The Cowgirl's Secret by Laura Altom

The Cowgirl’s Secret is an emotionally-charged story with so much anguish that it completely distracted from the romance.  I’ll be very honest: if you’re a survivor of any kind of sexual abuse, this story could be triggering, and at the very least, painful to read. 

Daisy Buckhorn left Weed Gulch, Oklahoma ten years ago, pregnant and fearing for the safety of herself and her unborn child.  For years, Daisy was molested by a trusted family friend.  And as any truly evil child predator will do, he put a fear so deeply into her soul that she had no choice but to run without telling anyone.  She’s made a new life for herself as Julie Smith, a successful lawyer in San Francisco.  She yearns for home and the people she left behind.  Most especially she misses Luke Montgomery, her high school sweetheart.

The Buckhorn family has never stopped looking for Daisy.  Luke follows-up on one of the leads, finding himself face-to-face with the woman who broke his heart so long ago.  Luke wants answers that Daisy is having a hard time giving him.  She wants to trust him with what happened to her, but the shame she still feels is so heavy that she can’t.  When Daisy’s son, Kolt, arrives suddenly, Luke realizes she took much more from him 10 years ago than he ever would’ve guessed.  To Daisy’s credit, she doesn’t try making excuses for not telling Luke she was pregnant.  Her apologies were that of a woman who’d spent many years feeling guilty for what she’d done.

Daisy returns home to Oklahoma without Kolt the first time.  She wants to clear the air with family and she needs them to know her secret.  Everyone assumes the secret is that she was ashamed of a teen pregnancy.  Luke is blinded by the pain he felt when she abandoned him, and now the added loss of missing out in his son’s life.  There were times his words were downright cruel. Despite everything, Daisy makes the decision she and Kolt will move back home to Oklahoma.  This isn’t an easy task.  On top of all the anger from everyone, the man who molested her still lives on her family’s ranch.  Her days are spent dealing with the guilt everyone is doling out at her for leaving and keeping Kolt away; while she’s consumed with fear over seeing her molester again.  If she had to say “I’m sorry” one more time to Luke or any of her family, I thought I’d cry in desperation for her!

It takes coming face-to-face with her molester for Daisy to find the courage to speak.  And once her secret is out, I hoped to see Luke and her family rally around her.  They did to a point.  Luke’s reaction was hard for me to take.   While the pieces seemed to fall into place, and he suddenly recognized all the signs he missed, it stopped there.   He couldn’t look past his own feelings of betrayal to understand that he had nothing to do with her leaving.  I had to remind myself that he was hurt, too, but I really expected much more from him. 

 

I don’t want to be too hard on Luke.  He spent a lot of time after Daisy left wondering if he did something wrong.  There were many countless hours of wondering if she was alive or what horrible thing had happened to her.  The same feelings her family experienced.  I’m not saying any of their emotions are wrong.  Her family loves her deeply.  Luke loves her deeply.  I just wish I’d been able to see more of that in the book and less ridicule. 

The Cowgirl’s Secret gets an A+ for the spot-on emotional portrayal of child molestation.  However, this is a romance, and honestly it pains me to say, but I found it lacking greatly in that area.

GRADE: B

Dancing in the Moonlight by RaeAnne Thayne

"She knew she was no great heroine. But perhaps she could live with being a loyal soldier, a loving daughter and a pretty darn good person."

Lieutenant Magdalena Cruz was being too hard on herself. She’s an extraordinary heroine, who for 5 months, has dealt with the horrors of life as a wounded soldier. Returning home from Afghanistan missing part of one leg, she’s physically and emotionally exhausted. Prior to deployment she worked as a nurse in Phoenix and was engaged to a brilliant young surgeon. That all came crashing down the minute she saw rejection in her fiancé’s eyes. Now she’s back home in Pine Gulch, Idaho to nurse her wounds and heal.

