create art in order to not go crazy while being snowed in. Ms. Brown did a wonderful job of describing Sage’s creative process and describing the paintings. Just from those descriptions, I would love to own some of Sage’s work. I enjoyed the regular appearance of mistletoe in the story. Each time we see the plant, it adds inspiration to Sage’s work and to her relationship with Creed.

Gran Presely really knows how to make a match that will last a lifetime.

I give Mistletoe Cowboy a 4 Horseshoe rating.

Mistletoe Cowboy is available from Amazon in Print and Kindle editions.

Publication Details:

Author	Carolyn Brown
Title	Mistletoe Cowboy
Format	Print
Length	333 Pages
Publication Date	October 2012
Publisher	Sourcebooks Casblanca
ISBN	9781402270154

Just A Cowboy And His Baby by Carolyn Brown

From Publisher’s Website

She’s Got Her Eyes on the Prize…

Gemma O’Donnell wasn’t the first woman to win the ProRodeo buckle for bronc riding, but she was darn well going to be the second. What she didn’t count on was her main competition sweeping her off her feet.

He’ll Do Whatever It Takes To Win…

Trace Coleman isn’t really after a title—he needs the cash prize to buy his dream ranch. But one sexy, determined cowgirl keeps getting in his way. In his effort to take her out of the running, he risks losing both the title—and his heart.

My Review:

I have read many books by Carolyn Brown, but this one is my favorite. I have found that Ms. Brown’s writing improves with each book she writes. With this one, the writing is exciting, compelling, and makes the reader wish for more.

I have read this book three or four times. Only books that have a great story line, and characters, cause me to reread it many times. I love the characters in this story. Gemma has always been my favorite of the O’Donnell clan. I’ve loved her spunky, kick ass attitude and view on life. If something scares her, she tries harder. I was not surprised when she decided to chase the bronc riding dream. If any woman can do it, it would be Gemma. I wish she was a real person, because I would love to be her friend.

Trace is an amazing cowboy. He doesn’t want the national title for the ego boost. He wants the title just for the money so he can buy his own ranch. While competing, a woman he spent a long weekend with shows up with a baby saying it was his. Instead of signing paper work that would allow the woman to put the baby up for adoption, he took on the task of raising the child himself. But soon discovers that he needs Gemma’s help.

Gemma and Trace are amazing together. They are able to compete against each other but not hold the outcome of each contest against each other. Very few couples can do that. I’m hoping we will see some more of Gemma and Trace in future Spikes and Spurs books.

I give Just A Cowboy And His Baby a 5 Horseshoe rating.

Just A Cowboy And His Baby is available from Amazon in Print and Kindle editions.

Publication Details:

Author	Carolyn Brown
Title	Just A Cowboy And His Baby
Format	Print
Length	324 Pages
Publication Date	December 2012
Publisher	Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN	9781402270185

Gilded by Karina Cooper

From Publisher’s Website

In the gleaming heights of Victorian London, a world of deception awaits an unconventional Society lady whose taste for adventure makes her a most formidable adversary . . .

Though Society demands that I make a good marriage, I, Cherry St. Croix, have neither the time nor the interest. I am on the trail of a murder with no victim, a mystery with no motive, and the key to an alchemical formula that could be my family’s legacy.

Yet the world is not so kind as to let me pursue simple murder and uncomplicated bounties. Above the foggy drift, an earl insists on my attention, while my friends watch my increasingly desperate attempts to remain my own woman. From the silken demands of the Midnight Menagerie—to whose dangerously seductive ringmaster I owe a debt—to the rigorous pressures of the peerage, all are conspiring to place before me a choice that will forever change my life.

My Review:

Ms. Cooper has landed herself in on an elite list of authors who have made me cry with their stories. The other members of this list are Diana Gabaldon (multiple times with her Outlander series, Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron), and Karen Marie Moning (Dark Highlander ). Like I said, an elite list.

This was my first Steampunk from Ms. Cooper, and I enjoyed immensely. I read most of it in one night. I didn’t realize that this was the second book in the St. Croix Chronicles. Never once did I feel that I needed to go read the first book (Tarnished) to enjoy this one. Ms. Cooper did a wonderful job of giving information to those of us who skipped the first book.

