Once A Charmer

Once a Charmer (Charmed in Texas #3)

by Sharla Lovelace

From the first book in this series to this one it has been a wonderful ride that has kept me entertained laughing, chuckling and smiling the whole way through.  The author gives you excitement with a little mystery and some downright hilarious moments.  This is one story I had no trouble relating to since my husband and I were best friends long before we started dating. I went through a lot of what Allie did not wanting to lose my best bud and afraid to take that next step. There are a lot of what ifs that must be weighed out before you can make a jump like this. Angel is so much a teen girl but really funny as she gets her mother in hot water more than once. Although this was a very fun read that makes you laugh there are some very touching heartbreaking ones that keep you on the edge. One with Angel that any mother can relate to and most would have liked to have killed when this plays out. Balie adds so much to this story as he has the touch that really complicates issues but at the same times makes things work out. Whatever you do don’t let this man touch you unless you are ready for a wild ride of mystery that is life changing.  Lange I didn’t care for and felt he deserved what he got he was a totally DH …well you get the picture.

My heart went out to Allie living in a small town and having a baby so young, unmarried, having the town look down on her was just heartbreaking. Having gone all the way with just one male ending with a baby on the way turned her into a lose women that she just felt she never could overcome. She has built her life around this walking the line and never enjoying life. As life takes a turn she finds Bash is all she thinks about. In the last book of this series she runs to him when she thinks he might be killed and lays a lip lock right on him. This is where this book starts off with the fallout from that wild, sexy kiss.

Bash is hanging by lose ends not knowing how to deal with it all. OH yes he has the hots for one sexy best friend but since the kiss he is finding it hard to find a norm. One sexy man on the loose trying to play it cool just isn’t cutting it. One mess after another falls at his feet but the one thing that never changes is Allie and Angel are his family and he would kill to keep them safe.  I love how protective he is of them and how he deals with Aaron what just sweet, loving and so dang funny. Angel does break his heart but when push comes to shove they make a wonderful team that can’t be broken.

It was a pleasure watching these characters dance around each other as the town watches why pushing and pulling them. There is no secret that these two have chemistry they seem to be the only one who doesn’t know the lay of the land. I really enjoyed the romance, the mystery and how the town reacts when things come to a head. I loved the ending and the humor Bash adds to it. The buildup of the romance is hot, delightful and smooth. I just loved when they finally come together with left steam on my glasses. This is one author that charms her way right into your heart from the little town to the wonderful characters in it. You laugh with them and at times you cry with them. A lot of thought went into writing this series bring you humor, love, mystery and giving you heart stopping moments. I really doubt you can read it and not laugh yourself silly at some point. I cannot wait to see what the next book brings I know it will be full of delight, heartbreak and humor.

If you are on NetGally you can request to read this

Buy Links

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MZCJH4R/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01MZCJH4R&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

Google Play

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sharla_Lovelace_Once_a_Charmer?id=X-b1DQAAQBAJ

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/once-a-charmer

B&N

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/once-a-charmer-sharla-lovelace/1125531019?ean=9781516101283

Summary

Charmed, Texas, is a close-knit small town where people’s dreams of love can come true. That’s not to say that some people aren’t still waiting, and dreaming . . .
 
By day, Allie Greene stays busy with her family diner, and keeping tabs on her teenage daughter. What’s really exhausting Allie, however, are the nights. Not that she minds Bash Anderson unbuttoning her naughty desires—if only in her dreams. But what was he doing there at all? He’s her best friend, and a father figure to her girl. Talk about awkward. Talk about OMG-heat-and-fireworks that are flipping fifteen years of normal upside down. And now, when Allie needs him as a friend more than ever, logic doesn’t stand a chance against his lips and irresistible deep-blue eyes . . .

Sure, Bash has fantasized about Allie, but there’s no way he’d act on it. She and her daughter are the closest thing to family he’s ever known. With the exception of one drunken moment fifteen years ago, he and Allie have stayed on this side of the line—until that impulsive kiss of hers knocked him on his butt. That’s just one hurdle. Not only does Allie need Bash’s help to save her diner, but his apiary is in trouble, too. To stir the pot further, they’ve been roped into vying for the town’s Honey King and Queen contest—a sweet event that’s making them closer than ever. Something’s bound to come undone. Bash just hopes it’s not the friendship he’s worked so hard to hold on to.

