YotC Review: Joe's Wife

Title: Joe's Wife
Author: Cheryl St. John
Genre: Historical Romance/1865
Published: February 1999
Harlequin Historical

Year of the Category Challenge

From the back cover ~

Memories...

Tye Hatcher returned to Aspen Grove to find that life int he sleepy Western town hadn't changed much. The townspeople stubbornly refused to see the man he had become. That is, everybody but Meg Telford. Meg definitely took notice of the reticent rancher and gave him a chance in life when no one else would. Still, Meg clung to the memories of her late husband, afraid of the feelings Tye aroused in her heart. And though Tye vowed to proved his worth to the town, could he ever prove to Meg that he was worthy of her love?

The cover ~ I think it's sweet. It's certainly dated - it is 10 years old. But it's a fairly accurate portrayal of the hero and heroine. And the back has a picture of the hero, heroine with a little girl at a picnic - cute.

I had heard about this book around the blogs, mostly KristieJ's, and while I have a number of Cheryl St. John's books on my TBR pile there was just something about Joe's Wife that said "read me first". Maybe it's the title. You know from the synopsis that Joe isn't the hero but Meg is still referred to as "Joe's wife". Even Tye thinks of her that way. It's barely been a year since Meg received word that her husband Joe was killed in battle so she's still grieving and attempting to move on with her life.

Meg Telford at first comes across as a soft spoken, kind and gentle woman. And she is all that but she is also much more. Her kind and gentle nature hides a backbone of steel. She is still quite young and has every intention of keeping the ranch that her and her late husband Joe bought. The ranch was Joe's dream and Meg is determined to run it even at the opposition of her in laws. Her mother-in-law wants Meg to move in with her at her home in town. Meg sees this option as giving up and she sees her life as being very restricted and bleak if she were to move in with her mother-in-law.

I liked Meg but she was easy to like. She had a practical nature and wasn't afraid of hard work, in fact she seemed to enjoy it. She was much more at home on the ranch than in town at her mother-in-laws doing needlepoint or some other such "lady-like" pursuit. She was kind and not as condemning as the majority of the townsfolk were when it came to Tye. The other thing I liked about Meg is that she stayed true to her character. At the beginning she was still in love with Joe, still missing him terribly. Throughout the book she still thinks of Joe, will always love him, but she begins to understand that she doesn't have to stop loving Joe in order for her to fall in love with someone else. That she can still honor Joe's memory but move on with her life.

Tye Hatcher was the bastard son of one of the town's whores. He grew up around other whores and was shunned by the town because of his parentage. Growing up he understands why he's treated differently than the other kids and tends to keep to himself. When the war is over he returns to Aspen Grove, determined to prove to the townsfolk that he is worth something.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Tye. Here's a guy that just wants a break. He's more than willing to work hard and do any job that's available. What he really wants to do is own his own ranch. His dream is to have a place that's his, one that he can work and make into something. He also has ideas on how to improve ranching in the area. He has big dreams but with the town against giving him a chance his dreams look like they'll stay only dreams. Then Meg makes Tye an offer he can't refuse and it looks like his dreams might just be within reach. But someone from Tye's past needs him and he finds that he can't refuse them either. So he does the right thing, the only thing that he can. He takes in a little girl who has no one left.

That little girl was Eve and she was a delight. Didn't get on my nerves at all. LOL Sometimes kids in romance novels or any story for that matter, can get on my nerves. But Eve became another piece of the puzzle and added another dimension to Tye. Eve and Tye had far more in common that anyone could have guessed. They were the misfits, outsiders who so desperately wanted to fit in. Meg was their champion in a way - she stood up for them. She showed them kindness and treated them with respect. She wasn't exactly crazy about Eve showing up but she dealt with it and didn't take it out on Eve. That's not to say Meg was perfect, she certainly had her faults. While she may have treated Tye better than everyone else did she still had her doubts about him.

One of the aspects of the story that I really liked was the lack of real external conflict. Sure, we had Meg's in-laws trying to get her to sell the ranch and the narrow minded townsfolk that would go to church and at the same time gossip and shun Meg and Tye but there wasn't any real bad guy. No railroad tycoon hiring outlaws to run Meg off her ranch. No gangs of vicious cattle thieves to deal with. It was just Meg and Tye and Eve getting to know each other and learning to trust each other. It was three heartsick people slowing becoming a family. Loved reading about these three and all the ins and outs of their lives.

