Sandy M’s review of The Cowboy Takes a Bride by Lori Wilde
Contemporary Western Romance published by Avon 27 Mar 12

What a delightful book this is. It’s also my first Lori Wilde read, and the fact she writes sexy, sensual, and fun cowboys makes it that much more enjoyable.

The opening scene sets the tone for the book, and what a riot it is. Mariah Callahan has made her way to Jubilee, Texas, to find out what her recently deceased father has left her in his will. Her plan is to get rid of it all and then hightail back to her life in Chicago. A life that has fallen apart and needs desperate mending. When her boss should have backed her up during a sexual harassment incident, she fired Mariah instead. So now Mariah hopes to make her dream of opening her own wedding planning business finally come true. But first she has to deal with the backlash of a father who loved his cutting horses more than he ever loved his daughter.

When she arrives at the ranch, she finds a cowboy – one good-looking, sexy thing – naked in a horse trough. How to take care of this situation? And the banter between them is just hilarious. I think this is the earliest I’ve ever laughed out loud reading a book. Joe is expecting Mariah. This is the daughter who didn’t give a shit about his best friend, her dad. Joe has gone through horrible loss in the last few years, including losing Dutch just weeks before. Thus his bender of last night, ending with his “bath” in that gold-plated trough. I have to share part of that conversation with you.

“I’m calling the cops,” she threatened, pulling her cell phone from her purse.

“Are you always this friendly?”

“Whenever I find a naked cowboy in my gold-plated horse trough I am. I’m pretty sure there’s laws against public nudity, even in this backwater place.”

“First off, I’m not naked,” he said.

She couldn’t stop herself from raking a gaze over his amazing body. “You look naked.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. For instance, you look stuck-up.”

“Sometimes appearances can be deceiving, but on the whole, I’ve found that generally what you see is what you get.”

“So you’re saying you are stuck-up?”

“I’m saying you look like a drunken derelict.”

“Hungover derelict,” he corrected. “I’m not drunk anymore.”

“Excuse me for missing the distinction. I’m sure your mother is so proud.”

“I have underwear on,” he offered.

“How comforting.” As if a little strip of soaking wet cotton cloth hid anything. Why she should find that even more tantalizing than full nudity, she had no clue, but she did.

And that bothered her, a lot.

“Secondly, this isn’t public,” the cowboy continued. It’s private property.”

“I know,” she said. Had she driven down a rabbit hole when she wasn’t looking and ended up in Wonderland? She half expected to see the White Rabbit pop up at any moment, muttering about being late. “My property.”

“Thirdly, it’s not your horse trough.” Her finger hovered over the keypad. Should she call the cops? By challenging him, was she making things worse? Maybe she should just walk away and let him get out of the horse trough at his own pace…

There’s some banter about the sheriff’s deputy just pulling up being a woman, and then they get back to the fact Mariah is upset because he’s in her horse trough, they’ve come full circle.

“It’s not your horse trough.”

“It is.”

“Nope, because it’s not your ranch.”

“It is and I can prove it.”

“It’s not and here’s the reason why. My name is Joe Daniels, this here is Green Ridge Ranch, and I have a sneaking suspicion you’re looking for Stone Creek.”

I actually should have stopped this scene after the appearances can be deceiving part, because that’s where I laughed the hardest, but until their relationship moves to the next level because of the heat between them, this all is the fun to be had whenever Joe and Mariah are together. Even after the tide turns for them, the banter turns too, becomes even more fun and intimate.

Mariah’s plans change a few times during her stay in Jubilee. First she wants out as fast as she can. She agrees to wait, though, a few months, until Christmas, when Joe enters his cutting horse in the local futurity. He knows he’ll win and he can pay her for the property. The amazing horse came from Dutch, in exchange for the Stone Creek Ranch. Then the longer Mariah stays, the more she gets to know the people, which you can’t help but do in small-town America, she begins to think maybe this life could be for her. Maybe her wedding planning business could work here. When she meets a couple of people to push her in that direction, she talks to the bank and gets her hopes up. But they’re dashed quite quickly when her history is revealed.

But this is where her relationship with Joe with becomes truly cemented in love. He offers to bring his men over to build her wedding chapel for her. And they get it built in no time. Mariah sees her dream coming to life before her eyes. Her barn is transformed into a reception hall. She even has a wedding to plan, and all goes off without a hitch. She’s well on her way now.

Interspersed in all of this is Joe’s feelings for his deceased wife. Theirs was a wild albeit short relationship, and he’s missed Becca terribly since her accident. The town also loved her to death. So every time Mariah comes up against Becca in Joe’s life, she takes a step back. Joe’s not ready for another relationship. There’s too much guilt, too much left-over love to deal with. He has to learn to let go, but when he tries it never works.