Lost Fortune

Lost Fortune: The Unbridled Series, Book 1

Written by: Sandra E. Sinclair

Narrated by: C. J. McAllister

Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:08-23-17

Publisher: Sandra E Sinclair

This was a fun read full of sparks and passion. I loved the plot it is full of suspense, mystery and secrets. Rilla is one determined women lord help who ever tries to stop her she isn’t about to let anyone get in her way of what is rightfully hers. This was really a very intriguing read that pulls you in from the first page.

Back in that time period what Rilla had to go through when she found out she had be lied to for so many years is just heartbreaking. I am sure her parents didn’t plan on dying or they would have planned better. If things weren’t bad enough now she finds some man is looking for her as her heart goes out to him he tears hers right out of her chest. Add the man she plans to marry who is really a mothers boy and his evil mother to mix and you have one intriguing story. Calvin is a man of few words with his back ground he doesn’t need them. When he takes on a job he sees it through to the end. With the job he is on nothing is adding up and he really cannot stand the man who hired him. Things really goes crazy when he finds out the women he plans on courting is the women he has been hired to find. Things really get crazy when said man comes in and lays down the law leaving poor Rilla with few options.

I thought Mr. McAllister did a really good job with the narration. The only problem I really had was his character voice for Rilla sounded more Chinese than French. It was pleasant but just not what I had pictured her voice to be like. He does put a lot of emotion into the listen really making you feel the emotions he is trying to bring to the story. He male voices are as good as his female ones. You know have no trouble knowing who is talking and what they are feeling. This is a three and a half hours listen and you have no trouble getting into it listening to it all at one setting. There was one place towards the beginning where he did repeat a few words but it isn’t a big deal it is just noticeable. There are no background noises and no volume changes, if any breaks were taken I could not tell. It is really a very clear and clean audio that I enjoyed very much.

This was a very refreshing read with new twist and characters you will fall in love with. It was a story I could not put down. I loved how the author twist the plot giving you a very highly entertaining read that has you racing turning the pages to see what new twist is in store for you. For a debut novel the writing is great, the plot very interesting and it holds your attention.

Buy Links

Audible

https://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Lost-Fortune-Audiobook/B074ZLVKW8?ref_=a_listener__cco_1_1_t

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Fortune-Unbridled-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01M303I8V/ref=cm_cr_if_orig_subj?_encoding=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=audiblecom0f-20

Summary

Lost Fortune - a historical western romance.
"What do you do when the world as you know it is ripped from under you, and everything you believed to be true, no longer makes sense?"
Rilla travels across the pond to Boston, the place of her birth. After eight years away, she discovers her very existence has been a lie. The people she thought she knew, and those she loved, had kept secrets and lies that could bring scandal and shame if they are discovered. Everything she holds dear could be taken from her. Making matters worse, she is being hunted by a stranger whose sole purpose is to separate her from her inheritance, leaving her in ruin.
Left with no other choice, Rilla must flee for her very life.
Calvin Dalton has been sent by the Pinkerton Agency to recover a lost fortune. A chance meeting with a beautiful woman on the train into town left him breathless, and unable to get the exotic beauty out of his mind. He is delighted to discover they are staying at the same boardinghouse, even though he knows he has no time to become sweet on the girl. He'd been sent there to do a job, so he'd have to fall in love on his own time. However, when he agreed to take on the job, he had no idea where this journey would lead him, or the lives he'd ruin with his investigation. Calvin's heart and his job were on a collision course of disaster.
What will happen when the mysterious woman he'd met on the train becomes his prime suspect? It appears his heart wasn't the only thing she'd stolen.
Lost Fortune is the first book in Sandra E. Sinclair's unbridled, historical, western romance series - where the females are all strong, capable, and sassy, but most of all - unbridled. If you like escaping into bygone days when the west was wild and women wore big dresses, you will love the Unbridled series.

To Marry a Texas Outlaw

To Marry a Texas Outlaw (Men of Legend #3)

by Linda Broday

I have waited a long time to be able to read Luke’s story and what an exciting story it is. If you have read the other men of legends than you know Luke is kind of the black sheep of the family. He was born on the other side of the blanket because his mother was taken away from his father and his father married another. Growing up thinking his father never wanted his mother or him only to find out his father never knew of him. There is a lot of background that is in the first two books. This is a standalone and you do not need to read the other books in the series to know what happened in the past the author fills you in not leaving anything out. This book takes off with Luke trying to find the man who framed him for murder only to find a team of horses, a lady tied to a tree and the men who tied her. Ms. Broday covers a lot of issues here the most important is family. Luke won’t let his family help him or take the blame he is proud and stands up for what he has done. He doesn’t understand what love means and why people would try to protect him. He is about to learn a very important lesson in this area.  What you will find between these pages is one exciting read full of adventure, mystery, romance, love, danger, heart stopping moments and so much more.