The imagery and setting that you have in Ms. Cooper’s Victorian London. You feel like you are with Cherry in the drift, feeling suffocated by the smog and smells of the lower levels of society. You understand and empathize with the plight of those who are stuck below, not just in a societal class system sense but also in reality. When the smog started to overtake the posh neighborhoods of London, the Queen had parts of London lifted above the smog on stilts. Which left people behind and below in a place called the drift, never able to escape the smog. The smog hid not just the middle class and the poor, but also crime. Lots of crime, especially murder. In the drift, just about anything happens. There is murder, theft, brothels, “escorts” called sweets, opium dens and other drug offerings, and many gangs. It is a rich world that was created by a brilliant mind.

The character of Cherry St. Croix is a very complex character. She isn’t title but is an upper class member of society, even with the taint of her father’s madness following her. Cherry is intelligent and fascinated by science and debating the pros and cons with her best friend. But she has a dark side. To fight off the memories of the abuse she suffered in the drift at the hands of her own father, she relies on laudanum to sleep and sometimes to get through the day. But there is a small problem with this habit. The small stipend she receives from her guardian (who holds the key to her inheritance until she is 21) isn’t enough to by the laudanum. So to get the money for her drugs, she works in the drift as a collector, a type of bounty hunter. But because of another debt to a gang, not always does she get paid. At night she sneaks out of her house and spends hours in the drift. Trouble does find her, but for the most part collectors are left alone, much like clergy in war zones.

I’m not going to spill any more on this story. You will just have to get the book and read it. Come back and let me know if you cried also while reading this book.

I give Gilded a 5 Horseshoe rating.

Gilded is available from Amazon Print in Kindle editions.

Publication Details:

Author	Karina Cooper
Title	Gilded
Format	Ebook
Length	384 Pages
Publication Date	December 2012
Publisher	Avon Books
ISBN	978-0-0621-2766-2

Heart of a Texan by Leigh Greenwood

From Back Cover

IN THE WRONG PLACE

Roberta didn’t mean to hurt anyone. But the night that masked bandits raided her ranch, it was hard to tell friend from foe. She didn’t know Nate Dolan was only trying to help when she shot him in the leg. And when he offers to help her catch the culprits, she only feels guiltier. The absolute least she can do is nurse the rugged cowboy back to health…

WITH ALL THE RIGHT MOVES

Nate has been on the vengeance trail so long, he nearly forgot what a real home looked like. And Roberta is a mighty fine incentive to stay put for a while – even if she has a stubborn streak as wide as the great state of Texas. She might be convinced she’s healing the wound in his leg, but neither of them knows she’s also soothing the hurt in his heart.

My Review:

This was a fun, sweet, historical western romance. It has been a long time since I last read a Leigh Greenwood book. He still has the romantic touch that many readers expect.

This story is part of Mr. Greenwood’s Night Riders series. The Night Riders were a group of Confederate raiders, the original special ops. This story takes place in 1873, approximately 8 years after the Civil War, in South Texas where the Night Riders settled.

Mr. Greenwood has created two stubborn main characters whose banter was fun to read. The setting was amazingly authentic. You could almost believe you were able to visit that small town in the middle of nowhere Texas. He also created characters you would find in modern small towns. The realism he brings to the story shows how much research he put in to this story.

The suspense of who killed Roberta’s father lead to an interesting and fast paced story. Then you throw in the villain that Nate has been tracking since the end of the war, the one that Nate and the other Night Rider’s need revenge against. You have a story that parts of it will leave you sitting at the edge of your seat.

I did come across something that did bother me. At one point, while caring for Nate, Roberta makes him rice pudding. I was very surprised by the availability of rice in Texas in the late 1800s. After not being able to find anything about when rice was available in Texas, I asked Twitter. Someone pointed out that the Carolinas have had rice since almost the 1600s, possibly brought to the “New World” by Spanish Conquistadors. We hypothesized that after the Civil War, it was possible that those who fled the Carolinas for land out west might have taken rice seed stock with them. When I’m reading a book and something doesn’t seem right, it jerks me out of the story and then I start worrying about that one piece of information. When I get jerked out of the story, it diminishes the enjoyment of the book for me.

I give Heart of a Texan a 4 Horseshoe rating.

Heart of a Texan is available from Amazon Print and in Kindle editions.

