For His Brother's Wife - Kathie DeNosky (HD #2365 - Apr 2015)

Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: After the Storm (Book 7)

The tornado that tore apart Royal, Texas, ripped Paige Richardson's world to shreds. She lost her husband, and she expected her husband's twin, construction tycoon Colby Richardson, to offer a shoulder to lean on. But instead, he's distant. Why? What happened to the closeness they once shared?

For years, Cole has kept his distance, but now he's staying on Paige's ranch while he helps the town rebuild. It's only a matter of time before the feelings -- and secrets -- he's hidden all come to the surface.

Very good book and excellent conclusion to the series. When the tornado hit Royal, Paige's husband Craig was one of the casualties. His twin brother came to Royal to help with the funeral, and stayed to help the town recover. Paige had hoped to be able to lean on Cole a little, but he hasn't been very available. She had thought they were friends, but now she wonders what is wrong.

Back in high school, Cole had been interested in Paige, but her parents wouldn't allow her to date until after she graduated. Cole was two years older and promised to wait until after graduation and ask her out then, but he never did. Instead, she was pursued by his twin brother, and when she ended up pregnant, they were pressured to marry by their parents. Cole had kept his distance ever since, rarely returning to Royal.

When it's time to do repairs on Paige's ranch, Cole ends up staying in the ranch house with Paige. This is very difficult for him because he's never lost the feelings he had for her, but he won't disrespect her by making advances. He believes her marriage had been a good one, and he won't disillusion her by telling her of what had caused the rift between him and his brother. 

Paige had had a crush on Cole back in school and had been quite willing to wait for Cole to ask her out after graduation. But when he never followed through on his promise, she gave in to his brother's determined pursuit. Because of their parents' conservative views, she never really had a choice about marrying Craig, even though she didn't love him and was sure he didn't love her either. It wasn't much of a marriage, especially once she lost the baby that forced their marriage. Craig traveled a lot and she never got pregnant again. With his death, she has no real interest in marrying again.

Thrown together in the ranch house, both Paige and Cole discover that the old attraction is stronger than ever. Cole feels guilty about it, feeling that it is disrespectful to Paige, but resisting is nearly impossible. The attraction that Paige feels for Cole is far and above anything she ever felt for her husband. When a storm outside the house sets off a storm inside the house, they are powerless to resist. Regrets hit the next day, but it's too late to go back.

Both Cole and Paige spend a lot of time blaming themselves for what happened, and not wanting to admit that it was completely mutual. Cole's need to get his head on straight sends him out horseback riding, but he neglects to pay attention to what he's doing and winds up getting hurt. When Paige rushes to the hospital to check on him, Cole is full of painkillers and acting pretty silly. The fun continues at home as he recovers from surgery. The things he says under the influence have Paige thinking that maybe there's more than just attraction between them after all.

While he's laid up Cole comes across some information that shows just how much of a jerk his brother had been. It frees him from the guilt he had been experiencing about his feelings for Paige, and made him determined to show her how much he really cares. He is also equally determined that she never find out just how rotten Craig had been. But best intentions aside, Paige discovers a small portion of it, which makes her think she's been used all over again. It takes a very intent Cole to show her the truth and open up a brighter future for them together.

The epilogue takes place a year after the tornado, and we get updates on all the couples from the series. I loved seeing Royal's comeback and look forward to future visits.

More Than a Convenient Bride - Michelle Celmer (HD #2360 - Mar 2015)

Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: After the Storm (Book 6)

After all they've been through following the tornado that hit their Texas town, there's no way Dr. Lucas Wakefield will let his best friend, Julie Kingston, leave because of a green card mix-up. The only solution is to propose marriage. But what starts as a platonic arrangement quickly blooms into red-hot desire -- until Luc's ex-fiancée returns to reclaim her man and Julie questions whether happily-ever-after is in the cards. Good thing Luc has no intention of giving up his passionate new bride without a fight!

Good friends to lovers story. Luc and Julie have known each other and worked together for years, and have developed an excellent friendship. Six months after the tornado that hit Royal, Julie has been told that her work visa will not be renewed and she will have to leave the US. Luc doesn't like that idea at all. She has become too important to him and his work. So Luc offers her a marriage of convenience. They will remain friends and coworkers, just with a little bit of show to convince their friends that it's real.

