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.

November 2010 Reads & Mini: If You Desire by Kresley Cole

November was a strange reading month for me. I hit some sort of wall early on and struggled to read the books I finished even though I enjoyed them. On or about the second week, I decided 'reader's fatigue' was setting in and decided to slow down my reading. I took out my yarn, knitting and crocheting needles and alternated between the two for the rest of the month. Then with the Thanksgiving holiday and my impromptu road trip, the reading slowed down even more. The result is that I finished a few knitting and crocheting projects, but didn't really finish reading any books the last two weeks of November, except for a few re-reads for my Challenge.

Challenge Update: I did meet all my Challenges this month. I posted my 2010 Historical Challenge review earlier this month. I read, posted my list and a comment for the In-Death Challenge and I'll be including a late Mini for the 2010 Re-read Challenge in this post.

November Reads:
Total Books Read: 15
New Reads: 12
Re-reads: 3

Favorite books this month?

• His for the Holidays Josh Lanyon, Z.A. Maxfield, LB Gregg, Harper Fox: A-
• Havana and Other Missing Fathers by Mia Leonin: B+
• See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson: B+
• Duty and Devotion, Book 3 by Tere Michaels: B+

Nath's 2010 Read-Read Challenge November Mini:

• If You Desire by Kresley Cole

A while back I enjoyed this historical romance trilogy by Cole about the cursed Scottish MacCarrick brothers and decided to re-read the last two in the series. If You Desire is Book 2 of the trilogy and the story of Hugh MacCarrick and Jane Weyland, a couple who have been friends and in love from a tender age. However, due to a family curse that states that whoever marries a MacCarrick man will die, Hugh takes on a career as an assassin working for Jane's father and the crown and leaves Jane without an explanation. Years later when she's in danger, he returns to protect her and they reunite.

This book was fun, delicious and frustrating. Jane is a 'progressive' and she and her eight female cousins are outrageous and scandalous. They refer to Hugh as 'Tears and Years' because of all the tears and time Jane spent grieving for him. But by the time Hugh returns, she's more furious than heartbroken and once the two of them go into hiding, she makes his life impossible. She does everything in her power to seduce him and there's everything from sexual tension to sexual play and sweetness to hostility throughout the story. But Jane's modern outlook doesn't help her understand Hugh, and she comes off as more than a bit spoiled at times. Hugh loves her without barriers and in trying to protect her, he sometimes gives in too much. However, there's something about Hugh that I really love. It's probably the relentless love he felt for Jane and the whole Highlander aura. Grade B

Balance of Books Read:

• Fair Game by Josh Lanyon: Solid B
• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan: B
• Faith and Fidelity, Book 1 by Tere Michaels: B
• The Dickens with Love by Josh Lanyon: B
• Burning Up by Sarah Mayberry: B
• Midnight in Death by J.D. Robb (Novella): B
• Coming Clean by Inez Kelley: B
• Love and Loyalty, Book 2 by Tere Michaels: C+
• If You Deceive by Kresley Cole (Re-read): B
• Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale (Re-read) : A+

So, how was your November? Any favorites or great recommendations? 

Review: His for the Holidays by Josh Lanyon, Z.A. Maxfield, LB Gregg, Harper Fox

His for the Holidays is a collection of four male/male romance Christmas stories. They are all as different as the authors' writing styles, yet all fit the title of the Anthology and provide happy endings set during the holiday season.

Mistletoe at Midnight by LB Gregg

Owen McKenzie has traveled to Vermont to spend an old-fashioned Christmas with his family when he finds himself staying at the same inn as his first love. Owen is disconcerted to realize he's still attracted to Caleb Black but refuses to pursue him. Caleb left him once, and Owen's not going down that road again.

Caleb is ready for a second chance with Owen and gets it when fate and the matchmaking McKenzies conspire to strand the two men in a rustic cabin during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. Can Caleb convince Owen to rekindle their romance so they can stop spending their holidays apart?

Owen McKenzie is traveling to an Inn in Vermont to spend the Christmas holidays with his family, the meddling McKenzies. His life has undergone recent changes after a break-up with his long-time boyfriend. On his brother's recommendation, Owen purchased a home and is moving from Boston to this small Vermont town where he'll be opening his own veterinarian practice. When Owen arrives late at the Inn, to his jaw-dropping amazement, there in the middle of the McKenzie Christmas revelry is non other than his first high school crush and love, Caleb Black.

Mistletoe at Midnight is a story of first-time lovers reunited. Caleb and Owen, although separated when young, never stopped thinking about each other or being influenced by their experience together. That one relationship affected all others in their lives, particularly in Owen's case. I loved the way LB Gregg weaved a sweet and passionate romance that was still full of amusing family moments and holiday atmosphere. There were conflicts to be resolved and the revelations came slowly but surely. I enjoyed this traditional, family Christmas romance from beginning to end.

Nine Lights Over Edinburgh By Harper Fox

Detective Inspector James McBride is riding high on the belief that he's about to bust a human-trafficking ring. But just five days before Christmas, his unorthodox methods catch up with him and his world comes crashing down.

