Her Christmas Cowboy (Copper Mountain Christmas #5) by Katherine Garbera - Review

There's no place like Marietta, Montana for the holidays, and retired Marine Lane Scott has finally, reluctantly, returned home...

...only to run into a sweet and sexy woman from his past, Felicity Danvers, who is running away from her Christmas loving momma.

Lane can’t resist playing the hero and sweeping Felicity out of town. He vows he’ll do everything he can to make this holiday special for her. And as Christmas approaches, they discover that their love can conquer and overcome any obstacle—but can they both trust that it’s not just Christmas magic bringing them together?

The Scott Brothers series
Book 1: A Cowboy for Christmas
Book 2: The Cowboy's Reluctant Bride
Book 3: Her Summer Cowboy
Book 4: Cowboy, It's Cold Outside
Book 5: Her Christmas Cowboy


My Review:

An emotional story that I had a hard time putting down.

Felicity Danvers had a huge crush on Lane Scott when they were in school together.  But she was shy and afraid she wouldn’t be good enough for him, so she steered clear of him.  When Lane returned to Marietta after a life altering injury in Afghanistan, he was a different man.  He had lost both of his legs after stepping on and IED.  Though he accepted his life as it was, he still felt something was missing.  When Lane meets up with Felicity again and they start dating, he feels he has finally found a new meaning in his life.  But first he must convince Felicity to trust him.  With Lane’s love, Felicity is finally able to put her fears in the past and move on.

I was very impressed with this story.  I don’t personally know anyone who lost limbs in a war, but after reading this book, I feel I know a lot about the subject.  I enjoyed Lane and Felicity’s story and how they bought light to each other lives.  The Christmas background was a fun addition too and the perfect tie in to the story. 

The Christmas Challenge (The Wilder Brothers Book 3) by Sinclair Jayne - Review

Prodigal daughter, infamous flirt and fiery-haired champion barrel racer Tucker McTavish blazes back home to Marietta with both a secret, and a personal challenge. She will keep a low profile at her twin sister’s Christmas wedding. Which means no whiskey. No kissing. No scandals. No fun. What she needs is a miracle, so it's too bad when she visits the legendary Miracle Lake to plead for inner strength: a tall, dark, and handsome bad boy is waiting with a challenge of his own.

Extreme sports guide Laird Hunter doesn’t do boring. And he thought he didn’t have secrets. He thrives in carving his own trail through tight and dangerous spots, but when he finds out his entire life has been built on a lie, he heads to Marietta for answers. But when he meets the redhead with the killer smile, laughing eyes and body with more curves than a mountain road, he finds himself asking a whole new set of questions.

Will these two daredevils – with more than a few secrets between them – find the one person from whom they don't need to hide ?

The Wilder Brothers series
Book 1: Seducing the Bachelor
Book 2: Want Me, Cowboy
Book 3: The Christmas Challenge



My Review:

In the previous book, Want Me, Cowboy, Tucker came across as annoying and someone who didn't care about anyone but herself.  And the way she hurt her sister Tanner by coming on to her boyfriend Luke was not right at all.  But the carefree Tucker is working on redeeming herself in this book when she comes home to help Tanner prepare for her wedding.  She even vows to the month of celibacy in order to keep from causing any scandals while she is in town.

Laird was a character that I instantly felt drawn to.  He had been hurt by a girlfriend and recently lost the woman who he thought was his mother.  On his mother's death bed, she confessed to Laird that he was adopted and that he possibly had a twin.  He learned that he was born in Marietta and so he was there seeking answers about his birth and hopefully find his twin.  He is also searching for a place to put down roots and prove that he is not the man that his ex thought he was.

Tucker and Laird meet while skating on Miracle Lake and form a friendship which leads them to challenge each other in their goals, the reasons they are in Marietta.  But when they start sharing the small apartment at Triple T Ranch, things change quickly and they find themselves fighting the urge to just hop in bed together.  They realize they need to stay focused on their goals before anything else can happen.  It will be tough, but if they make it through the month, they can give into their desires.

Tucker and Laird are as different as night and day.  Tucker is outspoken and does as she wishes where Laird is more laid back and go with the flow type of guy.  Typically I would have thought their personalities would have clashed, but the author did a good job of making their differences work.  Their backgrounds and the writing made this a memorable book for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Book Girl's Guide to Marietta: Montana Born Reader Guide by Montana Born - Review

Love nothing more than snuggling up with a western or cowboy romance? You've found the best place to start! A Book Girl's Guide to Marietta includes everything a book girl needs to know about Tule Publishing's most popular town for love, Marietta, Montana.

Starting with an exclusive Forward by founding Tule author and USA Today Bestseller CJ Carmichael, you'll get insight to the history of Marietta, a map and guide to all of the key locations in town, an overview of every series and how their characters are connected, delicious recipes straight from the kitchens of Marietta residents, and much more!

Whether you've loved Marietta from the start, or are brand new to town, this guide is a must-have for every Marietta romance reader!


My Review:

I have been reading Montana Born’s books set in the fictional town of Marietta Montana from the start.  So when they came out with this book, I knew I had to get it.  It is the ultimate guide for anyone who enjoys the books.  I especially liked the map in the front.  It helps me visualize the locations when they are mentioned in a book.

The book also talks about the history of Marietta and backgrounds on the founding families.  It also lists series and little tidbits about each character in the books.  There is a section with recipes and a part with information the authors. 

I would definitely recommend getting this book if you have read (or even thinking about reading) any of the Marietta books.  I will definitely be referencing back to it as I read each of the upcoming books. 