And there’s Mariah’s feelings for her father. The father she never really knew because he loved his horses more than he loved her. The father who left her and her mother behind years ago, who embarrassed her, who left her his ranch. At first she doesn’t understand how the people of Jubilee could love the man so much, but as she learns more about him, sees inside his heart, she begins to discover the person he was, and she’s sorry she missed knowing that man.

When disaster strikes, it strikes with a heavy hand. Both Joe and Mariah are hit, but it’s Mariah who loses the most. Which helps her make her decision to flee Jubilee in the end, along with other factors, of course.

We also get a side story with Joe’s sister-in-law, Ila, who has been in love with Joe for years, and Cordy, Joe’s right-hand man. Ila hasn’t given Cordy a second look because he’s shorter than she is, but he’s done with her ignoring him. He pulls out all the stops and makes her sit up and take notice, while also getting her to let Joe go. They’re a lot of fun.

The one thing I don’t like that much in the book are the parallels to Sleepless in Seattle. The references to it to help Joe with his feelings about being a widower are fine, but then it goes a little too far with the call-in show and all that follows, just like the movie. It really isn’t needed. The author does fine on her own, and I feel she would have kept doing fine with a true, straight course as she’d been doing all along. But all’s well that ends well, as they say.

This is a fun and funny read. The characters are charming, the folks next door, people you’d like to know. I like the slow-growing love between Joe and Mariah, despite their fears. I’m definitely going to be cracking open a few more Lori Wilde books.

Grade: A

Summary:

Welcome to Jubilee, Texas: where everyone knows everybody’s business—especially if that business is love!

Ex-champion bull rider turned cutting horse cowboy Joe Daniels isn’t quite sure how he ended up sleeping in a horse trough wearing nothing but this Stetson and cowboy boots. But now he’s wide-awake and a citified woman is glaring down at him. His goal? Get rid of her ASAP. The obstacle? Fighting the attraction he feels towards the blond-haired filly with the big, vulnerable eyes.

When out-of-work wedding planning Mariah Callahan learns that her estranged father has left her a rundown ranch in Jubilee, she has no choice but to accept it. Her goal? Redeem her career by planning local weddings. The obstacle? One emotionally wounded, hard-living cowboy who stirs her guilt, her heartstrings, and her long-buried cowgirl roots…

Read an excerpt.

Limecello’s review of Real Men Do It Better by Susan Donovan, Lora Leigh, Lori Wilde, and Carrie Alexander
Erotic romance anthology released 6 Feb 2007 by St. Martin’s Griffin.

They say that Real Men do it better… and they do, at least in this book.

His Body Electric by Carrie Alexander

I liked this novella because it was unique, yet at the same time… common. The hero, Gabe Tomzak is a human lightening rod. The heroine, Karen Jaffe is a divorcee who left New Jersey when her husband traded her in for a younger actress wannabe. She returns home to Iowa to the glamorous life of an amateur sculptor, and virtual service rep, answering 1-800 calls. The story runs on a short timeline, but the forced proximity causes the characters to open up, and their relationship is very believable. I enjoyed the give and take between Karen and Jaffe, as well as the comic relief provided by an overly conscientious ex-boyfriend.

Grade: B+

Bed and Breakfast by Susan Donovan

The old story of opposites attracting, yet Ms. Donovan makes it work. Kate Dreyfuss and Jorey Matheny couldn’t be more different – on the surface. Flash floods not only threaten Kate’s life when she makes the foolhardy decision to leave on foot, but also restrict them to the lodge. It was nice seeing Kate learn to relax and let go, and Jorey is a terrific character- the friend/boyfriend everyone wants. My only issue, is that at times the “new age stuff” got to be a bit much for me. I felt minor disbelief as to Jorey being so centered- but what got me most was all the super vegan food. There was also some minor drama to throw a kink into Kate and Jorey’s budding relationship, which I didn’t love, but can understand why it was added.

Grade: B-

For Maggie’s Sake by Lora Leigh

I tend to like Lora Leigh’s books, and I enjoyed this one more than some of her recent ones. My biggest beef with this novella is that it was too short. It could (or should) have been a chapter in another book. Maggie Samuels and Joe Merino have history, with no closure. When Maggie’s husband Grant dies, her delicate position causes Joe to step up and take charge. The emotions were well written, and the concerns Maggie and Joe have valid. Their interaction is believable, and entertaining. Of course, this was a very hot, with wild monkey sex.

