Sunday Salon: Happy Easter And Reviews

It’s hard to believe this is already the last Sunday Salon in March. Where did the time go? Here we are once again ready to discuss the books we’ve read or discovered during the past week.

As you find a comfortable chair and fluff up the pillows, I’d like to extend a Happy Easter to each and everyone celebrating today. May it be a day filled with joyous fun, inspiring talk, laughter, and the love of family and friends. No matter how or why you celebrate, may it be a wonderful day for you and your family and the blessings you seek be rewarded.

Now, I’d like to share a couple of interesting titles I recently discovered, both set in small Texas towns.

The Cowboy Takes A Bride by Lori Wilde

You can’t go wrong writing about cowboys, heroines in distress, and romance. Are can you?

Author Lori Wilde’s new Jubilee Texas series begins with The Cowboy Takes A Bride. Set in a small town, the story focuses on cowboys, cutting horses, lost love, broken hearts, good friends, and second chances.

Narrator C.J. Critt is what first drew me to this story. Her vocalization always bring the characters to life with their own personalities. The rhythmic flow of her voice has the right hint of southern charm to reel you in.

Joe Daniels is an ex-champion bull rider who now devotes all his time and attention to cutting horses. Joe’s wife died two years earlier in a rodeo accident and he just lost his cutting horse mentor Dutch Callahan. The last thing on Joe’s mind is falling in love.  

Mariah Callahan and her mother were abandoned by her father, Dutch, when she was young. All Dutch ever seemed to care about were cutting horses so Mariah and her mother moved to Chicago and started a new life. Mariah, fired from her wedding planner job and unable to find work, gets a call from Joe telling her Dutch is dead and he has left her his ranch in Jubilee, Texas.

With no other options, Mariah heads to Jubilee to settle her estranged father’s affairs and put her career back on track. If Mariah will hold on until Christmas, Joe will buy her ranch after he wins the Fort Worth Cutting Futurity. But will the growing attraction between Joe and Mariah be stronger than their career desires?

This is a fun romance that will tug at your heartstrings. Wilde has created well developed characters and gives great detail to placing the listener/reader in the middle of the setting. The secondary case of characters are zany and add to the story.

Overall the story is about believing in finding love a second time and trusting in love after being hurt. While I enjoyed the characters and the plot, I found the story to drag on too long. There was too much rehashing of the same feelings over and over again. I found myself wanting to fast forward past some of the internal bickering the characters had with themselves. However, at the same time I realized the author was just portraying the characters with real emotions and doubt one faces when falling in love.

For sexy cowboys, steamy romance, and loyal friendship check out The Cowboy Takes A Bride. This will be a fun series to follow.

Author Lori Wilde’s website is http://www.loriwilde.com/

The Cowboy Takes A Bride by Lori Wilde, A Jubilee Texas Novel, Performed by C.J. Critt, Harper Audio, @2013, ASIN: B00B296SBS, Digital Download, Listening Time: 10 Hours. 57 Minutes

FTC Full Disclosure - This digital downloadable audio book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
 

A Shot of Sultry by Macy Beckett

Author Macy Beckett takes readers back to the quaint small Texas town of Sultry Springs in the second installment of her series, A Shot of Sultry, for another charming love story.

This time around Bobbi Gallagher, a documentary filmmaker, is trying to revive her ailing career after being fired and snubbed by the industry. Her comeback chance is riding on one assignment - to shoot ‘Sex in the Sticks’ a look at single life in rural America. She knows the best place to shoot, her hometown of Sultry Springs, Texas. It will also give her a chance to reconnect with her long-lost brother, Luke.

Hoping to help out his sister and keep an eye on her at the same time, Luke asks his best friend, Trey Lewis, to let Bobbi follow him with a camera. Trey, an ex-infantryman with less than stellar discharge, doesn’t have a problem with it. He’s planning on leaving at the end of summer for a defense contract overseas that will help repair his reputation. What he didn’t plan on was the hot attraction he feels for Bobbi.

Beckett does well creating a small town atmosphere and placing readers among the  characters. Her characters are well-rounded with the secondary cast adding spice to the mix. The story flows at a good pace and will have you feeling a range of emotions along the way.

A Shot of Sultry is a steamy read for a cool spring day. This is a nice addition to a feel-good, charming series.

Author Macy Beckett’s website is http://macybeckett.com/

A Shot of Sultry by Macy Beckett, A Sultry Springs Novel, Sourcebooks Casablanca, @2013, ISBN: 978-1402270390, Paperback, 352 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
 
Thanks so much for stopping by today. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday. Do you enjoy stories that feature small towns or big cities?