Book Review: Rodeo Rebel by Debra Kayn

Rodeo Rebel by Debra Kayn
Sisters of McDougal Ranch #4
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Pub Date: June 15, 2012
ebook, 242 pages

My rating: 5.0/5.0


My Review:
Rodeo Rebel is a great quick feel good romance read. If you are looking for a good strong female heroine who needs a good man and a good alpha male who doesn't quite need his head bashed in by a female then Rodeo Rebel is the book for you.

Through the years I have found the modern western romance that focuses on ranch life and rodeo life to be very interesting. This is not a world I am familiar with at all living on the coast of NC. Yes the rodeo does come here, but I must confess I don't have much urge to go and see it. However reading about it is a completely different story and reading about a female rodeo rider made the story even more interesting. Florentine is a strong, hard-headed character, but I loved her from the start. From a family of five sisters and she's one of the last to find love and marriage as she pursues her dream of making it into the professional rodeo circuit so she can one day be a motivational speaker to girls everywhere proving to them they can do anything. Impressive right? Well she is even more so in the story. Of course she has the moments where you want to bash her in the head, but that always happens in a romance, but they were few and far between. Mostly I felt she really had it together, things just needed to fall into place for her. And one of those things was her new sponsor, Cole, the man who didn't want to be her sponsor. But of course sparks will fly, but there is so much more to the book than that but I won't go into much more detail because I don't want to give it away. Needless to say, the characters in Rodeo Rebel are anything but one dimensional. I felt like I could really get into Florentine's and Cole's minds and hearts. I was touched and moved by their feelings and yes sometimes even frustrated.

The story moves along at a great pace with most of it taking place at Florentine's family ranch and also on the rodeo circuit. I loved seeing both places and really feel like Ms. Kayn is familiar with the settings she uses. I also love how she develops the plot and how she paces the story. I felt like every thing that happens in the story had a place in the development and loved just about every scene in the book.

Well-written with wonderful characters and an excellent storyline, Rodeo Rebel is a beautiful romance. I loved watching Florentine and Cole fall in love and at times the story actually brought tears to my eye (in a good way). Rodeo Rebel is what a good romance is all about!

About Rodeo Rebel:

When widower and land baron Cole Reardon acquired the Turner Grain Corporation, he didn't know the company sponsored a bull rider. He refuses to support thrill-seekers dumb enough to get on the back of a crazed animal. He’s not willing to risk his fortune and livelihood when he has his daughter's well-being to consider. Not even when the bull rider is the sexiest woman he's ever seen.

Bull rider Florentine McDougal plans to turn pro after the season championship, fulfilling her lifelong dream of succeeding in a man’s world. That is, until Cole Reardon shows up and threatens to break his sponsorship contract with her. Now everything she’s worked for is less than eight seconds away from being destroyed.

Cole distracts Florentine with his sexy mouth and unreasonable demands, and he's not going to compromise his integrity. But she's not going to let him loose until she has pro status. And neither will come away from this dust-up unscathed.

 

Read the full first chapter at Entangled Publishing

Buy at

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

 

***I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Book Review & $50 GC Tour Giveaway: Forgive Me, Alex by Lane Diamond

Forgive Me, Alex by Lane Diamond

Publisher: Evolved Publishing

Publish Date: March 19, 2012

Softcover, 260 pages

ISBN13: 9781475008326

My Review:

Forgive Me, Alex was a slightly different take on a suspense/thriller than what I am use to in a good way.  Mr. Diamond uses alternating points-of-view and alternating time frames to tell the story and while doing this really builds up the suspense in both time periods.  I found the story horrifying and fascinating the way a great suspense thriller should be.

Told from the points-of-view of the protagonist Tony and the antagonist Mitchell Norton is a very interesting way to frame the story.  Tony is the ultimate good guy who's had hard luck in his life, but he's in love, he's taking care of his brother and life seems to be good. Mitchell is just a twenty-something not really going anywhere but not really hurting anything when the demons start to strike.  I felt sympathetic to Mitchell to a degree until things started getting out-of-control, then I just felt like he was evil.  I was cheering for Tony during the book even with his brand of vigilante justice.  I felt like the characters were very relatable for a suspense book.  A lot of times times this genre doesn't concentrate on character development, but I felt like I got to know Tony, Frank, the Chief and Linda very well.  I really liked Frank and I really liked the other people that supported Tony in his life, the Chief and his Master at the dojo, these were all wonderful examples of the community at work.


