Callahan Cowboy Triplets - Tina Leonard (HAR #1465 - Sept 2013)

Series: Callahan Cowboys (Book 12)

His Callahan Destiny?

Tighe Callahan is wild and free as the wind, until he starts chasing the beautiful River Martin. After he catches her -- in a midnight seduction he'll never forget -- Tighe learns he's about to become a daddy…three times over! Not even an ornery bull can stop him from making River and their babies-to-be his.

Standing down isn't in River's vocabulary. Tighe can insist on doing the honorable thing all he wants -- she isn't tying the knot until the cowboy says he loves her. Only, now her wounded warrior's on some dangerous, life-changing quest.

Tighe's finally ready to heed the message of his ancestors: defend his land and claim his woman. Because it's never too late to become the Callahan he was destined to be!

I enjoyed this one, especially seeing footloose Tighe get roped himself.  He has fancied himself in love with River ever since she came to Rancho Diablo as nanny bodyguard to Sloan's kids.  I found that a little hard to swallow, since he had never even been able to get her to go out with him much less been able to really get to know her.  As the book starts he is getting ready to ride a bull that no one has been able to ride yet, and everyone is trying to talk him out of it.  But Tighe is competitive and stubborn and refuses to give up.  River goes to him that night in hopes of distracting him and ends up pregnant with triplets for her trouble.  Tighe is thrilled and sets out to convince River to marry him.  The family is also still trying to keep their uncle from causing trouble on the ranch as he tries to find out where their parents are.  He succeeds in kidnapping Fiona, and then takes River hostage when they try to rescue Fiona.  Tighe has a tendency to just jump into things and having to sit back and wait for the right time to rescue the two women grates on him.  I loved the way the rescue mission went down.  Tighe also becomes very protective of River and the babies when they are born, rarely letting them out of his sight.  I enjoyed seeing him change from the brash cowboy to the man who watches out for his family and their home.  

River was quite a character.  Fiercely independent, she is a very capable bodyguard. She has been interested in Tighe but has no intention of becoming another notch on his bedpost.  She wasn't sure how she got roped into the plot to stop him from riding the bull, but she was more than happy to put her own twist on the plan.  I loved the way that she admitted the pregnancy but wouldn't be railroaded into a wedding.  She also fully understood Tighe's stubbornness and didn't try to talk him out of his guard duty plan, even though he was injured.  When they went on the rescue attempt for Fiona she refused to be stuck waiting in the background and did her own thing.  It backfired somewhat and she ended up a prisoner along with Fiona.  I loved the way that she and Fiona worked their own plan on Wolf and his thugs and then she took care of her own rescue.  I also loved her encounters with the magic wedding dress and its effect on her.  She admitted to herself that she loved Tighe but was really hoping for a confession of love from him.  I enjoyed her reaction to his constant presence and wish that he would lighten up some.  She was touched by his desire for a second wedding ceremony so that she could wear the dress.

Things are starting to get more desperate with Uncle Wolf and his desire for the whereabouts of the older Callahans.  It will be interesting to see what else he does and how he is stopped.  

Branded by a Callahan - Tina Leonard (HAR #1457 - July 2013)

Series: Callahan Cowboys (Book 11)

"Settle Down, Cowboy "
Marriage isn't in Dante Callahan's short-term plans. But Ana St. John is. After the gorgeous nanny bodyguard--and woman of his fantasies--turns the tables and seduces him,  Dante is suddenly corralling his inner wild man. Now Ana is having his baby...and refusing to say "I do "

There's no denying Ana's powerful feelings for Dante. But is the footloose rancher--and the hottest cowboy in New Mexico--ready to hang up his spurs for married life? According to the legend of the magic wedding dress, he's not.

Dante's not one to fool with family lore. But he's got to provide a major Cinderella moment to win over his prospective bride. He may be crazy for pulling out all the stops to get Ana to marry him--but that's part of the fun of being a Callahan.

Good book.  Dante and his twin have been off doing the rodeo circuit, trying to forget their romantic woes.  When Dante realizes that it isn't helping he decides to head home and try again to win Ana's affections.  Marriage hasn't been in his plans but she sure is making him think in more permanent terms.  Ana has been attracted to Dante since she met him, but as a children's bodyguard hired by his family she doesn't want to mix business with pleasure.  Plus, she doesn't think he's ready to give up his footloose ways.

Dante is probably the most emotional of the siblings.  He doesn't seem to have any trouble saying sweet things and doing nice things for the people he cares about.  When she makes it plain that she wants him to make a baby with her he starts thinking that maybe there's more to his feelings for her than just attraction.  But it seems that no matter what he does, something always interferes with his plans - interruptions by family, kidnapping by the bad guys, their own doubts.  When he finds out she's pregnant he figures that's the perfect way to convince her and is surprised when she turns him down flat.  He isn't one to believe in magic but even he is spooked when the magic wedding dress seems to indicate he isn't the one for her and then disappears right before his eyes.  Now he has to figure out a way to convince Ana that he's serious.  I really love Dante's sweetness.  He really did have a great way of taking care of Fiona and he was great with all the little kids.  His ego takes a bit of a hit when dealing with Ana and the fact that, as a bodyguard, she is well able to take care of herself and doesn't need his protection.  He has to overcome his protective instincts and accept her need for independence in order to win her.

