Review: Country Strong

Country Strong

About the Book:

Don’t miss Country Strong, the first book in Linda Lael Miller’s brand-new Painted Pony Creek series about three best friends whose strength, honor and independence exemplify the Montana land they love.

Ever since she was a teenager living in difficult circumstances, Shallie wanted Cord--but then she abruptly left the small Montana town of Painted Pony Creek, without telling anyone why or where she went. Now she's back and the old feelings are stronger than ever...and so are her impressions of the woman who betrayed him years ago. But Shallie’s not the only one who returns from the past.

Look for COUNTRY STRONG, the first book in a brand new western romance trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller!

Years ago, Cord Hollister thought he was in love with a beautiful, wild young woman named Reba. But he--and his two best friends--were betrayed when they discovered that Reba was having affairs with all of them. They all broke it off and she disappeared. They healed their friendships but now, years later, Carly, a girl who is Reba's spitting image, comes to Painted Pony Creek, Montana, looking for her father, who’s one of them, she claims. As Cord and his friends try to unravel the truth of who Carly's father really is and come to terms with the time they’ve lost with her, someone else from Cord's past blows into town.

Shallie Fletcher is even lovelier than Cord remembered but the last time they saw each other, he hurt her feelings. Now she back in Painted Pony Creek because she needs his help in learning how to train horses. The last thing he needs is another complication in his life though so he'll give her two weeks max and then he'll send her on her way. But he never expected to be as drawn to her as he is...

Just the sight of Cord Hollister makes Shallie's heart beat faster. Time has clearly changed him for the better. She's back in town for one reason only to learn from Cord, the horse whisperer, himself—at least that's what she tells herself. But from the moment she sees him, she knows that isn't true. She still wants him now as much as she did all those years ago. But can he ever feel the same about her?

My Comments:

Unless you are happily married to your high school sweetheart, chances are there is someone in your past who "got away".  Maybe the timing wasn't right.  Probably you weren't right for each other (otherwise you'd still be together), But, when you look back, you still smile, and wonder "what if", and, for most of us, sensibly keep that as part of your PAST, not Facebook stalking or dwelling on that relationship rather than today's relationship.  

Cord and Shallie were an item in high school, until Cord fell for Shallie's friend Reba.  Shallie left town with a broken heart, leaving behind a dysfunctional family and a man she thought she loved.  She decides to head back to town at about the same time Reba's orphaned teenaged daughter shows up, looking for her father.  Of course Carly has her own secrets but the overall theme of the book is the search for family.  Shallie wonders what happened to her mom that caused her to be abandoned to the care of relatives.  Cord wants to know why his mother has never been a part of his life and, as noted above, Carly wants to know her father.  

Honestly, the whole resolution (this is a Linda Lael Miller romance, of course the problems are resolved) was just a little too tidy but I liked Shallie, Cord and Carly as well as their friends and family and I look forward to returning to town to see who Cord's friends end up with.  

Thanks to the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade: B

A Snow Country Christmas: My Review

A Snow Country Christmas 

About the Book:

Raine McCall would take snow-covered mountains over a star-studded premiere any day. But when hotshot movie executive Mick Branson arranges dinner on Christmas Eve to discuss a work opportunity, she's intrigued—by the offer and the man. She's a no-makeup, no-frills single mom, who's happy with her quiet life. Sharing chili cheeseburgers and sizzling kisses with Mick is sure heating up her holiday, but country girl and power player don't mix… 

It's not just work that's brought Mick back to Mustang Creek. Since he first visited to oversee a documentary, free-spirited graphic designer Raine has been in his head. Her approach to life is as unconventional as her quirky holiday ornaments. Their attraction is undeniable—and so are their differences. Putting down roots in the Wild West wasn't in the script. But there are some Christmas gifts you can't walk away from, even when they turn your whole world upside down…

My Comments:

What's not to like?  She's the mother of a precious little girl, and while she and the father get along, they were never married and she likes her single life, most of the time.  He met her when he had business with the father of her child and he hopes this business trip turns into more.

The setting is beautiful--ranch country with mountains and snow, horses and dogs.  Everyone looks great in their jeans and family is everything.  With some Christmas love in the air, what more could you want? 

If you are looking for a book with intricate plot turns, lots of symbolism and an ambiguous ending, this isn't it.  It's a Christmas romance and things happen pretty much as expected, and sometimes, that's a good thing. 

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B. 