I think the thing I loved best about Forgive Me, Alex was the alternating time frames. Mr. Diamond tells the story going back and forth between 1978 when the initial murders take place and 1995 when Mitchell Norton is released from prison.  The suspense really builds between both time frames even though the reader knows the ultimate outcome of 1978. The reader still doesn't know how the outcome happens and I found the story building up to that fascinating.  Then the story in 1995 starts up as well and has a great suspense line of it's own as well as letting the reader catch up with the main characters (and a few new ones) seventeen years later.  I loved this.  It was never confusing as I thought it might be when I glanced at the table of contents and saw how it went back and forth between the characters and the years.  Each character had his own voice in the writing and each time frame was easy to figure out so even if you didn't pay attention to the chapter headers it was easy to figure out when the action was taking place and who was doing the thinking/talking.  The plot was very well-written and had me hooked from the first page.  And I don't think this was an easy thing to do with the alternating time period and alternating characters.


Forgive Me, Alex is an excellent suspense/thriller.  If you don't mind your suspense a little more on the grisly side (description of the crimes) then you will be okay with this.  I did cringe a few times, but I was fully warned of the content of the book.  It's not over the top and I have read much more graphic books, so don't let my word of warning scare you.  It's about like a James Patterson type book in terms of descriptive crimes.  But the great thing about Forgive Me, Alex is it has completely relatable characters is Tony, Frank and Linda.  They felt real and their feelings were heartfelt. I wanted more of them in the end, so that outweighed the grisly aspect to me.  There is much more to this book than the crimes.  Forgive Me, Alex has an excellent plot, terrific characters and an ending that will stick with me for some time.


My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About Forgive Me, Alex:

Tony Hooper stands in shadow across the street, one amongst many in the crowd of curiosity-hounds gathered to watch a monster’s release. Seventeen years after Mitchell Norton, “the devil,” terrorized Algonquin, Illinois on a spree of kidnapping, torture and murder, the authorities release the butcher from psychiatric prison.

Tony longs to charge across the street to destroy Norton—no remorse—as if stepping on a cockroach. Only sheer force of will prevents his doing so.

“The devil” walks the world again. What shall Tony do about it? Aye, what indeed.

After all, this is what he does. It’s who he is. “The devil” himself long ago made Tony into this hunter of monsters. What a sweet twist of fate this is, that he may still, finally, administer justice.

Will FBI Special Agent Linda Monroe stop him? She owes him her life, so how can she possibly put an end to his?

Tony Hooper and Mitchell Norton battle for supremacy, with law enforcement always a step away, in this story of justice and vengeance, evil and redemption, fear and courage, love and loss.

Novel Publicity Blog Tour Notes:

Wanna win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of Forgive Me, Alex? Well, there are two ways to enter...

1. Leave a comment on my blog. One random commenter during this tour will win a $50 gift card. For the full list of participating blogs, visit the official Forgive Me, Alex tour page.
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest! I've posted the contest form below, or you can enter on the tour page linked above.

About the author: I write fiction, long and short. My writings cross over many genres and focus on diverse subjects, ranging from the mysteries of the human mind, with its fragile psychological and emotional states, to the everyday joy and anguish of life on Earth. Ultimately, characters move me – as both a reader and an author. It's all about the people. When not writing, I'm Publisher and Executive Editor at Evolved Publishing. Connect with me on my website, Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, or via Evolved Publishing.

Get Forgive Me, Alex on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

***I received this book through Novel Publicity for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Book Review: Haole Wood by Dee DeTarsio

Haole Wood by Dee DeTarsio
Published: May 2012
ISBN:  9780615640495

 
My rating: 5.0/5.0


My Review:
Haole Wood is a very fun and entertaining book that adds in a great suspense plot. Ms. DeTarsio has created a very interesting protagonist in Jaswinder Park and a great plot to read. Add in the beautiful setting of Maui and it's interesting people and you have the makings for a very fine summer (or any time of year) novel.

Jaswinder Park had me as a character from the very first page. Nothing seems to go her way, but she keeps trying. I know how that feels and I could relate. Now I am happily married, but I could still feel her pain. As she jets off to Maui to save her grandmother, the proverbial black cloud seems to be over her then she meets not one but two handsome men, but one is murdered. And then there is that guardian angel that no one else can see but her that doesn't seem to do anything but make fun of her and pop in at inopportune times. Add in a grandmother she adores but can't understand (literally) and you have Jaswinder Park and the story of Haole Wood. The characters are great from Jaswinder to her grandmother, her romantic interest, Jac, and of course the wonderful guardian angel, who when I think of him still makes me laugh. Also add in a great supporting cast as well. I loved them all as I got to know them. They each contributed to the story and each felt like a friend (or enemy) by the time the novel was done.

