Third book in Ross's Callahan Brothers Trilogy
580444
If you loved the first two books in JoAnn Ross's Callahan Brothers trilogy (Blue Bayou; River Road) , you will absolutely love Magnolia Moon.
1386996
The third book in the series only gets better than the first two.  Again the writing is fast paced and the plot is unusual.  Again the Duncan family is in trouble, including Ann's sister, Joy.  All the FBI cases intertwine and are solved in the end.  The Prologue and the Epilogue details the lives of the characters before and after the mystery.

Again, God plays a hand in keeping everyone safe.  Even a bright young FBI agent finds God after watching how God affects the lives of the Duncan's.

Easy reading, fast paced, a must read, especially for those that like Christian Mysteries and for those who have read book 1 and 2.
4056228
By a narrow margin, My Daughters Legacy edges out My Brothers Crown to become my favorite book in the Cousins of the Dove Trilogy. Im a little surprised by this, because the Huguenot storyline (book 1) is what initially drew me in. After a slightly weakersecond book, Clark and Gould have returned with a climatic series finale.

Those who dabble in genealogy will relish how the authors connect the past to the present through mementos which have been handed down through the Talbot family since the Civil War. Additionally, the introduction of a new cluean illuminated manuscriptcleverly ties all three books together. As with the previous installments, historical events often provide theimpetus for modern day revelations. While there were several quick transitions, I could usually sense when the authors were about to make a switch from the present day to 1864.

Between the characters holding/revealing secrets and plot twists, the pace progresses at a good clip. I wouldnt say that Nicoles story outshines Thereses, but the intricacy of the 22 year old murder investigation made me eager to return to the modern day. Furthermore, it was rewarding to read how Nicole turns her life around and owns her past mistakes. Neither story ended the way I expectedan added bonus and a fitting conclusion to the Talbot family saga.

I received a copy of this book for free as a member of the Harvest House Book Club. A favorable review was not required of me. All opinions expressed are my own.
1503009
Chris Bartley's eagerly awaited sixth in the Ross Duncan series is out.  If you're a fan, you already have the book and, like this and the previous three reviewers to-date, you're enjoying it.  If you're just browsing, casting about for a new "read", as I did in my review of "They Die Alone", I encourage you to buy Bartley's Ross Duncan books, all of them, and read them.  It is time well spent.
  Duncan has moved on to Kansas City, bringing associates, a score to settle, a ranking on America's Public Enemies list, and his 3-D laser-cut, graphic characterizations and observations with him.  Kansas City in 1934, a distillation of New Orleans, Chicago and New York City.  Not the sepia-toned, windblown Nowhereville of the American midwest, but a lively, thriving, syncopated, rail crossroads where the western lines meet the eastern lines and the little dogies finished their cattle drives and met their slaughter.  Will Duncan do likewise, or just crack-wise?
  Plenty of chances for Ross Duncan to fall and rise up. Does he fall in love?  Doubtful.  But, not even he knows; all he knows is that she's a sultry singer who is either spinning a web or spinning fast enough to reach escape velocity. Can Duncan rise to the challenge of settling scores without creating new debts at loan shark interest rates?  Will 'the law' focus on higher valued targets long enough for Duncan to further his mercurial quest, oh, and rob a few banks along the way?
  This is what keeps us coming back, what will Ross Duncan keep discovering about himself and how will Bartley artfully reveal it to us.  Duncan will right some wrongs, kick some cans and butts down the road, and create trouble and action as he does so.  Each scene is captured so perfectly that you think you're looking at a past event captured in amber.  You can hold it in your hands, turn it this way and that, and get a fully revealed view while the actors are suspended in front of your eyes in mid-sneer and leer.
  Setting Bartley apart is that he's also fleshing out the locations, the towns, cities, and way stops of a bygone America.  How did the pre-cursor of the FBI get so big so fast?  Does this tell us something about the growth and motivation of the Department of Homeland Security?  Why the sudden rise in number and notoriety of bank robbing?  Why were so many city governments either corrupt or in-league with 'the mob' and organized crime?  Does that suggest something to us about possible relationships and governing in modern-day cities?  Well, I know you're scoffing if you live in Newark.
  Summer's coming, time to get on the train to Ross Duncan's world.
1152243
I have loved reading this trilogy.  The hardships become softened by the acts of love and kindness.  I will miss the continuing saga.  I highly recommend this wonderful book that is the last in the series.
2703787
This is the final book of a trilogy of tales that tell the story of the Nomes, as they learn about their origin and true place in the universe. While I enjoyed the first two books in the series (Truckers and Diggers) even more than this book, this is still as very good read.
3273450
I felt this this book along with the other two books of this series, were constant realistic and enjoyable reading with interesting plots and a unique possibility re the character, Jesse.

