Every bit as good as Eagle Creek
597997
A really great backpack.  I had an Eagle Creek that developed holes in the bottom (tote bag did same - unimpressed with quality), so I reluctantly looked outside the Eagle Creek family and found this one.  It is slightly larger and the fabric is slightly less soft/flexible, but looks strong.  I like the water bottle pockets on the side, and the straps are every bit as comfortable as those on EC.  This is still only first impression, so cannot comment on long-term usage.  But so far, so good!
242271
If the first book in Delores Fossens new Wranglers Creek series, Those Texas Nights is anything to go by she sure has a real winner on her hands. Wranglers Creek is one of those homey small towns populated by unique and somewhat quirky characters that makes you want to live there. Well maybe not if you don't like your whole life and every little thing you do gossiped about by your neighbors! But, as in this story, don't worry there will be another must gossip about event taking place to make everyone forget about your doings.
Delores Fossen is a genius when it comes to characterization. Her characters are always so realistic that you feel you should be able to walk right up to them and carry on a conversation. And the dialogue in this story is full of fun conversations. The dialogue and descriptions will make you laugh out loud.
Theres lots going on in this story, businesses being embezzled, unlikely personal relationships being started, a couple of super cute little boys who will totally delight you and some steamy lovin to suit your fantasies. So come along and meet the lovely people of Wranglers Creek and fall in love with sexy Chief Clay McKinnon and sassy Sophie Granger.
A Book Obsessed Chicks Review Team Sleection
952421
I absolutely loved this addition to the Divine creek collection. Quentin, Cami, and Ben make a wonderful pairing that have you on edge to see what happens next. This is one of those books that has you up all night because you just can't bare to put it down. Because you just have to find out what happens next!
3102923
I read Another Dawn awhile back. I loved it then, and I still love it. I especially enjoy seeing the Old West through the eyes of modern characters like Sofie and Luke (Luke, who has reason to hate so much of the world, but still has room in his heart for love). Add in Deb Stover's trademark humor and romance, and you've got a mix that can't lose.
1527479
Donis Casey has done it again with "Hell With the Lid Blown Off".  Spending time with the Tucker clan is one of my favorite activities, and although this one doesn't give us the usual dose of Alafair, the storyline is so wonderful and well-written that I didn't feel a bit cheated.  As with all Ms Casey's books, I felt as though I were there with the family, this time through the terror and ensuing hardships of Oklahoma weather, and I enjoyed getting to know a few of the characters better.  My only complaint is that now that I've finished it I won't have another one to read for quite a while.  Do you think you could manage two a year, Ms. Casey?
I began this book by re-reading the entire series, and it added much to the pleasure of this latest Alafair Tucker story.
934609
Smith Henderson's FOURTH OF JULY CREEK is the best book I've read since Philipp Meyer's THE SON: gorgeously written, tightly plotted, with characters that seem as real and conflicted as actual human beings.  If you read one novel this summer, it should be this one.
2940846
Robert Valleau has written yet another winner in my opinion.  This entire series was great and I feel I know Oklahoma so much better now.  I took this book and some of his others on our ferry trip to Alaska a few weeks ago and read through them all.
650234
I've read all of the previous books in this series and this book does not disappoint.  Stone Creek Redemption continues Sarah's story as she deals with personal set-backs and troubles in the post-Civil War era.  All is not sadness, however.  The return of people from Sarah's past and the introduction of new characters make this book a joy to read.
3565821
I'll admit I'm a big fan of Mrs. Novark's books and her writing style. After being introduced to her writing through the Diamond Back Ranch series I read The Return to Stone Creek series just to enjoy more of her story telling abilities and they did not disappoint! I highly recommend you read not only Her Reluctant Rancher but also Tall, Dark and Texan (which is my personal favorite out of the two) as they are both wonderful stories and do overlap some.

Mrs. Novark has quite a knack for capturing the romance and beauty of not only life on a ranch but also of a dying breed of honest, hard working and sexy men...cowboys!!
4717559
This is by far the best series of books ever written and Jamie & Claire are two unforgettable people, therefore I was especially glad that they decided to go to Cross Creek, (now called Fayetteville)which is where I have spent most of my life!!!  Almost everything around here - from malls to shops to hospital, is either named CROSS CREEK or CAPE FEAR!!

