A Cowboy for Christmas - Rachel Lee (HSE #2439 - Nov 2015)

Series: Conard County: The Next Generation (Book 26)
           Conard County (Book 44)

A RANCHER WRAPPED IN RED

Emotionally and creatively drained, country music star Rory McLane returns home to Conard County, Wyoming, to recoup. He's sworn off women to allow himself time to heal and to protect his daughter. But his home's new caretaker is more appealing than he'd ever imagined. Kind and thoughtful, natural beauty Abby Jason makes Rory want to hum a love song once again…

Abby can't help but swoon at Rory's rugged good looks, but the sexy singer is off-limits. Her bitter divorce left her reluctant to trust another man -- even one as devoted to his family as Rory. As he and his daughter fill her heart with love and holiday cheer, she wonders if the cowboy might just be the one Christmas miracle to change her mind.

Very good book. Rory is burned out on his career and his personal life. He's had enough of touring and being away from his daughter, even though his ex-wife has custody. He's also finding it hard to write the music that used to come so easily to him. So he has packed up and returned to his roots in Conard County, hoping that the peace will help him heal. 

Abby was hired as the housekeeper in Rory's new house. She's still recovering from her divorce from a man who cheated on her with her boss, then running off with her, leaving Abby both jobless and homeless. The job of housekeeper came along at just the right time, as her work as a waitress wasn't paying the bills. With what she's getting paid, she can save enough to go back to college. She just isn't sure what to expect from her new employer. Will he be one of those stars that travels with an entourage and expects every whim to be catered to?

Imagine her surprise when he arrives by himself in an ordinary pickup truck, with little luggage and an old beat up guitar. He lets her know that he doesn't expect much, that he can't even guarantee he'd show up for regular mealtimes when he's lost in his work. The next few days are pretty quiet, until he gets a call from his ex-wife, giving custody of their daughter to him, because "she's too much trouble". Rory's happiness at getting his daughter back is plain to see, but Abby is worried about being expected to care for her. She knows nothing about kids. She makes a bit of a blunder trying to convey that to Rory, but smooths things over when he returns with Regina.

I loved the relationship that developed between Rory and Abby. Both were attracted to the other, but having been burned in the past, each was trying to resist. Rory is still smarting from his treatment by his ex-wife, plus dealing with all the people who suck up to him in order to get something from him. It has left him finding it hard to trust anyone. Abby also has trust issues, thanks to her ex, plus he did a number on her self esteem. She's attracted to him, but is quite certain that he would never look at her the same way. What I loved about Rory is that he liked Abby for the person she was. He appreciated the fact that she treats him like an ordinary person. With the addition of Regina to the household, they are suddenly spending much more time together. I liked how Rory got Abby involved in his music, and how Abby was able to give him the kind of response he needed. When the two were trapped alone in the house during a weekend storm, the attraction between them got more intense. I really loved the way that they talked to each other about their pasts and the effects on their willingness to get involved with someone else. I loved how they looked at their attraction clearly before doing anything about it. The intensity of what they experienced had them both running scared the next morning, and Rory especially said some truly terrible things. I was impressed, however, with the way that he faced up to what he did and tried to make it right. I thought it said a lot about both of them that they were able to look at what happened and learn from it.

Things get really scary when Regina is taken violently ill. Rory's fear of losing her is obvious and it takes Abby to keep him from giving in to those fears. I loved seeing her support of him, and how it makes clear to her just how strong her feelings for both of them are. The ending is really sweet as Regina makes her wishes known and Rory has to find a way to convince Abby that he loves her for herself.

I really liked Regina. From what was said about her at the beginning I was expecting a brat, but she wasn't. However, she was very smart for a ten year old, and had a very realistic view of her relationship with her mother. I loved her joy at being with her father, and the obviously loving relationship that they had. Her Christmas present for her dad was fantastic and his pride in her was a beautiful thing to see. She was a little tentative with Abby at the beginning, but they made friends fast. I loved seeing the fun that they had together even when Rory wasn't around. She wasn't perfect, as shown by her nagging Rory about a horse, but she wasn't mean about it either. She also knew when to stand up for herself, and proved it with an interesting twist regarding her mom and a renewed custody battle.

