So, I'm the world's worst blogger. Officially. My last post was in August?!?! I have missed blogging and the entire book blog community, but unfortunately life sometimes just gets in the way. By life I mean cute new babies (see pic below) and my three amazing, but time consuming, big kids. So between a nightmarish pregnancy (9 months of morning sickness. Serious torture!), homeschooling, newborns, sleep deprivation, and planning for our long awaited move (to Texas y'all!!) life is C.R.A.Z.Y. I haven't read a book that wasn't filled with colorful illustrations in months, but today I discovered nursing my squishy little guy is the perfect time to pick up a book. I'm hesitant to say I'm back, but I want to be. I need to be. I need to immerse myself in something that didn't grow in my uterus. I love my kids, don't get me wrong, but it is so easy to lose yourself when you're a mother. & well I need something to keep my post-partum brain from turning to mush.
I lost my domain so I'm hoping switching back to my blogspot address works. If you made it through this rambling stream of thoughts, I thank you.
Mr. Squish who kept me nauseous and suffering from vertigo for the better part of a year.
Title: Blame It On Texas Series: Hotter In Texas #2 Author: Christie Craig | Website Available: 8/28/2012 Reading Level: Adult Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Received from publisher in exchange for my review
Synopsis via Goodreads: Zoe Adams has always been content with her quiet nights at home, watching TV alone-until her life turns into a real-life episode of Unsolved Mystery Hunters. The story of a kidnapped girl triggers unexplained memories, and Zoe is dead-set on figuring out why. Her search leads her to one of the Lone Star State's richest families-and to sexy PI Tyler Lopez. Tyler has sworn off women, especially redheads with killer curves who poke their noses into his clients' private lives. Still, he can't deny the attraction any more than he can deny that some of Zoe's crazy story makes sense. But when she becomes a hit man's target, this cold case starts heating up. Suddenly, Tyler will do anything to protect Zoe-even risk his heart. My thoughts:
As I've mentioned numerous times before, contemporary romance is
not one of my "go-to genres". I'm unbelievably picky, but
yet again Christie Craig has managed to seriously rock my socks. I love the
world she has created in Texas. I love the three hunks that make up the
private investigating team, Only In Texas. And I love the women she
created to win their hearts.
Blame It On Texas was just as wonderful as its predecessor,
Don't Mess With Texas, if not better. Christie Craig has combined mystery and
romance to create a book that will keep you reading way past your bedtime.
Tyler is a character with so much depth. Now that isn't something you can
typically say about love interests in a romance novel. I admired
his intelligence and compassion for others (especially his strong
family values). And he likes cats. Like likes them enough to save them from
becoming road kill. Having been called a crazy cat lady more than once; I'm a
sucker for any man who has a soft spot for felines. His love match, Zoe,
was unbelievably sweet with a wonderful sense of humor (and another
cat person, Yay). I couldn't get enough of these two together.
Blame It On Texas also contains a secondary romance that focuses
on the relationship between Rick and Ellen, who we met in the first book of the
series. I enjoyed catching up with Ellen again. I was intrigued by her in the first book
and just knew she had a story to tell. I will admit it took a bit for Rick to
win me over, but eventually he did. His character really seemed to evolve the
most over the course of the story.
The mystery behind Zoe's identity was a great one. I had to fight the urge
to skip to the end and unravel all the mysteries. Thankfully patience won, and
I was able to hold out. It was so worth it! Now my only complaint is waiting
for the next book in the series. It sounds like it is going to be another great
read!
Cover
thoughts: Hmm. So I only seem to weigh in on covers when I have an issue. This
version of Tyler really doesn't fit my imagined Tyler. I can't recall if
Tyler's father's background was mentioned beyond his abusive nature, but I'm
pretty sure Tyler is of Hispanic decent. He speaks Spanish and his last
name Lopez. Yet, cover guy appears to be Caucasian. Maybe Tyler is half white?
I'm not real sure, but would have loved to see a hottie Latino on the cover.
Being married to a hottie Latino has perhaps made me a tad biased. Just
saying.....
Check out this fun video!
If you enjoy Christie's books as much as I do, don't forget to check out her YA titles written under the pseudonym, C. C. Hunter!