Review: Christmas in Mustang Creek

Christmas in Mustang Creek (The Brides of Bliss County)

About the Book:

Charlotte Morgan grew up in Mustang Creek, Wyoming, and couldn't wait to escape to the big city. But life in New York isn't as fabulous as she'd like to admit—she's lonely, doing a job she doesn't love and dating too many frogs she meets online. 

There was one potential prince, though—Jaxon Locke, a veterinarian with definite possibilities—but his move to Idaho to fill in at his dad's vet practice ended things just as they were getting interesting. What Charlotte doesn't know is that he misses her, more than he expected… 

Meanwhile, Charlotte's great-aunt Geneva—the woman who raised her—needs to enter an assisted-living facility. So, just before Christmas, Charlotte moves back home. When Jax catches wind of her move back West, he's determined to get to Wyoming and do whatever it takes to win her back. 

Christmas in Mustang Creek is a magical time in a magical place, not least because of a mysterious visitor named Mrs. Klozz. She knows that love is the greatest gift of all, and she's ready to help out Santa by giving these two a push in the right direction!

My Comments:

It is a Linda Lael Miller Christmas romance.  That really says it all.  It was a quick, sweet, hometown (if your hometown features ranches and mountains) story of family, long-time friends, snow, animals, and a little Christmas magic.  The only real conflict is inside Charlotte's head, and there isn't much of that.  Grab your hot chocolate, curl up in front of the fire and enjoy this holiday treat.  Grade:  B.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley.  

Book Review: Big Sky Secrets

Big Sky Secrets (Hqn)

About the Book:

Self-made tycoon Landry Sutton heads to Hangman Bend's Ranch to sell his land to his brother Zane. Though he's got cowboy in his blood, Landry plans to return to city life before the dust even settles on his boots. Of course, he didn't count on falling for Big Sky Country…or Ria Manning. 

Ria's starting to settle into country life herself…until she has a close encounter of the terrifying kind with a buffalo. Turns out the peeping monster belongs to the cowboy next door—and he has her running even more scared than his bison. She wants a home where the buffalo don't roam, and the men don't either. Could Landry's homecoming be her heart's undoing?

My Comments:

Neither Ria nor Landy had the storybook upbringing.  Both have tried to fit in, and failed, (though strangers would consider both to have been successful) and both moved to Montana to do what they wanted, not what was expected.  They move quickly from animosity to lust to love, just like most of the characters in this series.  Landry's brother Sutton is the only one of the other Big Sky characters to play a major part in this story, but many of the others get mentioned.  However, they aren't mentioned enough to confuse anyone who hasn't read the other books, and their appearance doesn't seem to be a useless add-on like in some series books.

If you like Linda Lael Miller books, you'll like this one; if you don't, it is no different than the rest, which of course means it has a really steamy scene.  Grade: B

Thanks to the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.

Review: A Proposal for Christmas

A Proposal for Christmas: State Secrets\The Five Days of Christmas

About the Book:

New York Times bestselling authors Linda Lael Miller and Lindsay McKenna present two enthralling stories about the redemptive power of the holiday season  

STATE SECRETS 

Linda Lael Miller 

Secret Service agent David Goddard never expected to spend his Christmas surveilling the president's cousin. But after weeks of studying her, he finds that Holly Llewellyn's life continues to remain a mystery. Tangled in the controversy swirling around them, David wonders, is it her secrets that fascinate him…or Holly herself? 

THE FIVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 

Lindsay McKenna 

Morgan Trayhern's toughest mercenary, Colt Hamlin, is looking to lie low this Christmas, but he may just have a change of heart when his matchmaking boss puts him in the path of Montana's prettiest widow.

My Comments:

Both these stories are oldies that have been recycled for this collection.  If you don't think life has changed much recently, think about the last time  you followed a phone cord to find the phone in a messy room.   Of the two, I preferred The Five Days of Christmas.  I could at least figure out what those two saw in each other.  In State Secrets I saw plenty of lust, but most of the love was between the adults and the kids.  

If you like sweet but hot romances, you'll probably like these, but they aren't anything that anyone who isn't a romance junkie will care to read.  Grade:  C+

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.

Review: Big Sky Wedding

Big Sky Wedding

About the Book:

Wedding bells are ringing in Parable, Montana, but Brylee Parrish hasn't enjoyed the sound since being jilted at the altar by Hutch Carmody. She's over Hutch now, and running a multimillion-dollar business is challenging enough for this country gal. So she should avoid falling head over boot heels for A-list actor Zane Sutton. He's come home to his rodeo roots, but Hollywood lured him away once and just might again. Yet everything about him, from his easy charm to his concern for his young half brother, seems too genuine to resist…. 