I enjoyed the pace of this book as well as the other two that blended seamlessly, the co-ordination of this trilogy and, look forward to possible future additional addition to the series, with the growth of Jesse through childhood into manhood and outcomes relating to this.

 I feel confident the Author would be have an intrigued audience
reading further, the lives of the two main characters progress in their lives, family  and events, with rewarding emotional diversity as life offers.

 I recommend this book and the two others Embryo the first of the series, Embryo 2 and Embryo 3,  the last to date.

 More please.
1096467
The finale to this trilogy about the grandson of Arthur follows Coel back to Constantinople as he makes a new life after leaving Belisarius and the Roman Army behind.  It is an engaging tale replete with interesting characters, bold action and a story line that pulls you into the intrigues, betrayals and machinations of the powers that be.  All in all this is a well written series and is highly recommended by Hoover Book Reviews.  4.3 stars
458917
Shelter Bay, Oregon is like so many women's fiction-inspired towns: The locals -- family and friends -- are in each other's business, mostly in a good way; love flows as freely as the tap water; and strangers end up seamlessly woven into the fabric of the society.
  In this fourth installment of JoAnn Ross' latest contemporary romance series, the youngest Douchett brother, J.T., has come home to Shelter Bay to try to shut out the sorrowful memories of his last assignment with the Marines. His brooding and drinking have his family worrying about his well-being.
  So it seems more than a tad inexplicable that Kara Conway, the town's sheriff, who readers will remember from "The Homecoming," would ask her future brother-in-law to be the unofficial bodyguard for Mary Joyce, an Irish-born movie actress and screenwriter who somewhat surprisingly agrees to come to town to headline Shelter Bay's inaugural film festival.
  Readers might remember Mary as a secondary character in Ross' Castlelough Irish trilogy. Mary is the younger sister of Nora, the female lead of the trilogy's first book, "A Woman's Heart."
  Mary is startled to realize that J.T. is the man she's been having erotic dreams about since before they met. J.T. spends the first half of the novel acting like he'd rather be anywhere but with her. But Mary isn't the Hollywood diva he was expecting, and her down-to-earth demeanor and sensual screen presence inspire J.T. to cast her in a starring role in his own sexual fantasies.
  When they end up acting on their mutual attraction, the sparks fly, the earth moves and both are left wondering how to turn a flash fire into an eternal flame.
  A few days of carnal pleasure aren't usually a strong enough foundation for a lasting real-life relationship. But in the novel romance game, the strength of the attraction and commitment can't be measured by elapsed time.
  As do other writers of popular book series, Ross infuses "Moonshell Beach" with characters and story lines picked up from earlier Shelter Bay books.
  Fans of Kara and fiance Sax Douchett will be pleased to see their love story advance to its expected conclusion.
  Likewise, readers will enjoy catching up with Maddy and Lucas, and Phoebe and Ethan from "On Lavender Lane," the predecessor to "Moonshell Beach."
  The compelling side plot featuring domestic violence survivor Phoebe gets a major development in the latest novel. But it almost gets buried in the wrap-up to the main love story. Hopefully, Ross will tell readers more about Phoebe, new love Ethan and her homicidal, estranged husband, Peter.
  The unanswered questions in Phoebe's story line at least have the potential to be resolved in Ross' next Shelter Bay novel, "Sea Glass Winter," coming in January. It's the story of Dillon Slater, who, like Maddy's man, Lucas Chaffee, is a military hero hottie from the author's "High Risk" series.
  Conversely, the centerpiece romance of "Moonshell Beach," that of J.T. and Mary, accelerates unnaturally when the Irish screen siren is called home to Castlelough for a family emergency. Their happily ever after comes together far too easily to be totally satisfying.
  Ross' small-town sagas, like similar series by other writers, have become formulaic and, for me, not as memorable as her earlier works, such as the Callahan Brothers and Stewart Sisters trilogies.
  Maybe that's to be expected when you've written as many of these contemporary romances as Ross has and read as many of them as I have.
  Still, there's something to be said for passionate sex, charismatic characters and happy endings, which is as good a reason as any to keep coming back for more.
794743
Ive read all three of this trilogy and Column of Fire
Did not disappoint.
It started off a bit slow but gets your full attention
About 100 pages in.
I definitely recommend this book
4955283
Like many series, the first book is the best, but the rest of the series is well worth a read.  The Callahan's Chronicles takes the characters from earlier books, moves them around, plays games with them, plays tricks on them, and generally has fun with their lives.  Not too deep, but  it's a fun read.
254472
Once again I picked up a book and read it, not knowing it was actually the last book in a trilogy. But the book was still very good even not reading the other 2. Lucy and her husband Josh have just bought a new farm and are going to start work in a West Texas school. While Josh works hard getting the farm in shape, Lucy spends every minute she can with their 4-year-old son John Patrick. Even tho times are tough, they help many others who are down on their luck. Some of the people in town do not want the school in town and try to run them off. But when tragedy strikes the Richards' family, the town pulls together to comfort them.