Neither expects the words "you may kiss the bride" to set off uncontrollable fireworks. Suddenly they have trouble keeping their hands off each other. But is this a case of friends with benefits, or is there something more going on? 

Julie is cautious about getting involved emotionally with Luc. She doesn't want to ruin their friendship, and lose the home she has found in Royal. She has some trouble believing that someone like Luc could love her, thanks to some issues in her past. His ex-fiancee's arrival in town is a blow to her confidence, especially when it appears that he is spending time with her. So she keeps insisting that all they have is friendship and sex. She can't admit what she has with him until she is helped out by a very unlikely source.

Luc has avoided getting involved with another woman since the end of his engagement six years earlier. His fiancee hadn't liked how involved he was in his work and broke things off. Since his dedication to his work hasn't changed, he doesn't see marriage in his future, until Julie needs his help. He started out just wanting to help her, but that kiss at the wedding really blew him away. Suddenly he was looking at her a whole new way. It still took him awhile to realize that he loved her. He was also kind of oblivious to things that were going on around him. The arrival of his ex-fiancee as the mother of one of his patients threw him for a loop when she first arrived. Fortunately he quickly realized that he had no feelings left for her, but because of that he never thought to mention her arrival to Julie. I loved the way that his mother pointed out the error of his ways to him. Once he knew how he felt, trying to convince Julie became his goal.

I was really unsure about the presence of Luc's ex-fiancee, Amelia. There were times when she really seemed manipulative, and determined to get Luc back  for herself, no matter what she had to do. There were other times when she appeared to be a worried mom, just interested in getting the best care possible for her son. And when she was around Julie, she was the sweet woman who knew she had done wrong and learned her lesson. I wasn't sure what effect her presence was going to have until the very end.

There were some pretty funny moments in the books that involved Houdini, the blind kitten that Luc gave to Julie. I loved the way that Luc had picked out the kitty because of what Julie had said about never having had a pet. It was really sweet of him. The kitten's antics were a bit of a mood lightener when things started getting intense.

His Lost and Found Family - Sarah M. Anderson (HD #2354 - Feb 2015)

Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: After the Storm (Book 5)

A secret baby brings ex-lovers together in this tale of lost memories and second chances.

Getting hit with divorce papers isn't the fresh beginning Jake Holt wanted with Skye Taylor. But when he returns to their Texas hometown, he finds Skye has a child…and no memory of the couple's painful breakup.

After a long coma, Skye doesn't remember being swept up in a tornado or nearly losing her baby girl. Seeing Jake again rekindles their all-consuming passion. Then she starts to remember… Is their love strong enough to overcome the past so they can become a real family?

Four years earlier, Jake and Skye had run away together. As the children of two feuding families, they were raised to hate each other, but that didn't work for them. They fell in love and managed to keep their relationship a secret for a long time, but when it came out their families were furious. Rather than deal with the hate, they left to make their own life together. The day that the tornado came through Royal, Skye had come to town and been caught in the path of the twister. She was badly injured and her baby was delivered prematurely. Skye herself was in a coma for three months, while her sister Lark cared for the baby (Because of the Baby...).

No one knew where Jake was and why he hadn't been with Skye. His brother Keaton has been trying to find him to tell him what happened. At the beginning of the book, Jake has just arrived in Royal, looking for Skye. He had arrived home from ten months out of the country only to find divorce papers waiting for him. He is stunned to see the damages in Royal, and worried about whether Skye was okay. Thanks to a confrontation with Keaton, he discovers that Skye is in the hospital, having been in a coma, and that he is the father of a daughter. He never knew that Skye had been pregnant, 

Jake had never intended to step foot in Royal again. He has spent the last four years building his business, working insane hours and trying to make a better life for himself and Skye. Unfortunately, it also put a strain on their marriage, and they'd had a huge fight before he left on his last job. When he arrives at the hospital he discovers that Skye has a two year gap in her memory and doesn't remember that she had filed for divorce. She thinks that everything is just fine, and her doctor wants her memory to come back on its own. Jake looks at it as the opportunity to repair their relationship. If he can show her how he really feels, maybe things will be okay when her memory does come back.