Don't get me wrong, this wasn't all rainbows and roses. There was still Joe to deal with. He may have been dead and buried but he was still very much there on that ranch. It was Joe's ranch and Joe's dream and for all of Tye's hard work, Meg still wanted to hang on to Joe's dream. Trying to over come not only an ex but a dead ex is extremely difficult for the new guy. Then there's the fact that Tye was only there because Meg had no other options, there was no one else to help her. So Tye had a ghost to deal with plus his own horrors of war that he had to live with. Tye had also seen battle and been injured but he had lived to come home. Then he gets a child to raise and a new wife who's still in love with her dead husband. Yep, lots of conflict here. And yet I never once felt that St. John rushed the story, that I was reading what should have been a longer book. I had actually forgotten that this book came in at just under 300 pages. It felt full - full of characters and plot and story. The dialogue was crisp and gave such depth to these characters. Yes, I was indeed a happy reader at the end. And I haven't even mentioned Major, the dog, who I adored. :)

Cheryl St. John has an extensive back list that can be found here.

Rating: A

Author Interview and Giveaway ~ Cheryl St. John

Please help me welcome author Cheryl St. John to Leslie's Psyche.

I remember first hearing about Cheryl St. John from Kristie of Ramblings on Romance, who has mentioned a number of times that Cheryl is one of her favorite authors and she writes western historicals (win!) I knew I had to add her name to my to buy list.

I started by reading the highly recommended Joe's Wife. And yes, it was all that Kristie said it would be. Loved that book! (You can read my review here.) The thing about Cheryl's writing is that it's real. Real people and situations that the reader can relate to even when those people lived in another time and place.

Some information about Cheryl from her website ~

Cheryl St.John is the author of over thirty Harlequin and Silhouette books. Her first book, RAIN SHADOW was nominated for RWA’s RITA for Best First Book, by Romantic Times for Best Western Historical, and by Affaire de Coeur readers as Best American Historical Romance. Since then she's received several RITA nominations and three Romantic Times Achievement Awards. In describing her stories of second chances and redemption, readers and reviewers use words like, “emotional punch, hometown feel, core values, believable characters and real life situations."

As well as being an avid collector and a gardener, Cheryl is an amateur photographer. Visit her blog to see photographs of her garden, her family, and learn about the things that make her laugh--and there are a lot of them.

Cheryl is admittedly blog crazy. She has a personal blog, From the Heart, a recipe blog, and a blog that follows a home remodel. She guest blogs whenever and wherever she's asked, and blogs twice a month at Petticoats and Pistols.

Cheryl has led writing classes on a local and national level, and she teaches monthly online workshops for writers. Her motivational gifts of exhortation and encouragement make her a sought-after speaker. She's the worship leader at the fastest growing Word of Faith church in her city, serves on her church's advisory board, and is active in Heartland Writers Group, her local RWA chapter.

Does she sleep? Not much.

Cheryl was nice enough to indulge my inquisitive nature and answer some deep and meaningful questions. Okay, the questions may not be too deep but Cheryl's answers are insightful and interesting. She has great taste in authors (Maggie Osborne and Pam Morsi, two of my favs). She likes the angsty dark brooding hero (don't we all) and gave us a peek at what she's currently working on.

Leslie ~ Is there any one particular book you are most proud of? Why?

Cheryl ~ That is such a difficult question to answer. It's like thinking about which of your children you are most proud of. They're all special in a different way. There are books I am LESS proud of than others, but I won't say which ones or why. When I think back, there are books that stand out in my mind as projects I particularly loved and still do: Land of Dreams, Saint or Sinner, The Doctor's Wife, Joe's Wife, Prairie Wife, Marvel's story in A Western Winter Wonderland, Her Montana Man and my upcoming Her Colorado Man.

L ~ What do you enjoy reading? Romances, non-fiction, mysteries. Who are some of your favorite authors?

C ~ I saw you reviewed The Promise of Jenny Jones recently. I love Maggie Osborne. I fell in love with romance by reading LaVyrle Spencer, Candace Camp/Lisa Gregory, Francine Rivers, Jill Marie Landis, Pam Morsi and others. I still love the Americanas and western the best. I also enjoy contemporary romance and an occasional Stephen King or Dean Koontz.

L ~ When you start writing a book, what do you start with - the main characters and build the plot around them or do you start with the plot and build the characters around it?

