eARC Book review: Toughest Cowboy in Texas (Happy, Texas #1) by Carolyn Brown

Available May 30th 2017
eARC Provided by publisher through Netgalley




Available May 30th 2017
eARC Provided by publisher through Netgally


The Spark of an Old Flame

Last time Lila Harris was in Happy, Texas, she was actively earning her reputation as the resident wild child. Now, a little older and wiser, she's back to run her mother's café for the summer. Except something about this town has her itching to get a little reckless and rowdy, especially when she sees her old partner-in-crime, Brody Dawson. Their chemistry is just as hot as ever. But he's still the town's golden boy-and she's still the wrong kind of girl.

Brody hasn't had much time lately for anything other than ranching. Running the biggest spread in the county and taking care of his family more than keeps him busy. All that responsibility has him longing for the carefree days of high school-and Lila. She may have grown up, but he still sees that spark of mischief in her eyes. Now he's dreaming about late-night skinny dipping and wondering how he can possibly resist the one woman he can never forget...

Brody and Lila get a second chance at love. Brody a chance to finally get it right after the way he blew Lila off all those years ago right before she left town with her mom. Now Lila is back to help run her mom's diner while it's being sold. Brody looks at it as his chance to make up for the way he acted years ago when he blew off a date with Lila right before she left. Before then they saw each other in secret because their mother's didn't approve. I loved the idea of this story. Then i started reading. Loved it at first until the moms came into play. The hate from the mothers drove me nuts. To much to over the top.  I could understand if they were teenagers still but they are 30 years old. Lila was all over the place sometimes which was bothersome as well. Why didn't they just talk to each other? Brody seemed to try but it felt like they talked about everything except what they wanted. When the mothers finally decided to let them be adults and be supportive it was almost to late. For me it was to late. It took me a while to read this book. Longer than it should have. I thought about quitting but i needed to know how it resolved so i pushed through. The ending was kind of a let down for me. Lots of potential that fell flat unfortunately.

Find out more about this series and Carolyn Brown here www.carolynbrownbooks.com

eARC Book review: New Leash on Life (The Dogfather #2) by Roxanne St. Claire

Available May 19th 2017
eARC Provided by author.

Former attorney and current dog whisperer Shane Kilcannon doesn’t like to lose. At anything. So when he messes up his chance with a beautiful stranger whose confident smile and haunted eyes intrigue him more than any woman he’s ever met, he’s ready to snarl like one of his beloved pit bulls. But Shane’s work with the wildest and wariest of his family’s rescue dogs has taught him patience…and persistence. When his father asks him to work alongside Chloe, helping to convince the locals to support her groundbreaking tourism plans, he agrees…as long as she is willing to help him by giving a temporary home to one misunderstood dog.

Chloe Somerset has built a reputation in the tourism industry as someone with big ideas that put little places on the map, and she’s confident she can do the same for Bitter Bark, North Carolina. All she has to do is convince one small town to change its name, open her germophobic heart to a dog with a penchant for face-licking, and avoid the landmines of local politics when her plans divide the townspeople. But none of that is as scary as the feeling of falling hard for a handsome charmer who whispers all the right things and tempts Chloe to forget a lifetime of hard lessons. Shane might be the best trainer in the family, with an instinct for how to get through to the creatures who need care the most, but he’s met his match with Chloe and it’ll take every trick he knows to teach her to fall in love.


Book 2 in the Dogfather series starts out with Chloe Somerset coming to town to help out her Aunt Blanche who is the Mayor. The town needs a makeover to bring in the tourists.  Her name change idea is brilliant for some people. Others not so much. Shane Kilcannon is a lawyer and one of the family dog whisperers. He's attracted to Chloe from the first time he meets her but he's not a love em and keep em type of guy. Doesn't meet he doesn't want to be a love em for right now type of guy. He's got a couple of hang ups from his mother passing away.  Chloe on the other hand has some hang ups of her own from growing up with a mother who was a hoarder.  After Shane give Chloe a dog to take care of they decide to join forces and show the town that a name change to Better bark is a good idea and the town can be pet friendly for tourists. While some things they do go really well someone is not on their side and sets out to sabotage the whole thing. Love watching Chloe and Shane help each other. They don't even realize it most of the time that they are healing each other. I just LOVE the Kilcannon family. Only on book two of this series so far and i want to read whatever comes next and i want to read it now. I hope the series can live up to these first two books because i am hooked!

Find out more about Roxanne St Claire and this series here www.roxannestclaire.com

eARC Book review: The Hitwoman Takes a Road Trip (Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman #17) by J.B. Lynn

eARC provided by the author
Available May 15th 2017

Some people just can’t outrun trouble.

Overwhelmed hitwoman Maggie Lee thinks she’s leaving her family worries behind when she’s convinced to take a road trip with her buddy, Armani.