Skye had been disoriented when she came out of the coma. She didn't remember being pregnant or coming back to Royal. She didn't know why Jake wasn't there with her and why no one would tell her where he was. She was relieved when he arrived and was so happy to see him. Because her doctor didn't want her too far away as she finished recovering, they stayed in Royal. Jake found them a house to live in and he spent his time taking care of her. But something didn't feel right.

The rekindling of their relationship was really interesting. Skye didn't know that there had been anything wrong to start with, as those were the memories that were missing. She likes having Jake around so much, as her last memories were from just as the business started taking off. She behaves the way she did when they were first married, which confuses Jake. She's frustrated by the feeling that there is something going on that she doesn't know about, but she's determined to make the most of their time together. As she starts to get her strength back, bits and pieces of her memory return. Can she trust that the Jake she is seeing now will be the one to stay, or will the workaholic make a return once she is well again?

Jake had been upset to find the divorce papers, as he still loved Skye very much. He had known that things were going wrong with their marriage, but didn't know what to do about it. Finding that Skye has no memory of the breakup of their marriage, he is determined to use the time to fix things. One of the stresses in their marriage had been his refusal to go back to Royal because of the way they had been treated by their parents. On his return, he discovers that the arrival of baby Grace has begun to change his parents' attitudes and that they are far more welcoming than they had been before he left. This removes one of the obstacles to he and Skye getting back together. He also begins to accept that she had had valid complaints about the fact that he worked all the time, putting his work ahead of her and their marriage. Once he makes that connection, he realizes that he has to make changes if he is going to save their marriage. When her returning memory collides with a new business opportunity, Jake has some important choices to make.

The family dynamics were great. We had seen the beginning of the attitude changes by Jake's parents in the previous book, as they got involved with baby Grace. I loved seeing Jake's confusion over those changes when he first saw them again. It takes him awhile to adjust to those changes, and also to seeing his brother with Skye's sister. Skye's parents continue to be a royal pain, and she is stunned by the attitude they still have. They, too, have to learn to let go of the past.

Because of the Baby... - Cat Schield (HD #2348 - Jan 2015)

Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: After the Storm (Book 4)

When proximity for the sake of the baby leads to passion…

Born prematurely during a devastating tornado, baby Grace is the littlest miracle in Royal, Texas. Now, with Grace's mother in a coma and her father missing, rancher Keaton Holt and nurse Lark Taylor must come together to care for their niece, putting aside a century-old family feud for the child's sake.

For these two, the road to forgiveness is paved with passion. Even as the family feud continues around them, Lark and Keaton forge a feverish bond. But what the tornado brought together it can tear apart as new revelations surface in the aftermath of the storm…

Good story with an enemies to lovers theme. Keaton and Lark's families have been feuding over a piece of land for more than a hundred years. Because of it, when Keaton's brother Jake fell in love with Lark's sister Skye, they left Royal rather than deal with their families' attitudes. The day of the tornado, pregnant Skye was found unconscious in her car. Her baby, Grace, was born prematurely, and Skye has been in a coma for the last three months. The baby's father is missing, so when it's time for baby Grace to leave the hospital, Lark takes custody of her.

As a nurse, Lark has spent a lot of time with little Grace, and is determined to do the best she can for her. Keaton is also determined to do what he can for his brother's child until Jake can be found. Lark and Keaton decide to put aside the family conflict and work together to take care of the baby. Lark has always been the shy, quiet sister, overshadowed by her sister's more outgoing nature. Over the past four years she has regretted not supporting her sister when she chose love over her family, and wants to be able to tell Skye that. When it's time to bring Grace home, Keaton insists on helping and feels that the best way to do that is to move in with Lark. She isn't too sure at first, but does agree that she needs help.

Keaton's ranch sustained a lot of damage from the tornado, so he is heavily involved in taking care of that. He also helps with some of the damage to the town hall. Knowing that Grace is his brother's child, he is determined to have a part in her care. He has also been trying to track down his brother to let him know what happened. He is more than willing to put the feud aside to help care for Grace.

