Review: McKettricks of Texas "Garrett" by author Linda Lael Miller

McKettricks of Texas is a series by author Linda Lael Miller. This one is entitled Garrett. This series is about 3 brothers Tate, Garrett and Austin. Somehow i didn't review "Tate's" book which came out in February. You can read a excerpt for both Tate and Garrett's books here on Linda's website. If your not familiar with Linda Lael Miller's writing you can start with Tate's book then move onto Garrett's then you'll be ready for Austin's story in July of this year. You can read a excerpt for Austin on Linda's website as well. For now here is a little blurb about Garrett's book.

Fast track up the political ladder, fast cars, fast women—that’s Garrett McKettrick. Make that was. A scandal has brought him home to Blue River, a place where a man can slow down, take stock and plan his next move. Which doesn’t include staying at the family ranch with his brothers. A city boy for a long time now, Garrett doesn’t think he has the land in his blood anymore. But Blue River has other attractions, like his former high school nemesis, Julie Remington.

Now a striking woman and much-respected teacher, Julie comes complete with a precocious four-year-old cowboy, a three-legged beagle and deep ties to the community. Good thing they have nothing in common—except their undeniable attraction and a future brighter than the Texas sun.

This series is about 3 brothers and 3 sisters. Tate finds a love he lost years ago in his book when he and Libby get together and in Garrett's book Libby's sister is staying in Tate's family home while her rented cottage is being fumigated and due some bad things happening to Garrett he finds himself back at the family home as well. ( Tate and Libby do not live there) Julie ( Libby's sister) has this precious 4 year old son who is smart and funny and you just love him. Garrett finds himself loving the boy too as well as his mother but he is also torn between the ranch and any political aspirations he might have. There is of course some ranch drama thrown in to keep things more interesting. This book follows along after Tate's story nicely. I give it 4 out of 5 Modokker Book Pick stars. If your looking for a nice romantic read with some drama mixed in this one is for you.

Linda Lael Miller has some other series involving the McKettricks you might like like if you enjoy this book. You can find a list here on Linda's website. I've read myself about half the books listed there.

Book Review and awesome giveaway! Haunted Warrior by author Erin Quinn

Oh wow Haunting Warrior just reaches out and grabs you. This is the 2nd book in a series by Erin Quinn. Haunting Beauty was the first in this series which i reviewed in March and you can read that review here. You should read Haunting Beauty first before moving onto Haunted Warrior. Haunting Beauty was Danni McGrath's story and in turn Haunting Warrior is about her twin brother Rory. The series is tied together by the seemingly evil book on Fennmore. There are at least 2 more books to follow this one. The next is Haunting Desire which you get to read a little bit of in the back of Haunting Warrior and let me say it's just enough to get you excited to get the that book now! Alas you have to wait til March of 2011 i believe.  Below is a little nibble of Haunting Warrior.

HAUNTING WARRIOR

A past he couldn't forget.


Rory McGrath’s life changed the night his father mysteriously vanished after uncovering the secrets of the ancient Book of Fennore. The trauma turned Rory from an innocent boy into a troubled, cynical man. Leaving Ireland, he shunned his family, his heritage—and the very magic that has defined his people for centuries.

A dream he couldn’t ignore.


Then the dreams begin…dreams of an ethereal beauty whose touch is more real that any he’s known. And in these dreams, she has a message—a calling for Rory to return home to a destiny that will take him beyond the realm of anything he imagined.
 
A woman he couldn’t resist.


Lured to the castle ruins where his father disappeared, Rory is plunged back in time, and into the body of another man—a man betrothed to the very woman of Rory’s dreams. In possession of the secrets of his past, his family, and his identity, her hold on Rory is inescapable. For she is his doom. His salvation. And his destiny.

So how does that grab you? If you've read Haunting Beauty you know what a different kind of book it was. It felt fresh and different to read and Haunting Warrior follows along with that. To top it off it's quite a bit different from Haunting Beauty. I don't know how Erin does it but the writing for me was really different from anything I've read. Nothing to typical here. Rory is a broken man in spirit. Ever since getting sucked into the book of Fennmore with his dad when he was 5 only to be saved by his twin sister Danni, he's never felt whole.  He keeps having these dreams of a woman. He swears that she sometimes sees him that he is there and not dreaming. Rory's deceased Nana ( yeah you read that right) she gives him her usual cryptic message about what he needs to do and disappears. Suddenly before he knows it he's dreaming again or so he thinks but this time it turns real. This is where the whole adventure starts. There is so much going on in this book but not so much your overwhelmed. It's more like your on the edge of your seat. Erin Quinn writes it that way. In alot of books you can kind of predict a little where it's going but for me i couldn't do that with Haunting Warrior. You don't know how it's going to end or how it's going to get there. Rory find himself married to his dream woman Saraid. He thinks he's there to find the book of Fennmore but it's oh so much more than that. He's told he's there to save Saraid's people. Can Rory survive long enough to find the book and save Saraid's people? Can he saive Saraid's people? He's not sure he's the man for that job. You must read the book to find out.
I give Haunting Warrior 5 out of 5 Modokker Book pick stars!  Read Haunting Beauty and Haunting Warrior now so your ready for the next installment Haunting Desire!