Josie doesn’t know who she is after being hit in the head she has lost her memory. Once being saved by Luke and understanding he won’t hurt her she has nowhere to go and no home to go to. This is a woman who isn’t lady like at all but stands her ground willing to fight and her mouthy ways would make a saloon girl blush. She is full of fire, has a tempter like no one you have ever seen. She throws sparks from her eyes that would bring most men to their knees. On meeting Luke is throw for a loop good lord this women can curse, she sure didn’t come from a fantasy home. Her outlook on life, her tempter and the fire that is inside of her is part of her charm. She is a mystery and one he plans on working out. Their first meeting has Luke helping a wild cat. its hair, teeth and eyeballs as he tries his best to calm her down. Lord have mercy what a women, a true spit fire after his own heart.

Every time they start working on her memory or what they should do something or someone gets in their way. Luke seems to pick up strays like most girls pick flowers. He may be an outlaw wanted for his crimes but he has a heart of gold for women, children and animals. These are the things that truly bring this story to life and wraps your heart around the pages of this book taking you back in time when men knew how to be gentle and strong. They knew how to fight and keep what is theirs why giving back and working the land to make a home. Luke does have another side to him that is wild, dangerous and wicked. He can kill in a blink of an eye and isn’t afraid shoot first and ask questions later. There is only one things he is afraid of and that is to love and let someone in.

The attraction really comes off them from the start as they butt heads together time and time again. Both demand and neither willing to step back. Both are strong and proud but so kind hearted and loving. I laughed and chuckled my way through as Josie stole my heart with her wild ways and her helping hands. There are a lot of touch and goes along with a few heart stopping moments when you find yourself talking to the characters. There were times I found myself cheering and others times when my eyes got watery. There are a few shocks in store for the reader as things take place and other times when you would just like to shake Luke because he has too much pride. You find a story of what love and family truly mean and a whole nether world out there that wants in with wonderful characters who aren’t willing to bend until one little lady with a bad tempter shows them the way. The ending had my heart in my throat with tears ready to fall as the author takes you on one tailspin after another. It also makes you laugh at how Josie lays down the law to one very sick man.

I love these characters as I am sure you will. Noah is such a dear and said things that will make you laugh. Stoker is one proud pa who really loves his kids and will do what is needed to keep them safe. I really loved to visit with past characters seeing what is new. Lara and her charming daughter from the last book will always be my favorite it was so nice to see them again.  This is one author that knows how to tie you in knots keeping you on the edge and making your smile through it all. She gives you death and heartbreak as the west is known for with plot that pulls you in. I couldn’t put this down and had to know what was going to happen next. I just love the men of legend each one took a piece of my heart as I closed the book and let the meaning of their story sink in.  I wonder if this is the end or will there be a spinoff of the ladies in the hideout wanting a place to call home?

Buy Links

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Marry-Texas-Outlaw-Legend-Book-ebook/dp/B01N39EZ0F/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

B&N

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-marry-a-texas-outlaw-linda-broday/1125526056;jsessionid=51E0A1BB393FF72765005A2BAA56B69C.prodny_store01-atgap09?ean=9781492630234&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20IncM000004

Google Play

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Linda_Broday_To_Marry_a_Texas_Outlaw?id=2HkFDgAAQBAJ

Summary

“Linda Broday’s heroes step right out of her books and into your heart.” —JODI THOMAS, New York Times bestselling author
Three Brothers. One Oath.
No Compromises.
The MEN of LEGEND
The Outlaw
Outlaw Luke Weston survives by his wits. On the run for a murder he didn’t commit, the last thing he needs is to go looking for more trouble. But when Luke stumbles across a fiercely beautiful woman struggling against two heavily armed men, it’s obvious that trouble has found him.
After all, he never could resist a damsel in distress.
Josie Morgan’s distressed, all right—and hopping mad. She has no idea why she’s been kidnapped…or who she is…or why her body melts for the mysterious gunslinger who saved her life. But as the lost memories come tumbling back together, Josie is faced with the stark reality of why she and Luke can never be…even as her heart is telling her she will always be his.