I loved Lark and Keaton together. He is pretty sweet in his determination to help care for Grace and how hands on he wants to be. Lark has been the only family member caring for her and is reluctant to give up any control, but the first day home shows her that she does need the help. I loved the way that Keaton went to the internet to search for way to deal with a crying baby, and how he and Lark worked together to figure it out. I loved Keaton's patience with Lark's attitude, and how he did what was needed anyway. I enjoyed how they started out with a truce for Grace's sake, then proceeded on to friendship as they got to know each better. There were many ways they were alike. Living so closely together they also discovered an intense attraction to each other. Lark tried to fight it at the beginning, remembering the havoc from Jake and Skye's relationship, and not wanting to go through the same thing. But it was too strong to ignore and it wasn't long before she and Keaton were heavily involved. She was still worried about the reaction if and when her parents find out.

Once they were involved, both Lark and Keaton found themselves mostly ignoring the feud. Their feelings for each other deepen and both realize that what they have is special. Keaton's care for her gives her a confidence in herself that she never had before, and eventually the courage to stand up for what she wants. When Keaton finds something that's going to set the feud on its ear, his first thoughts are about how it will affect his relationship with Lark. What ends up happening is painful for her at first, but her own sense of who she is makes everything turn out right in the end. I loved Keaton's support of Lark, and what he did at the end.

I liked seeing how baby Grace helped heal things with Keaton's family. His parents' visit to the baby went really well, and I liked seeing his mother and how nice she was with Lark. On the other side, Lark's parents were a real piece of work. Their selfishness and unwillingness to do anything with Grace really bothered Lark. They were also really nasty about Lark allowing Keaton to help her. I really liked seeing Lark's visits to Skye and how she talked to her about Grace. The hope is always there that Skye will wake up soon.

Pregnant by the Texan - Sara Orwig (HD #2342 - Dec 2014)

Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: After the Storm (Book 3)

When folks think of Stella Daniels, they think unassuming, even plain. But after a devastating tornado hits Royal, Texas, Stella steps up and leads the recovery effort. That's when she attracts the attention of construction magnate Aaron Nichols -- and a surprising night of passion ensues.

Aaron sees something special in the no-nonsense admin, and he's more than happy to bring her out of her shell. But when he discovers Stella's expecting his child, can he overcome his demons to be the hero this hometown heroine really needs?

Very good book. Stella has been in the background of the previous books, quietly going about the business of tornado recovery. She is the mayor's administrative assistant and while he has been critically injured she has stepped up to do what needs to be done. She doesn't see herself as doing anything special. During the early cleanup efforts she met Aaron and something sparked between them, resulting in a memorable night together, something that she doesn't usually do. She doesn't see a future in it, and lets him know that she'd rather forget about it. Six weeks later she discovers that she won't be able to.

Aaron was drawn to Stella from the beginning. He sees beauty under the plain clothes she wears, and a giving heart that encompasses everyone. He'd like a chance to experience more of the passion they had the last time they were together. But before he can make his interest known, he finds out about her pregnancy. Being an honorable man, he proposes right away, wanting to give Stella and the baby everything they deserve. He's surprised when Stella turns him down, but she wants love along with marriage and feels that love is not in the equation.

I liked that Stella had the fortitude to stick to her desire to marry for love. Her parents hadn't loved each other and it made for a miserable childhood for her and her sister. She sensed from the beginning that there was something holding him back. Since she knows that they will be connected forever thanks to the baby, getting to know him better is important to her and she hopes that eventually he will open up to her. Meanwhile, Aaron hopes that he can convince Stella that passion and compatibility will be enough for a good marriage. Seven years earlier he had lost his wife and son in a car crash and the pain he still feels has him certain he will never love again.

One of the things I loved about Aaron was that he saw so much more in Stella than she did in herself. She doesn't see the work she's doing for Royal's recovery as anything special, but he can see how much she gives of herself. He is determined to make her see just how wonderful she is. Though at the beginning he seems very pushy about forcing her outside her comfort zone, it's not long before she is doing everything he knew she could. I loved the way that he supported and encouraged her, and the pleasure he took in her success. 

