Since her divorce less than a year ago, C.D. Waddell is still feeling unsettled. Her ex-husband has started calling, trying for reconciliation, and she is torn between her loneliness and her sensibility. Her parents are loving and supportive but they thoroughly disapprove of C.D. and David getting back together. Her best friend, Mandy, has similar objections and is not at all shy about airing them. C.D.’s boss is an arrogant and fussy man, and though she loves her job and is successful, he does an excellent job of draining any pleasure she feels at work.

Feeling as though she is at the end of her rope, C.D. prays for a distraction, for something big enough to keep her occupied and drive David right out of her heart and mind. Towards that end, she decides to search for her birth parents, though she has no idea where to begin.

A new friend of her father’s, Mitch Everhart, happens to be a private investigator. C.D. decides to ask Mitch if he will help her search. There are few clues to go on, but Mitch agrees. While C.D. continues to pray for answers, David increases his pursuit, alienating her friends and family, and Mitch seems to be right behind her, always coming forward with new information. C.D. is confused about David’s renewed attentions and about her growing feelings for Mitch. The search for her birth family is progressing, but even that exciting news is clouded by her guilt over seeing David again. Her job situation is deteriorating, her parents are upset over her relationship, and C.D. is confused about her next step. Though C.D. continues to pray, she is frustrated by the lack of clear direction. Will C.D. receive the answer she wants?

Cheryl Warner has written an interesting story with many exciting elements. Her characters are believable (in fact, I think I may have been married to David at one time!) and realistic. C.D.’s faith is a constant theme throughout the story, and I appreciated that her faith was shown as a natural, enduring part of her life rather than becoming a sermon for the reader. I enjoyed this story very much and look forward to reading more from this author.

5 out of 5 stars

Book Stats:

• Paperback
• Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press (2008)
• ISBN-10: 1603133607
• ISBN-13: 978-1603133609

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To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Orphaned when her parents died in a fishing accident in Virginia, Raine Brinsley wants nothing more than to head straight home to Maine and forget her sadness and trauma of nearly drowning. Unfortunately, without her parents’ protection, Raine is penniless and homeless. The owner of the boat on which they were sailing, Derek Stafford, has graciously offered to let her stay as long as needed and also to pay her passage to return home. Raine refuses to receive charity, so they agree that she will become a chambermaid at Stafford House until she has earned enough money to return home.

Stafford House has an underlying sadness that Raine does not fully understand, but Derek explains that his wife Lucinda passed on six months previously, and Raine believes this to be the reason – until she feels the presence of an unsettled spirit inhabiting the upstairs hallway.

Derek Stafford is torn between grief for his wife and the duty he feels to his father. Julian Stafford is an old-fashioned and unyielding man who is most insistent that either Derek or brother Lyman father a male heir to carry on the proud name of Stafford. Lyman and his wife have three daughters, while Lucinda suffered both miscarriages and stillborns. Julian offers the first son to produce a male heir Stafford House and its vast acreage, and Derek, loving Stafford House and his way of life, hatches a plan. He has a contract drawn up that offers Raine ten thousand dollars if she will agree to bear the male heir his father so desperately wants, and then relinquish the child, never to see him again. Raine is taken aback when Derek presents his proposal but eventually agrees. Will Raine honor the contract as presented? Will Derek reconsider the decision?

I applauded Raine for her strength in the face of her parents’ deaths, especially during a time where women were seen as needing constant protection. Her determination not to accept Derek’s charity was admirable, as was her willingness to tackle any job she was assigned. Although she was a strong woman, her gentleness was demonstrated in her concern for the spirit and her attempts to understand its message. The contrasts within the family were quite believable, and the characters were well developed and realistic, though not always likable. This story has everything and then some – romance, birth, death, voodoo, adventure, psychic ability, and a touch of Civil War – and I could not put it down. K. Celeste Bryan has once again done a wonderful job of involving the reader in the lives of her characters, and I highly recommend this book.

Book Stats:

• E-book: electronic, digital formatting
  
• Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
  
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-60394-246-1

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To visit the author’s website go here.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Man Trouble is supposed to be a spicy romp between a widow, Beth, who hasn’t loved since her husband died, and a contractor, Jack, who is trying to screw her over in more ways than one. I expected that their chance meeting at a honkey-tonk would kick off a romance filled with sexually tense banter and even hotter rolls in the hay. Apparently, I set my expectations too high.

The couple strike up a working relationship to fix repairs on her house. We find out he is a devout father, a bitter, bitter divorcee and a recovering alcoholic. We discover that she is an illustrator for children’s books, has two boys and a good Christian woman. This is a good basis for a sweeping romance.

What was missing from this tale was the heat. The dialog lacked sparkle or tension. The characters waffled between being too perfect or downright unlikeable so quickly, I got whiplash. And, although the sex was titillating, my ick factor was activated when the hero came to complete orgasm in his jeans during a preconsummation make-out session. Nothing says sexy like premature ejaculation.
However, the conflicts between the widow and the bitter divorce were believable. Jack wanted a mother for his daughter but fought like hell to not fall in love with Beth. Beth wanted her two little boys to have a male role model, but didn’t want to betray her husband’s memory. The moments where Jack talks about building on additions to the house are very loving and sweet.

Ultimately, a mild sexual assault, a prenup negotiation that makes C-SPAN fascinating and a “Sandy at the end of Grease”-like transformation of the heroine makes this book the text book definition on trite.

Book Stats:

• E-book: electronic, digital formatting
  
• Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
  
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-60394-290-4

To purchase an electronic copy of Man Trouble click here.

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Sexy, erotic and titillating describe this cowboy love story. Cat Johnson’s Rough Stock is both sensual and romantic. The menage taboo is written with feeling and emotion that compels the reader to feel the heat and love found in the forbidden love triangle as the young lovers explore their love for each other.

Clay and Mason work on April’s daddy’s farm as ranch hands tending to the horses. They have been best of friends forever, and at 18, they are awakened to feelings of desire as well as the love they have always shared for each other. A life-turning incident pushes them to explore their sexual awakening with each other. Neither boy wants to give April up, and April does not want to chose between them; this leads to one hot, sex-filled summer of shared love between the them.

Fall pulls the three apart with Clay off to ride the rodeo circuit, Mason off to the army and April off to NYU to pursue her degree. Life and unforeseen events lead them to drift apart, but even after several years, when one is hurt, they all come back together. Now can the secrets that kept them apart allow them to put things back together like they were, or will they ever get back to what they had that summer? A great romantic read that is sultry and erotic.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Linden Bay Romance (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602021589
• ISBN-13: 978-1602021587

To purchase a print copy of Rough Stock click here.
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To visit the author’s website go here.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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