Showing posts with label Katie Lane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Katie Lane. Show all posts

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

Review: All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy - Anthology

From Emma Cane, Jennifer Ryan, and Katie Lane come three wildly romantic holiday stories featuring snowstorms, proposals, a sleigh ride . . . and, yes, cowboys.

The Christmas Cabin by Emma Cane
Sandy and her young son, Nate, are Christmas tree–hunting when a snowstorm strikes and an old ranch hand points them to an abandoned cabin. Little does Sandy know he sent cowboy Doug Thalberg to the same place. It's a Christmas all of Valentine Valley will remember.

Can't Wait by Jennifer Ryan
Before The Hunted Series began . . .
Though she is the woman of his dreams, Caleb Bowden knows his best friend's sister, Summer Turner, is off limits. He won't cross that line, which means Summer will just have to take the reins if she wants her cowboy for Christmas.

Baby It's Cold Outside by Katie Lane
Alana Hale hits the internet dating jackpot when she finds Clint McCormick. He's sensitive and responsible—not to mention wealthy. When he invites her to spend the holidays on his family's ranch, she readily accepts. But on the way there, a blizzard strands her with a womanizing rodeo cowboy who could change everything . . .

For more information about any of these authors you can visit their websites by clicking the links below:
Emma Cane
Jennifer Ryan
Katie Lane

Review:
I love Christmas stories at this time of year and I also have a bit of a thing for cowboys so I couldn't resist All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy. I was already a fan of Katie Lane but Emma Cane and Jennifer Ryan are both new authors to me and I've now added 2 new series to my wish list! If you're looking for a collection of sweet and heart warming Christmas romances then you're definitely going to enjoy this anthology - it's certainly one I'd recommend.

The Christmas Cabin by Emma Cane

Valentine Valley Series:
The Christmas Cabin (Novella in the All I Want for Christmas Cowboy anthology)
A Town Called Valentine
A Wedding in Valentine (Novella)
True Love at Silver Creek Ranch
The Cowboy of Valentine Valley
A Promise at Bluebell Hill (2014)

The Christmas Cabin is part of Emma Cane's Valentine Valley series but as someone who hasn't read any of that series yet I can confirm that this works well as an introduction. From what I can gather the stories already available are those of Sandy and Doug's children so I think fans of the series who already know this couple will enjoy getting their story. When Sandy takes her five year old son Nate out into the forest to choose a Christmas tree the last thing she is expecting is to get caught in a snowstorm. Taking refuge in a secluded log cabin they realise they weren't the only ones caught in the storm and they meet the handsome cowboy Doug. This story was such a sweet romance, obviously in a one room cabin with a five year old there isn't really much room for any smexy times but I loved how Doug and Sandy got to know each other. Yes, things develop pretty quickly between them but that doesn't worry me too much in a novella, especially when there are no declarations of undying love - you just get a real sense of how well suited they are and they'll see a lot more of each other once they have been rescued. I'm definitely planning on continuing with this story and was excited to discover that the first book, A Town Called Valentine, is Nate's story (obviously set quite a few years after this one when Nate is an adult!).

Can't Wait by Jennifer Ryan

Hunted Series:
Can't Wait (Novella in the All I Want for Christmas Cowboy anthology)
Saved by the Rancher
Lucky Like Us
The Right Bride
Chasing Morgan

Can't wait is a prequel to Jennifer Ryan's Hunted series and is the story of Summer Turner who is the sister of Jack and Sam (the heroes of the first 2 books in the series). Again this is a series that I haven't come across before but it's one I'm planning on continuing asap. Summer has been in love with her brother Jack's best friend Caleb for a long time but no matter how many hints she gives him he refuses to make a move on her. Caleb owes Jack his life so the last thing he wants is to risk losing his friendship by making a move on his little sister but that doesn't stop him wanting her more than anything. Can Summer convince him that what they could have together is worth taking a chance for? I love a good friends to lovers romance so this hit the spot perfectly. This story has a lot more spice than the first one and I really enjoyed getting to know Summer and Caleb. I also really liked Jack and Sam so am looking forward to reading their stories!

Baby It's Cold Outside - Katie Lane

Katie Lane's story Baby It's Cold Outside is completely stand alone and not part of her Deep in the Heart of Texas series. Alana met Clint on an internet dating site and they hit it off immediately, he is the complete opposite of the guys she usually ends up with - much more reliable and responsible than the fun loving surfers she usually dates - but she loves that about him and is convinced they could have something special. When she travels from Hawaii to his home in Texas she gets caught in a blizzard and ends up trapped in a cabin with a hot hunky cowboy who is just like the guys she's always attracted to. I don't want to say too much about the story because it would be easy to give you a spoiler so I'll just say I liked both of the main characters. Neither of the is perfect and they both make mistakes but they have great chemistry and are really well suited to each other. This was another heart warming story that left me with a smile on my face.