McBride tries to concentrate on his new day job as security for the visiting Israeli ambassador. He even starts to feel a renewed sense of self-worth when the leader of the Israeli team, the aristocratic Tobias Leitner, takes a bullet for him in the line of duty. But he can't forget the trafficking case, especially when his investigations result in the kidnapping of his own daughter! McBride has no one to turn to for help-no one, except Toby.

Can these two very different men work together to bring about a holiday miracle-and heal one another's heart in the process?

Nine Lights Over Edinburgh by Harper Fox is a holiday story with edge, drama and in the end, hope. I must admit that both plot and characterization grabbed me from the beginning. There's a lot going on in James' life. He is coming to terms with his sexuality after having been married and divorcing many years later, his life is spiraling out of control due to heavy drinking, and to top it all off his career has unexpectedly taken a downward turn. The only light in his life seems to be his daughter. He meets Tobias Leitner and his life will change forever.

James' personal problems, sexual history, the romance and action are all weaved together quite well. By the end of the story I felt as if I knew James and I loved the way he and Tobias found each other in the midst of all the chaos in their lives. James is one of those flawed human characters with redeemable qualities that I enjoy so much, and his happy ending was hard-earned in this holiday story. I also must mention how much I enjoyed Edinburgh as the setting for this novella. Harper Fox's description of the city aided with giving the story atmosphere and the characters a certain realistic touch. This is my first read by this author, but it certainly won't be my last.

I Heard Him Exclaim By Z.A. Maxfield

Steve Adams's heart hasn't been in the Christmas spirit ever since doctors put a stent in it and ordered him to clean up his act. No longer filling out his Santa suit or allowed to make merry, he's forgoing the holidays this year and heading to Vegas to indulge in the few vices left to him: gambling and anonymous sex.

His road trip takes a detour when he encounters Chandler Tracey, who's just inherited guardianship of his five-year-old niece. Overwhelmed, Chandler's on his way to deliver Poppy to his parents. But fate has other plans and, after car trouble, Chandler and Poppy accept a ride home with Steve. Though the heat between the two men is obvious, they put it on simmer while they band together to make Poppy's Christmas as perfect as possible.

Steve soon comes to believe that while Chandler is the right person to look after Poppy, someone needs to look after Chandler. Fortunately, Steve knows just the man for the job.

I Heard Him Exclaim by Z.A. Maxfield is quite the Christmas smorgasbord. We have Steve who plays Santa every year and seems to be a bit confused between what's real and not when it comes to playing the role. After the doctors ordered him to lose weight, he became depressed because who likes a skinny Santa? Then we have Poppy, a little girl who recently lost her parents in a car accident. And last but not least, we have Chandler, Poppy's uncle and guardian. He is over protective and over cautious with her to the point where he is so exhausted and overwhelmed, he has decided to give her up to his parents. These three people meet on the road after Chandler's car breaks down and Steve takes them home where they spend Christmas together and meet Steve's extensive and over-the-top family.

There's a lot of chemistry between Chandler and Steve with a touch of a bear-like attraction going on between them. Both men find what they need from each other. For Steve, it's reassurance that losing the weight won't stop him from performing his Santa duties and for Chandler, the realization that he's the right person to take care of Poppy. Personally, I had a few problems with the story. Due to Chandler's overcautious nature and protectiveness of Poppy, I thought it was out of character for him to get in a stranger's car (no matter how safe he seemed) and take that type of risk with her. I also thought Steve's Santa-like psychological obsessiveness was glossed over to achieve that happily ever after. However overall, this is a sweet Christmas romance.

Icecapade By Josh Lanyon

On the eve of the new millennium, diamond thief Noel Snow seduced FBI special agent Robert Cuffe, then fled into the dawn. Now a successful novelist, Noel uses his capers as fodder for his books, and has modeled his hero's nemesis (and potential love interest) on Cuffe. Though he leaves Robert a drunken phone message every New Year's Eve, Noel hasn't seen or heard from him in a decade.

So he's thrilled when his former lover shows up at his upstate farm one Christmas Eve. Elation quickly turns to alarm when Robert accuses Noel of being responsible for a recent rash of diamond heists. Robert is all business and as cold as ice: it seems his only interest in Noel is to put him behind bars.

Innocent of the crimes, and still as attracted as ever to the oh-so-serious lawman, Noel plans a second seduction-providing he can stay out of jail long enough!

Icecapade by Josh Lanyon is the shortest novella in this anthology, although that certainly doesn't preclude it from being an excellent addition. A story of a retired cat burglar turned successful author and the FBI agent who pursued but never caught him and later became a recurring character in the cat burglar/author's books. During one of his escapades, cat burglar Noel seduced staid FBI agent Robert on a New Year's Eve and has never forgotten their passionate encounter. Ten years later on Christmas Eve, Robert shows up at Noel's horse ranch accusing him of new jewel heists and giving both of them an opportunity to get reacquainted.

I loved this story. Lanyon uses loneliness and a bit of longing to set up the romance between these two men. There's chemistry and you can feel the sexual tension between the two men as soon as Robert steps through the door. I loved the way this couple really gets to know each other, even though they already knew so many details about each other's lives. Well written and developed, this short story was a treat and a perfect fit and ending to this Christmas anthology.

