That Cowboy of Mine by Donna Grant

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Another stunning cowboy novel from New York Times bestseller Donna Grant, That Cowboy of Mine!

Is he an enemy?

Dillon Young is proud that she inherited her aunt’s ranch. The problem: someone is trying to run her off and is willing to do whatever it takes. Strange, dangerous things keep happening. Dillion suspects her no-good neighbor and fellow wealthy rancher Hank Stephens. Never a man to get his hands dirty, he sends others to get the job done. So, when the irresistible Cal Bennett is found passed out drunk on her property, Dillion is on high alert. Until someone takes a shot at her and Cal springs to her rescue. When the hard-bodied, no-nonsense-talking cowboy points out that she may need some help, Dillion is inclined to reluctantly agree.

Or a lover?

Waking up on a stranger’s property with a shotgun in his face is not Cal Bennett’s idea of a good time. Never mind that the person on the other end of the barrel is one of the most fiercely beautiful women he has ever seen. Things get more interesting when he finds himself shielding her from flying bullets. It’s clear that this smart, savvy woman could use a hand and Cal is all too happy to lend any part of his body she requires. His proposal: pose as lovers until they find out who is after her ranch. As the danger rises and secrets are revealed, the passion explodes between them and there is no turning back.

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That Cowboy of Mine by Donna Grant

5 Stars

A great story!

This is a stand-alone contemporary romance.  Main characters Cal Bennet and Dillon Young are both well developed, showing us natural human traits and failings.  Set in ranching country, we first meet Cal, who awakens after having passed out while drinking, but he’s in the middle of nowhere.  He’s found by Dillon, who is searching her property for a missing show horse.  This starts the mystery, which is a very large part of the story.  Cal and Dillion are strangers to each other, and this gives the plot lots of conflict.  There is romance also but is mostly secondary to the multiple questions that arise from the search for the missing horse.  Donna Grant has written 2 other series set in Texas with cowboys as the main characters, but this book is set in a new location.  That Cowboy of Mine is marked as a Christmas book, but it starts in the fall and continues on through the New Year.  I enjoyed this book very much, and don’t hesitate to recommend it for anyone who enjoys Contemporary Romance and Western Themes.  I was given this book through NetGalley and also the author and this is my honest opinion.

Act of Freedom (PSI-Ops #8) by Mandy M. Roth                 

5 Stars

Worth the wait!

If you’ve been reading these interconnected books (Immortal Ops, PSI-Ops, Immortal Outcasts, Shadow Agents, Crimson Ops) by Mandy Roth, you will recognize Striker (Dougal McCracken) from previous books.  His character has grown with each appearance, and I, for one, have been waiting to hear his story.  A big Scotsman, who would be called a player in today’s world, he has lived hundreds of years.  Nothing has bothered him until about 5 years ago.  He met 2 women in a hotel in Egypt.  He helped save one, but the other has been lost.  Striker has tried to move on and forget that he was unable to save her.  And this is where his story starts.

  Well written, with fully developed characters, Mandy M. Roth has done an outstanding job of giving us Striker’s story.  Characters from the other books in this series make appearances, but they add to the story, not just fill space.  If you are a new to Mandy Roth reader, this is a terrific book, but you really need to know the backstory that encompasses the entire series.  Either start with book 1 in the PSI-OPS series Act of Mercy, or book 1 of the entire series from Immortal Ops entitled Immortal Ops.  All are easy to read and entertaining.  And you’ll join the rest of us, waiting for the next book in this Paranormal world. 

  I was given an ARC of this book by the author through Booksprout, and this is my honest opinion.

Least Likely Two: A Second Chance Later in Life Romantic Comedy (Better Than Ever Book 1) by Jill Westwood

4 Stars

High School rivalry into adult confusion.

Hollister Moran and Ben Rose were co-Valedictorians at their High School 25 years ago.  Hollister didn’t like Ben for a number of reasons.  Now, they have a rocky reconnection at their Class Reunion.  Both have become successful adults.   The story moves on from that point.  I didn’t particularly like Hollister, she may show compassion to her small circle of friends, but none to others, especially Ben.  Ben doesn’t realize how much Hollister disliked him in school, but he tries to bridge this divide between them.

I liked the concept of the story, but between Hollister’s continuing to try and keep her better self from coming out, and how the middle part of the book seemed to drag on and on, I couldn’t wait to get to the end.  The writing and editing are good.  I do plan on reading the next book in this series, and hope that if Hollister appears in this next book that her character is much less negative.  I received an ARC of this book through BookSirens and this is my honest opinion.

Dark Alpha’s Passion (Reaper # 14) by Donna Grant

4 Stars

The ending is great

My rating is 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.  I’ve been a fan of this series since I started reading Donna Grant’s works.  The earliest Reaper’s books are the best, so that would make this one not the best.  It’s good, but I found that the first half was not of the caliber of prior books.  We’re introduced to the hero and heroine, but unlike prior books, the backstory for them was just so-so.  We are told what happened in the past and why they aren’t together.  But then they see each other, and they just fall back into their old ways.  There is no true depth to the story   Then, with the second half of the book, the action starts.  We learn more about the Others, who are now working independently from the original Others.  All of the second half is more detailed, with twists and turns that made up for the lackluster start.  This book could be read as a stand-alone, but the story would make more sense if you started with book one.  This series is nearly completed, and I hope Donna Grant gives the main characters more depth and brings back some of the key characters from her Dark Kings series.  I was given an ARC by the author through NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.