 

Featured Book: For Sale by Owner by Marlene Bateman

Blurb: 

Filled with plans, McKenzie Forsberg returns to her hometown to spend Christmas with her family. Stressed by a year of intense, ongoing problems, she quit her high-powered job to move back and rebuild her life. Kenzie desperately needs the peace and security she is sure will come from buying the home she grew up in. But when she arrives, Kenzie discovers that a handsome widower, Jared Rawlins, has already put an offer on the house. However, he can only close the deal if he sells his own house by Christmas Eve.

When Kenzie unexpectedly runs into a couple who are considering buying Jared’s house, she unthinkingly gives them information that changes their mind. Jared is more than a little interested in Kenzie, but has second thoughts when it appears Kenzie may have attempted to sabotage the sale of his home. Feeling bad, Kenzie apologizes but the damage may be too much for their relationship to overcome. Despite themselves, sparks of attraction grow into something more. Then, a few days before Christmas, Kenzie makes a stunning discovery about her past. In that moment, everything changes. Will the power of love be enough to bring Jared and Kenzie together and allow them to find their happily ever after?


 
Excerpt:

“What made you decide to move to Lake Forest?” Kenzie asked.
“I’ve always loved it here,” Jared said. “It’s a beautiful area, and there’s a special atmosphere here. People are so friendly. I guess part of the reason I came is because I needed to go someplace new and kind of start over, you know?”
Kenzie did know. That was exactly what she was doing now. She’d gotten over Larry, but she needed to go someplace new and reinvent herself and her life.
“Now let me ask you,” Jared said. “What made you decide to come back?”
“A lot of reasons. I need a fresh start too. I’m tired of the hectic pace in Chicago.” Impulsively she added, “Also, I had to get away from my job at Midwest. A guy was causing some real problems for me—” She stopped. Their eyes met and lingered. Jared’s compassion was evident and the expression on his face kind. She felt so comfortable talking with him—as if they were kindred spirits. Something in her heart softened into a spreading pool, and she smiled at him.
Tearing open his packet of Oreo cookies., Jared took one and dunked it in his hot chocolate.
Kenzie frowned. “Figures. You’re a dunker.”
“And I bet you’re a twister.”
Snatching up a cookie, Kenzie twisted it open and took a bite of the creamy middle. “Ummm.”
Jared shuddered. “That’s wrong in so many ways.”
Picking up her mug and warming her fingers, Kenzie sipped her hot chocolate. “This is wonderful!”
“It’s a secret recipe—been in my family for generations.”
“Really?”
“No, but it sounds good, doesn’t it?”

Bio:

Marlene Bateman Sullivan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up in Sandy, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's degree in English. She is married to Kelly
R. Sullivan and they live in North Salt Lake, Utah with their two dogs and four cats. Marlene has been published extensively in magazines and newspapers and wrote the best-selling romance/suspense novel, Light on Fire Island. She has written three other mysteries; Motive for Murder, A Death in the Family, and Crooked House.

Marlene has also written a number of LDS, non-fiction books: Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines, And There Were Angels Among Them, Visit’s from Beyond the Veil, By the Ministering of Angels, Brigham’s Boys, Heroes of Faith, Gaze into Heaven; Near-death Experiences in Early Church History, and The Magnificent World of Spirits; Eyewitness Accounts of Where We Go When We Die.


Pick up your copy of For Sale by Owner today:

Amazon: https://goo.gl/5a60QZ 
Seagull Book; https://goo.gl/yQboNh


Be sure to check out Marlene on Goodreads and her website too:

GoodReads
Marlene Bateman



 

Mixing It Up by Tracie Banister - Review

Synopsis:

Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Manhattan upper-cruster Cecily Sinclair now uses that pricey utensil to dish up fancy French fare on her cooking show, Serving Romance. When there’s an executive shake-up at the network, she’s not worried. Not much anyway. Her show’s a hit after all. Why would the new CEO want to mess with success? The driving force behind several buzzed-about networks, Devlin Hayes is considered to be a wunderkind in the television industry. Although his plans to rebrand CuisineTV and make Serving Romance more Millennial-friendly don’t thrill Cecily, her charming, blue-eyed boss is a hard man to say “no” to and she really wants to keep her job—even if that means sharing screen time with a loathsome blast from her past. Mercurial Italian chef Dante Marchetti a.k.a. “Il Duce” was once Cecily’s boss, and she has the PTSD to prove it. Now the owner of one of the hottest restaurants in town, Dante’s egomania knows no bounds and his constant attempts to provoke and upstage Cecily make her want to conk him on the head with a sauté pan. She thinks they’re toxic together, but viewers love their chemistry and clamor for more. As Cecily battles to maintain the integrity of her show, she finds herself scheming and manipulating right along with Dante and Devlin. Is she fighting a lost cause? Does she really belong on TV, or would her culinary talent be better served elsewhere? And could one of the men who makes Cecily’s blood boil ignite a passion in her for something other than food?

My Review: 

An absolute joy to read.  With witty dialogue, fun characters and scenes, this book had me hooked from the start.

Mixing It Up is set to the backdrop of a cooking show so food is mentioned a lot.  Grab your snack before sitting down to read.  There are a lot of comical and entertaining moments between the chefs on the set of the show and in the personal life of Cecily Sinclair who is also part of a high society family which isn't as perfect as they appear. 

This story follows Cecily through the changes in her life on air and in private.  It also follows Cecily's quirky astrologist cousin and her best friend as they search and find love.  Cecily also finds love and a new meaning in her life when she decides to mix it up as well.

Anyone who loves a good romantic comedy will really enjoy this book.  It has all of the elements to keep you entertained to the very last page

 

 

Kitty Smile