Readers' Isle

I often brag on Maggie Shayne and The Littlest Cowboy just gives me more to talk about. Shayne flawlessly combines all of my favorite attributes in a book. She gives us a lot of amazing characters with great personalities and physical descriptions. Then there is the deep suspense, a ton of action, and a great romance. When Shayne tells you a story, you’re there. You can feel the tension and smell the gunpowder. The book and the entire series are “romantic suspense” so my warnings for them seem obvious. There is graphic violence, a lot, in many forms. Also, it contains graphic language and some sex. The sex isn't extremely graphic, nor is there a lot of it but it is there. Last, this is not a light fun happy read. It's tense and emotion packed. I know I had a tear or two come to eye.  The Littlest Cowboy is the first novel in The Texas Brands Series. The Series revolves around the Brand family, brothers Garrett, Wes, Elliot, Adam, and Ben and their sister Jessi and a bunch ...

     I have long been a fan of Brenda Novak, but Coulda Been a Cowboy is much different than other books of hers I have read. Previously, I had read her summer "Heat" series, three books about a private investigation agency. Lots of murder, crime and suspense. Coulda Been a Cowboy, is most definitely not like those.  Coulda Been a Cowboy is about a famous NFL Player, Tyson, and all the whirlwind and scandal surrounding him and his new son. The only thing this book seems to have in common with the others is the romance, and the fact that it was a great read.    Coulda Been a Cowboy is the eighth book in the Dundee, Idaho Series but it reads great stand alone. This is the only book I have read from the series and I don't feel that I missed anything "need to know" in the others. I only want to read them now to get to know some of the characters more. (And because once I start a series I tend to obsess until I know everything I can about them,  *sigh*.) ...

  As I mentioned in my earlier post, Miller has another epic family named Creed. And just like all of her other books I've read, she is a delight. The family is very intricate, and she gives you different novels about them so you can learn all about them. Every character is so memorable, human or otherwise.   I won't go into as much detail on the Creed family. I'll just give you list the one's I've read in "fictional" chronological order. A Creed County Christmas (The Christmas Brides Book 2) 1910 -Lincoln Creed A Creed in Stone Creek - Modern Day- Steven Creed Creed's Honor- Modern Day- Conner Creed The Creed Legacy- Modern Day- Brody Creed Genre: western romance Age:   18+ Warnings:   ummmm steamy sexy cowboys ;)... sex, and some light violence Series :   YES!  As an aside, just be prepared for some heartbreak when the books over and the cowboy isn't yours. Miller makes them all so rough and lovable. Happy Reading!!!

   Linda Lael Miller is a talented writer. She brings us an entire family, from the frontier days to today. And not once does she skimp us on personality and flaws in her characters. Every person and animal in her books is completely unique and memorable. From Angus McKettrick, a rough and tough cowboy from the frontier days, to Bamboozal, the pony Austin got for his tenth birthday. I love this family. I can probably trace their family tree easier than my own, and they are fictional.    Aside from the awesome characters, Miller also gives us unique plot twist in each book. Of course they’re all ranchers, so the cowboy theme stays the same. Each book gives you new laughs, sorrows, and crazy events to keep you guessing. However, they all keep the family legacy in tact. While reading the books look for these things, McKettrick blue eyes, McKettrick pride, and the hand carved bed given to Lizze M. as a wedding gift from her father Holt.    Here’s a rundow...

     Well, classes are officially over for summer and I've read my first book. I had been waiting to read this one for a while and was pretty excited.      I have been a Carla Neggers fan from the first book of hers I picked up. I own at least four, but they are all in the horror and suspense genres. This is the first "romance" of hers, and I loved it. It's not all sappy romance. There's a little suspense, family dynamics, betrayal and an odd treasure hunt. I really love the plot line, and setting. I don't want to give it away so I'll leave it at that.      Neggers always does a good job with her characters. They have habits, flaws and fears you can pick-up on and relate to. I didn't notice any spatial or grammatical errors, but truthfully I was to pulled into the story to pay much attention to spelling. Also, no graphic sex, it's implied, just some steamy make-outs. ;) AGES: 17+ GENRES: romance WARNINGS: none ...