But pretty soon an old friend, a pesky relative, and even her pet, are asking for her help.

Loyal to a fault, Maggie soon finds herself tangled in a dangerous theft involving a crime family; confronting the abusive previous owner of her cat, Piss; and dealing with family revelations that rock her world.

With the assistance of psychic predictions, talking animals and unexpected allies, Maggie takes on her troubles head-on.

But if she’s not careful, this “vacation” could literally be the death of her.


Maggie is still spinning in her little world trying to find the right path for herself. Nothing is ever easy with a heart as big as hers. Always wanting to help her friends she agree to chauffeur Armani around in her new RV. Convinced by her psychic friend a road trip is just what she needs. There's no such thing as vacation for Maggie Lee though. She can't go anywhere without trouble finding her. These books aren't exceptionally long but they are still packed full. So much happens to Maggie in every story and this one is no exception. She finally meets someone she's been trying to find for a while. You think she's going to be put off again and then suddenly there he is. She gets a quick visit from a old favorite character of the series as well. Another character tries to go straight after a life of crime and we don't get any sightings of Angel. That might have been the bummer of this book for me.  I'm dying to see where things go with Angel. The writing in these books is so refreshing and the author somehow keeps the exciting factor going even after 17 books. It's almost impossible to guess where she is going at any time so there is always a few surprises along the way. Somehow I am always left with a smile on my face and anticipation for what might be happening in the next book! 

Find out more about author JB Lynn and this series here http://www.jblynn.com

eARC Book review: The Dangerous Billionaire (Tate Brothers #1) by Jackie Ashenden

Available now
eARC provided by publisher through Netgalley

Nothing about Sullivan "Van" Tate is what it seems. A Navy SEAL raised among the New York City elite, Van prefers heart-pounding action over a Wall Street corner office. But when his adoptive father dies and his business rivals move in to overtake his empire, Van must suit up to save the company and protect the one woman most forbidden to him...and the object of Van's most dangerous desires.

Chloe Tate is as ambitious as she is gorgeous. With a newfound independence, Chloe is no longer a prisoner on her father's ranch. But everything changes when losing her father may also mean losing her life. Even with her survival on the line, Chloe can't deny the burning attraction she feels the moment she locks eyes with Van, her rich, rough and ready, foster brother and the new head of her father's company. Tall, dark, and muscled, he's the one man who she has no business being with. But how can she resist a Navy Seal Warrior when he'll do anything to protect her?

This is the first in a brand new series by Jackie Ashenden. Three foster brothers, all Navy seals, and a their sister are thrown for a loop when their dad dies unexpectantly and they are thrust into a situation with his company and his enemy. Van is the oldest and the heir to the company and is expected to take charge of it and his baby sister. Their attraction for each other confuses things and they fight the attraction for a variety of reasons. Chloe has no idea she is the not the biological daughter of her who she thought was her dad. He leaves her nothing in his will either. Knocked down by these revelations she's even more upset than she was by the way she was treated by him before his death. Now she and Van are facing a threat from her real father. I don't know. I wanted to like this book. I liked the idea. The three brothers are Navy Seals. They are all different and intriguing but you don't see enough of them in this book. Lucas comes back a few times even though he keeps saying he can't and he's in the middle of something life or death. Wolfe you never hear from him again once he leaves at the beginning. I wanted to see them work together more but Van and Chloe don't even tell them they are together. Van and Chloe were interesting at times and other times whiny and not being very smart. I felt all over the place on how this book worked for me. Parts of the dialogue was great. Other times i just wanted to put it down and walk away. Not sure I'm going to stick with this series unfortunately. Going to have to see the blurb and maybe a excerpt for the next book to decide.

Find out more about this series and Jack Ashenden here www.jackieashenden.com

eARC Book review: The Last Good Cowboy (Morgan Ranch #3) by Kate Pearce

Available now
eARC Provided by publisher through Netgalley

The Morgan ranch has seen its share of bad times. But as the four Morgan brothers are drawn back to their childhood home, the nightmares of their past give way to the promise of a new beginning…
Ry Morgan has always had a thing for Avery Hayes—one more hope his twin wrecked for him, pretending to be Ry to kiss her at the high school prom. Eight years later, Ry has had enough: he’s quitting the pro rodeo circuit, moving home to California to mend fences, and letting his brother clean up his own messes for a change. Reclaiming Avery’s stolen kiss is at the top of his agenda…

But Avery has changed. Her rodeo career ended with a fall that left her lucky to be alive, let alone walking. She hasn’t been on a horse since, and between surgeries and fighting off everybody’s pity she hasn’t done much else either. Ry is strong, confident, and sexy as hell—exactly what she thought she wanted at seventeen. Now, she’ll have to protect the safe space she’s made for herself—or risk it all for a dream she thought would never come again…