Jake Dalton is more than a small town doctor. The level of care he gives to his patients is a direct reflection on the type of man he is – kind, loving, sympathetic, strong. It’s safe to say I fell in love with him. He’s, of course, handsome, but his outer beauty really doesn’t hold a candle to his inner. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better guy for Maggie! But Jake has more to contend with than Maggie’s resistance to relationships and intimacy. She’s spent years blaming Jake’s father for the death of her dad, and believes all Dalton’s are no better. I could understand her pain, even if her rejection of the Daltons came from a place of childhood anguish. And Maggie’s mother, Viviana, is best friends with Jake’s mother, Marjorie. I didn’t get to see much of Marjorie in this book, but the strength of their friendship was obvious.

This is such a sweet and tender romance. I loved Jake’s compassion in the face of Maggie’s bitter resentment. His actions spoke of his feelings for her. When Viviana has a heart-to-heart with Maggie about the night they found out she’d been injured, I couldn’t hold back the tears as she spoke of Jake’s reactions. Jake’s heart has always held a place for Maggie.

Maggie fights Jake at every turn. She won’t allow herself to see that he’s different. Once her mother sets her straight on what really happened with Maggie’s father, I think that last piece of her heart she’s holding back breaks free. Poor Maggie tried everything to keep from falling in love with him: holding on to past angers, comparing Jake to her ex, and even trying to convince herself that no one could love her.

The story crests when Maggie and Jake can no longer hold back their attraction. Her fear had my heart racing, but I knew Jake wouldn’t reject her. The terror consumes her, and she pushes him away, only to see the pain and hopelessness in his eyes. I read a lot of books – sweet ones, sexy ones, erotic ones – but it’s been a long time since a love scene has wrapped me up in that much emotion!

DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT is an inspiring love story. This is the first book I’ve read by RaeAnne Thayne, but I know it won’t be the last! The Cold Creek Cowboys all have their own books! The secondary characters in this story are what they should be – interesting, fun, a little eccentric, and proud. The pride they have for Maggie helps to heal her. I can’t wait to return to the quaint little town of Pine Gulch.

GRADE: A+

The Look of Love by Bella Andre

As a professional photographer, Chase Sullivan has traveled the world surrounded by beautiful women.  Never did he expect love would find him on the side of a darkened road in the middle of a late-May hailstorm.  But that’s what he finds the minute he stops to help a stranded motorist and comes up against a most formidable woman.

Chloe Peterson’s running from her past.  Mere hours after surviving an attack by her ex-husband, she finds herself in a storm with a dead car and only the clothes on her back.  To make matters worse, the shivers racing through her body have nothing to do with the shock she’s experiencing, or even the pelting hailstones, and everything to do with her sexy rescuer.  Chloe’s difficulty in trusting Chase is forced aside when she has to rely on him to help her find safety for the night. 

Upon arriving at Chase’s brother, Marc’s, vineyard, Chloe is reluctant to stay.  Chase, already suspecting the worse after seeing the bruise on Chloe’s face, works hard to put her fears at ease.  The chemistry between them that first night was fun to see unfold.  I’m not telling all, but one particular scene involving a tub had me gasping in shock before barreling over in laughter the very next second!  I happened to be in a doctor’s office while reading this, and the looks I received were priceless!

Chase & Chloe’s story continues to unfold over the course of a few days.  Chase is doing a photo-shoot at the vineyard, and the addition of the models to the story gave us a peek at Chase’s professional life.  At first, I wasn’t really certain how Chloe would proceed – and neither was Chase!  He feared she would leave and he wouldn’t be able to change her mind.  The basic need to survive and care for herself was burning inside Chloe.  After a disastrous marriage, she’s spent almost a year trying to build a new life. She blames herself for the attack; believing that she should have seen the signs.  Her attraction and growing feelings for Chase were confounding for her on the heels of such trauma. 

 

Chloe’s talents come in handy on the shoot, and she agrees to stay to help out.  Falling for her so quickly, Chase doesn’t stop for a second to question it.  Instead, he focuses on getting her to trust him, and to make her see that just because she can do everything alone, it doesn’t mean she has to.  Of course, he succeeds even before she’s willing to admit it.  Chloe makes it clear that she’s up for having sex with him during her stay, but anything more is out of the question.