The suspense plot was great. Moved along by the murder of an islander who was not very well-liked, Jaswinder has to clear her grandmother's name. But it seems likes she's blocked when she tries anything. There is also a great subplot when Jaswinder really finds her niche with the sunshminas. Since I love to sew and watch all the fashion shows on tv, I loved this part of the book as much as the suspense plot (and I love a good suspense plot).

To me, Ms. DeTarsio wove all the stories together so well that the book flowed from beginning to end. I loved it. The suspense was a part of the book, the career path was a part, there was a place for the romance and the character development was stellar. Haole Wood is a fantastic book that has me wanting more from this author. Not only did she give me an outstanding story and remarkable characters, but she also gave me an intriguing culture and setting. This made Haole Wood a notch above for me. I just have a thing for Hawaiian books and Haole Wood filled that niche for me.

About the  Book:
When San Diego weather caster, Jaswinder Park, is mysteriously summoned to the island of Maui in Hawaii to help her grandmother, she ends up losing her job. This fair-haired, light-skinned foreigner, called haole by the natives, decides to stay in Maui for a couple of days until she can figure out what to do with her life. She realizes that her quick trip to Maui may not be all she’s hoping for when:

-She has to bail her Hawaiian/Korean grandmother out of jail for possession of pakalolo.

-The only thing she can understand her grandmother say is: “Not that.

-She can’t decide which hurts worse, her sunburn, hangover, or memories of the night before.

-She’s labeled the “Liquor Licker” on the front page of the Maui News in a photo that shows her doing a shot of tequila with a hunky Hawaiian who’s been found dead.

-It seems she’s had orgasms that have lasted longer than her career.

-She scrapes the bottom of the barrel to find her guardian angel.

Beautiful fabric found in her grandmother’s closet unfolds a future for Jaswinder as she designs sensuous silky wraps called sunshminas that provide sun protection. She tries for a Hollywood connection, but her company, Haole Wood, has some growing pains. From trying to find a killer, to selling her sunshminas, to lusting after Dr. Jac, the island dermatologist, to trying to ignore her so-called guardian angel, can Jaswinder learn to embrace the island way of life? Aloha!

***I received this book from the author for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Guest Blog: Noise is Only Fun When You’re The One Making It by Dee DeTarsio

Today I welcome Dee DeTarsio, author of Haole Wood which I will be publishing later today.  Haole Wood is a really fun read and I'll give more details in my review, but for now, enjoy hearing from the author herself who has her guest blog and also a yummy recipe.  Welcome Dee!

Noise Is Only Fun When You’re The One Making It

I’ll be the third to admit I can be an annoying mom. (My kids, the Irritator and the Instigator, will be the first two.) But imagine my surprise, when I was minding my own business, answering texts. My phone, as phones do, was making that electric sounding techno noise-slash-click when messages were received. My son, who was in another room thought I was making that noise myself—by sucking my teeth:(

Gross, I know. The next day, I was reading my kindle, enjoying a lovely little snack. (Yes, my kindle is making me fat.) I can eat exponentially greater quantities when I read on my kindle than while fumbling with a paperback book. Thanks to a steady diet of so many new books to explore, I do try to limit my grazing while gazing . . . feeding while reading . . . glutton on the button . . . (Oh, boy. You are probably thinking, “Please let this woman write better novels than guest posts!”)

Anyway, as I was savoring one of my favorite summer desserts, Pavlova (recipe as follows), Prince Charming interrupted me and told me I had a ton of new messages.  Silly boy. I had a strawberry seed stuck in my teeth.

Pavlova
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. white vinegar (you can use lemon juice instead)

Let the eggs warm up to room temperature before whipping. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks stay in place when you lift out the beaters. Slowly add the sugar while beating, again until stiff peaks form. Then add the vanilla. Beat. Add the vinegar. Beat.

Pile the mixture onto an oven-safe glass dish. Put a little dent in the middle with the back of a spoon.

Bake at 250 degrees for about an hour. You may notice the peaks start to turn a little darker cream color. Don't let them turn brown. When done, turn off the oven and let cool in the oven. (If the peaks are getting dark, just crack the oven door while it cools. This can be made the night before and left in the cooling oven overnight.)

Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit. The traditional topping is strawberries and kiwi.

The story behind this dish is that a chef in Australia heard that the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova was going to be visiting. He created this dessert in her honor, making something as light as she was on her feet. I’ve been told that Pavlova is served like brownies Down Under. Enjoy!

Dee DeTarsio is a writer living in southern California. You might enjoy Pavlova while reading her newest novel, Haole Wood!

