A Fair to Remember

A Fair to Remember by Barbara Ankrum

On her eighteenth birthday, up and coming equestrian Olivia Canaday stood beneath the Big Marietta Fair Ferris Wheel and made a pinkie promise to her best friend, Jake Lassen.  If neither of them were married on her thirtieth birthday, they would meet back here and be each others' fall-back.  Twelve years later, divorced and still feeling the effects of a career ending accident, Olivia is back in Marietta, and she can't believe that Jake actually remembered the promise.  Unfortunately, Olivia doesn't want a fall-back.  She has sworn off men and marriage and just simply wants her best friend back.

Jake Lassen has left the Army behind, but he can't seem to shake the nightmares that still haunt him.  Back in Marietta for both business and pleasure, Jake is in dire need of soothing from the woman who was never really a fall-back to him.  But as he becomes reacquainted with Olivia he soon realizes that her accident left her more than just scarred, and some damage just can't be fixed by anyone else.

While this story is emotional, it leans mostly toward the coping and healing end of tragedy, rather than the initial suffering.  All of the tragic elements are presented in a past-tense and very little empathy is required to like these characters.  They are survivors and very much in command of the decisions being made.  Even Deke, whose decision led to his seclusion owns that decision and has made his peace with it.

The few scenes in the book that allow for a possibility of weakness for any of the characters also present an opportunity for a cheer inducing resolution.  The camaraderie between all of the characters, main and supporting alike, is very enjoyable to read.  You can tell that they really have each others' backs.  Even a few characters that only have one or two scenes are shown to be compassionate and supporting.  There are only two extremely unlikable characters in this book, and that is necessary because you can't like everybody, it just isn't possible, even if one character is an integral part of Marietta.

One thing that I have come to love about all of the Montana Born books is the feel that the town is real and that if you can just find it you will recognize the people and places as you walk down the street.  In a previous connecting story about Marietta (A Cowboy for Christmas by Katherine Garbera) the Main Street Diner is under "new management".  This story explains why.  A few other characters that have traversed multiple stories show up in this one, too: Carol Bingley, Flo from the Diner, Beck Hartnett, and Eleanor Styles.

Another element that just HAS to be mentioned is the description of the food in the story.  Somehow I ended up reading two stories in a row where food plays a big role in the plot.  Every time I opened the book I had to stop and write down another recipe that I was reminded that I wanted to try.  And the mention of churros had me salivating like Pavlov's Dog.  Talk about tempting fare.

Overall, this has been one of my favorite books in this series.  It is well written and flows superbly.  It is no small feat to be able to plot a book that doesn't lag or rush through key situations.  Ms Ankrum has done just that, and I applaud her for it.  One of my rare perfect scores!

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 5 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

Her Summer Cowboy

Her Summer Cowboy by Katherine Garbera

After years of a self-imposed exile, Hudson Scott is heading home, if only as security for country music legend Alan Jennings's Farewell Tour.  As the tour winds its way toward the Big Marietta Fair, however, Hudson will be forced to answer the question of whether he wants to continue his travels after the tour, or if it is time to mend fences and settle down.  The decision could be a lot easier if he had someone to settle down with.

The entire world knows Ella Wells's name and story, even if they haven't actually met her personally.  Thanks to her grandfather and father both writing and singing songs about her as a child, she has lived most of her life in the glare of the spotlight.  After her father's tragic death, however, Ella left the Nashville and the music industry far behind, preferring the anonymous life of a school teacher to the lure of the stage.  Now that her grandfather has decided to retire from the road, he is calling in a promise she made to him years ago: to tour with him one final time.  Putting aside her fears and insecurities about living up to her family's legacy, Ella embarks on a life changing adventure with her grandfather and the sexy cowboy he has hired for the summer.

The Scott Family are full of strong characters, and Hudson definitely lived up to his part.  There is so much to love about this family.  From their touching tradition of Wednesday dinners at the Diner, to their tendency to butt in to other family members' business, there is no doubt that they love each other.  I am really looking forward to reading more about them...hopefully Lane gets his story soon, because no one can resist a wounded soldier hero.