With as much time as they were spending together, the passion between them only grew. Stella found that, as she expected, her feelings for Aaron only got stronger. But without him returning her love, she can't bring herself to commit to a marriage between them. Aaron discovered that when he was with Stella, the pain of his losses wasn't as great, but couldn't see that he was in love with her too. It wasn't until she started to withdraw, to protect her own heart, that he realized the depth of his feelings. I loved seeing what he did to show her just how special she was. 

Sheltered by the Millionaire - Catherine Mann (HD #2336 - Nov 2014)

Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: After the Storm (Book 2)

Texas tycoon Whit Daltry has always been a thorn in Megan Maguire's side, especially when he tries to put the kibosh on her animal shelter. But when he saves her daughter during the worst tornado in recent memory, Megan sees beneath his prickly exterior to the hero underneath. Soon, the storm's recovery makes bedfellows of these opposites. Until Megan's old reflexes kick in -- should she brace for betrayal or say yes to Whit once and for all?

Good story. There has been a lot of conflict between Megan and Whit from the beginning. Whit admits that he was attracted to her from the time they met, but because of their conflict over some land, she has given him the cold shoulder for three years. Megan is the director of the local animal shelter and Whit had blocked the purchase of the land she wanted for the new shelter, causing her to settle for a different location that wasn't as good. Megan also has issues with some of his business practices, which only adds to her dislike.

On the day of the tornado Megan is trying desperately to get to the daycare where her daughter is. When her car is hit by a falling tree, she gets out to walk the rest of the way. Whit sees her and uses his truck to drive her there, where he also helps rescue some of the kids who are trapped. Megan sees a different side of the man she has detested and when a kiss of gratitude turns heated she's not sure what to do.

Megan has devoted her life for the past four years to the shelter and to her daughter. Evie's father bailed as soon as he found out Megan was pregnant so she's been on her own. That reminds her of the fact that her father also deserted her and her mother when she was young, so she doesn't expect men to stay around. She avoids dating and involvement, claiming that she doesn't want her daughter hurt by people moving in and out of her life. But Whit is making a determined pursuit of her and she's finding it very hard to resist.

I liked Megan and Whit, though I did get a bit frustrated with Megan. I loved her devotion to the shelter and admired her environmentally conscious behavior. But she tended to be a bit judgmental about Whit and his actions. Instead of enjoying being with him at his house, she fusses at him about his lack of recycling. She also looks down on his land purchases and what he does with them. On the other side, she really appreciates his help with the animals at the shelter and the way he gets others to help. She begins to see that there is a nice guy under the surface of the businessman. Even though she falls for him, she keeps a part of herself closed off, wanting to protect her heart because she knows he won't stay. I wanted to shake her when she refused to listen to him about a purchase he made, making a judgment before she had the facts. 

I loved Whit. He had overcome a rough childhood, where his parents were constantly on the move. His father couldn't keep a job, so they were constantly skipping town. When he became an adult he swore that he would find a place to put down roots and build a life different than what he'd had. Now he has plenty of money, a debt free life, and a house he loves. He had been attracted to Megan from the time he met her, but because of their conflict had never pursued her. When the tornado throws them together, he takes the opportunity to spend some time with her and try to overcome her objections. He was wonderful with Megan's daughter Evie from the very beginning. I loved seeing him play with her and try to help her with her fears since the tornado. I loved what he did with the therapy dogs and how he was trying to help Evie and Megan. He is also very patient in his pursuit of Megan, even when she makes advances to him. He wants more than just a physical relationship and makes his plans accordingly. He's sweet and romantic and tries hard to put her fears to rest. I ached for him at the end and was happy when Megan finally saw what an idiot she had been.

I liked seeing the way the people of Royal have come together to help each other and rebuild their town. There are appearances by characters from previous stories, and also characters from upcoming ones. I like seeing them before they get their own books, as it is a way to get to know them before they become focal points. I loved the setting of the animal shelter and the way it shows what can happen with peoples' pets when a disaster happens.