Big Sky Christmas - C.J. Carmichael (HAR #1470 - Oct 2013)

Series: Coffee Creek Montana (Book 4)

A Holiday For Healing
Jackson Stone will always be grateful to the Lamberts, who took him in when he was just a kid. But since the accident that killed his foster brother, Brock, he stays away from the family at Coffee Creek Ranch. Especially now that Brock's former fiancee, Winnie Hays, is back in town with her little boy. 

The simmering attraction between them may surprise Winnie, but Jackson fell for her at first sight years ago. Loyalty and guilt require he keep his distance...even as their feelings blossom into love. In the end, it's his own conscience Jackson must master. But with the help of the Lamberts, can this Christmas be a time of healing and a new beginning?

Very good book with some intense emotional issues.  Winnie has finally come back to Coffee Creek after the death of her fiance on their wedding day and the later birth of their son.  She arrives on the day of a family wedding and is having a hard time dealing with the memories and emotions.  Jackson helps her through it with his humor and understanding.  Jackson knows he should stay away from Winnie.  He's been in love with her for years but the guilt he feels over Brock's death is nearly overwhelming. 

I loved Winnie and Jackson.  Now that she is back in Coffee Creek she feels it's time to get on with her life.  She is trying to maintain her independence despite the efforts of her late fiance's mother.  Jackson has been a big help with that.  Being around him stirs up feelings she didn't expect to have.  At first she felt guilty about being attracted to another man, especially Brock's foster brother.  It really didn't take her long to realize that she deserves a chance to be happy.  I really liked seeing her open up herself to the possibilities with Jackson.  I also liked the way that she worked so hard, right from the beginning, to let Jackson know that he has no reason to feel guilty over Brock's death.  As their love grows she is willing to look at the future but she has to feel that Jackson is able to give his whole heart.

Jackson came to Coffee Creek Ranch as a foster brother to the others.  He felt welcomed and accepted by everyone except Olive who always treated him differently.  Brock had been his best friend.  Jackson still feels guilty over Brock's death, thinking that he should have been able to avoid the moose that they hit.  Now that Winnie is back he is suffering even more.  Not just about the accident but also the fact that he has been in love with her for years.  His guilt tells him to avoid her but his heart won't let him stay away.  I loved the way that he came to her rescue when Olive tried to guilt her into moving onto the ranch.  I really enjoyed the way that Jackson gave in to his heart and started spending time with Winnie and her son.  He still had issues with his guilt causing him to not open up completely to the idea of a happy future with Winnie.  He really panics when Winnie's son calls him daddy.  I also liked the care he was taking of Maddie.  It really showed what a caring man he can be.  It was great to see the way that the other Lambert kids helped Jackson deal with his guilt.  There was also a surprising twist at the end about why Maddie plans to leave her ranch to Jackson and also the identity of Jackson's father.

There is also more about the feud between Maddie and Olive.  I enjoyed seeing the efforts that everyone made to get it resolved.  Olive became a more sympathetic character by the end of the book.

Promise From a Cowboy - C. J. Carmichael (HAR #1460 - July 2013)

Series:  Coffee Creek Montana (Book 3)

A Cowboy With Something To Hide…

On the rodeo circuit, B. J. Lambert had plenty of chances to forget about his first love. Back in Coffee Creek, it's impossible. Savannah Moody is as irresistible to B.J. as when they were teens. He'd still do anything for her -- except give up the secret he promised to keep.

Sheriff Savannah Moody knows B.J. is hiding something. Not his feelings for her -- it's obvious to both of them that the attraction is as strong as ever. But she simply can't afford to give in. She has her sister to care for, and the family land, and B.J. might be gone tomorrow. She also has a job to do: to pursue the truth and discover what really happened eighteen years ago when a barn burned and a man died. Even if it costs her dearly….

Very good book.  B. J. has been on the rodeo circuit for eighteen years, ever since shortly after his high school graduation, when he runs into Savannah Moody, his former girlfriend.  She is now the sheriff back home and looking for answers to an old mystery.  Seeing her again makes B. J. realize that he's getting tired of being on the road all the time and is ready to go home.  Once there he discovers that his feelings for Savannah are just as strong as ever.  Savannah feels the same but she has a lot more reasons to resist.  Besides her family responsibilities her instinct as sheriff tells her that B. J. is hiding something important.

B. J. has spent his years on the rodeo circuit basically running from his memories.  He and Savannah had dated for two years in high school, until shortly after the fire.  Because he cared for her so much, he had promised her twin brother Hunter that he wouldn't tell anyone what had really happened the night of the barn fire.  Savannah blamed B. J. for getting Hunter involved in whatever had happened which had put an end to their relationship.  Now that he's back B.J. wants to rekindle their relationship.  He has seen the heavy load of responsibility she carries and wants to do anything he can to make her life easier, but he is still unwilling to share what had really happened that night.  I really liked the way that B.J. has come home to stay.  He tells her right away that he has never forgotten her and would like to see if they can make a relationship work.  I loved the way that he tries to do things for her to make her life easier when he sees that no one is looking out for her.  He has been keeping his secret out of love for her knowing that the truth would be painful for her.  As more information about that night comes out he knows that the truth will have to be told but doesn't want to be the one to do it. The whole issue is still causing stress between B.J. and Savannah because she doesn't want to believe that he had a part in the man's death but she doesn't want it to be her brother either.  B.J. is also ready to take on more responsibility with the family ranch and steps in to take over the horse breeding side when his foster brother Jackson wants to leave.  It takes him a couple weeks to settle in and he butts heads with his brother Corbin a couple times but he's happy to be home. I liked the way that he finally accepted that running from his memories and problems doesn't work, though he still had to learn that trying to protect Savannah caused many of those problems.