As far as Ella's contribution to this story, I loved the hints of country music history.  Everything from the naming of characters (odes to Waylon Jennings and Keith Whitley), a character growing up in the spotlight due to her family's fame (a la Rosanne Cash and Carlene Carter), and a tragic death caused by an inability to cope with fame (though this could be many, I am going with Keith Whitley due to the character's name).

Overall, I would have loved for this story to have been longer.  The story was intriguing and fun.  Personally I want to know what happened to Ella's mom, and would have loved to have heard more about her dad.

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 5 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 4

Overall – 4

Enticing Miss Eugenie Villaret

Enticing Miss Eugenie Villaret by Ella Quinn

William, Viscount Wivenly, is tired of fighting off title-hungry misses trying to trap him into marriage.  After overhearing plans for yet another attack on his bachelorhood, Will flees into the night, across the seas, and straight into danger.  Arriving in the West Indies with his best friend in tow, Will is determined to find out why his late-uncle's manager is telling his father that the business is thriving, but telling his aunt that the business is failing.  Of course, the investigation shouldn't get in the way of romancing a lovely widow he would like to get better acquainted with.  If only she actually WAS a widow.

Eugenie Villaret de Joyeuse is trying to find out why her beloved "beau-papa's" company is failing when it should be prosperous.  Her efforts have thus-far been thwarted by her grieving maman, who is determined to keep the rest of her family safe from harm.  Yet little does her mother know that Eugenie is no stranger to covert activities.  With her best friend by her side, Eugenie lands in trouble and love all at once in the form of the mysterious factor from her father's uncle in England.  Not wanting her mother to discover her doings she remains vague about her identity and allows the man to believe what he will.  Except he's NOT just the factor and she is NOT what he believes.  Can they move past the lies of their beginnings and survive to see a trustful future?

The story had A LOT of intertwining plots, including not one but two love stories.  Most of these plots were kept fresh and in line, but a couple managed to sneak below the surface and popped up at the end, surprising the reader who may or may not have forgotten about its part in the initial story.  In the end though, all loose ends got tied and a new plot-line was thrown into the mix for the next book in the series.

Being a huge fan of secondary characters was quite an adventure with this book, because there were a ton of secondary characters.  Some of the characters were developed in an optional-main character style (Andrew, Cicely, and Nathan), others were true supporting characters (Sidonie, Griff, Tidwell, Marisole, and the Whitecliffs), and still others were written in a style that their allegiances could have swung either way.  That last style is a difficult and brilliant task to manage.  To write an accessory in such a way that you can sympathize with them, but still be unsure about them is captivating.

Overall, I loved that this book read like a stand-alone, but was in truth the fifth book in a series.  There were enough details to make the story make sense, and enough teasers to win the heart of new readers and drive them to the other books.  In short, Quinn rocks in her character building, and I can't wait for the next book.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 4 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 4

Overall – 4

A Daughter's Place

A Daughter's Place by CJ Carmichael

When Libby Bateson was seventeen her world fell apart.  Her mother and brother were killed in a tragic accident and another trauma leaves her pregnant and homeless.  Now, eight years later, Libby finds herself needing to seek shelter with her now-reclusive father whom the entire community believes she abandoned.  Does she have the courage and strength to claim a place in his world for her and her daughter, even if he isn't ready to give it?

Gibson Browning knows a lot about the struggles of being a single parent.  After his wife's death five years ago, Gibson has been doing the best he can to give his daughter everything she needs.  But when his best friend's little sister moves back to town after eight years with a daughter of her own, Gibson is forced to re-evaluate his struggles and parenting style.  Can he and Libby find a happy medium, or will they be forever separated by a secret Libby is just not ready to share?

How many ways can you break a person until they are damaged?  I think this book was a perfect study in just that subject.  Poor Libby is put through the ringer in more nightmarish ways than any one person would care to imagine, yet she still manages to come out of it.  Not on top, just above water.  She is not proud.  She is not even a shining example of how to handle a situation.  But she survives.  That in and of itself is remarkable.  Her daughter still loves her and comes out not terribly damaged.  Again, another victory.