You can find out more about Erin Quinn and her books at the following links
http://www.erinquinnbooks.com/Books.htm Go here to read excerpts of both Haunting Beauty and Haunting Warrior.
http://quinnessentials.blogspot.com/ this is Erin Quinn's blog.
Erin Quinn on Facebook click to find Erin on Facebook

Now we also have a giveaway!!!

For a chance to win a signed book from Erin Quinn all you have to do is leave a comment with a email address so you can be contacted. Up for grabs is your choice of 3 books.You pick one. Haunting Beauty by Erin Quinn, Whispers or Echos written as Erin Grady. Please if you have any questions for Erin go ahead and ask them and i bet i can coax her to come out and answer them. This contest is open to US residents only. It begins today May 25th and ends June 4th. Be sure to click follow me on the right of this page to find out all future reviews and giveaways. Thanks and Happy reading!


DUE TO THE HOLIDAY THIS PAST WEEKEND I'M EXTENDING THIS GIVEAWAY UNTIL NEXT FRI JUNE 11TH.

Review: Montana Destiny by author R.C. Ryan

Oh man! Montana Destiny is the 2nd book in the Montana series. I reviewed the first in the series Montana Legacy last month.  The series is about 3 cousins, the McCords, that haven't seen each other in years. They are brought together again by the death of their grandfather. Their grandfather has plans for them even in death. They will inherit everything if they will continue the search for a lost treasure that is believed to be on their vast ranch. Clues are everywhere but there are those who would like that treasure for themselves. Here is a little blurb about Montana Destiny

Wyatt McCord looks more like an eternal surfer than a cowboy. After traveling around the globe, he is brought back to Gold Fever by the death of his grandfather, and challenged to take up the search for the legendary McCord fortune. But Wyatt finds an even greater challenge in Marilee Trainor, a free-spirit who handles the town's emergency runs and pilots her own plane. When she decides to aid Wyatt in his treasure hunt, she finds herself in the line of fire by someone bent on preventing Wyatt from reaching his goal.

Ok you just have to read this book. First read Montana Legacy if you haven't already,to read Jesse's story then come back for Montana Destiny to read Wyatt's story. Wyatt came back to the ranch for his grandfather Coot's funeral but after he got there he realized he was meant to stay. He sees pretty Marilee Trainor the towns EMT and crack airplane pilot and instantly intrigued. Both Wyatt and Marilee are really independent take charge people, because of things that happened in their lives. Marilee never gets serious never lets anyone in, until Wyatt. Somehow he finds a way in and they both soon realize they've got something going on that isn't so casual. Thing is Marilee doesn't believe there is a treasure. The whole town thought Coot was crazy and after all the stories she thinks maybe they are right. That is until she finds some old scraps of paper with notes from the McCord ancestors journal. She takes them to Wyatt and finds herself believing there might be something to this treasure thing. Some other people must believe there is a treasure as well because suddenly Marilee and Wyatt have a few close calls. When Marilee's plane is sabotaged a 2nd time and she is seriously injured things get serious fast. Can Wyatt and his cousins find out who is behind all these scary close calls and find the treasure? Hmmm.... read the book and see what happens. It's a must read. One of those books you don't want to put down. I should know i bought it and read it all in one day! In case you couldn't guess i give Montana Destiny 5 out 5 Modokker Book pick stars. To find out more about the series and R.C. Ryan (Ruth Ryan Langan) please go to her website http://www.ryanlangan.com/. You can even get a little glimpse of the next book in this series  Montana glory which will be about Cousin Zane McCord!  Dues out November 2010!

Review: Tell- all by author Nell Carson

This is the first book published by new author Nell Carson! I saw something about this book on another blog a couple weeks ago and something about it stuck with me so i went and looked it up through my library and borrowed it so i could read it. I really enjoyed reading this book. It's only 265 pages so a fast read. I got it from the library today and as a matter of fact started reading it this afternoon and had to set it down to go to my nieces birthday party but picked it right back up when i got home.  It's one of those books you really can't set down until your done. I think Nell Carson has a hit on her hands with this book. Below is a blurb so you can see a little of what it's about.

In Tell-All, New York City writer Kat Callahan is just finishing an explosive unauthorized biography of Hollywood’s golden couple, Alex and Victoria Janssen, when they mysteriously disappear along with their 7-year old son, Jeremy. Now Kat’s publisher is hot on her heels to finish the book to cash in on the free publicity.


Little does Kat know the charming cowboy who’s just strolled into her life is actually Alex Janssen’s brother, Luke, dead-set on stopping the book. He knows it will reveal a fiercely guarded secret that could destroy the lives of all four Janssens. Now he’ll stop at nothing to ensure that doesn't’t happen.