Grade: B+

Siren’s Call by Lori Wilde

I liked this novella, but unfortunately Duncan Stewart and Annie Graves didn’t really draw me in. They were friends growing up, but a night of passion led to regrets, and a separation. They had a cute story, but I felt too much depended on their past. The reader is thrown into the present with all of Duncan and Annie’s baggage, and told to believe they can pick up essentially where they left off. Despite the fact that they haven’t interacted in years. Annie gives a token protest, but I wasn’t completely convinced. I felt that the book could have taken place a month after their split, not five years. Something else that bothered me was the excessive emphasis on Annie’s Harvard degree. I like snarking about Harvard as much as the next person, and ribbing Harvard friends – but I don’t need to read about it every few pages. Also, the education system is a hot button for me. Annie supposedly has a Harvard MBA, but she only went there for undergrad. Therefore, she might have a degree from Harvard Business School, but no Masters of Business Administration. Rawr.

Grade: C+

I happened upon this book, and had to read it because of Lora Leigh’s Tempting SEALs series. I wasn’t disappointed -  this is one of the best anthologies I’ve read in a while. I’d definitely recommend reading Real Men Do It Better, and plan on looking into the backlists of these authors.

Overall Grade: B+

     Summary:

     Every woman knows real men do it better, and these contemporary erotic romance writers prove why.

     Bed and Breakfast by Susan Donovan
     A stressed-out corporate dynamo finds a rustic lodge under renovation and the hunky owner, who had no idea she was coming. After a downpour strands her, he helps “center” her in ways she never imagined.

     For Maggie’s Sake by Lora Leigh
     Maggie’s ex-lover things she’s hiding information about the deaths of some Navy SEALs. But when a member of a notorious crime family captures and holds her hostage at gunpoint, he realizes he’s wrong, and only he can save her life.

     Siren’s Call by Lori Wilde
     Annie never forgot her first love or the day he pushed her away. But she’s back in town and he plans to win her over. What girl could resist a handsome Scotsman to guide her on a treasure hunt?

     His Body Electric by Carrie Alexander
     Strange events occur at Karen’s farmhouse after an aloof stranger seeks shelter from a violent lightening storm. Alone in the dark with him, Karen uses her skills as a phone-sex operator to seduce the mystery man, uncovering secrets and erotic pleasure.

Sandy M’s review of Once Smitten, Twice Shy (Wedding Veil Wishes, Book 2) by Lori Wilde
Contemporary Romance released 1 Jan 08 by Forever

I think Tish Gallagher would laugh out loud at the old adage ‘love isn’t everything.’ She loses everything else in her life throughout the course of this book except her love for her ex, Shane, and the love of her girlfriends. On top of that, someone devious is making it plain she may lose her life. Things start out slow for these characters, but once Secret Service agent Shane, is injured in the line of duty, things begin to move swiftly in emotional and mysterious ways.

Shane is lost when he realizes his injury may keep him from returning to active duty.  When Elysee stays by his side during his recuperation, he suddenly finds himself engaged to her, the first daughter - a needy woman totally unlike Tish. Both he and Tish are completely blindsided when Elysee chooses Tish to videotape their wedding.  Tish and Shane eventually remember how the other walked out on their marriage, both literally and figuratively. Ultimately they each come to the realization their love never died, a deep and consuming love that throws sparks with a look or a touch, is all consuming.

With Shane’s commitment to Elysee, I kept wondering how this story could end the way I hoped it would, and then there at the end of a chapter well into the book I was subtly given the answer. That little tidbit also led to the beginning of another love story that I assume will give us another interesting book down the road.

The happily ever after in this book came in an emotion-filled scene that’s both frightening and joyous. I got caught up in the mire of these characters’ lives early on and made it through the mystery, betrayal, and twists and turns with them. Both Shane and Tish learn from their mistakes for their second time around. I have a feeling they’ve learned their lessons well.

Grade: B

     From the back cover:

     Legend claims this antique Irish wedding veil can grant your heart’s deepest desire. But be careful what you wish for…

     Wedding videographer Tish Gallagher is at the end of her rope. Her video business is about to go bust. She’s just spent her last buck on non-returnable (but oh so fabulous) shoes. And her most sustainable relationship is with a pint of Haagen-Dazs. So she makes a wish on the lucky wedding veil to get out of debt…and sees the man she never stopped loving, her ex-husband, secret service agent Shane Tremont. Sure, their chemistry was off-the-charts sizzling hot, but their clashes were legendary and no amount of longing will change that.

     So when her dream job of recording the first daughter’s wedding appears out of the blue, Tish knows it’s her only shot to get out of the red. Just one teensy glitch: Shane is the groom. From the moment they see each other, she knows nothing’s changed-the same old black magic is still between them, just as irresistible and potent as ever. But he’s promised to another and Tish has been burned before. Will she always be…

     ONCE SMITTEN, TWICE SHY

     Read an excerpt