Zane didn't come to Parable for love—but count on a spirited woman to change a jaded cowboy's mind. Problem is, Brylee's not convinced he's here to stay. Good thing he's determined to prove to her, kiss by kiss, that she's meant to be his bride.

My Comments:

There are certain authors whose books I grab as soon as I see them on NetGalley.  Linda Lael Miller is one of those like.  Like the other Big Sky books, this one is set in a small Montana town.  The cast of characters includes old friends like Brylee Parrish and her brother Walker and new friends like Zane and his family.  Like Miller's other books it is a pretty basic romance without a substantial subplot, though some of the secondary characters like Zane's half brother do add a little depth.  Comic relief in this book is added by Cleo, Zane's somewhat colorful housekeeper.

Both Zane and Brylee are skittish about a relationship; however things get physical in a hurry.  The scenes are hot but but the descriptions are more flowery than anatomic.  Interestingly, Zane decides that things got too physical too fast and that they should abstain until marriage, so for six months they were at least somewhat chaste.  

What can I say?  This is no literary classic; yet it is exactly what I expected when I picked it up, which I was eager to do.  I'll give it a B and recommend it if you like this kind of book.  

Review: Big Sky Summer

Big Sky Summer

About the Book:

With his father's rodeo legacy to continue and a prosperous spread to run, Walker Parrish has no time to dwell on wrecked relationships. But country-western sweetheart Casey Elder is out of the spotlight and back in Parable, Montana. And Walker can't ignore that his "act now, think later" passion for Casey has had consequences. Two teenage consequences! 

Keeping her children's paternity under wraps has always been part of Casey's plan to give them normal, uncomplicated lives. Now the best way to hold her family together seems to be to let Walker be a part of it-as her husband of convenience. Or will some secrets-like Casey's desire to be the rancher's wife in every way-unravel, with unforeseen results?

My Comments:

The premise is on the unrealistic side--two times they were intimate, two times they took the normal precautions and two times it failed and kids were the result.  Walker was in the kids' lives as a family friend but now that they are living in the neighborhood he wants more--he wants to be a dad and a husband.  

Casey lost her parents when she was young and was raised by emotionally distant grandparents and loving servants.  Her music is her life and she wasn't willing to give it up to marry Walker, even if she was pregnant. However, the third time the balloon broke....

I liked the story.  Linda Lael Miller tells a face-paced fun romantic story even if it doesn't make sense and honestly, other than the fact that they were both nice people, I don't see what these two saw in each other.  Even they say they get along better in the bedroom than out--and yes,  we are in the bedroom with them.  I look forward to seeing Walker's sister married off in a future book.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley  Grade:  B-

Question:

When does "no" really mean "yes", or put another way, do actions speak louder than words?  If I tell a guy I don't want to be intimate with him, is it ok for him to physically try to change my mind, not by attacking me and overpowering me with superior strength but rather by seducing me?  Does the fact that I put myself in a situation in which intimacy is likely to happen make any difference?  At one point in this book Casey says she doesn't want to be intimate with Walker.  At that point they were sleeping together.  He managed to change her  mind.  He never forced himself on her, but by starting things (and she didn't protest) he went against her previously stated desires.  

Big Sky River: My Review

Big Sky River

About the Book:

Sheriff Boone Taylor has his job, friends, a run-down but decent ranch, two faithful dogs and a good horse. He doesn't want romance—the widowed Montanan has loved and lost enough for a lifetime. But when a city woman buys the spread next door, Boone's peace and quiet are in serious jeopardy.

With a marriage and a career painfully behind her, Tara Kendall is determined to start over in Parable. Reinventing herself and living a girlhood dream is worth the hard work. Sure, she might need help from her handsome, wary neighbor. But life along Big Sky River is full of surprises…like falling for a cowboy-lawman who just might start to believe in second chances.

My Comments:

I enjoyed this book, which is pretty typical of Linda Lael Miller's books.  He's been mourning his wife since she died, and has let his sister raise his two boys for the last five years.  She's licking her wounds after divorcing her self-absorbed husband, a Manhattan surgeon.  His brother-in-law gets hurt and he has to reclaim his sons.  Her ex asks her to take his daughters (who she loves) for a few weeks.  Can this group somehow form a family?  

Like most of Miller's books, this one has a couple of steamy scenes, though they were more flowery than explicit.  Interestingly, they decided not to be intimate when the kids were around until they got married.  I liked both Boone and Tara, and the kids were great.  It may not be great literature but it was a fun read.