I hope the next book is as breathtaking and spellbinding as all the others by this great, great author.
2377450
The Brandy Alexander series is one of the best I've ever read in it's genre.  That said, it is hard to classify the series to a specific genre.  The stories tend to be much  grittier than a typical cozy, but much less graphic than a crime novel.  The characters are edgier, yet there are many  repeating characters and a dangerous but constant love interest for Brandy.  I can't decide how to classify the series; I can only say that I love these six books and eagerly await the 7th.

Brandy Alexander has to be one of the most endearing people in fiction.  She is flawed, brave, lovable, scared, passionate, confused, temperamental - in other words she is one of the most human of characters in a genre populated by entertaining, but cardboard, paragons of one kind or another.  She is also a character who continues to grow and change through each of the mysteries, and the people around her change as well. I find this really appealing in mystery series, but unfortunately rather rare. There is a strong sense of groundedness in these novels that I love.  They have substance and weight.  They are worth reading more than once.

The plots are always strong and never obvious - the story in No Such Thing as a Lost Soul is about a missing mother and child and a cult led by a charismatic mad man.  It is a stand alone book - you don't have to have read the previous books to enjoy it.  But, do yourself a favor - start with book 1 and move forward.  I guarantee you it is worth the journey.

Finally, I discovered the series on kindle where it is a bargain at the price.  I read the first installment and then immediately (same day) ordered all the rest that were available.  I love the books enough to also purchase them in hard copy to add to my mystery library.  I don't do that unless I really value a book.  This is a great series - don't miss it.
2894753
I found "A Fatal Thaw," the second in the Kate Shugak series set in the Alaskan wilderness, much easier to read and follow than the first, and I zipped through it with great interest.
Stabenow is herself an Alaskan, and she makes you feel the very essence of the place, in all its rough and ready wildness. I felt I was there in the first spring thaw with Kate and her wonderful half-wolf dog (a bona fide character in her own right) as they stretch their winter-weary limbs. Kate has spring fever, and her very female dog, Mutt, is mesmerized by a giant and gorgeous he-wolf who can't seem to keep away from Kate's cabin.
This serenity is shattered very quickly, however, by the doings of a crazy-mad serial killer who, in one short span of a few hours, goes on a murder spree so deadly and so accurate that almost nobody in the tight-knit communty is spared outrage, shock or unbearable grief. After the dust settles, however, the real shocker sets in: One of the dead was not shot with the same gun. Somebody has used a crazy man's murder spree to cover up a real and nasty additional killing--and it's up to Kate to find out who.
I found the mystery less than the story telling, which kept my interest all the way through. This is a good, solid series, one that I am reading from the beginning, and I see no reason at all not to move on quickly and with pleasurable anticipation to the next!
4683706
Nom nom nom. That's all I could say after reading this book. If I could eat what I read, this entire series would make me gain so much weight. This book features pies, and lots of them. I would have loved to help out Charlotte and her pie making business, although I will admit I might have been one of those sneaking away bites during the cooking process! Charlotte sounds like a wonderful cook who does enjoy cooking, although probably not for such high numbers with a deadline.

This book is a great combination of food, family, and friendship. Even with the fourth different writer contributing to the series, there is still continuity and flow within the books.  Honestly, except for little tweaks here and there, I would not have been able to tell this book had been written by a different author.  The characters' personalities remain the same as are the feelings and struggles they face.  While the author has put his personal touches here and there, it's still very nice to read about the family and still have that same familiarity.  Once again I appreciate that the teens in the family are portrayed with respect towards what real teens go through and are not treated as cardboard characters.