Ry Morgan is done with the rodeo and done with his twin brothers attitude. He heads back home to the family ranch where he runs into Avery Hayes. He had a thing for her as a teenager and left at 18 never looking back. Now she's older and he still feels that pull from her. They both have some serious things from their pasts to get through. Ry has some family issues with his missing mother and baby sister not to mention conflict with his twin brother. His brothers are trying to find out what happened to their mom and sister but Ry has mixed feelings about it. Avery was in a terrible accident with her riding horse several years ago and is still dealing the physical and emotional damage. Ry reaches out to Avery to help her and she returns the favor. This is one of those books that's a dream to read. I read through it really quick. Enjoyed the characters and the plot. One mystery is finally solved by the end of this book but some interesting stuff happens to really  make you want to read the next book. All kind of emotional and serious stuff which the author handles perfectly. It was great to see a grown man get emotional and take comfort in his significant other. A great read and I am excited to see where this series goes next!

Find out more about Kate Pearce and this series here www.katepearce.com

eARC Book review: Reed (Malloys of Montana #3) by R.C. Ryan

Available now
eARC Provided by publisher through Netgalley

A new beginning...

A fresh start. That's exactly what Ally Shaw needs and what she's found in Glacier Ridge, Montana. Creating a simpler life with her young son and reconnecting with her only remaining family-it's all part of Ally's plan to chase away the pain of her past. But when a dangerously irresistible cowboy rescues her little boy, Ally can't deny she's excited about what else the future might bring.

Reed Malloy was a wild horse who wouldn't be broken. Devoted to his work on the land at the expense of everything else, he'd never met a woman who could hold his interest... until Ally. And now, beautiful Ally and her fearless, freckled child have this cowboy wanting more. This isn't Ally's first time at the rodeo, though, and convincing her to trust him isn't easy. But there isn't anything he won't do to keep her safe... and make her his. 

Ally Shaw is trying to start a new life in Montana. She's got a plan but her plan doesn't seem to be going the way she intended. Then she runs into Reed Malloy. Reed falls in loves with Ally's little boy first and pretty quickly Ally. Reed is the Malloy that loved the land the most. Raising organic beef cattle was his dream and he's about to finally achieve his goal. He's never had his head turned by a women before. Until he meets Ally. It was fun to watch Ally and Reed fall in love. Ally had a rough life and this is her chance to make it better for herself and her son. She's stubborn and tough which are great traits and letting Reed in isn't easy. Trying to reconnect with her uncle doesn't go so well and then she finds herself the victim of a stalker from the life she just left behind. There's just enough suspense in this story to keep in interesting without taking over. During this three book series there was a common thread into the mystery of what happened to the Malloy boys parents all those years ago. That gets wrapped up as well but it's not that big of a surprise on who it is but the wrap up is pretty exciting. Another great story from R.C. Ryan! 

Find out more about R.C. Ryan and this series here www.ryanlangan.com

eARC Book review: Forever a Hero (The Carsons of Mustang Creek #3) by Linda Lael Miller

Available now
eARC provided by publisher through Netgalley

For the youngest Carson brother, finding—and fixing—trouble seems to be all in a day's work 

Mace Carson is no hero. Back in college, he came upon a woman in trouble and intervened—but he was just one irate Wyoming cowboy with his boots planted firmly on the side of right. Now a successful vintner, Mace is shocked to be reunited with the woman he saved. But it turns out she's in Wyoming on business…a corporate executive representing the company that wants to buy his winery. Only, he's not selling. 

Kelly Wright has never forgotten that horrible night ten years ago when Mace came to her rescue, has never forgotten him. The surprising success of a winery in the middle of ranch country has brought her to Mustang Creek, and she's secretly thrilled to discover Mace at the helm. Reluctant to mix business with pleasure, Kelly vows to keep things professional, until her attacker is released from prison and comes for vengeance…against both of them.

Mace  Carson is surprised when he witnesses a car accident and the lady in the car is the same one he saved from a rapist in college ten years ago. Kelly Wright is the lady he saved all those years ago but she was actually on her way to his ranch and winery to see him when she slides off the road is a rainstorm. Sparks fly between them immediately. As soon as Mace sees her he's drawn to Kelly. I enjoyed parts of this books and parts were just ho hum for me. I loved the Carson family. Mace and Kelly were great. The personal stuff between then them was good and engaging but the business stuff with the winery kind of fell flat for me. I just didn't like that conflict between them. Once they figured that all out though it was much more enjoyable.I loved how they acted as a team on things and Kelly was good for trying new things.There is some conflict from her past that is kind of a side note but enough to make it work. This was not one of my favorite Linda Lael Miller books but it was a good one still. 

Find out more about Linda Lael Miller and this series here www.lindalaelmiller.com