Savannah has been the sheriff for three years and loves what she does.  It fits right in with her need to take care of people.  When she was younger she took over caring for her brother and sister because her mother was pretty much useless.  She is still doing the same thing with them eighteen years later.  But her brother only contacts her when he needs something and her sister is ready to be on her own.  Now that B.J. is back in town she is fighting her feelings for him.  She knows she still loves him but because he isn't telling her the truth about what happened she feels that she can't trust him.  With the investigation about to be reopened she is torn over who to believe.  I liked the way that her heart told her that B.J. was innocent of any wrongdoing.  Savannah also looks at her job as a way to show people that she is nothing like her father and brother who both had reputations for trouble when she was growing up.  She always went the other way and followed all the rules and kept herself on a straight path.  As more information about the fire came out she felt that the people of the town were judging her because of it and began to feel like she couldn't stay.  I liked the way that B.J. solved that particular problem.  The entire resolution of the mystery was well done.  It had a couple surprises in it but nothing too startling.  I was glad to see that Savannah finally saw how unfair she had been to B.J. all that time.

Also running through the book are a couple themes from the series.  One is the feud that has been going on between B.J.'s mother Olive and her sister Maddie.  A little more information comes out about the possible cause as B.J. makes the decision to get to know his aunt before it is too late.  There is also some kind of connection between Maddie and Jackson, who has left the Lambert ranch to go work for Maddie, who plans to leave her land to Jackson.  We also see more of Olive, who I still don't like at all.  She is way too controlling and makes it known that she doesn't approve of the women her sons have chosen.  I like the way that B.J. stood up to her, even though he went and apologized for being rude to her.  I would really like for her to wake up and realize that she is ruining her chances for a good relationship with her children's families.

Her Cowboy Dilemma - C. J. Carmichael (HAR #1446 - Apr 2013)

Series: Coffee Creek Montana (Book 2) 

Going Home Shouldn't Be This Hard...

Cassidy Lambert traded in Montana's big sky country for the big-city lights-forever. Until a potentially devastating equine illness threatens her family's ranch, and Cassidy is needed at home to help. She thinks she knows what she wants from life, but the more she's around sexy veterinarian Dan Farley, the more confused she gets.

When Cassidy comes back to the open Western landscape Dan loves, she's nothing but a beautiful burr under his saddle. She stomped on his heart once before, and he's not eager for another go-around. But he just can't keep himself away from those green eyes and sweet curves. It's a good thing she'll soon be gone again. Because he can't trust her-or himself-when she's around! 

Very good book.  Cassidy has finally finished her schooling and is ready to get an accounting job in the city.  When she comes home for a visit she ends up in the middle of an emergency with the horses and ends up taking care of them.  This puts her in frequent contact with veterinarian Dan Farley.  She had had a crush on him as a teenager, then did something stupid that made him angry.  They've been adversaries ever since.

I really liked both Cassidy and Dan.  Cassidy had had a crush on Dan when she was younger.  He was best friends with her brothers and she spent a lot of time tagging after them.  When she was twenty one he asked her out to a dance.  While there she got scared of the intensity of her feelings for him and treated him badly.  Since then he has been very cold to her whenever they met.  When she arrives at the ranch she ends up having to deal with him as the vet for the sick horses.  With four more years of maturity she is able to offer Dan the apology he deserves and they come to a truce. Once they did and spent some time together I could see how a much better relationship was developing.  She is really enjoying her time back on the ranch, being with the animals again and enjoying the open spaces.  I really loved seeing how happy she was being back on the ranch.  But  Cassidy is still determined to get a job in the city and away from her controlling mother.  Olive is doing everything she can to push Cassidy and Dan together and to get Cassidy to stay on the ranch. She is so obvious about it that it embarrasses Cassidy and also makes her angry.   Meanwhile Cassidy knows that her feelings for Dan are growing stronger but she refuses to consider a future for them that involves her staying in Coffee Creek.  If it hadn't been for Olive's manipulative ways Cassidy probably would have made her decisions much sooner, but instead they caused Cassidy to dig in her heels.  I did like the decisions she made at the end and how she was able to start standing up for herself.

Dan was a great guy.  He was best friends with Cassidy's brothers and remembered her from when she was a little kid.  When she was seventeen he suddenly realized that he didn't think of her as a sister anymore, but also that she was way too young for those feelings.  He did his best to avoid her until he finally get the courage to ask her out when she was twenty one.  He was crushed by her behavior that night and chalked it up to her being a spoiled brat.  Now he has to deal with her again and all he can see to start with is her determination to get away from the ranch.  He is still attracted to her which makes him angry because he doesn't want to fall for her again, thinking that she is still the selfish girl he remembered.  But as they spend time together caring for the horses and then her dog, he sees that the caring woman is still there, just buried beneath the surface she shows to others.  Dan had a great capacity for love that showed in the way he took care of the animals he treated and also in the way that he dealt with the people who were attached to those animals.  It became clear that Dan had transferred all those feelings he had for Cassidy to the animals.  He had also realized that no one ever made him feel the way he did about her.  He had amazing strength of will to resist being with her for a short term fling knowing that he wanted her in his life permanently.  I loved the way that he went after her at the end.

There is also still a good amount of tension in the family as they are still dealing with Brock's death.  The truth about Winnie and the baby comes out and the family has to decide how to handle that also.  I liked the way that everyone is watching Olive to make sure she behaves.  There is also some minor setting up for the next book.