The Lawman Lassoes a Family - Rachel Lee (HSE #2414 - July 2015)

Series: Conard County: The Next Generation (Book 24)

A DEPUTY DADDY?

After her policeman husband died in the line of duty, Vicki Templeton swore off lawmen -- both for herself and her four-year-old daughter. Krystal can't afford to lose another father figure, and Vicki refuses to subject them both to such pain again. But when she moves from Texas to Conard County, Wyoming, Vicki's heart is on the line after she meets her handsome, helpful new neighbor.

A widower himself, sheriff's deputy Dan Casey knows a thing or two about loss. He tries to keep his distance from beautiful Vicki and her adorable child, but Vicki's sweet kid makes him long for the family he's always dreamed of. Can a determined little girl teach her mother and the cop next door a thing or two about love?

Very good story about love and loss. After her policeman husband was killed, Vicki was surrounded by the caring attitudes of his coworkers. But after a year went by, she started to feel smothered by the attention and unable to really move on from her loss. So she moved herself and her daughter in with her aunt in Conard County Wyoming, looking for a fresh start. The first person she meets is next door neighbor Dan who is handsome, helpful - and a cop. The last thing she wants to do is get involved with another man with a risky job. But Dan is sweet and kind and her daughter Krystal takes to him right away. Vicki is torn, because Krys needs someone like Dan in her life, but she's hesitant to risk the pain of loss again. 

Dan understands what Vicki is going through. He lost his wife to cancer a few years earlier and he's still working his way through some of the grief. He can see that his job makes Vicki cautious about spending much time with him, but he can't stay away. 

I loved the way the relationship developed between Dan and Vicki. He understands her fears and offers simple friendship at the beginning. He's attracted to her, but knows that she isn't ready for anything else. I loved seeing him take Krys under his wing and do things that would make her happy. It was obvious that he would make a fantastic father. As Vicki got more comfortable with him, his attraction to her grew. Vicki had felt the zing of attraction from the beginning, but fought it really hard. She couldn't resist his friendship, and his sensitivity to her fears made it pretty easy for her to hang out with him. I really liked the way that they talked about their feelings and fears like adults, instead of making a bunch of dramatic declarations. When Dan is there for her in a crisis, Vicki begins to realize that her feelings are deeper than she had expected. It's not long before she has to face her fears head on and decide if love can overcome them. I loved the scene with Krys after she came home from her sleepover and showed Vicki how to do it. The ending was sweet and emotional.

I really liked Vicki's daughter, Krys. She was an adorable kid, but the best part was the way her reactions felt so real. Though she was often a typical four year old, there were moments when her grief and fears appeared. I loved the way that Vicki and Dan dealt with them. Vicki's worries were logical and realistic. I also loved Krys's immediate connection with Dan. There were some really sweet moments between them.

Undercover Hunter - Rachel Lee (HRS #1831 - Jan 2015)

Series: Conard County: The Next Generation (Book 22)

Detective Cade Bankston never had any luck with female partners. So when he's assigned to work with feisty, raven-haired DeeJay Dawkins, he isn't pleased at all. Posing as a married couple, the investigators must team up to catch a killer. That is, if they don't kill each other first.

Putting their mission first proves tricky as mutual disdain evolves into mutual desire. But distraction is not an option. The killer who seemingly vanished five years prior has returned to Conard County, Wyoming, to finish what he started. And he just set his sights on two new victims.

Good book with terrific building suspense and an interesting romantic couple. Cade and DeeJay have been sent to Conard County to help find a serial killer. They are posing as a married couple, but the "marriage" is not going smoothly. Both Cade and DeeJay have issues with the opposite sex that get in the way. They're going to have to get over it in a hurry if they're going to catch the killer before he strikes again.