C ~ A combination probably. Usually some glimmer of an incident or situation that grabs me. Ideas strike writers at odd moments, usually when we're not trying too hard. When the left-brain backs off and allows the right brain freedom, ideas flow. This happens in the early morning, in the last hour before falling asleep, in the shower, driving, and while baking. Relaxing my left-brain is my reason for shopping and making brownies. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. I start with a situation and a character and then flesh out the character, add more people and create a believable lot from there. Sometimes it takes me as long as a year or two to actually get all the pieces to come together. Such was the case with Her Colorado Man. I had this idea that a man would get letters from a child and then--to the mother's dismay--pretend to be the child's father. How in the world I would make that believable was the problem, so that binder kept going back on the shelf. Occasionally I'd pull it out and drive my critique partners crazy trying to brainstorm it. And then finally, when I wasn't trying too hard, the answers came to me.

L ~ Do you have a favorite type of hero you prefer writing?

C ~ A couple of types. I love the wounded, angsty dark brooding hero, but I adore the guy next door equally well. I don't mind a guy with a secret, but most often it's my heroines who hide things. And how.

L~ On your website you mention that you enjoy photography, gardening and collecting. Do you incorporate these joys into your writing?

C ~ Laughing here, because I'm doing that right now. In my current story, my heroine is a fish out of water, trying to make a home for her governor candidate husband and impress the locals, while she knows nothing of normal families. The ladies put a bug in her ear that she needs to do crafts and decorate her home, so she's ordering and decorating, and I'm having a heyday with the research. I love Victorian collections. An excess of possessions were so much a part their society that they defined people's and morals and culture. And thank you for visiting my website! It's still shiny new and I'm super proud of it.

L ~ Do you have a favorite place where you like to write? Or do you write wherever you happened to be when the mood hits you?

C ~ I work at my desk. It's a method that works for me. When I sit and put my fingers on the keyboard, words come. Occasionally when I only want to see a few lines and not edit, I sit on a sofa and use my Alphasmart, but I'm basically an office writer.

L ~ What book are you currently working on?

C ~ My working title is Wyoming Wildfire. I brought my heroine from a bordello in Dodge City and married her to a man running for governor of the Wyoming Territory. And whoops--he doesn't know about her past. What fun this is going to be!

L ~ You're well known for your historical westerns, is there another genre that you would like to write?

C ~ I like to write contemporaries as well. It's a change my brain needs from time to time. I can only choreograph story people on ranches and horses for so long before I want them to drive a Mustang and drink a Coke, you know?

Cheryl has a wonderful backlist of treasures to search out at your UBS. If you don't have a UBS handy you're in luck. Wendy aka Super Librarian, recently shared some exciting news about some of Cheryl's hard to find books. The people at eHarlequin were smart enough to ask Wendy for some recommendations for ebook bundles, see Wendy's posts here and here. Two of the bundles selected will feature Cheryl's books. The first bundle, The Harvey Girls, to be released in January will include Cheryl's books; The Lawman's Bride, The Preacher's Daughter and The Doctor's Wife. The second bundle, Love American Style, to be released in February, will include Cheryl's book Prairie Wife along with books from Judith Stacy and Cheryl Reavis. Check back at either Cheryl's website or eHarlequin for ordering information as the release dates near.

Cheryl's newest release (December 2009) is Her Colorado Man.

When eighteen-year-old Mariah found herself pregnant and unmarried in her small Colorado town, she disappeared. One year later, she returned with a baby—though minus the "husband" who had conveniently ventured off to Alaska's gold fields to seek his fortune….

But now, with handsome adventurer Wes Burrows turning up and claiming to be the husband she had invented, Mariah's lies become flesh and blood—and her wildest dreams a reality!

I haven't read it yet but Kristie did and you can read her review here. She gave it a 4.5 out of 5!

Also available are three reissues from Cheryl's Montana Mavericks series.

The Magnificent Seven (September 2009)

The Gunslinger's Bride (October 2009)

Marry Me...Again (December 2009)

Cheryl, I just want to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and visit here at Leslie's Psyche!

And now for the giveaway ~ Cheryl has been generous to offer two books from her backlist, as long as she has copies. You can go here to view Cheryl's backlist. Since Cheryl will be sending these out and postage has gotten so expensive, this is open to US residents.