Publication Details:

Author	Leigh Greenwood
Title	Heart of a Texan
Format	Print
Length	353 Pages
Publication Date	November 2012
Publisher	Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN	978-1-4022-6399-6

Hell on Wheels by Julie Ann Walker

From Publisher’s Website

Hold On Tight…

Ex–Marine Nate “Ghost” Weller is an expert at keeping his cool—and his distance—which makes him one hell of a sniper. It’s also how he keeps his feelings for Ali Morgan in check. Sweet, sexy Ali has always revved his engine, but she’s his best friend’s baby sister…and totally off limits.

Rough Road Ahead

Ali’s never seen anything sexier than Nate Weller straddling his custom Harley—or the flash of danger in his eyes when she tells him she’s in trouble. First something happened to her brother, and now she’s become the target of a nasty international organization. With Nate, her life is in the most capable hands possible—but her heart is another story altogether.

My Review:

I greatly enjoyed this debut novel from Julie Ann Walker.  I have read it from cover to cover two or three times.  Ms. Walker has created an amazing world of ex-special ops soldiers working more or less outside of the law under the guise of being custom motorcycle mechanics. On top of creating this world, she has also created a great cast of characters.  You don’t want to only know the two main characters, but you want to know the minor characters as well.  Luckily, some of them get their own books.

For some reason, I’ve always had a soft spot for the “guy falling for best friend’s younger sister” trope. I’m not even a younger sister.  I’m the eldest of two.  I love watching the guy struggle with trying not to have feelings and the girl trying to convince him that it is okay. Even though the brother isn’t around, Nate still feels his shadow and remembers the warning he received when he first met Ali.

I’ve also always enjoyed the “quiet, no excitement, not very adventuresome, goody goody” woman who discovers that there is more to life than her job, her books, and her quiet life.  Ali goes from being a kindergarten teacher who is always proper to being in the middle of a dangerous situation.  She discovers that she is a much stronger woman than she ever believed she was.  Sure her brother taught her how to defend herself and use a gun, but it never truly translated in to the type of confidence she would need to handle a man like Nate.  Only surviving multiple attempts on her life, does she find that inner strength.

I give Hell On Wheels a 5 Horseshoe rating.

Hell On Wheels is available from Amazon in Print and Kindle editions.

Publication Details:

Author	Julie Ann Walker
Title	Hell On Wheels
Format	Print
Length	348 Pages
Publication Date	August 2012
Publisher	Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN	978-1-4022-6713-0

Kiss of Steel by Bev McMasters

From Publisher’s Website

When Nowhere is Safe

Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria Todd, it’s the last safe haven. But at what price? Blade is known as the master of the rookeries—no one dares cross him. It’s been said he faced down the Echelon’s army single–handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood–craving he’s been quicker, stronger, and almost immortal. When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She’s so…innocent. He doesn’t see her backbone of steel—or that she could be the very salvation he’s been seeking.

My Review:

What an amazing mix of genres! This Paranormal Steampunk was a great read. I was captured on the first page. I’ve been fascinated by Steampunk for a couple of years and have loved Paranormal since before it was called Paranormal. So to mix these two genres was ingenious. Ms. McMaster did a wonderful job of creating a credible world and characters.

I’ve re-read this book a few times. I love the characters, especially Blade. Such a complicated man. On the surface he is hard and unapproachable, but underneath he cares for all of the people in Whitechapel. He truly wants to help them and to provide protection. But because of his position, he has to charge a price.

Honoria is just as complicated character. She is trying to hide from the Echelon, the highest members in society. At the same time she is trying to hide her siblings and care for them. But when she loses her job, she is forced to reach out to Blade for assistance.

Ms. McMaster has created a world that shows the Steampunk elements and the Paranormal elements, but also managed to keep the Victorian sensibilities and class structure as realistic as possible. I would easily rank this book among the top Steampunk romance novels I’ve read. I would say that it is a very close second to Maya Banks’ Iron Duke.

I can’t wait to read more from Ms. McMaster and this Paranormal Steampunk world.

I give Kiss of Steel a 5 Horseshoe rating.

Kiss Of Steel is available from Amazon in Kindle and Print editions.

Publication Details:

Author	Bec McMaster
Title	Kiss Of Steel
Format	Print
Length	448 Pages
Publication Date	September 2012
Publisher	Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN	978-1-4022-7027-7

The Assassins Hockey Blog Hop

 

This blog hop is sponsored by Romance at Random.  Click the above the image to enter to win and see a list of all participating blogs!

