Kiss Me, Cowboy

Kiss Me, Cowboy by Melissa McClone

For Charlotte "Charlie" Randall, one kiss meant everything.  It was the beginning and the end.  It was the best and the worst.  It was the moment she fell in love with Zack Harris...and the moment she lost him forever.  Because no matter how are she tries to be "one of the guys", she cannot be anywhere near Zack if he can't see her as a woman he wants to be with.

Zack Harris knows the importance of family.  With his parents completely out of the picture and his army buddies scattered across the country, the only family he has left are the wranglers of the Bar V5.  That's why when he kissed Charlie Randall during a moment of weakness alarm bells sounded instead of wedding bells.  He could NOT let romantic feelings tear his family apart.  Yet now Charlie is leaving for Colorado and Zack has just a few days to convince her not to abandon the family they have all built together.  Except that might not be the only reason he wants her to stay.  Can he convince her to give the Bar V5 - and him - another chance?

I think that the Bar V5 could easily be at the top of my "Literary Places I Would Go If They Were Real" list.  I mean, who would jump at a chance to visit a ranch with hot cowboys that doubled as a spa?  This is the second visit Melissa McClone has brought us on, and I know that I hope and pray that there are MANY more.

Story-wise, this story is sweet and heartfelt.  Both main characters are on the same page with family history.  Yet their individual reactions to their similar upbringings could not be any more different.  Charlie knows that life is full of love and acceptance.  Zack is positive that he wouldn't know what to do with love, even if it were shown to him.  This spin is both old and new at the same time.  It is familiar, but with a twist.  I love how Melissa McClone has managed, as in many of her stories, to take a situation that many romance stories have utilized, and give is a fresh coat of paint for a refreshing take.

The main thing I love about this story is that the characters all genuinely care about each other.  They are close, and that closeness really breathes through.  The reader doesn't need to be told that the wranglers all love and respect Ty, because it is evident from the way the never question his authority yet treat him like a brother.  The same goes for the way the other wranglers feel about Charlie.  She is clearly respected as a senior member of the staff.

Overall, this is a perfect "comfort" book.  A book that you read when you want to know that there are places where everything is right with the world and things really do make sense.  The turmoil in the book is emotional, but there is no danger of being punched in the gut by it.  The world needs books like this.

Continuity/Flow – 5
Sex – 4 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

The Honeymoon Prize

The Honeymoon Prize by Melissa McClone

After the death of her grandmother and the betrayal of her greedy family leaves her homeless, Addie Sinclair is grateful to her childhood best friend for his offer of protection, even if it is in the form on an "in name only" marriage.  Considering she realized long ago that falling in love with Nick was a bad idea, their agreement seems perfect.  She gets a place to live, financial security, a chance to go to college, and a free vacation, courtesy of their friend Emily.  Too bad Emily forgot to mention a few details.

Nick Cahill doesn't believe that love and sex belong in the same thought, much less the same relationship.  His parents' marriage was disaster and his own fiancee was a lying cheater.  In fact, the only relationship he has ever been able to count on all of his life has been his friendship with Addie.  So when his boss implies that he either needs a wife or a new job, Nick finds the perfect solution to both his and Addie's problems.  A marriage based on friendship without sex.  However, as they arrive on Starfish Island for their "prize" honeymoon, Nick and Addie both realize that keeping their marriage platonic is going to be a lot harder than they had originally thought.

This story tested my boiling point.  Probably because Estate Law in and of itself boils my blood.  Ms. McClone did a wonderful job creating one of the most heartbreaking, and all too real, situations faced by non-inheriting caretakers.  My heart was ripped out for Addie, and I wanted to reach through the pages and slap her family.

Now to the warm and fuzzies.  The scenery in this book was beautiful!  The descriptions made me want to hop on the internet and book a vacation to Fiji, forgetting that I don't exactly have three grand to blow at the moment.

I loved how Nick and Addie interacted with each other.  Once they remembered that they were still friends, their banter was fabulous.  Even their interaction with the supporting characters was better when they remembered that they were friends.  I loved Brad and Mama Lani most of all because they were true to their character stereotypes, but still made to be interesting.

Overall, this was a great quick read that will make you wish you had more books just like it.

Ratings:

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

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 4 

Language – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 4

Home for Christmas

Home for Christmas By Melissa McClone

Since childhood Rachel Murphy has dreamed of owning her own bakery.  Just weeks prior to seeing her dreams become a reality she discovers that she trusted the wrong people, and now she not only has no bakery, but also no money and no job.  She decides to spend Christmas with her brother in Montana in order to clear her head, and plan her next move.  If she can make a little money on the side making gingerbread, all the better.

Nate Vaughn always knew that eventually he would inherit the Bar V5 ranch one day, but he never anticipated rescuing the ranch from the bad decisions his father made while his health was declining.  Thanks to the quick thinking of his foreman, Ty, and his marketing ingenuity he was able to keep the ranch in one piece.  Now Ty's sister is staying with him for Christmas and if there is one thing Nate knows, it's that if he wants to keep Ty around he needs find a way to ensure Rachel's happiness.  But can Rachel's happiness and his coincide?

I really love Christmas stories!  As a teenager my mother would buy the Silhouette Annual Christmas Anthologies at Kmart and I would make a game of trying to steal them before she got a chance to read them.  Now, with the invention of digital books, novellas can be bought and enjoyed individually.

This was a sweet little story that really spoke of family, friendship, and a town coming together in the spirit of the holidays.  I loved how Nate really was worried about Ty and was conflicted between his feelings for Rachel, his friendship with Ty, and the fact that Ty truly was irreplaceable business-wise.

This is also a continuation of the Marietta, Montana story lines created in the Copper Mountain Rodeo Series.  Many of the characters step in for a visit, and some new characters pop-up who will play parts in later stories.

Overall, this is a great holiday read and will make you really want to throw your inhibitions to the wind and make a killer gingerbread house.

Ratings:

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

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 4 

Language – 4

Storyline – 4

Overall – 4