Source: Received from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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Monday, 24 December 2012

Review: Small Town Christmas - Anthology

Three heartwarming holiday stories
to prove that love is the greatest gift of all

Kissing Santa Claus
NASCAR driver Logan Perrish returns to Lucky Harbor, Washington, with love in his heart and a ring in his pocket. But can Sandy Jansen forget the past and give him a second chance? Or will Logan be spending another Christmas alone?

I'll Be Home for Christmas
After ignoring the advice of Miz Miriam Randall, local matchmaker, Annie Roberts expects another hum drum holiday in Last Chance, South Carolina. But when a stray cat arrives in the arms of Army sergeant Matt Jasper, a calico named Holly just may be the best matchmaker of all.

O Little Town of Bramble
All Ethan Miller wants for Christmas is to celebrate in Bramble, Texas, with family and friends. But when his childhood neighbor, Samantha Henderson, comes home for the holiday, Ethan realizes that the girl-next-door could be the girl of his dreams.

For more information about any of these authors you can visit their websites by clicking the links below:
Jill Shalvis's website
Hope Ramsay's website
Katie Lane's website

Kissing Santa Claus by Jill Shalvis

Lucky Harbor Series:
Simply Irresistible
The Sweetest Thing
Kissing Santa Claus (Novella in the Small Town Christmas anthology)
Head Over Heels
Lucky in Love
At Last
Forever and a Day
Under the Mistletoe (Novella)
It Had to be You (2013)
Always on my Mind (2013)
Once in a Lifetime (2014)

I absolutely love Jill Shalvis's Lucky Harbor series so it's no surprise that this story was my main reason for wanting to read the Small Town Christmas anthology. We first met Logan in the second book in the series, The Sweetest Thing. He is Tara's ex-husband and came to Lucky Harbor hoping to win her back but was facing fierce competition from her first love Ford. Now I have to admit that while I was routing for Ford to win Tara's affections I did develop a little bit of a crush on Logan so it was nice to be able to see him get his own happy ending. My only disappointment with this story is that I wanted more and I'd have loved for it to be a full length novel!

Logan met Sandy five months ago and they ended up having a rather steamy affair but Logan broke her heart when he left her to return to his job as a NASCAR driver. His time away has made him realise how much she means to him but now that he is back and hoping for a second chance Sandy isn't quite so keen to let him back into her life. It's going to take all of Logan's sweet talking skills to earn him a place in Sandy's life. This was such a fun story and made a perfect Christmas read, anyone who is a fan of Jill Shalvis is sure to love this addition to the Lucky Harbor series.

I'll be Home for Christmas by Hope Ramsay

Last Chance Series:
Welcome to Last Chance
Home at Last Chance
Last Chance Beauty Queen
I'll be Home for Christmas (Novella in the Small Town Christmas anthology)
Last Chance Bride
Last Chance Christmas

After the death of her mother Annie is expecting to spend the holidays alone but when soldier Matt turns up on her doorstep with a stray cat it looks like things are about to change. Matt has come to Last Chance to make good on his promise to deliver his friend Nick's last Christmas present to his grandmother. Matt is also hoping that he might get to experience his first ever proper Christmas but he actually finds a whole lot more.

This is the first time I've read anything by Hope Ramsay but I'll be Home for Christmas has definitely made me interested in checking out more of the Last Chance series, I enjoyed meeting some of the quirky side characters like the town matchmaker and would like to get to know them better. I did find the romance between Annie and Matt developed a little too quickly for my taste but it is very hard to write a believable romance between two characters who have never met before in a short novella so I can forgive that. Overall I found it a sweet story and I liked the underlying message about what is really important in life.

O Little Town of Bramble by Katie Lane

Deep in the Heart of Texas Series:
Going Cowboy Crazy
Make Mine a Bad Boy
O Little Town of Bramble (Novella in the Small Town Christmas anthology)
Catch me a Cowboy
Trouble in Texas
Flirting with Texas (2013)

Sam has been away from her home town Bramble for years while she completed her studies to become a vet. Now she is taking time out to visit her family for the holidays before she finds a place to set up her own practise. She always had a crush on her neighbour Ethan but he always treated her more as a younger sister than a potential girlfriend. Ethan has missed his best friend while she has been away but now Sam is back and he realises that she's all woman! Can he get past his shyness and convince her to stay in Bramble and make a life with him?

Katie Lane was another new to me author but I enjoyed O Little Town of Bramble so much that I've already ordered the first three books in the series. I loved the humour in this story and just know that I've found myself another favourite series. The romance between Ethan and Sam is perfectly paced, they have been friends forever but now that they have developed deeper feelings they are so tongue tied around each other that it was hilarious to watch. They make a great couple though and I just hope we get to see more of them as the series continues. I have to mention how amusing the live nativity was and it really did put me in the mood for the Christmas holidays! I can't wait to go back and read the rest of this series.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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