LONE RIDER by B.J. DANIELS

Publisher:    HQN

Published:   July 28, 2015

ISBN:       978-0373788415

Genre:    Contemporary Western Romance

Format:   Ebook   

Obtained via:  Publisher via Edelweiss

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

THREE HEARTS

 

Bo Hamilton hasn’t been the most stable of the Montana Hamilton’s but she’s been doing a decent job running the foundation named after her mother, Sarah.  And then one day Bo disappears.  Just takes off into the Crazies Mountains.  Coincidentally, at the same time, a considerable amount of money goes missing from the foundation.  Speculation as to just what is going on with Bo catches more than one person’s attention, but it is Jace Calder who is determinedly sure she’s innocent.

Not so many years ago Bo broke Jace’s heart.  But even a broken heart can’t stop caring so Bo heads up into the mountains to look for the woman he has always loved.  But there are more than just Bo and Jace on the mountain.  Something much more sinister than missing money awaits them.

Meanwhile, Senator Buck Hamilton is still trying to figure out what to do about his two wives.  When Sarah disappeared almost 20 years ago, after an acceptable time period Buck had her declared dead.  Not long after he married Angelina.  While Sarah was more than content to live on the ranch and raise their six daughters, Angelina shared his dream of living in the White House.  With Sarah’s return from the dead Angelina becomes increasingly concerned about not only her marriage, but most important to her, becoming the First Lady. 

With troubles mounting in the Hamilton family the last thing they need is for convicted killer Raymond Spencer to surface on Hamilton land.

I’ve been a long time B.J. Daniels fan but have been disappointed in her last two books – the Montana Hamilton’s series.  Generally I’m not happy with Daniels buying into what seems to be a growing trend in romance writers of using the “cliff hanger” at the end of their books. For me, like many readers, it comes across more like an effort to force the reader to purchase the next book just to find out the ending.  It doesn’t enhance the mystery but does turn me off on reading any more by an author who does this. 

The other is more specific to the story.  There were additional threads, particularly the one about Emily, that just didn’t seem to add to the story.  If it is meant as a lead in to the next book it was just too distracting throughout the entire book.  If it was a way to boost the word count, more could have been done with Sarah or Angelina’s parts of the story.

That said, what I did like are the stories around Sarah and Angelina.  Angelina is one of those women who you love to hate.  Their interactions—even though they never meet up but are seen through Buck’s eyes and thoughts are reminiscent of the old Dynasty TV show.  You just keep wanting more.  Angelina is an out front schemer.  While Buck doesn’t see it so much, the reader does and just wants more.  And Sarah appears to be a sweet innocent—but something much more is going on and I’m starting to suspect I know who is pulling the strings.

The scenes up in the Crazies were well done.  Daniels does evoke some wonderful visceral reactions and you’re sure you can smell the camp fires and feel the chill in the air.

Each book in the Montana Hamilton’s series is essentially a standalone, but this is one series were you do need to read the books in order. 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

DELIVERANCE AT CARDWELL RANCH by B.J. Daniels

Publisher:    Harlequin Intrigue

Published:   November 18, 2014

ISBN:     978-0373698004

Genre:   Romantic Suspense

Format:  Print

Obtained via:  Publisher  

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

FIVE HEARTS

Finally making his way to Montana after putting it off for, well just about years, Austin Cardwell finds himself in the middle of a virulent snow storm—one that borders on an outright blizzard.  Not that Austin intended to miss his brother’s wedding last summer.  He did not intend to get involved in saving a young woman’s life in his job as a deputy sheriff in Texas.  Now, healed and with Christmas days away he’s on his way to Montana.  Following the holidays he and his brothers plan to open their latest Texas Brothers Barbeque on New Year’s day.  They’ve pretty much let him know it won’t be met very favourably if he misses it.  So Austin is on his way—that is until he almost runs into an overturned car in the middle of the road.

               

Gillian is on the run, but she doesn’t know from who or what.  All she knows is when the handsome deputy sheriff turns up by her overturned vehicle she needs to find answers and find them quickly. As Gillian begins to remember what happened she realizes she needs to trust Austin, at least until her sister and nephew are safe.  The question is, can they solve the secret of Rebecca, Gillian’s sister’s, disappearance before they are all killed.

Of all the Cardwell Ranch books I really think DELIVERANCE AT CARDWELL RANCH is the absolute best.  I’ve enjoyed all of B.J. Daniels’ books in this series, but this one is a topper.  Very little occurs at the Cardwell homestead but it still involves the Cardwell brothers and extended family.  Austin has been the mystery brother, always on the outside, unavailable and definitely untouchable.  As his story is told readers learn just why he had become the family loner and what has driven him to not mind if he misses a family event or ten.

Gillian’s growth and development in the story is nicely done.  From a frightened woman with no memory to one determined to save her family at any cost is a marvellous transition.  By the end of the story, despite falling in love with Austin, she has the strength to say goodbye to him if that is what she must do.

The suspense is classic B.J. Daniels – only she’s gotten better at it.  I started this book on a Friday night and quickly fell into one of those “one more chapter, one more chapter” modes until I finished it basically in one sitting.  I just had to know what happened to Rebecca and her son and just what Rebecca’s husband was willing to kill his own wife and child over.

You do not have to read any of the earlier books to thoroughly enjoy this one.  Aside from meeting the brothers there is very little reason to do so unless you are looking for some really terrific reads.  Translation:  you don’t want to miss any of them.

This is an objective review and an endorsement of this book.