The characters in this book really run the gamut from lovely to despicable.  The main characters are flawed in many ways, but still manage not to be awful people.  Most of the rest of the support characters can't really say the same.  Connie and Garnet manage to stay on the side of awesome, but everyone else, including Allie spend a bit of time in the "shame on you" category.  Surprisingly, I think that is a good thing.  You can't grow if you don't make mistakes, and some of these people make very understandable mistakes that they (mostly) learn from.

Overall, I think this is a very healing book.  Sometimes people come to point where they need to know that life is truly unfair, but that doesn't mean it is hopeless.  It is a tough book for the subject matter, but a great story about survival, hope, and trust.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 4 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

For Love of A Cowboy

For Love of A Cowboy by Yvonne Lindsay

After losing her mother to breast cancer, Willow Phillips has decided to travel America in her mother's footsteps.  Using a twenty-five year old diary as a guide, she maps a route through Marietta, Montana, timing it for the Big Marietta Fair in hopes of meeting her father for the first time.  Unfortunately, things aren't always as easy as they are planned.

Booth Lange is a cowboy with a chip on his shoulder and protective streak a mile wide.  The minute he meets free-spirited Willow, and discovers that she has a bit in common with his sister, his hackles go up and all he can think about is getting her as far away from his vulnerable sister as possible.  After learning the name of her father, however, he has a whole new reason for wanting her out of Marietta.  Can he reconcile his growing attraction for this little sprite with the damage she could do to the people he loves?

This book left me conflicted.  Mainly because the hero was a jerk.  Yes, he had a reason.  Yes, that reason was justified.  Yes, he got over it.  But he was still a jerk.  The heroine on the other hand was saccharine sweet.  She accepted everything a little too readily and her personality left me a little dazed with her constant change of direction.  The supporting characters were enjoyable, but not a focus.  I really hope that Ness gets her own story, because I like the potential there.

The story was really good, though.  I liked the concept of protecting your own from outside danger, but having to admit that sometimes your protection can hurt them more in the end.  It is a real problem that most people have to deal with at some point in their lives.  Especially if they have children.

Overall, I liked the story, and thought the steamy scenes were well played.  I just wasn't crazy about the characters.  It is a preference thing and, thankfully, didn't stop me from liking the story.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 5 

Characters – 3

Storyline – 4

Overall – 4

Flirting with Forever

Flirting with Forever by Kim Boykin

Tara Jordan has worked on her writing career just as long as she has worked on her marriage.  So when she finally hits a gold mine with a marriage self-help book, her life takes an ironic turn:  her husband of fifteen years leaves her, taking all of their money with him.  Forced to promote the book in order to pay her mounting mortgage debts, Tara lives in fear that she will be seen as a hypocrite if the world learns of her crumbling marriage, or her growing attraction for her new publicist.

Jake Randall needs a vacation.  He is done catering to divas and so-called celebrity authors without an ounce of writing talent in them.  When a senior publicist gets her foot crushed by a drunken client she calls Jake to take over for her and handle a month-long book tour with said train-wreck.  Little does he know that his first impression of Tara Jordan will be anything but disdainful.  Now his problem isn't controlling an unruly client, but keeping a professional distance from a lovely temptation.

While the subject matter of this book is heavy and complicated (abandonment vs. adultery), the tone was not so much.  This was a surprisingly easy read with an uplifting message all the way through it.  I usually try to stay away from cheating/cruel spouse stories, but this one really played with my perceptions.  I have to say I actually reserved judgement on Jim until the very end, then even after that I couldn't really hate him.

Character-wise, this was such a great build-up to a new series.  Melissa and Marsha are a riot, and I would love to see Erin get a story of her own.  My feelings are mixed on Lou, though.  I actually want to challenge Kim Boykin to make me like her.  I see potential, but right now, I just don't like her.

Overall, this is a fun and flirty story with an uplifting outlook of some pretty messed up circumstances.  It is such an odd combination that it is truly appealing.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 5 

Characters – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

Undressed by the Earl

Undressed by the Earl by Michelle Willingham

David Hartford doesn't really want to get re-married, but there are two things keeping him in London in search for a wife:  he is the Earl of Castledon and in need of an heir, and he promised his daughter she would have a new mother after this Season.  His only stipulation is that she can't be someone he could fall in love with.  That pretty much eliminates the beautiful and lively Amelia Andrews from the list of eligible debutantes.  The problem is, he keeps getting pulled in to her schemes.  Why can't he just walk away from her?

