Cowboy with a Cause by Carla Cassidy

"I'd apologize for kissing you, but I'm not all that sorry."Dancer Melanie Brooks had escaped small-town Oklahoma, giving up the country for Broadway's bright lights. Yet after her mother's funeral called her back, her own health issues forced her to stay. Now her tenant, too-hot-for-his-own-good Adam Benson, is giving her a reason to dance again. But has a killer set his sights on her, too?

Adam knows a little something about fresh starts. As for his beautiful neighbor, he doesn't see a wheelchair—he sees a woman who understands. But as the heat grows between them, he can't avoid the feeling that more than her big-city past haunts her—and that danger has been lurking, waiting to strike….





3.5/5 stars

Being a woman in a wheelchair there were times I completely understood how Melanie felt regarding how she thought people saw her and even how she saw herself. Her views on the future with or without romance also struck a chord. But there were other times I really wanted to shake her and yell "snap out of it!". Adam tried his best to get her out of her funk and thankfully it did happen, it just happened to late for me. Add in the fact that the plot also involves two murders that have been dragged along through two previous books and still didn't get solved and a whole new crazy person in this one all add up to me wanting to stay far away from the small town of Grady Gulch, Oklahoma.

Ethan, Who Loved Carter by Ryan Loveless

By twenty-four, Carter Stevenson has stuttered and ticced his way to debilitating shyness. Although his friends accuse him of letting his Tourette's dictate his life, Carter moves from Los Angeles to a quiet California town. He'll keep his head down and avoid people. He doesn't anticipate his new neighbor, Ethan Hart, crashing into his solitude and forcing him to get out and live.

From the beginning, Ethan makes his love for Carter clear. But he fears Carter won't see past Ethan's damaged brain, even though it makes Ethan more attuned to his emotions than most people. For Carter, there's a bigger issue: he's been burned by so-called "perfect" matches, and he won't risk his heart again.

One way or another, Ethan's determined to show Carter they belong together. Then Ethan receives tragic news. Suddenly he must turn to Carter for strength and support. Will Carter come through when Ethan needs him most?

5/5 stars

This is one of the sweetest books I've ever read. I laughed, I cried and I even learned about two different conditions that I really had nothing but the basic information on beforehand. Ethan was such a breath of fresh air, just breezing in to make life so much better. Carter was such a great match for him. The way they both looked out for and took care of each other is exactly what I like to read in my romance books.

Gracyn Sophia

Gracyn Sophia

Me, my sister & new great-niece

My new great-niece, Gracyn Sophia, was born last Friday!  I had the honor of being in the delivery room as she was being born.  Such an amazing experience!  She's 7lbs 1oz and perfect.

Vote!

So, here's my one spiel about the election.....I don't care who you vote for because the most important thing is to actually vote. If you don't vote your essentially telling every American who lost their life for our country that their life and sacrifice was for nothing. Have the decency to please go vote. Especially women and minorities considering we had to fight twice as hard for the right to vote. I'm now stepping off my soapbox. Thanks.

All He Ever Desired (Kowalski Family #5) by Shannon Stacey

A second shot at first love

After college, Ryan Kowalski decided to leave Whitford, Maine, rather than watch Lauren Carpenter marry another man. Now his siblings need his help to refurbish the family-owned Northern Star Lodge and he's forced to face the past sooner rather than later when he collars a vandal—and learns the boy is Lauren's son…

The last person Lauren needs back in her life is Ryan Kowalski. With a bitter ex-husband and a moody teenage son, she has enough man trouble already. But her son needs to learn a few lessons about right and wrong, even if Lauren has to escort him to Ryan's door every day to work off his crime.

With all this close contact, Ryan and Lauren can't deny the chemistry between them is as powerful as ever. But can a few searing kisses erase their past and pave the way for a second chance at true love?

5/5 stars 

I love the Kowalski series. The first three were about the New Hampshire branch and the last two have been about their cousins in Maine. The Maine branch are a little less boisterous, but are just as family oriented, enough so you wish you were part of the clan. This book was about Ryan and Lauren, two people that really need to be together considering the second chance they're getting. When I first met Ryan in Mitch's book I thought he seemed kinda like a jerk, but after getting to know him it isn't that he's a jerk, it's just he puts a lot on himself. The running of his company, the rebuilding of his family's home and the guilt he carries from asking Lauren to run away with him years earlier. Meeting Lauren and her son, Nick, again after sixteen years makes him want her all over again. And after Lauren sees Ryan again all her "what-if " moments come crashing back. The two together made a great couple and what's more is they were a believable couple. And of course Lauren made a perfect addition to the Kowalski clan. I can't wait to read the next book, not just to read Josh's story, but because we always get to see little peeks into the lives of the rest of the family and see how they're doing.

Highly recommend this book even if you haven't read the rest of the series. But to get the maximum impact of the Kowalski men, you should definitely read the series in order.

All He Ever Needed (Kowalski Family #4) by Shannon Stacey

He won’t stay put for a woman, and she won’t chase after any man…

Mitch Kowalski lives out of a suitcase—and he likes it that way. Traveling for work has the added bonus of scaring off women who would otherwise try to tie him down. But when he’s called home to help with the family lodge, he’s intrigued by the new girl in town and her insistence that she doesn’t need a man. If there’s one thing Mitch can’t resist, it’s a challenge.

After a nomadic childhood, Paige Sullivan is finally putting down roots. Determined to stand on her own two feet, she lives by the motto “Men are a luxury, not a necessity.” But when Mr. Tall, Dark and Hot pulls up a stool in her diner and offers her six weeks of naughty fun with a built-in expiration date, she’s tempted to indulge.

They’re the perfect match for a no-strings fling. Until they realize their sexy affair has become anything but casual…

4/5 stars

 I wonder if there are any Kowalski relations that live near me, because I would love to have one or two. These guys are definitely hot and sexy and I just love reading about the women who can come in and tame them. Though this book started off a lot slower then the rest it was still a great romance. I think Paige was the perfect fit for Mitch and can't wait to get little sneak peeks of their life in the future books. And speaking of future books, I think I'll get started on Ryan's book right now.
 

Men of Smithfield: Adam and Holden by L. B. Gregg

They were star-crossed lovers from the start.

Former television sensation and renowned world explorer, Holden Worthington, is held prisoner by crippling agoraphobia. When a sexy young laborer arrives to set his property to rights, a ray of light begins to glimmer in Holden's dark and narrow world. A grisly discovery throws the two men together, and Holden finds his world turned inside out-- by his inappropriate longing for his awkward, young employee, Adam Morgan, and by a threat growing around them both. All of Smithfield believes Holden has something to hide, and Adam is determined to bring everything--including Holden Worthington--into the open.






5/5 stars

Who knew agoraphobia could be so funny?  I certainty didn't, but it was hard trying to keep a straight face while reading this installment of the Smithfield series.  It was full of great characters and funny as hell inner monologues.  I love the wit and humor that Gregg uses for each character.   I really hope that there will be future books in this series because I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud while reading as much as I did while reading this series. 

Holden has a crippling illness that makes it Damn near impossible to go outside, so instead he stays inside his big house and watches the world safely from his porch or balcony.   It's from his porch he starts watching his new gardener and imagining all the dirty things they could do together.   Adam is his young hot new employee who finds a dead body in Holden's yard.  What follows is a often times funny murder mystery that brings the two men together as they try to figure out what happened while trying to figure out their new relationship.   I loved these two guys and really didn't want the book to end.  Their understanding of each other was a wonderful thing to read. 

I recommend this book, along with the rest of the series, to anyone who likes a little humor with their romance.