 

WOMAN WITH A MYSTERY by B.J. Daniels

Publisher:    Harlequin

Published:   December 1, 2001 (November 25, 2014 with DELIVERANCE AT CARDWELL RANCH)

ISBN:     978-0373226436 / 978-0373838028

Genre:   Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Format:  Print

Obtained via:  Publisher  

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

FIVE HEARTS

At long last private eye Slade Rawlins might have a tip on who really murdered his mother years before.  He never believed the neighbour boy who ultimately hung himself really killed her and now he might have a viable link.  Before he can pursue that tip, however, a woman from his past shows up on his doorstep.

A year ago Holly Barrows stumbled, literally, into Slade’s life.  In the all too short two months they had together he fell totally and completely in love with her.  And then one day she disappeared along with some of his money and a number of his investigation files.  Now Holly is back – but with no recollection of Slade and what they shared.  All Holly knows is that while the hospital has told her she gave birth to a stillborn baby, she heard and saw that same baby crying and moving not far from her birthing bed. As Holly tells her story is dawns on Slade that the missing child could well be his.  Together they start digging into just what happened to what could be their child.  From a mysterious “hospital” to her deceased husband’s family home to a secret room in the local hospital they get closer and closer to the mystery of just what happened to Holly’s child—but they also come closer and closer to a killer who will stop at nothing to keep a very deep, dark secret from emerging.  A secret experiment that harkens back to some of the most terrible times.  Can they stay ahead of the conspirators and certain death or will a killer find them first?

I received my copy of B.J. Daniels’s WOMAN WITH A MYSTERY as part of a two book collection which also included DELIVERANCE AT CARDWELL RANCH.  Not one to miss out on what could be a good read by one of my favourite authors, at the end of DELIVERANCE AT CARDWELL RANCH I kept on reading.  In a word – wow.  WOMAN WITH A MYSTERY is a white knuckle, heart stopping thriller.  I picked it up on a Friday night and sat up reading through the night – reciting that familiar mantra many avid readers share, “One more chapter, one more chapter.”  I couldn’t put it down until I knew what happened with Slade and Holly’s baby. But the story is much more than two parents looking for a kidnapped baby.  When the secrets of what was going on at the hospital were revealed my jaw dropped and I clenched the pages a little more tightly because from there on the action was non-stop.

If you are looking for an action packed thrill ride with a great mystery, WOMAN WITH A MYSTERY is definitely one to put on the top of your TBR.

This is an objective review and an endorsement of this book.

WILD HORSES by B.J. DANIELS

Publisher:    HQN

Published:   February 24, 2015

ISBN:   978-0373779567

Genre:   Romantic Suspense, Thriller

Format:  Print

Obtained via:  Publisher  

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

FOUR HEARTS

Olivia, “Livie” Hamilton and Cooper Barnett have it all.  Young, in love, a close-knit family and a future many would envy. Amidst flowing champagne and good wishes family and friends have gathered to celebrate Livie and Cooper’s engagement and pending nuptials.  But not all the wellwishers wish the couple all that well.

Despite being Buckmaster Hamilton’s head wrangler, Cooper has his share of secrets, mainly of a past he’d rather forget.  But at any time that past could find him.

And Livie has her own secrets—one in particular could tear the couple apart before they even near the bridal aisle. 

And Livie’s loving family?  It seems they too have their secrets, secrets that could affect not only the young couple, but the lives of every member of the Hamilton family.  Step by step they try to resolve their problems and come to terms with their secrets, but with each step forward another secret unfurls.

A woman from the past stumbles into their lives—a jilted lover wants revenge—a presidential candidate may face a scandal he may never recover from.  And a deadly killer intends to go free no matter what the cost. 

WILD HORSES is a bit of a transition for B.J. Daniels.  I’ve been a fan of her Montana Mystique and Cardwell Cousins series and jumped at the chance to review the first of her newest series, the Montana Hamilton’s books, WILD HORSES.  There is romance and there is suspense, but with WILD HORSES she makes a nice transition into crime thriller. The first few chapters were bumpy with a number of characters introduced from seemingly out of nowhere.  They didn’t seem to connect to each other or to me as a reader.  There was no real romantic tension between Livie and Cooper—they’d found each other and were getting married.  That said, Daniels does a nice job of having them work through the issues that are tearing their relationship apart. 

Each of the six sisters are different and the reader sees pieces of each of their unique personalities throughout the story.  It’s a nice intro to what looks like will be a six book series with each sister having her own story.

There are other mysteries unveiled in the pages of WILD HORSES and hints of others.  As I said, the first few chapters were bumpy and seemed disjointed.  But when Daniels hits her stride in the book it became a “can’t put down, one more chapter-one more chapter-one more chapter read”.  The last 150 pages or so were a face-paced, engaging thrill ride until the killer is revealed.  I guessed who it was fairly early on, but still found myself with a white-knuckle hold on the book until the last pages were read.

What was a turn off to me is that this author, like so many recently, leaves major threads unresolved so that if you want to find out what happened you have to read the next book.  While many call this a “cliffhanger” ala “who shot J.R.?” it doesn’t work for series books—not when almost a year can go by before the next book comes out and not at $7.99 or better per book.  Yes, reading can be “cheap” enjoyment and you can read a good book over and over again…but leaving parts of stories unresolved comes across more like a ploy to get the reader to buy the next book rather than relying on the fact that an author can and does tell a good story.  B.J. Daniels is one of those authors—she tells a good story.  I’ll read anything she writes because her stories are so good.  I’m just disappointed she fell into this technique.

If you’re looking for a really good read, definitely pick up WILD HORSES.  Just be prepared for unfinished stories threads that you will have to wait for the next book to see resolved.

This is an objective review and an endorsement of this book.