In addition to Cheryl's two books, I'm giving away one copy of Cheryl's new release - Her Colorado Man. This is open to any one that Book Depository ships to.

So that's three winners! Leave a comment on this post by midnight Sunday, December 6 to be entered in the giveaway.

Review: A Bride in the Bargain

A Bride in the Bargain
Deeanne Gist
Historical Inspirational Romance
Washington Territory/1865-66
Bethany House/June 1, 2009

From the back cover ~

In 1860s Seattle, redwoods were plentiful but women scarce. Yet a man with a wife could secure 640 acres of timberland for free.

Joe Denton doesn't have a wife, though. His died before she could follow him to Seattle and now the local judge is threatening to take away his claim. In desperation, he buys himself a Mercer bride--one of the eastern widows and orphans brought to the Territory by entrepreneur Asa Mercer.

Anna Ivey's journey west with Mercer is an escape from the aftermath of the Civil War. She signed on to become a cook--not a bride. When she's handed over to Denton, her stubborn refusal to wed jeopardizes his land. With only a few months before he loses all he holds dear, can he convince this provoking, but beguiling, easterner to become his lawfully wedded wife?

I first heard about Deeanne Gist when Wendy aka Super Librarian blogged about her trip to The Biltmore Estate that she won from Ms. Gist and her review Ms. Gist's novel Maid to Match got me itching to read one of Ms. Gist's novels. With my love of the mail-order-bride trope it was an easy choice to pick up A Bride in the Bargain, along with Maid to Match at the library. The bonus - I have this thing for lumberjacks. I just love reading about them! The hero in A Bride in the Bargain is a lumberjack. Double Win!

Joe Denton is in a bind. If he can't prove he was married, he will lose half of his land. Land that he's work hard on for ten years to build into a logging camp. When his last chance at proving he was married falls through, Joe is desperate enough to hand over $300 to Asa Mercer for a bride. It takes months but Joe's bride finally arrives and just in time. Joe is ready to get his bride and get married. The only problem is, no one told the bride.

Anna Ivey is a resilient and resourceful woman who, in desperation, agrees to make the long journey to Washington Territory. She has nothing left to keep her in Massachusetts and every reason to leave. I loved how Gist didn't skip over Anna's trip on board the S. S. Continental but made the hardships and wonder of the trip come alive for this reader. After everything that Anna goes through, she is still a little too naive when she arrives in Seattle. This adds to the confusion over what role she would play in Joe Denton's life, making for some amusing dialogue. Anna's comments leaves Joe thinking one thing and Anna meaning something completely different. After everything is sorted out, Joe still needs a wife but he'll take a cook. He still isn't giving up and decides to try to spend his time convincing Anna to follow through with the marriage.

The romance is sweet but not too sugary. Anna and Joe have two very different goals in mind when it comes to their relationship. Joe wants Anna to marry him but Anna only wants to repay Joe for her travel expenses by cooking for his crew. Anna does try to think of Joe as only her employer but living in close quarters with him leaves her wanting more. Even with the attraction, Anna is determined to keep to her belief that she is not meant to be anyone's bride. But it takes a man of strength and dedication to make it in the territory. Joe puts those traits to good use when convincing Anna to be his bride.

The life a lumberjack is a physically grueling hard one. I enjoyed the descriptions of that life that Gist included in the story. Not only is the work demanding but it's also very dangerous. One miscalculation and the tree could come down the wrong way, hurting or killing anyone in it's path. The men that made up Joe's crew were a colorful bunch of characters who added another layer to the rugged landscape of the story.

Since this is an inspirational romance novel there are scripture references as well as mentions of god gingerly sprinkled throughout the book. In fact, there were times when I was wondering why there were not more references made. The religious overtones were minimal, with enough to show the characters' beliefs without feeling preachy.

The romance suffered a few bumps along the way with both Anna and Joe being too stubborn for their own good. They could have resolved things sooner had they just talked it out. I did find Anna's reason for not wishing to marry somewhat over the top. There were times when she seemed to carry around so much guilt, I was amazed she could find any happiness in life. The ending was fairly predictable, with Anna and Joe getting their happy ending.

Rating: B

TBR Challenge Review: Exclusively Yours

Exclusive Yours
Shannon Stacey
Contemporary Romance
Kowalski Family/Book 1
Carina Press/June 7, 2010

From Goodreads ~

When Keri Daniels’ editor finds out she has previous carnal knowledge of reclusive bestselling author Joe Kowalski, she gives Keri a choice: get an interview or get a new job.