Amelia Andrews has been in love with one man for four years.  Yes, this man is a known rake who ruined her sister's reputation by crying off their wedding, but Amelia was in love with him first.  Now that Viscount Lisford is finally showing interest in her, she is starting to realize that her family was right about him all along.
When Lisford kidnaps her in an attempt to elope, Amelia finds herself married to save her reputation.  Unfortunately, it is to the man she was trying to match with her sister; the man whose personality she once likened to a handkerchief; the one man she might actually love, but who will never love her:  the Earl of Castledon.

Much like all of Ms. Willingham's previous work, this story is gut wrenchingly emotional and full of many plot twists and turns.  Some might see this book as a challenge to keep track of all of the "balls in the air", but Ms. Willingham is a masterful juggler and none of the balls hit the ground during the performance.

Perhaps the greatest attribute of this book is the trove of characters that have been built up and carefully cultivated throughout this series.  While a new "villain" needed to be introduced for this story, the reader was kept on guard, waiting for the true villain to emerge.  It was only when this character was once again wrecking havoc on the world that the main and supporting characters were allowed to truly flex their proverbial muscles.  I might be sadistic, but there is something innately more interesting about characters in crisis than otherwise.

Outside of the crisis area, though, the story falls a bit flat.  The hero was not my favorite of the series, and came off not very heroic.  I did like the story between Amelia and David's daughter, and also of Beatrice and her husband, but, again, those were mostly during crisis.

Over all, I simply felt that the first half of the book was good, but the second half was spectacular.  If you are one of those readers who only read the first five chapters before deciding to finish or not, don't cheat yourself out of an amazing experience.  Stick with it.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 4 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 4

Overall – 4

Make-Believe Wedding

Make-Believe Wedding by Sarah Mayberry

Andie Bennett has been in love with Heath McGregor forever, too bad he doesn't actually see her as a woman.  To Heath she is just one of the guys.  His best friend's kid sister and the best electrician on his crew.  Not exactly dating material.  After yet another attempt to catch Heath's eye falls flat at the Valentine's Ball, she drunkenly fills out an entry for for the Great Wedding Giveaway, never intending to actually turn it in.  Unfortunately, her intentions didn't matter to the person cleaning her table after she left.

Heath McGregor is holding out for the right woman.  He knows she is out there, and would rather remain a bachelor forever, than settle for anything less than meant to be.  In the mean time, dating attractive women and hanging out with the guys seems like a great way to pass the time.  That is until the Chamber of Commerce announces that he and Andie Bennett have been made finalists in the Great Wedding Giveaway.  To save Andie from utter humiliation, Heath agrees to a fake engagement until the contest ends.  Now Heath is seeing a new side to his best friend's kid sister, and he is wondering if the right woman wasn't "out there", but "right here" all along.

What a great end to a fun concept!  While not the first series that I have reviewed from beginning to end, this is the first series that I reviewed all of the books as they were released.  It was a test in patience, but I persevered.

This was just a plain, old-fashioned, sweet book.  It was funny and thrilling, but when it boiled down to it, the idea of falling in love with your brother's best friend (or best friend's brother) is a universal concept that most women can relate to.  I'm pretty sure half of the women who read this book can think of a million times they have fantasized about marrying, dating, kissing - jumping - said guy.  Tons of paper every year is covered with "Mrs {brother's friend}", and tons of make-up is applied in hopes of catching this elusive one's eye.  Andie did nothing that every teenage girl in history class hasn't done a hundred times.  The only difference is she forgot to cover up her "doodling" and now the whole "class" is privy to her fantasy.

The characters in this story are all mostly likable.  Even Beau, who is pushy and overbearing, is endearing in his desire to protect his sister.  I loved the initial conversation between Beau and Andie.  It truly showed that they love each other, but are not above taking the mickey out when it is needed.

Overall, this was a fun read that made me smile and laugh and whole lot.  I am sad to see the series come to an end, but I look forward to seeing more from Sarah Mayberry, including a possible story between Beau and Lily.  One can only hope.

 Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 4 

Language – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5