About the books:
Taking Shots

In Toni Aleo’s exhilarating debut, the first in a series featuring the hockey hunks of the Nashville Assassins, a reformed bad boy helps a charming, willful woman face off against the demons of her past.

No matter how hard she tries, Eleanor Fisher never thinks she’s good enough, from her job to her weight to her love life. After enduring years of abuse at the hands of an ex-boyfriend, Elli has been drifting through life in a daze. Until, that is, she meets Shea Adler on a promotional shoot for the NHL’s Nashville Assassins. Before Elli knows what’s happening, the gorgeous Shea breaks the ice and shatters her world.

A brilliant athlete inside the rink, Shea Adler is tired of the life he’s living outside of it: the girls, the money, the drinking. But everything changes when he meets Elli. After laying eyes on this feisty, witty, beautiful woman, he feels like he’s just taken the hardest hit of his life. No matter how skeptical she is, Shea knows they are meant to be together—if only he can convince Elli to put her insecurities aside throw her insecurities out the window before she misses out on a shot at love.

Trying to Score

In a captivating novel of hockey and healing hearts, the newest member of the Nashville Assassins pulls a power play to make things right with the one that got away.

Fallon Parker’s dream has always been to turn her family’s wine company into a runaway success and eventually to start a cellar of her own. Since graduating from college, she has worked relentlessly to make that dream a reality, especially after taking a chance on love—and losing. By the time Fallon becomes an official sponsor of the Nashville Assassins, she feels like all her hard work is finally paying off. And then the man who broke her heart skates back into her life.

On the ice, Lucas Brooks is the NHL’s leading scorer—at least when he’s not in the box. Off the ice, he’s a mess, with all his anger and misery bottled up inside. He threw away the most important person in his life and has regretted it ever since. But when Lucas returns to Nashville in a trade, he’s determined to convince Fallon that he’s a changed man. The attraction is still there. The tension is electrifying. But the odds are stacked against them—especially after Lucas finds out that Fallon has been keeping a devastating secret.

Empty Net

The chiseled men of the Nashville Assassins can make anything happen when they go all-out for the women they want—even turn a one-night stand into a happily ever after.

Audrey Parker is up against the boards. She’s stuck in a job she hates and pining for a total jerk. Meanwhile, her sister Fallon is moving out and getting married to hockey star Lucas Brooks. Where is Audrey’s Prince Charming? Nothing she does has ever seemed to be good enough for any of the men in her life. Audrey’s about to hit rock bottom . . . until she wakes up next to Tate Odder.

The thrill of moving up from the minors to the Nashville Assassins was a welcome distraction. But not even becoming the first rookie goalie to tally three shutouts in the Stanley Cup Finals alleviates the pain. With the loss of his parents and sister weighing as heavily on his soul as ever, Tate Odder can’t keep pretending he’s okay. That’s when he meets smart, sexy Audrey. Her gentle warmth and quirky sense of humor make him feel whole for the first time in too long. But to stay that way forever, Tate must find a way to accept his past and learn to live for love.

Chasing Mrs. Right by Katee Robert

From Publisher’s Website

It was only supposed to last one night…

Roxanne Stokes doesn’t believe in love. She does, however, believe in the sexy-as-sin stranger who literally knocks her off her feet in front of a nightclub. The chemistry sparking between them takes her breath away, and she’ll do anything to ease the pain in his eyes… until she realizes the handsome stranger is her best friend’s older brother who’s just come home from war.

Ian Walser had no idea the gorgeous woman he slept with the night of his homecoming party was his little sister’s best friend—or that she’d be gone before morning. Roxanne’s touch soothes him in a way nothing else can, and he’s not ready to walk away from that yet. Not when spending time with her gave Ian a glimpse of everything he’s ever wanted.

When his sister unwittingly pushes them together, he sees his chance. But convincing a woman who doesn’t believe in love that she’s his Mrs. Right might be harder than any mission Ian’s undertaken. Good thing this soldier likes a challenge…

My Review:

Chasing Mrs. Right is the second on Katee Robert’s Come Undone series. I never read the first book, but I did not feel I needed to in order to enjoy this book.

