King Cobra by Jayne Rylon

King Cobra by Jayne Rylon

Hot Rods, Book 1

Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.(April 2013)

130 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $3.44)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Sensuality: Red Heart

Eli (Cobra) glimpsed his cousin's unconventional lifestyle and has tortured himself ever since with forbidden desires for his own makeshift family, particularly his right-hand man, Alanso. Alanso gets tired of waiting for Eli to make his move and takes matters into his own hands. I have been anxiously awaiting this story ever since I read the last book in the Powertools series and was introduced to these characters, and it did not disappoint!  Eli had a fair bit of resistance at first and it was making things difficult for everyone, but once he let that go, the chemistry between the two men was awesome. And though it was kind of frustrating to be left hanging, I look forward to reading the rest of Eli and Alanso's story in the next book in this series, Mustang Sally, due out in June 2013.

Wanderlust by Skye Warren

Wanderlust by Skye Warren

Publisher: Skye Warren (April 2013)

191 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $3.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Sensuality: Red Heart

Evie has spent her life sheltered by a paranoid, overprotective mother and is finally looking to break free from her cocoon and find a way to fulfill her dream to see Niagara Falls, only to be claimed and captured almost immediately by Hunter, a trucker who is fighting both the good and bad within him. This was such a great story about two people, seemingly very different, who come to find out they have a great deal in common. It was interesting to see the exploration of need and fulfillment, even those involving actions that are unquestionably wrong on the face of things, but colored by the willingness of the participant to submit to it. Engaging read, with a great ending!

Sourdough Creek by Caroline Fyffe

Sourdough Creek by Caroline Fyffe

Publisher: Caroline Fyffe (February 2012)

366 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $3.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Sensuality: White Heart

Cassie's got big plans for the gold mining claim deed that her uncle left behind, hoping it could be the break she needs to make a good life for her and her little sister, then Sam shows up offering to accompany them, not telling the girls the claim deed was stolen from him by their uncle, and Cassie agrees to his escort, forced to admit it would be better if they had a capable man like him come along with them. Sam was great and it was interesting to watch his changing motivations evolve, concerning the two girls and the direction of his life. Cassie was strong and a capable partner, making a good team with Sam at many points, not just a damsel in distress all the time. And though she was annoyingly blind where her uncle was concerned, I'm glad she finally saw the light before it was too late. There were a lot of engaging secondary characters in this book as well, and I wouldn't mind reading a story about Sam's brother, Seth, in particular. Great Book!

Where the Wind Blows by Caroline Fyffe

Where the Wind Blows by Caroline Fyffe

Prairie Hearts Series, Book 1

Publisher: Montlake Romance (November 2012)

290 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $2.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Sensuality: Pink Heart

After a fellow cowhand's death, Chase volunteers to notify the man's widow and bring her her husband's final wages and personal effects, seeing as it's on his way to his next job anyway, but he ends up staying with the young widow much longer than the brief stop through he had intended. Though a little needlessly stubborn and frustratingly selfless at times, Jessie was a strong, noble character that was easy to like, determined to do everything she can not to be a burden to anyone. Chase finds fate has finally offered him a taste of a real family for the first time in his life and he finds that he likes it more than he'd like to admit, while fighting his fear that he isn't deserving of such good luck, and I wish he'd been a bit more willing to fight to keep them at times. With a wagon journey, the three kids they'd taken under their wing, and some shifty characters lurking around, there was plenty of action to carry them through and keep them on their toes, while Chase and Jessie got acquainted and tried to decipher each others intentions. Great Story!