Even tho I know how this trilogy ends, I'm gonna see if I can find the other 2 in the series.

This review was written for Connie's Book Reviews and More on Facebook.

FTC disclosure: I bought my copy of this book.
4952914
Creed Callahan is the subject of the second book in the Callahan Cowboys series written by author Tina Leonard. It's a sweet story.
4645395
I am half way through this book and am loving it. This is the final book in a trilogy and I wish there were more. I highly recommend this book, but if you read the first two, Fatal Boarding and Deep Crossing, you will understand it better. It's a fast read, and the characters are very likable with a very interesting plot.
3154625
The Randell brothers lost their mother in death and their father to prison after his conviction as a cattle rustler. The brothers gained a reputation as rebellious, trouble making young men. They had been society rejects when Hank Barrett, a local rancher, took them in. Hank and his housekeeper, Ella, helped their three young charges turn their lives around. Patricia Thayer tells the story of each of these young men in her trilogy CHANCE'S JOY, A CHILD FOR CADE, and TRAVIS COMES HOME. The reading experience is greatly enhanced by reading this trilogy in sequence. In this second novel of the trilogy, Ms. Thayer tells the story of Cade Randell and Abby Moreau.

Cade Randell returns home after an eight year absence to honor his Foster Father's sixty-fifth birthday. There he sees Abby Moreau, the woman he loves but who had rejected him eight years ago. Although she had accepted his ring and had made love with him, only days later she returned his ring and shortly thereafter married into the wealthy and prominent Garson banking family. The ache of rejection and unrequited love are still his constant companion. It is not long before he comes to realize that Abby's seven year son, Brandon, is not the product of her marriage to Joel Garson. He is, in fact, Cade's own son.

The enticing story of how Cade and Abby overcome years of misunderstandings, deception, manipulation, and heartbreak is a great reading experience. The characters have depth and the story true to life. Particularly touching is the manner in which Ms. Thayer focuses on the relationship of a father to the son he never knew he had and the bond they develop between them. One thing I would like to have seen Ms. Thayer do is to address the earned retribution justice should have delivered to Abby's ex-husband, Joel Garson, the only real villain in the story. Perhaps she will address that issue in the final book of the trilogy. I award a full five stars for this work.
1463570
Another great read about another gorgeous Callahan brother, these books are just very entertaining, the characters are well written and the story is interesting.
The Callahan boys are just so yummy that I am a bit envious of Victoria and Madeline but then I remind myself it is just a book.
I enjoyed the way that Matt & Victoria met and the twists and turns of their relationship as well as the building on the relationship with the boys father.
998428
"Dry Bones" is the last novel in author Peter Quinn's trilogy, featuring NYC cop and OSS officer, Fintan Dunne. The books need not be read in order; like British novelist Philip Kerr and his "Bernie Gunther" character, Quinn jumps Dunne from the 1930s to the 1960's, and back again, in the course of his books.

Fintan Dunne - a veteran of WW1 where he fought in the battlefields under the command of "Wild Bill" Donovan, has a different war in WW2. After a post-war career as a NYPD cop and then as a private investigator, Dunne goes back to work, again under Donovan, in the wartime OSS. His final mission in the war - parachuting with two others into Slovakia in 1945 - goes disastrously wrong. He and Dick Van Hull emerge from Prague alive but after surviving a horrific escape. The people they meet along the way - including the OSS officers who have set up the mission - come together 13 years after the war as secrets are told and murders are done.

"Bones" is an exceedingly well-written historical novel. It's not for the faint-of-heart or the easily confused as the book is a complex look the dangers and allegiances formed in wartime. Like a kaleidoscope, characters and events change as the retelling and reviewing occurs. This third book is the best of the trilogy, but the others are well-worth reading.