Joe’s never forgotten the first girl to break his heart, so he’s intrigued to hear Keri’s back in town — and looking for him. Despite his intense need for privacy, he’ll grant Keri an interview if it means a chance to finish what they started in high school.

He proposes an outrageous plan — for every day she survives with his family on their annual camping and four-wheeling trip, Keri can ask one question. Keri agrees; she’s worked too hard to walk away from her career.

But the chemistry between them is still as potent as the bug spray, Joe’s sister is out to avenge his broken heart and Keri hasn’t ridden an ATV since she was ten. Who knew a little blackmail, a whole lot of family and some sizzling romantic interludes could make Keri reconsider the old dream of Keri
Joe 2gether 4ever.

This one hasn't been on my tbr pile for long but I will confess that I got caught up in the mass of positive reviews for book 3 in this series, Yours to Keep, so I had to start this series! And it is a contemporary so I could justify bumping it up the list since it fits in with this month's category. See how that works? We readers can justify nearly anything when it comes to books. :)

A book that starts with the mention sex in the backseat of my first car* not only brings back memories, it makes me glad I didn't have that car for long. Lord, that car was ugly! Although, Joe's car is brown and my was blue, still... ugly car.

Keri and Joe were high school sweethearts who thought they had everything planned out, then Keri went and changed the plans. It's almost 20 years later and Keri is put in a position where she must go back home to and see Joe again. Her job is on the line and since her job is the Most Important Thing In Her Life, she's willing to do anything to get the story.

I felt sorry for Keri, for putting so much into her career that she had so little left to give to any other part of her life. Sure, she had friends and other interests but they held such a small part of her time. The vast majority was given to her job. And she was okay with that. I think she had become use to her life centered around her job. Then, when she goes to interview Joe she begins to see what has been missing from her life - family.

Joe *deep sigh* I adored, lusted and just plain wanted Joe. Yeah, I know, he's fictional. So what? Isn't that kinda the point? LOL Joe is this immensely popular author whose career has brought him fame and fortune but not much happiness in the romance department. He is very close with his family and Stacey does a fantastic job not only showing but explaining that bond that the Kowalski siblings have. They argue, fight, tease and torment like pros but their loyalty and love always comes through. Even with all his fame, Joe is very down to earth. He doesn't embrace his celebrity but rather hides from it. He just wants to be left alone to write and enjoy time with his family. He's easy to like and easy to get to know, kind of an open book. :) With Keri, we see his vulnerable side. We see how much her leaving hurt him. I liked seeing that in the hero. Who says they have to be strong and stoic all the time? Let them show us how they're feeling and how deep they feel. Stacey does that and does it well with Joe.

There are certainly lighter and very humorous scenes throughout Exclusively Yours brought to you by the Krazy Kowalski family. The whole camping/ATV vacation that Keri is forced to go on is an adventure in endurance, patience and fortitude with a healthy dash of irritation thrown in. She also experiences that close bond the family has and can't help getting caught up in the their wild antics. I loved how she surprised herself by actually enjoying the trip

Joe's instructions to Keri as to what to bring on the camping trip ~

BRING: Bug spray; jeans; T-shirts; several sweatshirts, at least one with a hood; one flannel shirt (mandatory); pajamas (optional); underwear (also optional); bathing suit (preferably skimpy); more bug spray; sneakers; waterproof boots; good socks; sunscreen; two rolls of quarters.

DO NOT BRING: cell phone; Blackberry; laptop; camera, either still or video; alarm clock; voice recorder; any other kind of electronic anything.

She had no clue what it meant, other than Joe wanting her half-naked and unable to text for help.

Love Shannon Stacey's humor that's splashed throughout the story. I found myself laughing out loud so much and sometimes thankful that I wasn't in Keri's shoes, which were often dirty, wet, muddy and/or stinky. :)

Keri and Joe do have a history and that history also includes Joe's twin sister Terry. There is a boatload of tension between these former BFFs and while Joe tries to keep from getting stuck in the middle, he doesn't always succeed. I thought having that secondary relationship between Keri and Terry explored, it made the overall story more realistic to have Keri tied to this family not only by Joe but by Terry.