Texas Twilight by Caroline Fyffe

Texas Twilight by Caroline Fyffe

The McCutcheon Family Series, Book 2

Publisher: Caroline Fyffe (September 2011)

346 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $3.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Sensuality: White Heart

Just out of school, John is heading to Rio Wells, Texas, to set up his first physician's practice, glad that his uncle and his family will be close by while he's starting out, intending to send for his fiancee Emmeline once things are up and running, but he meets Lily on the stagecoach and finds her enchanting. There is so much going on in this, you can't help but be riveted until the very end. Beside John and Lily, three or four other couples are dancing around each other, there is mystery around Lily's aunt and her motives for taking them out west, and starting with the attack on their coach, shady characters and intrigue are swirling the town like flies, not to mention John's sister Charity making the hasty decision to drop in unannounced all the way from Montana. I loved this story! Lily and John were both strong, honorable characters and I liked that Lily was honest with him about everything from the start, building a strong friendship between them, while it wasn't possible for it to be anything more. I look forward to the next installment in this series! Hopefully, it will be Brandon and Charity's story!

Montana Dawn by Caroline Fyffe

Montana Dawn by Caroline Fyffe

The McCutcheon Family Series, Book 1

Publisher: Leisure (September 2011)

326 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $3.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Sensuality: White Heart

In the culmination of an ill-fated attempt to flee the scheming of her deceased husband's father and brother, Faith is in labor, in a wagon, in the middle of nowhere, in a storm, her horses have run off and she only has her young step-son with her, until Luke comes upon them hearing her cries and helps to deliver the child, offering her escort to the next town. This was a beautiful story. I loved Luke! A bit reluctant and dense at first, but fascinating to watch as he mulls over his insecurities related to the circumstances and consequences of his half-breed birth and native american blood. Faith was a nice enough person, but she frustrated me. So many lies and secrets, I wish she could have just told Luke the truth and let him help her from the start, instead of complicating things in a stubborn attempt to take the noble road. There were so many great characters in this: Luke's family, Faith's kids and all the ranch hands. The next book in this series, Texas Twilight, is about Luke's younger brother, Dr. John McCutcheon.

My Daring Highlander by Vonda Sinclair

My Daring Highlander by Vonda Sinclair

Highland Adventure Series, Book 4

Publisher: Vonda Sinclair (March 2013)

375 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $4.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Sensuality: Red Heart

Seona's father had contracted for her to marry the MacKay chieftain, but not having fulfilled the arrangement due to marrying another, Laird Dirk MacKay set out to return her and provide a gift to her father in compensation for the breach, his cousin Keegan being responsible for taking care of the matter in his stead. Having grown quite attached to her, Keegan didn't want to return Seona, but feared without a title he had no chance of winning her hand in marriage from her father. All this while Dirk's younger brother and his cronies attack the traveling party repeatedly trying to kill Dirk and steal Seona. I liked that Keegan had no problem facing his feelings for Seona and didn't waste time fighting with himself, other than to convince himself that title or no, he'd have the woman he wanted one way or another. Other than a brief attempt to hide her true qualms and motives, I liked that Seona was very straightforward with Keegan, leaving little or no room for misunderstandings to gum up the works. They went into a seemingly impossible situation, both determined and hopeful nonetheless, and it was fascinating to see the way it was all most satisfyingly resolved. Will there be a future story about Fraser and Talia? There seemed to be some hints to that effect. The next book in this series is slotted to be Torrin and Jessie's story, and I look forward to reading it when it becomes available!

Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley

Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley

Chaos Series, Book 1

Publisher: Forever (April 2013)

448 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $3.79)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Sensuality: Red Heart

Tabby had a huge crush on Shy, until he made some harsh, unjustified judgments about the direction of her life, leading her to seek an escape in school and find another man. Shy thought he had irrevocably messed up his chance with her, but after helping her through a tragedy, he began to hope, if even a little. Shy was a well-known womanizer and I didn't really like the part where he was seeing a steady girl at the same time as his relationship with Tabby, but I understand from his point of view they weren't together yet and he did immediately make the break when they were official, so I guess I can forgive that. Tabby was great, though a bit overly dramatic at times, probably just a stubborn nature unwilling to admit defeat. The questions of loyalty and trust mixed up in this, I thought was great. I'm looking forward to reading Hop and Lanie's story in the next book in this series, Fire Inside, due out June 2013.