Grade: M/M Romance Anthology/Holiday
Series: None
Release Date: December 6, 2010
Source: NetGalley/Carina Press
Grade: A-

Gone Fishing, again!

I hope all those who celebrated Thanksgiving this past week had a wonderful day with their families. I had a terrific time with mine. It has been a busy week for me and as you may have noticed I haven't had much time for blogging or visiting friends.

I did make time for reading a few books, though. Before the holiday madness hit, I re-read a few holiday-themed and my Challenge books November. However, at this point, I'll probably be late posting them because although the holiday is over, my time off is not. I'm taking a few days and traveling down to Tennessee on a road trip with one of my nieces, so I won't be around for a few days.

See you all when I get back! Keep on reading. :)

Review: A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh

Weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions—especially when a couple seems as well matched as Randolph Pierce, Earl of Falloden, and his bride-to-be, Eleanor Transome. Ellie brings to the marriage a vast dowry, while Falloden, though distant, is handsome, tremendously desirable, and possessed of a title most young ladies can only dream of sharing.

Yet Ellie is not most young ladies. She knows that she must honor her dear father’s dying wish for her to wed the proud earl, but she dreads a lifetime in a union without love—and how can Falloden claim to love her when he married her only for her fortune? As Christmas descends upon the Falloden manor, the warmth of the season may yet melt away the trappings of duty and wealth, leaving behind only a man and a woman destined for each other’s arms.

A Christmas Promise is a re-release of one of Mary Balogh's beloved Christmas Signet stories. This book was originally released in 1992, and I can't tell you how happy I am that it's finally available again. This is the first time I had the pleasure of reading it.

Raldolph Pierce, Earl Falloden inherited the earldom from a cousin who left him deep in debt. He is in love with Miss Dorothea Lovestone and cannot offer for her due to his dire financial situation. Joseph Talloden, a successful coal merchant and one of the Earl's debtors, purchased all of Falloden's debts and proposes that as an exchange for cancelling those debts, Randolph marry his daughter Eleanor, consummates the marriage and that they live together for the first year of their marriage. Talloden is dying and the wedding must take place immediately as he wants to leave his beloved daughter settled with the man he chose for her. Randolph is left with no choice but to marry Eleanor, a 'cit',  or go to debtor's prison. He accepts his fate, but is contemptuous of Eleanor for marrying a man for his title and position.

Ms. Eleanor Transome was educated as a lady, but as the daughter of a merchant -- a 'cit' -- has suffered plenty of humiliations from the aristocracy because of her background. Her only wish is to marry for love. Eleanor loved her second cousin Wilfred, but after receiving a letter from him dashing all hopes gives up her dream of marrying for love and accepts her fate. Eleanor will honor her father's last wishes and marry the Earl of Falloden. She, however, is contemptuous of a man marrying for money after having misspent his fortune on gambling and other pleasures.

An eventful wedding night surprises Randolph and Eleanor both as pleasurable and more than either expected. By next morning Mr. Transome is dying and Eleanor, numb with grief, is unwilling to seek solace or react in front of her aristocratic and unwanted husband. Her seemingly cold demeanor gives Randolph the wrong impression. Before he dies, Mr. Transome extracts a promise from Eleanor not to mourn for him and to celebrate Christmas with all its warmth and joys. But how can she? Her adored father is dead and she's married to a man who's in love with someone else, has a mistress, and married her for her money. Eleanor invites twenty of her Transome family members to their country estate Grenfell Park, prepares for rejection from her aristocratic husband and a less-than joyful Christmas.

Balogh begins A Christmas Promise with enmity between our protagonists and slowly develops the romance and a joyful and warm family story. There are quite a few conflicts to resolve in this novel: the marriage of convenience, the misunderstandings between the couple, grief, and the class differences. Mary Balogh weaves those conflicts into a magical family Christmas story.

Eleanor is defensive for much of the story and lashes out at Randolph. She always seems to expect the worst from him. This comes not only from her mistaken view of him as a spendthrift, but also from her previous experiences with the aristocracy. Her suppressed grief doesn't help. Randolph initially makes mistakes with Eleanor. However, he knows how to apologize and rectifies those mistakes quickly. He's initially snobbish about her background too, but slowly recognizes Eleanor as the lady she is and comes to appreciate her family's warmth and love. Surprisingly, Randolph is open to love and making their marriage work faster than Eleanor. I really liked him and yes, I loved the way they finally found their happily ever after.

This story is full of wonderful secondary characters. Both the Transome family and Randolph's aristocratic friends add much to this story. The ending to some secondary characters' story lines were a bit too perfect for me, but then again this is a holiday story. The atmosphere is joyful and warm and if you want the feeling of a family Christmas story, this is it. I couldn't help but be swept along with Randolph, Eleanor and the Transome family.

A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh is a magical, sweet Christmas story. I enjoyed it and will read it again. Lovely.

Genre: Historical Romance/Holiday
Released: October 26, 2010
Grade: B+

Visit Mary Balogh here.