Ana has had strong feelings for Dante for months, but doesn't trust that he's ready for anything serious.  But he does have all the qualities she's looking for in a father for the baby she wants.  When she tries on the magic wedding dress she doesn't see him in the mirror and the dress transforms into something else, convincing her that Dante is all wrong for her.  After a fantastic night together she heads home to decide what to do.   When she discovers she's pregnant she knows she has to tell him, but keeps putting it off.  I liked Ana's strength and independence.  She is a very good bodyguard and has no plans to stop doing it.  That independence tends to get in the way of her relationship with Dante.  Her doubts about the possibility of a future with him mess with the magic of the dress.  It will take both of them to be willing to take a risk in order for the dress to do its thing.  I did enjoy seeing her stand up to him when she felt like he was forgetting her capabilities. 

His Callahan Bride's Baby - Tina Leonard (HAR #1445 - Apr 2013)

Series: Callahan Cowboys (Book 10)

"Marry Me, Taylor."

Those aren't the three little words Taylor Waters longs to hear from her crush, Falcon Chacon Callahan. The whole town knows the soldier-turned-rancher just needs a bride in order to inherit the coveted spread north of Rancho Diablo. Taylor wants more-even if Falcon is the hottest cowboy this side of the New Mexico border, which he proves one crazy, passionate night!

Family has always come first for Falcon, so when he finds out Taylor is pregnant with his baby, he declares a brand-new mission: to stand and fight for what's his. It will take maneuvering through some dangerous situations-and that legendary Callahan charm-to make Diablo's best girl fall in love with him. But to have his ranch at stake is one thing...what about his heart?

Good book.  I liked both Falcon and Taylor though I must say they had a strange romance.  Falcon has known Taylor for about a year, though they've never gone out.  He is drawn to her and figures she'll do as the bride he needs to inherit the ranch.  He proposes but is kindly refused.  The ladies of the town feel that she can do better so he is told to leave her alone until Christmas and then see if he still feels the same way.  He tries to work around the rules set down and manages to get Taylor alone at the ranch with him when they are attacked.  Taylor helps fight them off but their night is pretty wrecked.  He realizes he's going to have to play by the rules.  There is another time when he comes to protect her and they end up making love and she gets pregnant.  Now he is determined to get her to marry him but there are a lot of things that get in the way, not the least of which is her getting kidnapped.  Falcon seems to do a lot of waffling.  First he is going all out to get her to marry him.  Then he backs off.   When he finds out about the baby it's on again.  The one thing he never does is talk about his feelings.  When Taylor is kidnapped he finds it incredibly hard to follow his grandfather's advice and wait to rescue her.  He begins to get an idea of his feelings but still never talks about them with Taylor.  I did love the way that he became instantly in love with baby Emma and turned into Mr Overprotective.  It was very sweet.  I also liked seeing the way that it took an intervention from his family to see what he was doing.

Taylor had had a crush on Falcon for a long time.  While she loved hearing the proposal he offered, it meant nothing without the love that needed to be there first.  She was sure that if she spent enough time with him she would give in so she tried to avoid him when she could.  When she and Falcon ended up having that one passionate night, she knew she had fallen but she was still holding out hope for love.  While she was glad that he was happy about the baby, she didn't want that to be the reason they married so she still refused him.  I wasn't really thrilled with the way she was going out with Benton even after she found out about the baby.  It seemed a bit like manipulation to me.  I was glad when she finally went to Falcon and they started talking about getting married.  When she was kidnapped I liked the way she was able to keep her confidence up that she hadn't been abandoned when time went by and she wasn't rescued.  She seemed to kind of withdraw from him a bit after Emma was born and he spent all his time with the baby, making her think that was all he really wanted.  I loved her part in the confrontation at the end. 

 It will be interesting to see how this story continues and what happens with the uncle.  I'm looking forward to seeing the other brothers as they meet their matches.

A Callahan Outlaw's Twins - Tina Leonard (HAR #1433 - Jan 2013)

Series: Callahan Cowboys (Book 9)

A Lonesome Cowboy Finds His Destiny

Former Navy SEAL Sloan Callahan lives by his own rules, free and alone. But now urgent family business brings Sloan and his brothers and sister to New Mexico-and the cousins he'd never met. That isn't all he finds on Rancho Diablo, where a petite blonde is about to completely upend Sloan's world.

As the liaison between the two branches of the Callahan clan, Kendall Phillips's job description doesn't include being bossed around by one ex-military cowboy. It's hard enough to concentrate with the sparks she and Sloan are creating together. Now the sexy rebel has two more lives to safeguard: the baby boys Kendall's carrying.

No way is Sloan allowing danger to touch Kendall and the twins. His new mission: to protect his loved ones as he gets ready to change the course of Callahan destiny forever!

Very good book.  Trouble has come again to Rancho Diablo and this time Chief Running Bear has called in reinforcements - Callahan cousins unknown before this.  Sloan and his siblings are not very happy about being pulled from their own lives but family is family.  Sloan is a loner who has never been interested in settling down.  His attraction to Kendall is instant, strong and unwelcome.  He has to concentrate on protecting the ranch and she is a distraction. He is drawn to her independence and strength but also irritated by her refusal to do as he wants her to do.  Sloan is a protector and when Kendall ends up pregnant they marry.  Sloan sends her away to keep her safe but misses her and the boys once they are born.  I loved seeing Sloan change as Kendall comes to mean more and more to him.  Kendall is immediately attracted to Sloan also though he also irritates her.  When she is attacked he is the one who helps her and their attraction gets physical.  She is happy when she discovers she is pregnant but not sure they need to marry.  When they do she hopes that they will grow closer but he convinces her to leave the ranch to keep the babies safe.  Kendall is determined to make her marriage work and will do anything to make it happen.  I loved seeing her show her independence but also her softer side.  The two of them had to learn to compromise and work together to make their future possible.  I loved seeing Fiona up to her old tricks to make the new Callahans part of her family.  I am also looking forward to seeing how the new mystery plays out.  It has certainly caused some tense moments so far.