When San Diego weather caster, Jaswinder Park, is mysteriously summoned to the island of Maui in Hawaii to help her grandmother, she ends up losing her job. This fair-haired, light-skinned foreigner, called haole by the natives, decides to stay in Maui for a couple of days until she can figure out what to do with her life. She realizes that her quick trip to Maui may not be all she’s hoping for when:

-She has to bail her Hawaiian/Korean grandmother out of jail for possession of pakalolo.

-The only thing she can understand her grandmother say is: “Not that.

-She can’t decide which hurts worse, her sunburn, hangover, or memories of the night before.

-She’s labeled the “Liquor Licker” on the front page of the Maui News in a photo that shows her doing a shot of tequila with a hunky Hawaiian who’s been found dead.

-It seems she’s had orgasms that have lasted longer than her career.

-She scrapes the bottom of the barrel to find her guardian angel.

Beautiful fabric found in her grandmother’s closet unfolds a future for Jaswinder as she designs sensuous silky wraps called sunshminas that provide sun protection. She tries for a Hollywood connection, but her company, Haole Wood, has some growing pains. From trying to find a killer, to selling her sunshminas, to lusting after Dr. Jac, the island dermatologist, to trying to ignore her so-called guardian angel, can Jaswinder learn to embrace the island way of life? Aloha!

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf Scavenger Hunt, Review & Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the One Breath Away Scavenger Hunt.  Check out my excerpt, then you can visit this link to see other  tour stops and keep up with the excerpts.

“He has a gun. He has P.J. and he has a gun.”

“Who has P.J.?” Terror clutches at my chest. “Tell me, Augie, where are you? Who has a gun?”

“I’m in a closet. He put me in a closet.”

My mind is spinning. Who could be doing this?

If that has you intrigued then let me tell you, you need to get this book.  I have loved Heather's first two books and from the start One Breath Away is no different.  Scroll down more to find my review.  But first check out the Live Chat coming up later in the month at BookTrib.com

ONE BREATH AWAY 

By Heather Gudenkauf

MIRA; July 2012

384 pages; $15.95 U.S./$18.95 CAN.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-1365-6

My Review:

Heather Gudenkauf has now hit three out-of-the-park home runs for me with her books.  After the first two and how blown away by them I was I was almost afraid to open and read One Breath Away.  I mean can she really do it three times in a row, and using a gunman in a school too?  Well let me tell you, if you have any doubts, put them away because Ms. Gudenkauf has managed to do it again.  She manages to take this story and turn it into something completely fresh and unexpected.  So much tension, so many interesting storylines and how they intersect is  just amazing.  She managed to completely take my breath away with this book in a great way.

Ms. Gudenkauf returns to the varying points of view again in One Breath Away and I love that. It's especially important in this book since there is the parent in Arizona, the grandfather whose two grandchildren are trapped in the school in Iowa, the police officer on the outside, and the teacher who is right there in the middle of things.  All the characters are different and Ms. Gudenkauf crafts them to be so real. The struggles of single parenting.  The struggles of teaching and growing older.  Just everyday struggles.  They are all there and add such dimension to each character.  I felt like I got to know each one of them and could really hear their voices in my head.

The plot will just blow you away.  The gunman is not brutal, doesn't go in guns shooting and blazing, but he doesn't have to. That is really not the focus.   I won't giveaway too much. The suspense in this book is tyring to figure out who the gunman is and why he is doing this.  In the beginning Ms. Gudenkauf keeps adding to the list of suspects, but then as the book wears on the suspect list starts to wittle down.  Story lines intersect, things get intense and One Breath Away becomes very difficult to put down.  I think Ms. Gudenkauf will leave you guessing right up until she gives it away, I know I was and I kept trying to figure it out.  I loved it though, the guessing and the story were intense and while there is some violence it was nice to have an intense story without too much violence.  

Extremely well crafted with characters that I cared about as I got to know them through the book, One Breath Away will leave you breathless up until the end.  Ms. Gudenkauf knows how to create suspense and characters that involve you in the book.  She's been on my to-buy list since The Weight of Silence and I believe One Breath Away has moved her to one of my top authors.  Heather Gudenkauf has a gift and I am glad she is sharing it with the world.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

About One Breath Away

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf follows the phenomenal success of her first two books with her most emotionally charged novel yet. ONE BREATH AWAY (Harlequin MIRA; July 2012; $15.95 U.S./$18.95 CAN.) is a gripping story of a small town caught in the midst of a deadly crisis, as experienced from the points of view of five different people.

On a bitter March day, as a sudden snowstorm envelops the small town of Broken Branch, Iowa, an unknown man with a gun enters the town’s only school and takes a classroom of children hostage. As awareness of the situation spreads, the panicked community is ready to do anything to protect their children, but can only watch and wait.