I love how Chloe pushes herself to get past her fears.  I love, even more, how Chase’s steadfast support, acceptance, and love help her to do it.  When Chloe’s newfound strength and confidence are put to the test, she faces her past head-on; leaving no doubt that she can take care of herself and love an amazing man at the same time. 

THE LOOK OF LOVE is the 1^st book in Bella Andre’s new series, The Sullivans.  I’m looking forward to reading Marc’s story, FROM THIS MOMENT ON (Sept. 2011), and learning more about the Sullivan clan!

GRADE: A

Ecstasy by Bella Andre

From the moment I met Charlie within the pages of Bella Andre’s novella, ECSTASY, I knew he would be different.  In a genre where alpha heroes reign supreme, it’s refreshing to meet a hero unbound by those standards.  Charlie has spent the last 5 years living his dream of writing erotic fiction.  He’s become an industry success and takes great pride in that fact.   However, his dream has cost in unexpected areas of his life.  Women run the minute they find out his profession; assuming that he is a perverted pig not worthy of their time.

These women were all wrong.  Charlie is a stud, and an all-around great guy!  The description Ms. Andre gives of Charlie is completely scrumptiousness!  I liked that he wasn’t a tortured hero, that he still believed in love, and treated women with respect instead of only good for a quick romp in the sheets!  He’s certain that “she” is out there.  The minute Candace runs into him, sending them both collapsing to the ground at a writer’s conference, Charlie knows she’s the one he’s been waiting for.

Candace could’ve been the female version of Charlie.  She’s new to writing erotica and the quintessential good girl.  Her own love-life has taken a nose dive and her cheating ex-boyfriend was a complete jerk.
 

Each year at conference, the more seasoned writers pick a protégé to work with and offer advice to.  Charlie picks Candace.  This is where I became a little disappointed in the story.  These two characters both wanted to remain professional for the duration of the lessons.  I would’ve loved to have seen some serious sexual tension between them for a few while!  Instead, they jumped into bed during the first lesson.  I’ll forgive them simply because of the 7 – count them, SEVEN, girls – orgasms Charlie wrung out of Candace.  Yes, all during one lesson.  Whew, it was hot in that bedroom!

The story from there continues to play out with sexcapades that are hot, but a little annoying because Candace is constantly running away afterwards.  Charlie is left confused and afraid to divulge his true feelings to her.  Meanwhile, Candace is using their lessons to write the hottest book of her life.  The more her feelings for Charlie grow, the more worried she becomes that he’ll believe she’s using him.  Bits of Candace’s novel were peppered throughout ECSTASY.  For the most part, I enjoyed this intriguing autobiographical look at Candace.  We really learned who she through what she wrote. 

 

The conflict made me cringe, but it was good to see it resolved so quickly in the end.  I felt his reaction was genuine and mature.  As a whole, ECSTASY is a fast-paced, fun, and sexy read, perfect for a lazy afternoon.

GRADE: A

Seduced by the Wolf (Heart of the Wolf, Bk #5) by Terry Spear

“Seduced by the Wolf” is the 5^th installment in the Heart of a Wolf Series by Terry Spear.  It marks the first of her books that I’ve read.  I was excited to get my hands on a new shapeshifter novel!  Since Lora Leigh’s Breeds Series is fizzling out for me (so sad), I’m ready to sink my teeth into a new series!

The first requirement I look for in a great series is Stand-Alone Quality.  Picking up a book halfway through its series shouldn’t leave me confused.  Instead, it should make me want to rush out, or online, to grab up previous works.  The second requirement I look for is Remarkable Characterization.  Not only should the main characters fall into this category, but the supporting cast better too!  To me, those supporting players need to be every bit as great because one of them may be starring in their own book soon!  If they are boring with a capital B then I won’t be continuing the series.  Sadly, this book fell flat for me on both counts.  I found it very difficult to finish.  Let me explain why.