Men of Legend Series:
To Love a Texas Ranger (Book 1)
The Heart of a Texas Cowboy (Book 2)
To Marry a Texas Outlaw (Book 3)

Sunday Wild Child

Sunday Wild Child

Written by: Ethel Cook-Wilson

Narrated by: Reagan Boggs

Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:07-03-17

Publisher: Ethel Cook-Wilson

When I first saw this up for review I thought it would be more of a raw book on abuse and such but really it was a very well thought out book of two people mother and daughter telling their view points on the same issues as they happen. There is some abuse and racism along with a few other things but it is told with class that does shock you but not in an over bearing way. A mother has to deal with an abusive husband that needs to show his manhood by producing children. He started out as a wonderful father and husband turns to drinking and evil ways showing his true feeling not only to his family but the blacks in the town they are in. Going through one town after another with nothing to their name living on what jobs he can find leaving them with little or nothing to eat. One woman tries her best to be the best mother who came from money but was disowned when she married. She learns the hard way how to not only grow as a person but finds her back bone. To a daughter who is determined to not be like her mother she takes the world by storm getting in trouble showing the world no one will get her down. No man will ever treat her like her father treats her mother. As people look down on them, makes fun of them and talk about them this family stands proud.

Ms. Boggs narration is wonderful, her character voices are a delight from the tough hateful men to the lady who gives all, to the ones that try to take what do not belong to them. Her children voices really pull you in as they show their hurt, anger and stand proud. The narrator really puts a lot of emotion into this audio you can hear the desperation, anger, hope, fear, the little joy and happiness they have in her tones as she takes them through the years and all they learn. She really put a lot of thought into each character and how she would portray them.  Her voices and tones give so much meaning to how the story builds and to what is happening. As she takes you on the journey the author writes, her voices keeps you spellbound taking you back in time when things were different and people got away with more in how the deal with each other. There are no background noises, no volume changes, no repeating of words. Her voices show true emotions that really pull you in. If any breaks were taken I could not tell. I was a very clean crisp audio that I got lost in. Ms. Boggs did an outstanding performance that I had trouble putting down. I found things to do so I could learn more about these characters and their lives. I loved her accents they really pull you in with the emotion she gives them. Her male voices were just as compelling as her females. As the story builds she takes you back in time giving you a heart wrenching compelling listen that hooks you and keeps your interests. My husband isn’t into audios but even he sit and listen for awhile. He even chuckled a few times at the slang and what was happening.

There were many characters that my heart went out to so many sad times that you wonder how they could go on. The one that hurt the most was a little color boy and all he went through. As the mother and daughter struggle to get along the author pulls you in from one issue to the next giving a compelling read of both sides. It is a story of compassion, heartbreak learning to start over and finding what truly is important as a family breaks apart and tries to pull its self back together. They lose it all and found their way back to the living, giving life new meaning and watch to see if justice will be served. It isn’t all bad or sad there were times I chuckled or laughed at the things they said or how something happened. You get to see a little of the turning point for them and those around them as a mother fights to keep her family together and a daughter fights to find her place in a world she do not understand. It was a pleasure listening to this audio watching Bonnie Blithe and Dixie Jo grow, change and learn not only how to deal with their own issues but each other. I loved the spunk of Dixie Jo as she learned to deal not only with an abusive father but the hurt words of others and finding her place in the world she finds herself in. Bonnie Blithe stole my heart when she rubbed her tummy and said let this be a boy as well as her strong nature to hold her family together and deal with a husband most women in today’s world would have wanted to shoot and some would have. The ending just about bought a tear to my eyes as they saw a man walking to them. You will never believe who it is and the touching scene that unfolds. I truly enjoyed this from start to finish. It will be an audio I will listen to again it is a heartwarming story with so much sadness and pain but truly a blessing in the outcome.

Buy Links

Audible

https://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Sunday-Wild-Child-Audiobook/B073HJ1S4M

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XBW7BG7/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B06XBW7BG7&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

Summary

Sunday Wild Child captures the point of view of the mother as well as that of the daughter in this homespun tale of small town Florida life of the 40s and early 50s. It depicts a powerful, but disturbing, picture of poverty, racism, and juvenile cruelty. On the other hand, it showcases the strength of will to overcome those conditions through perseverance.

A Florida family's trials and triumphant during the first-half of the twentieth century. Bonnie Blithe and Dixie Jo lend their voices to their tales of loss, love and hope as they deal with a domineering husband and father. Their journey from one destitute town to another, as well from one personal challenge to another is full of faith, true grit and determination. Dixie Jo embodies the spunk all young people need to overcome adversities.