Those who have read the other books in the series will enjoy catching up with the couples featured in them, and I'm guessing there is at least one more book in this series.  Here are my reviews of the other books in this series:  Big Sky Country and Big Sky Mountain.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B.  

Review: An Outlaw's Christmas

An Outlaw's Christmas (Mckettricks)

About the Book:

Celebrate the holidays with a brand-new McKettrick tale by beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller

With his wild heart, Sawyer McKettrick isn't ready to settle down on the Triple M family ranch in Arizona. So he heads to Blue River, Texas, to seek a job as marshal. But in a blinding snowstorm he's injured-and collapses into the arms of a prim and proper lady in calico.

The shirtless, bandaged stranger recuperating in teacher Piper St. James's room behind the schoolhouse says he's a McKettrick, but he looks like an outlaw. As they wait out the storm, the handsome loner has Piper remembering long-ago dreams of marriage and motherhood. But for how long is Sawyer willing to call Blue River home?

As the gray skies clear, Piper's one holiday wish just might bring two lonely hearts together forever.

My Comments:

Now what exactly did you expect when you saw that cover and that title?  Yup, that's what you get.  The rugged handsome guy who is just bad enough to be interesting, coupled with the prim and proper schoolteacher who lets humanity come before prim and proper.  As they spend the week before Christmas cooped up in the schoolhouse of this rural Texas town sparks fly and eventually... However, they don't consummate the marriage until after the marriage, and there is one other intimate scene in the book where readers get to watch the action.  In short, it is a short Christmas novella totally typical of what Linda Lael Miller writes.  Grade:  B-

Big Sky Mountain: My Review

Big Sky Mountain

About the Book:

With his rugged good looks, vast wealth and family name, hell-raiser Hutch Carmody is still the golden boy of Parable, Montana. But he's done some growing up-making peace with his illegitimate half brother and inheriting half of Whisper Creek Ranch, which should have been all his. These days, Hutch knows there are some things money can't buy: like the heart of loving, ladylike divorcée Kendra Shepherd.

Kendra's quiet mansion reminds her of what she wants most-a devoted husband and the pitter-patter of little feet. She can't get Hutch Carmody out of her mind. But a rough-and-tumble cowboy like Hutch, coming home for family dinner? Seems crazy! Then again, crazier dreams have become reality under the vast Montana sky.

My Comments:
I reviewed the first book in this series last month, and hopefully will remember to link to it before this is  published.  Like the Big Sky Country, this is an enjoyable read about likable people.  The plot is predictable but as I've said before, I don't read romances for their original plot lines.

Those who read Big Sky Country will remember Hutch and Kendra,and in this book we learn why her ex summoned her to England as he lay dying--it was so she could adopt the baby he had with another woman.  Of course Kendra is a wonderful mom and of course the little one falls in love with Hutch before she does, but in the end, all is well.

I foresee at least two more books in this series, based on characters introduced in the first two books, and I look forward to reading them.  Like all of Miller's books, this one has a steamy scene.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade B.

Other Linda Lael Miller Books:

My Review  My Review My Review My Review My Review

Big Sky Country: My Review

Big Sky Country

About the Book:

The illegitimate son of a wealthy rancher, Sheriff Slade Barlow grew up in a trailer hitched to the Curly-Burly hair salon his mother runs. He was never acknowledged by his father…until now. Suddenly, Slade has inherited half of Whisper Creek Ranch, one of the most prosperous in Parable, Montana. That doesn't sit well with his half brother, Hutch, who grew up with all the rights of a Carmody—including the affections of Joslyn Kirk, homecoming queen, rodeo queen, beauty queen, whom Slade has never forgotten.

But Joslyn is barely holding her head up these days as she works to pay back everyone her crooked stepfather cheated. With a town to protect, plus a rebellious teenage stepdaughter, Slade has his hands full. But someone has to convince Joslyn that she's responsible only for her own actions—such as her effect on this lawman's guarded heart.

My Comments:

Like many of Linda Lael Miller's other books, this one is set in Montana in a small town.  My guess is that future books will feature some of the characters in this one (like Hutch).  I enjoyed this book and enjoyed watching these two deal with hurts caused by their parents.  I could tell  you that the writing was extraordinary or the plot original, but that wouldn't be true.  The book is pretty much what you expect looking at the cover and so if you are looking for a fun western romance and don't mind a little steam, you should enjoy this one.  Grade:  B.

Other Linda Lael Miller Books:

My Review My Review My Review My Review My Review