If there was one thing that bothered me just a little it was the time spent on Terry's problems with her marriage. While I felt it was important to show how she was feeling and what she was going through, if only to explain her reaction to Keri and Joe, I did feel it took a little too much of the story away from Keri and Joe's story. And there is also some drama with Joe's other brother and his wife. So lots of drama in the Kowalski camp.

After reading Exclusively Yours I went and bought Undeniably Yours and saw Netgalley had Yours to Keep for request and was lucky enough to get that too. Knowing I have more hours of reading pleasure from the Kowalski brothers makes me one happy camper!

Rating: A-

Books in this series ~

Exclusively Yours
Undeniably Yours
Yours to Keep

*1978 Ford Granada. Mine was dark blue.

Numbers and Favorites of 2009...

2009 marks the first year that I actually kept track of what I read. I used a simple Excel spreadsheet, keeping track of basic information. I plan to do the same thing for 2010 with maybe a few more columns of information - like date reviewed and grade. I'm still playing around with it but it's getting there.

Total books read- (includes ebooks and audio books): 156

Out of those 156 there were 5 ebooks (I think I missed a few and this is higher) and 33 audio books. Which leaves 118 print books. What surprised me are the number of audio books. I did get a new mp3 player for a birthday present last month and it is wonderful! I download the books from the library website and then upload to the mp3 player all in under 5 minutes. It's so much better than lugging the CD's around. And I can do it all from home!

My favorites of 2009:

Since I didn't review every book I read I decided to use the spreadsheet. As it turns out, I reviewed all but one on the list. I went through and selected my 10 favorite reads of the year. Why 10? I had to stop somewhere and 10 is a nice round number. Most do a top 10 list so I figured why not me? I decided not to include re-reads since many of those are keepers and would have probably taken up half the list. :)

When choosing, I picked the books that stood out and left the most vivid memories. Not all are A+ books but they all left an impact on me.

Stranger/ Megan Hart

Moon Called/Patricia Briggs

Magic Strikes/Ilona Andrews

Gabriel's Ghost/Linnea Sinclair*

Deathwish/Rob Thurman

Dream a Little Dream/Susan Elizabeth Phillips

A Reason to Live/Maureen McKade

The Hunger Games/Suzanne Collins

How I Live Now/Meg Rosoff

Joe’s Wife/Cheryl St. John

Special Mention ~ Promises in Death/J. D. Robb (audio) - this book was such an emotional read(listen) for me. It's definitely one of my favorites in the series.

*I don't know why I didn't review Gabriel's Ghost. I do remember reading it and getting sucked into the amazing world that Sinclair created. If you haven't read it, you're missing a wonderful story.

And that's it for 2009. Here's to some great reads for 2010!

Review: Breaking Point

Breaking Point

C. J. Box
Mystery
Joe Pickett/Book 13
Putnam/March 12, 2013

It was always good to see Butch Roberson, Joe thought—a hardworking, upright local business owner whose daughter was friends with his own. Little did he know that when he talked to Butch that day in the forest, the man was about to disappear. He was heading into the mountains to scout elk, he said, but instead he was running. Two EPA employees had just been murdered, and all signs pointed to him as the killer. 

As the manhunt organized itself, Joe heard more of the story—about the tract of land Butch and his wife had bought to build their retirement home on, until the EPA declared it a wetland. About the penalties they charged him when he balked, new ones piling up every day, until the family was torn apart by debt . . . and finally, it seems, the man just cracked. 

It was an awful story. But was it the whole story? The more Joe looks into it, the more he begins to wonder—and the more he finds himself in the middle of a war he never expected and never wanted. Powerful forces want Roberson not just caught but dead—and the same goes for anyone who stands in their way. Every man reaches his breaking point. Joe Pickett may just have reached his.

I recently started this series and have simply devoured it!  The character of Joe Pickett is an ordinary man who finds himself in some extraordinary situations.  I've come to like not only Joe but his wife Marybeth and their daughters.  The secondary characters that populate the small Wyoming town of Saddlestring make for interesting reading.

Joe is back doing what he loves, in the great outdoors, taking care of not only the local wildlife but the hunters who make Joe's work interesting and sometimes dangerous.  Joe is far from perfect, having a tendency to mess up but he sure does try to do what is right even when it would be so much easier to look the other way.