Giveaway Details:
3 copies of Blame It On Texas are up for grabs courtesy of Hachette!
Open to the U.S & Canada
Book will ship from publisher
No P.O Boxes please
Winners are subject to Hachette's 1 copy per household rule
Ends 9/2/12
Please leave a comment with a way to contact you to enter (email, Twitter, etc)
Amy Michaels loves her new life in Lucky Harbor. A waitress in the local diner, she's looking forward to her first weekend hike through the mountains. But when a wrong turn takes her off the trail, she finds herself up close and personal with forest ranger Matt Bowers. And even though she's tempted to kiss that sexy smile right off his face, she won't make the mistake of getting involved with the town heartthrob.
A former cop whose life went south, Matt doesn't let anyone get too close. But something about the feisty beauty caught his eye the moment he first saw her in the diner. After a hot night under a starry sky, Matt can't deny their attraction-or the fact that for the first time in a long time, he feels the stirrings of something more. Now it's up to Matt to help Amy see that, no matter what is in their past, together they can build a future in Lucky Harbor.
My thoughts:
At Last stays true to the awesomeness that is the Lucky Harbor series.
Amy is lugging around loads of baggage that has left her
a little damaged, kind of angry and very untrusting. Forest ranger Matt
couldn’t be a better match. While he comes off laid back and collected, he has
some secrets of his own. Together they each bring out the side of them they’re so
eager to keep hidden from the world.
The sexual tension in this
installment was intense. Amy and Matt had the pages sizzling and the anticipation
was killer! I couldn’t get enough of them together. I also loved finally
discovering what Amy was hiding. I knew it was bad, but whoa. She is a strong,
amazing character, and I just love her even more now. Watching as she learned to trust again with Matt was beautiful. Ranger Matt (or Ranger Hot Buns as he is known in Lucky Harbor) is crazy hot, and I
was so ready for him to come clean with what happened in his past and led him
to become a forest ranger in Lucky Harbor. His nurturing character was surprising and appreciated. The gorgeous ranger knows how to make a girl swoon.
The all around tone of At Last was
a little more serious than the rest of the series, but it still featured plenty
of the humorous dialogue I’ve come to expect from Jill Shalvis. It was
great to catch up with all the residents of Lucky Harbor while Matt and Amy
finally got their HEA.
Grace never thought she’d be starting her life over from scratch. Losing everything has landed her in Lucky Harbor, working as a dog walker for overwhelmed ER doctor Josh Scott. But the day his nanny fails to show up, Grace goes from caring for Josh’s loveable mutt to caring for his rambunctious kids. Soon Grace is playing house with the sexy single dad…
With so many people depending on him, Josh has no time for anything outside of his clinic and family–until Grace arrives in town. Now this brainy blonde is turning his life inside out and giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “good bedside manner.” Josh and Grace don’t know if what they have can last. But in a town like Lucky Harbor, a lifetime of love starts with just one day…
My thoughts:
Forever and a Day is without a doubt the novel I’ve been anticipating most in
this series. Dr. Josh Scott had a story I was eager to get lost in. New to
Lucky Harbor Grace was the perfect girl to help get the overworked, and
seriously stressed, doctor to lighten up and realize the parts of his life that
needed to change. I absolutely adored these two together and they have easily
claimed the title of my most favorite Lucky Harbor couple. Then there were the
moments shared between Grace and Josh’s sister and son. Melted my heart
♥ Grace is exactly what this stressed out family needed.
The chemistry between Josh and
Grace was off the charts. This is what all contemporary romances should aim to
be. If they did, I just might read this genre more often. Grace and Josh are
both characters with so much compassion and heart, and just the right level of
differences that cause them balance each other out perfectly. They’re just so amazing together!
Not sure if I can convey how much I
loved, loved, loved this book, by far my favorite in the series. Jill
Shalvis has created an amazing world. She writes the kind of stories that will cause you to forget to eat and sleep, and make you seriously consider calling in sick to work just so you
don’t have to stop reading. If you haven’t checked out this series, please do
(and soon!). I recommend starting from the beginning so you don’t miss a single
happening in this crazy town, or any of its absolutely lovely characters.
Please tell me the adventure doesn’t stop here!
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