The premise is good.  Wolf researcher, Cassie, lands in Oregon ready to educate ignorant ranchers on the importance of saving wolves. She is stunned to realize she’s popped up right in the middle of werewolf territory, and has caught the eye of their pack leader.  She tries, unsuccessfully, to hide the fact that she’s a fellow werewolf and a royal.  Leidolf decides she’ll make a perfect mate.  She runs away from him – A LOT – but never leaves town because she’s in search of a mama wolf and her pups.

Sounds good, right?  Yeah, I thought so too until I was suddenly thrust into a variety of secondary plots that left my head spinning!

*SPOILERS BELOW*

There’s a lot of running around in the forest where hunters are after them.  Cassie’s fellow wolf researcher, Alex, shows up with the insane idea that they are going to get married and be the perfect team. I say insane because from what I read there’s no grounds for Alex to believe such a thing would ever happen, but he’s tracking her through the forest anyway.  There are a couple of rogue pack members in the forest.  There’s a single father trying like a madman to find a mate. Cassie’s dead cousin, Aimee, isn’t really dead and she’s looking for her in the crowded forest.  Someone gets tranquilized – and then another, and another, and another.  At one point I wondered how it was possible they weren’t stumbling upon each other at every turn!  Then, Cassie and Leidolf have sex – at his cabin in the forest of course – and she’s suddenly deciding she can be his mate if he complies with her wishes, even though she doesn’t trust that he will.  It seemed she was more in lust than in love.  And there’s more – dinner with the pack at Leidolf’s ranch, a bullet wound, a stolen Jag with a crazy wolf sidekick, a mad dash into (you got it) the forest to flee from the sheriff, twins in love with the same wolf boy, and zoo entrapment just to name a few.

While you could say there’s literally something for everyone in this book, I never found my footing within its pages.  If you’re a fan of chaos this is the book for you!  If you’re like me, and prefer a more peaceful reading experience, pass this one up.

GRADE: C

  

Two Against the Odds by Joan Kilby

Whenever I’m reading a book I like to give the author a creative pass.  Whether the book is a contemporary single title by one of today’s leading ladies of fiction, or I’m passing the time with a series romance from one of my favorite Harlequin lines, I give the same courtesy to all writers.  I’m always willing to overlook the occasional “That would never happen!” in the name of a good book.

Which brings me to the story of Lexie Thatcher and Rafe Ellersley in Joan Kilby’s “Two Against the Odds.”  Rafe is a 26 year-old investigator with the Australian Tax Office.  He’s not your typical numbers cruncher.  Very early on we learn that Rafe’s job is simply a means to get where he wants to be: owner of a fishing charter boat.  

Lexie is 38 years-old; a carefree, spirited artist who can only be defined (and is in the book) as scatterbrained.  She seems much younger than her age, and that immaturity distracted me throughout the book.  The fact that she couldn’t be bothered to file a tax return for 4 years I could’ve dismissed.  To ignore those pesky tax agents for 7 months is extreme.  Who has the guts to not return letters or phone calls from those guys?  Not me!  They’re scary.  But we’re talking about Lexie here, and not me.  She obviously thought nothing would come of it which is how she winds up with a visit from Rafe, his dog Murphy, and a threat to involve Federal police if she doesn’t comply with the audit.

I really wanted to like these two characters, and at times I did.  Despite Lexie’s many eccentrics she has this take-life-as-it-comes outlook that I envy.  I thought “Two Against the Odds” would be a light read without the emotional war zone of the books I’ve recently been reading!  Let me tell you that wasn’t the case.  It turned out to be emotional in a way that I didn’t expect as Lexie and Rafe are thrown a curveball that will accentuate the differences mostly there due to the gap between their ages.  If you’ve read enough Harlequin romances you’ll probably guess what it is.  I was supremely disappointed in Rafe’s actions during the last half of the book even if I understood a few of them.  He comes through in the end, but by that time I couldn’t bring myself to love him as Lexie did.

I appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish in this book.  “Two Against the Odds” did pull at my heartstrings and bring tears to my eyes.   The lack of connection with the characters is what kept me from fully embracing their story.