If I Could Turn Back Time (Time Travel Book 2) by Mary Frame

4 Stars

Time Travel or Paranormal Story?

We meet Amelia Peters, who is the daughter of two now deceased paranormal investigators.  The role her parents have played in Amelia’s life is covered more than once, with Amelia having decided that her parents were frauds.  She now inherits a small cabin, which she moves into.  The prior tenant of the cabin died there 5 years ago.  As Amelia spends time in the cabin, a mysterious man shows us, questions her as to why she is in his cabin, and then disappears.  This happens several times, and Amelia finds out his name is Grey, who is completely real and solid to her touch.  And he is also the prior tenant.  The author weaves an interesting story of this couple and what Amelia does to find out what happened to Grey in the past.  I enjoyed the book, but it took me 75-100 pages to get into the story.  Mary Frame gives the time travel aspect of the book a plausible explanation, and it’s well written.  And she gives Amelia back some of the lost faith in her parents.  I was given an ARC of this book to read, and this is my honest opinion.

Running With the Devil from Aged to Perfection: A Magical Paranormal Women’s Fiction Romance Collection By Mandy M. Roth and others

5 Stars

Short but good!

This is the very last book in this collection, and I enjoyed reading it very much.  Even though it is a short story, the characters are well-developed, and the plot is complete.  It is a typical Mandy M. Roth novella and is fun read if you only have about an hour.  I was given an ARC copy of the book to read and review by the author and BookSprout and this is my honest review.

I will update my review as I read additional stories in this collection.

Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean

4 Stars

Fun Story

Ten Rules introduces us to Arabella and Silas, she is a quiet woman who doesn’t care to be amongst the Ton, while Silas is considered a Rake who only wants to have fun.  Set in Regency England, it helps if you know a little of how Society worked.  Arabella’s oldest sister Alice has created a scandal which is now affecting their youngest sister Anne’s chances of marrying successfully.  Arabella decides that to give Anne the best chance of finding her happiness, Arabella will have to find someone who is so high up the social ladder that they will be able to counteract the damage done by Alice.  This man needs to be at least a Duke, and Arabella settles on convincing Silas, the Duke of Whittsley, to be the solution. The rest of the book deals with the interactions between Arabella and Silas, who come up with the Ten Rules near the beginning of the book.  As in most romances, the road to the finish isn’t always easy, and their journey isn’t easy.  My only “complaint” is that the book seemed to take a long time to get to the ending.  It is well written, with interesting characters.  I enjoyed Michelle McLean’s Hitched to a Gunslinger and this book is equal to that one.  If Regency romances are something you enjoy, then this book will make you happy.   I received this ARC from Entangled Publishing through NetGallery, and this is my honest opinion.

Any Witch Way But Goode: A Cozy Paranormal Mystery by Michelle M. Pillow

4 Stars

Continuing the story from the first book

This book follows the first one, giving us more of the story of Lily, Dante, Mira, Aunt Polly, and Nolan.  It’s well-written, and has an interesting plot, but I still don’t particularly like Lily.   Her character hasn’t grown any, while the other most important character, the wolf shifter Nolan, has now moved into the “boyfriend” category – maybe.  I enjoyed reading it, but it frustrated me with how Lily can’t (or won’t) make a decision and stick to it.  Reading the first book, Better Haunts and Garden Gnomes will help with understanding this book.  I received a copy of the book from the author through BookSprout and this is my honest opinion.

Beard with Me (Winston Brothers #6) Penny Reid

5 Stars

Oh my gosh….

I started reading Penny Reid with her Neanderthal books and have continued on with the Winston brothers series.  I have enjoyed each and every book…. until this one.  This one is hard, and full of hurts.  But as a middle of the series book that is actually a prequel, it explains a lot of the hurts that happen in the other books.  This deals with Billy Winston, brother two of the six boys, and Scarlett St. Clare.  Scarlett is the daughter of the head of the Iron Wraiths Motorcycle Club and is nothing like her parents.  We’ve met both of them in the other books, and while this story fills in a lot of the blanks, it was difficult for me to read.  Penny tells us in the beginning that the book isn’t going to end happily and that it can be skipped. I wish I could have skipped it, but I’m invested in the entire interconnected series.  I had to know the details of some of the things that were alluded to in other books.  I did have to skip a section-I just couldn’t bear to read what I knew was going to happen… that being said, this is a great book.  Penny Reid does a wonderful job of conveying emotions for her characters, specific to each character she writes.  I will say don’t read this book unless you’ve read the prior Winston brothers books.  But this book will give you hope for both Billy and Scarlett, that each will live on stronger because of their pasts.