Both Cade and DeeJay judged each other based on past experiences with other people. Cade had been burned by a female coworker who accused him of inappropriate behavior. It has made him very wary of working with a female partner. DeeJay has it even worse. As a former military MP, she was forced out of the service when she refused to back down on rape investigations. As a victim herself, she has had too many bad experiences with male enforcement officers and their attitudes toward women. It only takes a couple days in Conard County before they realize that they have to come to terms with each other if they're going to do their jobs.

Once they are able to clear the air between them, they are faced with another issue. Now that they are no longer sniping at each other, it becomes evident that there is a strong attraction between them. One of the things I really enjoyed was seeing that the attraction did not get in the way of their job. In many books the couples seem to get intimate at times when they are in danger and shouldn't allow themselves to be distracted. In this book, Cade and DeeJay never let the attraction get in the way of their investigation. I also liked the respect they had for each other's abilities. DeeJay was constantly surprised that Cade listened to what she had to say and didn't treat her as a second rate investigator. I liked the way that Cade was sensitive to DeeJay's moods and was able to understand when her issues would flare up. I loved the last chapter, as Cade laid everything on the line and DeeJay had to decide if she was willing to take the risk.

The suspense part of the story was really good. The bad guy is known to the reader from the beginning and we get to see the way he thinks. What he does to his victims is truly disturbing, and I was on pins and needles to see if Cade and DeeJay could find him before he got to another kid. I really enjoyed seeing the methods that were used to solve the crime. It wasn't an easy time, and their frustration was obvious when there were delays because of storms. Things got really intense as the killer geared up for his next attack and DeeJay found herself in his sights. The final confrontation was chilling and I wondered how they were going to pull it off.

As always, I loved seeing Gage, Micah, Nate and other regulars from the series. 

Snowstorm Confessions - Rachel Lee (HRS #1819 - Oct 2014)

Series: Conard County: The Next Generation (Book 21)

The last man that Nurse Brianna Cole expects to bring home is the one she remembers all too well -- her ex-husband Luke Masters. But when he needs to recuperate from serious injury, her Wyoming cabin becomes his refuge. Though concussed and hazy, Luke is convinced someone pushed him off the snowy mountain he was evaluating for a ski resort. And though he can't remember why, he knows Bri is next.

Snowed in with her ex, Bri is blinded by old feelings, an attraction that never died. But the closer she gets to Luke, the closer she gets to murder. Because someone is watching her…stalking her…and if he can't have her, no one can!

Good reunion story, decent suspense but not a lot of action until the end. Bri was surprised to see her ex-husband show up on her doorstep. They had married impulsively, not realizing the strain that their occupations would put on their marriage. With Luke only being around for a couple weeks at a time a few times a year, the marriage fell apart. When he came to see her, he claimed that he wanted to clear the air between them, but Bri wasn't inclined to believe what he had to say.

Luke is in town to do the site survey for a ski resort. While on the mountain with a coworker he fell off a cliff and broke an arm and a leg and had a concussion. Luke is certain he was pushed, but his coworker didn't see anything. Bri was working at the hospital the day he was brought in. The doctors would not release him unless he had someone to look after him, so she offered to let him come home with her. She barely gets him home when the area is hit with a snow and ice storm.

Trapped together, Luke and Bri can't deny that the old attraction is still there. But both agree that there is no way for them to go back, because there are too many bad memories. One thing that they can do, though, is finally talk about what went wrong. I loved seeing how both had matured and changed enough that they could talk calmly. By doing so they both realized that each of them had had a part in what went wrong. I loved seeing Bri realize that she had been handicapped by the way her parents raised her, and now that she knows she is able to open up more to Luke. At the same time, Luke admits that he had been rather selfish in his attitudes, and hadn't treated her the way she should have been. As they share their feelings, they begin to think that there may be a chance for a future after all.

The suspense part of the story consisted of a really creepy stalker. We know who he is from the beginning and part of the story is told from his point of view. He goes from being overly zealous in his helpfulness to a jealous wannabe lover to murderous by the end. The way he watched really gave me the creeps, but it was his attack at the end that ramped up the tension. I was really worried about Luke as he tried to protect Bri even though he was still injured. It certainly gave them both the motivation to make the changes necessary to be together. I loved the way that things worked out for them at the end.