GRADE: B

Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force

Coming off his 3^rd Superbowl win with the Denver Mavericks, you would think Ryan Sanderson was riding high on life.  Instead, he finds himself desperate to reconnect with his estranged wife, Susannah, before their marriage ends in divorce in 10 days.  There were so many good things about Ryan.  He knows how badly he messed up in the marriage.  He doesn’t come to her expecting that she’ll take the blame and fall at his feet.  He’s cocky in a confident way that will make you smile.  Oh, and the way he says “darlin’” I can almost hear his honeyed Texas drawl.  Mmm!  Sexy, assertive, and so in love with Susannah that it was almost painful to watch him trying to right his wrongs.  I would’ve fallen at his feet – happily!

Susannah has moved on with her life and is preparing to marry another man in less than a month.  When I first picked up this novel, I was skeptical that there would be anything about the heroine that I liked.  Call me old-fashioned, but cheating is cheating.  Moving past those first assumptions, the more I read about Susannah, the more I liked and the more I understood.   One, she still loves Ryan.  That was pretty obvious from the get-go.  Two, Susannah was a young bride and allowed her identity to become so enmeshed in Ryan’s that she lost who she was.  Three, she’s not in love with her fiancé, Henry Merrill.  He is possessive and weak.   He’s spent years pining for Susannah; standing on the sidelines waiting for Ryan to mess up.  There are no redeemable qualities about the guy.

 

Luckily, Ryan swoops in demanding that she spend the last days of their marriage with him!  He’s determined to show her he’s changed and wants to make her and their relationship top priority in his life.  Their history is filled with love and tears.  I’m talking problems that were real, honest, and heart-wrenching.  I felt completely invested in their relationship!  They have a lot to overcome during the final chapters.  It’s a true test that will tug at both of their insecurities.

 

This was the first book I’ve read by Marie Force.  Can’t wait to read more!

GRADE: A+

 

Trace of Fever by Lori Foster

From the second I opened Trace of Fever I was drawn in. Trace Rivers is the kind of dangerous man a girl dreams about. He’s oh-so-sexy, confident, and will do whatever it takes to take down a bad guy! And let me tell you, the bad guy in this book is E-V-I-L. After Trace’s sister, Alani, was kidnapped by human traffickers in When You Dare (book #1 of this series), he’s made it his mission to take down other traffickers. In particular, Murray Coburn. I give Ms. Foster kudos for delving into such an intensely uncomfortable subject. She has obviously done her homework on it and the affects survivors endure afterwards.

Priscilla Patterson knows all too well what being kidnapped, raped, and completely disregarded as a human being can do to someone. Priscilla’s mother spent years in fear after fleeing from captivity. As a result, Priss grew up in a very sheltered life. After her mother’s death, Priss becomes focused on ridding the world of Coburn, the man responsible for taking her mother years ago and who could very well be her father. Priss is gutsy! I love that about her. She is out of her element many times in the book, but she doesn’t let it stop her. Instead, it fuels her desire to keep moving with her plan.

It isn’t coincidence that Priss and Trace are thrown together on the same path. Never before have I read characters so completely RIGHT for each other! Each of their strengths complements the other in ways I’ve not seen done in other books. The chemistry between them is immediate and very hot!

There are so many good scenes in this book that I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what would happen next! Helene, Murray’s lover, is one psychotic woman! My stomach dipped, my teeth clenched, and I thought I’d snap my Kindle in half every time Hell (boy does that nickname fit her) showed up on the page! One of my favorites, though, was when Priss meets Jackson for the first time. I couldn’t stop laughing at their predicament!

My only complaint is the teaser epilogue featuring Jackson and Alani. I already know Alani will be the character I relate to most in the series. I’ve looked forward to her scenes in both books, and simply cannot wait for Savor the Danger to be released! Jackson will need to be one special guy to make it work with her. Reading the epilogue was torture for this very reason! He makes his interest for Alani quite clear. Talk about a cliffhanger!

Thanks for another keeper, Ms. Foster! 

GRADE: A+