Here's my take on it.
Alex and Victoria Janssen have a secret. They disappear along with their 7 year old boy. Being big time celebrities the press is after them to find out what is going on. In the mean time Kat is trying to finish this unauthorized tell all book about them. Kat is hoping that getting this book published with her name on it will help her get her real book published that she's worked on for the past 10 years. Luke Janssen can't let that book be published Alex and Victoria mean the world to him as does his young nephew Jeremy so he decides to run interference and try to delay the book getting finished at the very least. He arranges to switches houses so to speak with Kat when he finds out she's registered with a site that arranges this with people who have dogs. BIG PROBLEM once he starts his interfering he finds that things aren't what they seem and pretty quickly he discovers he might just be in love with Kat. How can he protect his family and find a way to tell Kat the truth without losing her.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a really good read. There's alot going on and it's faced paced. You'll love it! I give it 5 out 5 Modokker Book Pick stars.

Happy reading! Lisa

Review: Maverick by author Lora Leigh

As i mentioned in a previous post i was browsing the book section at Walmart and picked up this book as well and entered the author and name info in my iphone so i could find it at the library. I ended up getting it through my states interloaning library system. In Michigan this would be Mel.org. Check with your local library if you live in another state to see if your state has this. If your library does not have a book you can borrow if from another library using your library card. They send it to your library for you to check out and read. Here you get it for 3 weeks and can renew it if that's now long enough. I use it often.

Getting back to Lora Leigh's book Maverick. Turns out this is one in a series called Elite Ops. You can view the whole list and get more info
Below is a little back cover blurb.

IN A DANGEROUS GAME


Micah Sloane knows almost everything there is to know about Risa Clay, including the vicious betrayal she endured years ago and the distrust she’s harbored ever since. The only way for the Elite Ops agent to uncover an assassin—and banish the ghosts of his own dark past—is to use Risa as bait. But nothing has prepared him for her disarming blend of innocence and sensuality, or for his overwhelming need to protect her…

DESIRE CAN BE A DEADLY DISTRACTION


Risa has spent six years rebuilding her life. And now, to save it, she must pose as Micah’s lover and draw a killer into the open. It’s a risky plan—especially with a man as powerfully seductive as Micah. But, as their charade becomes reality, Risa realizes the greatest danger may lie in losing her heart forever…

You can read a excerpt here.

The Elite Operations, ELITE OPs was created to fight against that terror. A six man force working independent of government protocol or oversight, created to do what the others can’t do. They have only one directive. Success of the mission. No matter what it takes.

You can go to Lora Leigh's website to find out more about the Elite Ops series and all the players involved in this series. This book is a full action packed book mixed with hot sexy romance. Risa's been through hell and Micah knows all about it and he's drawn to her for some reason. Unfortunately he has to use her to catch a mad man who killed his mother and was pretty much responsible for his fathers death as well. Can they find their way through all the chaos to find love as well?  There are four books in this series which i plan to read. I give this book 5 out of 5 Modokker Book Pick stars. Happy reading!

Review Slow Heat by author Jill Shalvis

I was browsing the book section at Walmart ( rural area where i live) and was randomly picking up books and checking them out. The cover of Slow Heat drew my attention, which is usually what draws me first and then i read the back cover. Intrigued i got out my trusty iphone and typed in the authors name and the book name and decided to see if i could get it at the library or through mel.org Michigans interloaning library system. I ended up getting it through MEL. Good call on my part. This is the first book of Jill Shalvis. Since reading this one i picked up another one at the local used book store. That on is called Get a Clue i believe it's from 2005 so older but i really liked it as well. Getting back to Slow Heat this one was out February of 2010 so it's almost brand spanking new! Below is a little blurb. Oh and if your a baseball fan there is a extra perk for you in this book!

After a woman claims she's pregnant with Wade O'Reily's love child, Major League Baseball's most celebrated catcher and ladies man is slapped on the wrist by management and ordered to improve his image. His enforcer is the teams publicist, the tough and sexy Samantha McNead.

When Wade needs a date for a celebrity wedding, Sam steps up to the plate as his "girlfriend". But given her secret crush on him and that one awkward night a year ago in a stalled elevator with to much scotch, the whole thing is a exercise in sexual tension.

Wade is thrilled when the pretense turns into an unexpected night of hot passion. But the next day Sam is back to her cool self. As a catcher, Wade's used to giving the signals, not struggling to read them. Now, to win the love of his"pretend" girlfriend, he needs a home run--even if it involves stealing a few bases.

This is the first of Jill Shalvis' books i've read and i really did enjoy it. It's a really fun book but has a couple serious threads with in it as well. This is the 2nd book in the series and yes i've already ordered Double Play the first. I don't think you need to read them in order though. This is a easy read that you'll enjoy all the way through. To read a excert of this book you can go here to Jill Shalvis' website and check out her other books as well. I give this 4 out of 5 Modokker Book Picks stars. I look forward to reading the first of the series Double Play. Happy reading!

We have a winner!

Sarah Jordan is the winner of the Susan Squires book giveaway! Sarah wins a copy of Susan Squires latest book " A Twist in time"! Congrats Sarah! Keep checking back and reading reviews i have another great book giveaway in the works soon!

Sarah please email me your address so i can forward it on to Susan and she will be sending you your book!

A huge thank you to Susan Squires for donating her wonderful book to a lucky reader!

Lisa