The Warrior's Way Movie Trailer...

I have sooooo got to see this! Ninjas, outlaw cowboys and one kick-ass chick. It's like a UF come to life! "Ninjas. Damn"




The Warrior's Way, release date, December 3, 2010.

Seriously hope this is as good as it looks!

Review: Getting Lucky

Getting Lucky
Carolyn Brown
Contemporary Romance
Lucky Trilogy/Book 3
Sourcebooks/January 2010
Publisher

From the publisher's website ~

Teacher Julie Donovan has just relocated to a new town in Texas with her young daughter. Of all the kindergarten classes in all the state, Julie is surprised to see her one-night stand, her daughter's father, enroll his own 5-year-old daughter, all the while pretending they are strangers.

But to Griffin Luckadeau they really are strangers, and Julie's little family is a mess he wants nothing to do with. Julie attempts to make her own way in the town, but local politics, a fire and her daughter's inconvenient friendships all seem to be pushing these two strong-willed Texans together.

Carolyn Brown's final book in her Lucky trilogy takes the reader back to Texas and to the town of Saint Jo. It's here where Julie Donovan has taken a job as a kindergarten teacher. She and her five year old daughter are starting over after living with Julie's parents after her divorce. This is to be a fresh start, getting away from the gossip and rumors that ran rampant after Julie's ex-husband filed for divorce. Annie, Julie's daughter, is not her ex-husband's child.

Griffin Luckadeau is one of the numerous Luckadeaus that populate Texas. He comes from a long line of ranchers and has ranching in his blood. He is also the single father of Lizzy, his five year old daughter who just happens to look like Annie, Julie's daughter. When the two girls meet for the first time in Julie's class they become instant friends. Their bond is a strong one and their parents are not happy about it. When Griffin first meets Julie at the school he doesn't know who Julie is but he thinks she trouble. When he does unravel the truth of who Julie is and how they are connected, it's too late for him to back away from her and Annie. They have become part of his and Lizzy's life.

Julie is just having the worst luck. I felt bad for her when she came face to face with Griffin. Here she is trying to get a new beginning for her and Annie and she can't seem to get away from her past. Add to that the quick friendship that develops between Annie and Lizzy and it just complicates things. Julie doesn't like Griffin, she wants nothing to do with him but understand that she also has to consider Annie. Griffin doesn't trust Julie at all but he also has to consider Lizzy. They're stuck. Then the rumors start up with people talking about the amazing resemblance between Annie and Lizzy.

When Julie is confronted with the rumors of who Annie's father is she tries to deny it which I really didn't understand since it's obvious Annie is a Luckadeau. Then she has a major run in with Griffin's ex. The claws come out and Julie goes from sweet kindergarten teacher to momma bear guarding her cub. I got why Julie was so upset with Griffin's ex. The woman was horrible. What I didn't get was how close to violence Julie was. The women in general throughout the book were very vocal when they became angry. The men seemed tame in comparison. And the women didn't use only words but threats of physical violence as well. This surprised me and had a tendency to take me out of the story.

The kids in the story were really cute and well written. There was Annie, Lizzy and a little boy named Chuck that the girls basically adopt. It was sweet the way they took him under their wing and decided, on their own, that they should take care of him. They would share their lunches and invite him to their homes in spite of the fact that Chuck was a bit of an outcast at school.

Julie and Griffin's relationship goes from wary to angry to cordial to tentative friendship. Then the fire that ravages the area places Julie and Griffin in a position to help each other out. That's when the tentative friendship really becomes more. I liked when Julie and Griffin were getting along and had a common goal that they worked towards. They made a good couple except when they were fighting because the fights seemed to become so childish. If they had simply talked more I think they could have avoided some of the arguments.

The people of the town played a role in Julie and Griffin's relationship. As did Griffin's family. The women were, once again, very protective of Griffin. Almost too protective. Millie and Jane (Luckadeau heroines from first two books) make it very clear to Julie that they don't trust her. It takes a while before the misunderstandings are discovered and the women can finally stop with the threats.

The down home Texas feel comes through in spades in Brown's writing. The reader experiences what life is like in a Texas ranching community. Both the small mindedness and the acts of kindness that Julie experiences. If you like your contemporary romances with a southern, small town flair they you might just like Getting Lucky.

Rating: B-

Review: Once A Cowboy

Title: Once A Cowboy
Author: Linda Warren
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Cowboy Trilogy/Book 3
Published: February 2007

From the author's website ~

Once. And For Always

Brodie Hayes is a former rodeo star, now a rancher-a cowboy, through and through. But when he finds out some shocking news about the circumstances of his birth, he begins to question his identity. Luckily, private investigator Alexandra Donovan is there to help him find the truth about who he is. Along the way, he discovers that even a man who thought he'd be alone for the rest of his life can fall in love.

For Brodie, love was something you did once-and for always. But is Alex the type of woman who can take on a stubborn man like him? Because there's one thing about him that will never change, no matter what they find out about his past-once a cowboy, always a cowboy.

Why did I read this? Because it was free. :) Yep, Once A Cowboy is one of the seventeen free downloads that Harlequin is offering to celebrate 60 years of publishing. What was even better than the price tag was the story. While I didn't download all of the free reads I do plan on trying a number of them. The two historicals look interesting and Hilcia from Impressions gave Raeanne Thayne's Dancing in the Moonlight ,from the Silhouette line,a very positive review.

I enjoyed Linda Warren's voice and her ability to give her characters a strong presence without overshadowing the story. The main characters of Brodie and Alex were easy to like and enough back story was provide that I felt I knew them. If I had any problems with their relationship it was the romance aspect of it moving too slow. The book was only 246 pages and I thought they would get together long before they finally did.

The overall story was different than what I was expecting. The author got into the ramifications of what would happen if suddenly you are not who you thought you were. Warren didn't gloss over how what affects one person can spiral out to affect others no matter what precautions are take. I liked that Brodie showed his concern for his mother, who sorely tried his patience. He was an easy going, likable guy that was content with his life. When his career as a bull rider ended he took to his ranch and made a life for himself there. When he first meets Alex it's for business reasons but Alex soon becomes concerned about Brodie and reaches out to him. He doesn't want her in his life but she is stubborn and continues to look out for his best interest.

The two do eventually acknowledge their attraction and Brodie lets Alex into his life where she quickly makes a place for herself. Alex, for all her tenacity, was a heroine that I saw as good for Brodie. And Brodie was good for her, he's there when she needs him the most. But at first it's loads of drama and the past coming back to haunt Brodie. Alex is good for him in that she knows when to push and when to back off. Alex's own past isn't a bed of roses. Her mother died when she was 2. She's now in her early 30's and lives with her father and grandmother, who don't get along very well. To say her life is pretty much about her P.I. work would be accurate. She's tends to get too involved in some of the cases and becomes emotionally attached. I think it was because she needed someone to focus all her nurturing instincts on and she needed to become independent of her father and grandmother.

All and all, considering this was free it was certainly worth my reading time which isn't easy to come by. The romance wasn't as strong as I would have liked but I'll be looking for more of Ms. Warren's book in the future. Even if this doesn't sound like your type of story, there might be some among the 17 category romances available to enjoy.
Linda Warren has written a number of books for Harlequin. Those books and the excerpts can be found at her website.

Rating: B