One thing about this series, whether you have strong feelings either way about hunting, it gives different perspectives on the subject.  You may not change your person viewpoint but it does give you something to think about.  Breaking Point focuses on the government and individual rights.  How the government can bend and even break what a person would perceive as obvious rights is scary.  Box explores the repercussions when one man's rights are abused.  Breaking Point drove home the fact that this can happen to anyone.

If you enjoy mystery and suspense set among the beautiful outdoors, give the Joe Pickett series a try.  

Rating:  B+

Joe Pickett Series ~

Open Season
Savage Run
Winterkill
Trophy Hunt
Out of Range
In Plain Sight
Free Fire
Blood Trail
Below Zero
Nowhere to Run
Cold Wind
Force of Nature
Breaking Point

YotC Review: Home for the Holidays

Title: Home for the Holidays
Author: Sarah Mayberry

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: November 2009

Harlequin Super Romance

Year of the Category Challenge

From the back cover ~

Joe Lawson has a thing for his new neighbor Hannah Napier. As a single dad, he shouldn't be thinking what he is about her. Still, that doesn't stop them from getting close. And the way she connects with his kids, it's as if they're a family.

Turns out it's too good to be true. Seems Hannah has plans that don't include staying in Melbourne. Joe won't stand between her and her dreams, even though letting her go is nearly impossible. The holidays are looking grim, with him and his kids missing Hannah like crazy. But it is the season of surprises, and Hannah may have one for them!

The cover ~ I like it. It's not too sugary sweet. The people look "real" and although most of the book doesn't take place during the holidays it still gives the feeling of the book.

So what is going on? Someone who used to shun Harlequins is now buying them when they are released? The world has tilted on it's axis and life as we know it has cease to exist. Okay, not quite that dramatic but still... a category author is now an auto buy for me is not something to sneeze at. Sarah Mayberry has become one of my favorite authors for 2009. I've yet to be disappointed by her books. I relish the chance to read her and will no doubt be sad once I've read her entire backlist. Then I'll have the long wait for her next release.

Home for the Holidays isn't a typical romance. There's a deceased wife, two kids - one's a teenager, an ex-fiance and a strained sibling relationship. Add to that the rocky start Joe and Hannah get off to and it certainly doesn't seem like they have any chance at becoming friends much less a couple. But Mayberry works her magic and Joe and Hannah get beyond those bad first impressions and get to know each other.

Joe Lawson is still feeling his way through the rough waters of single parenthood. He moves himself and his two kids, Ben and Ruby, to Melbourne to start over and be near his mum. In doing so he puts himself next to a woman who is so not his type. His first encounter with Hannah does not go well and he doesn't look forward to seeing his new neighbor again. Hannah isn't too happy about the "jerk" that has moved in next door. They almost subconsciously notice the attractiveness of the other but squash that down because how could they possibly be attracted to someone so exasperating?

Hannah Napier could not be described as a "delicate flower of womanhood". I can practically hear her snorting at the thought. LOL She is a mechanic and enjoys working on restoring a classic motorcycle in her spare time. Most comfortable in jeans and t-shirt, she is out of her comfort zone when dealing with dresses and make-up. But even in jeans and t-shirt Joe can't help but notice Hannah's curves. Even while being irritated by her, he still notices that she is all woman under her grease monkey exterior.

The conflicts, and they are many, are well developed for such a short format. Joe and Hannah must not only deal with their growing feeling for each other but also with the feelings of Joe's two kids. Ben is a teenager (13) who's unhappy with the world and is under pressure from school to try and fit in. Ruby is a precocious 10 year old that quickly takes to Hannah. At first, Joe isn't happy about Ruby hanging around with their "biker chick" neighbor. As Joe gets to know Hannah, he realizes what an important part of his family she is becoming.

I really enjoyed the dynamics of the characters. The way everyone kind of shifted and moved into place to create a new family. The moves weren't always smooth, there were definitely bumps along the way. Sometimes more shifting needed to be done but eventually two people became a couple and four people became a family.

So chalk up another win from Mayberry. Once again she's given the reader a romance couple different from the usual fare. With a heroine who can rebuild an engine and a hero who does laundry and washes dishes. The love scenes were sweet, sexy and funny. Two people who resort to getting hot and heavy in a car because they have no privacy at home makes for some hot and frustrating scenes. And the way they overcame their past pains to get to the point where they could trust and hope again was well written and left me, once again, happy to have found Sarah Mayberry's books. (Thanks KMont!)

Sarah Mayberry's website can be found here.

Rating: A