As a teacher with a long career behind her, Evelyn Oliver is ready to enjoy retirement with her loving husband. But now, faced with a crazy man armed with a gun, terrorizing her classroom, she’d rather die than fail to protect any of her students. But why is he doing this? Evelyn’s been scouring her mind but doesn’t recognize the intruder. Maybe one of the students is the key?

Holly Thwaite left Broken Branch and her family behind without a word eighteen years ago, vowing never to return. But after a debilitating accident leaves her recovering in a hospital in Arizona, she’s forced to send her children to her hometown to be looked after by their grandfather, the man she never wanted them to meet. Will Thwaite never understood why his estranged daughter, Holly, ran away all those years ago. But now that her children are in his care, he refuses to fail his daughter again. One way or another, Will is going to get his grandkids, P.J. and Augie, out of that school safely even if he has to go in and get them himself.  What Will doesn’t know is that thirteen-year-old Augie is just as determined to rescue her little brother from the killer and help her classmates, even if it means putting herself in the crosshairs of the gunman.

Police officer Meg Barrett wants to know who the intruder is and why he’s doing this. Whoever it is, there’s no excuse for this. Meg should know. She’s had plenty of hardships herself. But with innocent lives at stake, Meg is prepared to risk her own life to save these hostages, although it means disobeying orders and taking on the gunman face-to-face.

As the standoff progresses and the snowstorm rages outside, anxiety and frustration start to build to dangerous levels. But everyone knows how precarious the situation is. One wrong move, even a breath, could have the most devastating of consequences. 

Heather Gudenkauf is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden.  She lives in Iowa with her family.  Visit her website, HeatherGudenkauf.com.

Giveaway
Thanks to Kate at BookTrib, I have one paperback copy of One Breath Away for giveaway in the US/Canada.  This will be mailed by the publicist.  Ends 7/13.  Fill out the Rafflecopter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

***I received this book from the publicist (BookTrib) for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Review Copy Cleanup

Oh boy do I ever need this!  Celine from Nyx Book Reviews and Vicky from Books, Biscuits and Tea are organizing another Review Copy Cleanup.  It's simple, read your review books (in any form) during the month of August.  They will be hosting two Twitter parties and two Read-a-Thons (woohoo - I love both!).  For all the details and to sign up go to Book, Biscuits and Tea or Nyx Book Reviews, you only have to sign up at one, the linky is the same.  I'm ready to plow through my review copy stack so come and join me!

Two Great JoAnn Ross Discounted Romances!

Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, has two great JoAnn Ross romance novels on sale for $3.99 until 7/10, so check them out below. There are also links to excerpts buy links to the device of your choice. So enjoy these wonderful books at great bargain prices!

Far Harbor by JoAnn Ross

Publisher: Pocket Star (Simon & Schuster)

$3.99 in ebook format through 7/10 (see buy links below)

A novel of uncommon grace and power, Far Harbor is at once a poignant love story and an emotion-packed account of one woman's journey home.

After her seemingly idyllic marriage turns out to be a mere pretty illusion, Savannah Townsend returns to her hometown of Coldwater Cove, Washington. Determined to live life on her own terms, she  takes on the task of restoring the local Far Harbor lighthouse and making it the cozy inn she had always dreamed of. But she hasn't  anticipated opposition from the lighthouse's owner, her grandmother's  disturbing memory losses, or the problems of an emotionally wounded  teenage girl. Most of all, she hasn't planned on having feelings for Daniel O'Halloran, a caring and passionate man from her past.

As affection moves to attraction and then to something far deeper,  Savannah learns that nothing in life worth having comes easily. She  also discovers some dreams really are forever. 

Find an excerpt here.

Homeplace by JoAnn Ross

Publisher: Pocket Star (Simon & Schuster)

$3.99 in ebook format through 7/10 (see buy links below)

  

In this breakthrough novel, New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross pens a deeply affecting tale of a woman struggling with her unconventional family. . . and a deep longing for a love of her own.

Although high-powered attorney Raine Cantrell dreamed that success might make the father who abandoned her take notice, she is still very much alone. Then she gets an urgent call from three kids in trouble in her Washington State hometown, and suddenly Raine is returning to face unresolved feelings, unhealed wounds - and unexpected desire.

Sheriff Jack O'Halloran, a man with a tragic past and a daughter to raise alone, has three teens barricaded inside a house and the media clamoring for a story. He isn't ready for Raine to invade his territory - and Raine isn't ready for anyone to touch her heart.   Unable to deny the attraction, they decide to have a simple affair.   But they are about to discover that love is rarely simple - and that lives can change forever in a heartbeat.   

Find an excerpt here.