Showing posts with label Lois Faye Dyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lois Faye Dyer. Show all posts

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Review: Cade Coulter's Return by Lois Faye Dyer

When he left Montana thirteen years ago, Cade Coulter swore he'd never return. But Joseph Coulter's first-born couldn't turn his back on the ailing family ranch. Or the woman who'd been given a home at the Triple C.

With his irresistible blend of danger and potent masculinity, Cade was the quintessential cowboy. But Mariah Jones believed that beneath the loner's gruff facade was a man who secretly longed to reconnect with his family. Why else would he have come back to Indian Springs? She'd made a promise to Cade's father—one she intended to keep. And now she was in danger of losing her own heart to the sexy, guarded rancher…
Cade Coulter's Return by Lois Faye Dyer is a Silhouette Special Edition. It's set in Montana and it has that rancher theme I enjoy so much. This is also the first book in Dyer's Big Sky Brothers series. Cade Coulter's Return definitely succeeds in setting up the series. I really enjoyed the first three quarters of the book where Dyer gives all the details for this particular story and sets up the rest of the series about the other three Coulter brothers. This book concentrates on the romance between the oldest brother Cade and Mariah Jones.

The four brothers, Cade, Zach, Brodie and Eli left the ranch right after the youngest brother graduated high school. Their father, Joseph Coulter, became an alcoholic after their mother's death and even though his grief is shared by his sons, the man's abusive behavior became intolerable to them all. Thirteen years later, while working at a ranch in Mexico, Cade receives a letter from an attorney informing him that his father is dead and he and his brothers have inherited the Triple C ranch. However, although the brothers keep in touch, they are scattered to the winds and the only one within reach at the moment is Cade. He returns to find a ranch that is almost bankrupt, with two old ranch hands and Mariah running it.

There is sexual attraction between Cade and Mariah almost immediately, although nothing happens between them. I liked Cade as the rancher and the friend, but I don't know about Cade the man. He is definitely the chauvinistic type with Mariah. She doesn't let him get away with it and that makes their interactions work, but there are still times when it feels as if Cade is indulging her for the moment. Mariah has a sad story and is a bit too good to be true, something that Cade has a problem recognizing or believing. She took care of Joseph through his last years, and after he died she worked as a waitress to take care of the ranch until Cade returned. She knows how to do just about everything that is necessary throughout this story, and of course, does it all quite well.

Dyer mainly uses sexual tension between Cade and Mariah to build this romance. There are very few passionate encounters, and I would say that at best, the sensuality scale in this book is warm. The conflicts presented along the way between the main couple are minimal and quickly resolved. Questions pertaining to the overall storyarc -- saving the Triple C ranch -- are left unanswered. I'm sure those answers will come in subsequent installments, however in the meantime it made this first book a bit of a frustrating read.

Cade Coulter's Return had some of those flaws sometimes found in 'first in a series' books and the couple is not a favorite with me. However, overall this was a good read and I'm still interested in finding out what will happen to the Triple C. I hope to enjoy the romance in the next book.

Category: Contemporary/Category Romance
Series: Big Sky Brothers (Book 1)
Released: October 1, 2010
Grade: C+

Visit Lois Faye Dyer here.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Cowboys & More Cowboys!

I mentioned in my last weekly post that I was reading Kathleen Eagle's, Once A Father and as it turned out I took it with me on my vacation, well.. that story stayed with me. In that same post I mentioned Wendy's great post Contemporary Cowboys: The New Black? and sure enough that also stayed in my mind throughout last week. I'm a huge fan of westerns, cowboys and ranchers, both in historical and contemporary romances. I've already read or have some of the books Wendy highlighted in my "to be read" pile... but there's more, Wendy said! So when I returned home I went hunting..., and sure enough I found some. :D

In addition to Kathleen Eagle's series and the great books Wendy posted, I found a few upcoming October releases by the Harlequin Silhouette Special Editions line that caught my eye. There are more out there, but I think the following are great additions. These authors have some great backlists, and the upcoming books are part of series about well-loved cowboys and ranchers. Well, the contemporary type, anyway.

Kathleen Eagle

Once a Father is the fourth book and Kathleen Eagle's new addition to her latest contemporary Western American series. The first book in this series features a sheriff, the second a washed-up rodeo cowboy, the third a Native American medicine man, or rodeo physician's assistant, and this last story an "Indian cowboy" as a hero. The female protagonists are also quite interesting: a hardworking nurse, two female ranchers and an army sargeant. So if you enjoy this current release, there are three other books out there to read and hopefully love. In order:
  • In Care of Sam Beaudry - 2010 RITA Award Finalist
  • One Cowboy, One Christmas
  • Cool Hand Hank
  • Once a Father - September 2010 release
You can visit Kathleen Eagle at her website for more information on her impressive backlist.

As far as October goes, Silhouette Special Edition has a quite a few new releases about those glorious cowboys and ranchers we all love. I'm highlighting three of them.

RaeAnne Thayne

New October 2010 Release

From RaeAnne Thayne, a personal favorite, there's a new release and the last book about the Wilder Ranch from her latest Cowboys of Cold Creek trilogy. In order:
  • A Cold Creek Homecoming 
  • A Cold Creek Secret
  • A Cold Creek Babyexcerpt here.
I've read a few of the older books from this series and enjoyed them and Thayne's writing style. I already have "A Cold Creek Homecoming" and will read it soon. Now I just need to catch up and purchase both "A Cold Creek Secret" and "A Cold Creek Baby." :)

You can find a complete list of RaeAnne Thane's Cowboys of Cold Creek series and other books by visiting her website.

Crystal Green

New October 2010 Release

From Crystal Green, there's a new addition to the Montana Mavericks: Thunder Canyon Cowboys series. This is the fourth installment in a continuity series written by different authors. In order:
  • McFarlane’s Perfect Bride by Christine Rimmer  
  • Taming the Montana Millionaire by Teresa Southwick 
  • From Doctor…to Daddy by Karen Rose Smith
  • When the Cowboy Said, “I Do” by Crystal Green - Excerpt here.
AND, if you like the Harlequin Blaze line, this author has a tempting back title that I'll definitely be checking out, featuring a sexy cowboy... One for the Road. Excerpt here.

You can find out more about Crystal Green, plus a complete list of her books by visiting her website here.

Lois Faye Dyer

New October 2010 Release
And from Lois Faye Dyer you can get in on the first book of what looks like the start of the new Big Sky Brothers miniseries. This looks like a great story about the prodigal cowboy returning to the ranch and his old love. It's set in Montana, one of my favorite places! So yeah... definitely going to get this one. :)
  • Cade Coulter's Return - summary here.
Additionally, Lois Faye Dyer has other series and single title books featuring ranchers/cowboys including a series she began writing in 2006 and was still actively adding titles to in 2009, The McClouds of Montana.

You can find a list of those titles by visiting Lois Faye Dyer's website here.

I think that's plenty to keep me happy for a little while. :)