This book was an enjoyable read with fun characters that just burned up the pages with their sexual attraction. It was refreshing to read a story about a woman who is reluctant to be in a long term relationship and the man being almost desperate for one. However, I did find myself frustrated a few times with Roxanne and her lack of trust in relationships and love.

I was intrigued with this story because of the notion that it was a one night stand between two strangers who ended up having something in common. Ms. Robert beautifully wrote the scene where Ian discovers that Roxanne was his little sister’s best friend. Going in to it, the reader really doesn’t know how Ian will react to the discovery. But boy did he react, and boy was it yummy.

I did find their declaration of love a little early in the relationship, especially for Roxanne who has a phobia about relationships. I also found the crisis to be predictable. But the resolution to the crisis gave me a warm fuzzy.

The banter between the characters was fun and witty. There are some great lines throughout the book. One exchange that I bookmarked on my Nook (page 77):

“This.” She slapped his stomach, but not hard enough to sting. “Who the hell has a freaking eightpack? They’re like unicorns. They don’t exist. No, that’s not right. I’m sure there are guys who have them, but they’re the kind of guy who is obviously compensating for something. You aren’t.”
“So what you’re saying is that I’m a unicorn…”
“A sexy unicorn.” She touched the top of his towel and stopped.

I would recommend that you plan on reading this book cover to cover in almost one sitting. You will be glad that you gave the sexy unicorn and Roxanne your time.

Chasing Mrs. Right is my Friday 56 this week.

I give Chasing Mrs. Right a 4 Horseshoe rating.

Chasing Mrs. Right is available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble in ebook editions.

Publication Details:

Author	Katee Robert
Title	Chasing Mrs. Right
Format	Ebook
Publication Date	March 2013
Publisher	Entangled Publishing, LLC.
ISBN	978-1-6226-6787-1

Update on the PonyTails Front

First let me apologize for the radio silence.  The past few months have been more than a little trying.  Shortly after my last post, my work had me working an insane amount of hours as we prepared for the holiday season.  Then I got sick.

And of course with me, it is never as simple as getting a cold or flu.  I thought I got the crud that everyone else had but with in 36 hours I was in the emergency room with a massive kidney infection.  Since November 16th, I have been in and out of the hospital 6 (or 7) times.  The first two times were for treating the kidney infection.  After the second stay, I went home with a long term iv catheter (called a PICC line).  6 days later, I was back at the hospital because my arm was swollen and hurt to move.  I ended up with blood clots in the arm because of the PICC line.  Because of the dangers and pain associated with the clots, I have been in and out of the hospital since.  My most recent stay was last week.

For some reason, when I’m sick I don’t read much.  And if I do read, it is always something I’ve already read, a comfort read.

I owe a huge apology to the authors and publishers who sent me books to read and review.  As things settle down here (I hope), I will start reading and writing my reviews again.

I hope everyone had a less eventful holiday season and new year.

Thank you for your support and patience.

Chase Me by Tamara Hogan

From Publisher’s Website

THE SECRETS SHE’S UNCOVERiNG WILL BE HIS TO KEEP…
Centuries ago, when their ship crashed to Earth, paranormals of all types settled secretly into our world, quietly going about their business with humans none the wiser. Self-ruling and careful to stay below the radar, all is threatened when Valkyrie archaeologist Lorin Schlessinger and her werewolf geologist partner Gabe Lupinsky inadvertently draw evil attention to Earth and its treasured natural resources.

My Review:

I enjoyed this story.  At first, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy a Beta Hero, but I did enjoy Gabe.  He isn’t my favorite male werewolf but I did enjoy his journey.  I felt that Lorin was a bit too much of an Alpha for him.  I wasn’t sure how they would be HEAs, but Ms. Hogan did a nice job of resolving their differences enough for them to be together.

Lorin is a very strong character and very sure of herself and her work.  Sometimes it was over bearing and me a tad sick of her.  But eventually she mellowed out.  I think Gabe helped with that.

Over all it was a well written story with an interesting premise as to how the supernatural beings came to be on earth. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

I give Chase Me a 4 Horseshoe rating.

Chase Me is available from Amazon in Print
and Kindle
editions. 

Publication Details:

Author

Tamara Hogan

Title

Chase Me

Format

Print

Length

331 Pages

Publication Date

June 2012

Publisher

Sourcebooks Casablanca

ISBN

978-1-4022-4604-3