The only thing that really bugged me was the fact that Charlotte could not seem to say no to anyone. I understood that she wanted to help out everyone and didn't want to disappoint anybody. However there comes a time when you have to realize you can't please everyone and you can't do everything. It just took Charlotte a long time to realize this. I also don't understand why the townsfolk didn't seem to think that this could possibly be overwhelming for Charlotte. I would have thought in a small town this would have been easily noticeable. It was just a bit disheartening to see close friends seem to take advantage of Charlotte. Other than this, there's nothing to complain at all about this book and this entire series. Once again this is an excellent addition to the Heather Creek saga and I enjoyed spending time with the family. Looking forward to returning for another adventure!
3045862
This 6th episode from the Buckskin Chronicles stands on its own without dependence on the first five books.  Unlike many series sagas The Sierra Madre doesn't rehash prior events, characters, or relationships to the throw-up-your-hands-in-disgust point.  The story has good flow and reflects the considerable thought given in carefully crafting each scene.  The action is swift, clean, and just shy of graphic.  The characters are thoroughly likable and easy to follow so that as danger approached, in whatever guise it took on, I discovered there wasn't a single person of the book's sizable cast I was willing to lose or see harmed.  Strong, doing-good and heading-straight men.  Strong, confident and competent women.  Whether male or female, white, brown or black, I found them all desirable roll model types, each in his or her own special way.
In telling this tale Mr Rundell causes his readers to savor many good things including the feel of a meandering trail experienced on horseback, the rustle of wind moved grasses, the quiet solitude of a forest, and even the camaraderie between folks who depend on and who care deeply for one another.  Then, to top it all off, there's also the luxurious taste and smell of campfire and wood stove coffee, served up hot and steamy. Lastly, I'd a given this book 5-stars anyway based almost solely on its genuine and refreshing wholesomeness.
Not requiring a sequel but easily open to one The Sierra Madre is a novel you'll enjoy if you like this genre .
I wouldn't hesitate to pick up other stories concocted by this gifted author.  Great talent!
2009295
Love the entire Appleseed Creek mystery series.  Will be starting the 4th and final book of the series this evening!
1744349
As a long-time reader of the Chance Creek series, I was anxiously awaiting Ned and Fila's story and Ms. Seton did not disappoint.  Up until now, I had thought Rob & Morgan's story was my favorite (Cowboy Imports a Bride) because of the hard family dynamics thrust at Morgan as she tried to make a life in Chance Creek.  Oh, I find myself now reconsidering and moving this one up to the number one spot.

Ned has always been the odd one out when it came to the Mattheson brothers and more like his father than he'd prefer, but we've already found out why (no, I won't spoil it for those who haven't read the earlier books).  With Fila in the picture though, he has some motivation to be different.  She makes him take stock and realize maybe it's not too late for him.

Fila, I have one word - wow.  Yes, we saw her in the last book and she was fierce - but... we knew she had to have a breaking point, right?  This book opens with her smashed right up against that wall and doing her best not to fall apart.  Scared and scarred from everything the Taliban has done to her over the last 10 years, she fears she'll never be able to be normal again nor achieve her dream of fitting in to society.  She's isolating herself from the overwhelming differences of the outside world and staying holed up in Ned's cabin, keeping it spotless and cooking him amazing foods.  Being the perfect pseudo-wife.  And she's comfortable with that.

Until he changes things up in an attempt to help boost her self-confidence and make her feel more at home in Chance Creek.  Because there's little more he wants than for her to call Chance Creek her forever home - with him.

When Ned's father, uncharacteristically, does his level best to keep them apart by sending Ned on a trip up North to do winter maintenance on their family hunting cabin and catastrophe strikes, Fila's inner strength and wits come shining through, proving once again she's Ned's perfect match.  If only he can convince her, and his father, of that.

If you love contemporary western romance stories with deep, rich plots and well-developed characters - The Cowboy Rescues a Bride and the Chance Creek series in general is definitely for you.  And don't miss out on the new side series starting with "The Navy Seal's E-Mail Order Bride" - 4 more deliciously hot brothers from Chance Creek looking for their perfect mates.
4608573
I have read all of the Mad Creek series, and I think this one might just be my favorite! The author has created such a great place filled with wonderful characters, and wraps it all in tears and laughter. To be honest, this feels like it might be the end of the series, but I hope to Dog I'm wrong.