Twins Under the Christmas Tree - Marin Thomas (HAR #1469 - Oct 2013)

Series: Cash Brothers (Book 2)

Cowboy Up, Daddy
Conway Cash is finally ready to settle down, and he has the perfect woman in his sights. The only thing is, he's dead set against being a father--and Isi Lopez has twin four-year-old boys. When he finds himself roped into babysitting for them, life starts getting complicated

Kids or no, Conway soon discovers he and Isi make a great couple. And hanging around with her kids isn't so bad--that is, until they beg him to be their new daddy. The pressure is piling up for this formerly footloose cowboy...but with some luck, and a whole lot of Christmas spirit, Conway just may find himself in the center of his own ready-made family

I loved this book.  Conway and Isi were perfect for each other.  Conway would really like to find a wife and settle down, but he wants a woman who doesn't want kids.  He is one of six boys who all have different fathers. As a boy he felt the lack of a father so when he was old enough he went looking for his.  What he found was a man who had no problem walking away from his responsibilities, as did his grandfather.  Conway was afraid that this meant he would do the same thing, so he would just avoid being a father.  He thought he had found the perfect woman in Isi, until he discovered that she was a single mother. Instead, they became friends with Isi spending a lot of time listening to Conway's dating woes and Conway hearing about her college classes and her kids.  When Isi loses her babysitter Conway gets roped into filling in.  Conway discovers that hanging around with the twins isn't as hard as he thought it would be.  I loved the way that he plays with the boys but also ends up being a role model.  I loved the part where he sat in on their preschool class to find out what was going on with the kids who were bullying them.  There are some great scenes with them at a rodeo and also when he has them at the pecan farm.  He panics when the boys ask them to be their daddy, still fearing that he's not up to the task.  I also loved the way that he got closer to Isi as they spent more time together.  As he learned more about her life he was impressed by her determination and the way she has overcome so many obstacles.  I loved the way it was Dixie who pointed out to him that his feelings for Isi were very different than those of his father for his mother.  The Christmas Eve scene at the farm was lovely.

Isi is a woman who has overcome amazing odds.  She grew up in Argentina in a very poor family.  Her brothers became part of a gang in order to get the money to support the family.  They were killed in a shooting, leaving Isi with just her mother, who died when Isi was eighteen.  Isi then moved to America for a better life.  She fell for a man, but found out after she got pregnant that he was married.  She has been raising her twins by herself, working at the bar at night and going to classes during the day.  When she met Conway she was immediately attracted to him, loving his carefree outlook on life.  When he makes clear that he doesn't do relationship with mothers, she settles for being his friend.  I loved the way that she tried to stay out of the way of the buckle bunny at the beginning of the book but ended up in the middle of it.  She was surprised at Conway's care of her after that.  I loved seeing him feel guilty over it and how she used that guilt to get him to babysit at the beginning.  She was really surprised at how good he was with the boys considering how anti-fatherhood he was.  While she didn't necessarily agree with the way he did everything, she was impressed by the effect he had on her sons.  She was worried about what would happen when he was no longer in their lives on a daily basis.  Seeing him with the boys just made her love him more because she could see what a good father he would be.  She also found she was willing to give in to the attraction even knowing there was no future in it.  I really enjoyed the way she got to know Conway's brother Will and allowed Will to give Conway the impression there was something between them.  It just reinforced her knowledge of how much he cared but how afraid he was.  The Thanksgiving get-together was a lot of fun.  Isi admitted how envious she was of his family and how she longed for something like that for herself and her sons.  I loved her Christmas surprise.

The Cowboy Next Door - Marin Thomas (HAR #1459 - July 2013)

Series: Cash Brothers (Book 1) 

"She Doesn't Need His Protection "Hard working cowboy Johnny Cash has always been a protector to his little sister's best friend, sweet but tough cowgirl Shannon Douglas. It's pretty crazy for girls to ride bulls--yet it's her life to live. Then he realizes he's got some purely male instincts toward her, too. But absolutely no way can he fall for his boss's daughter--if he loses his job, there'll be hell to pay at home....

Shannon was raised to be strong and independent. She wants a national title so bad she can taste it--and she needs Johnny's help. His protectiveness drives her crazy...the same way his kisses do. But she's not about to hang up her bull rope because of him Her heart says he's the one--but her own stubborn streak might push away the only man who might actually understand her.
 

Fun book.  Johnny has known Shannon for most of his life as his sister’s best friend.  Now he’s seeing her as a whole lot more and he’s not real happy about it.  He’s nine years older than she is which he thinks is too much.  She is also his boss’s daughter, which can put his job in jeopardy.  As the oldest of seven children of a single mother, he’s always been protective of his siblings.  He’s been accused of acting more like a father than a brother.  As such he has a tendency to try to control everything around him and think that everything is up to him to fix.  Even now that everyone is an adult he tends to keep troubles to himself. He has spent so long caring for everyone else that he doesn’t know how to let go.  It takes a near crisis for him to finally realize that he doesn’t have to do it all alone.  Johnny’s sudden fascination with Shannon has really got him freaked out.  He can’t get her off his mind.  He also doesn’t understand her bull-riding obsession, but he helps her anyway.  I loved the way that he finally admitted his feelings to himself.  I loved his support of Shannon and the way that he was there for her, especially after he finally understood her drive.  This said it all:  “Shannon was about to confront the biggest challenge of her life and she needed him – not to stop her, but to stand by her side and be there for her no matter what the outcome.”

I’ve liked Shannon ever since she started appearing in the Rodeo Rebels series.  I especially like the way she emphasizes that women can do the same events as the men.  She was raised with her two brothers by her father after her mother abandoned them.    She’s been attracted to Johnny for a long time but he doesn’t see her that way until one night after a rodeo.  She takes advantage of that moment of weakness on his part and knocks his socks off.  Now she’s dealing with an even stronger sense of protectiveness with him.  She is determined to win her championship and nothing is going to stop her.  No one seems to understand her drive to succeed at this event.  Eventually she was able to open up with Johnny and tell him “Rodeo gave me a focus  and helped me forget that my mother wanted nothing to do with me.”  After she is injured she is even more determined to win that title, even though it means she has to also fight the fear that has come to haunt her dreams.  Even though his protectiveness drove her nuts she asked for his help to overcome her problems.  I loved the way that just his presence helped her overcome her fears at the end and how he gave her the confidence to look at the future she could have.

 

No Ordinary Cowboy - Marin Thomas (HAR #1447 - Apr 2013)

Series: Rodeo Rebels (Book 6)

Looking For Redemption...

Lucy Durango can't ever bring back her brother, killed in a drunk driving accident. But she's doing her best to honor his memory and to atone for her part in his death. She also can't seem to stop her feelings for Tony Bravo, the cowboy who broke her heart the same night her brother died. But if she gets close to Tony again, she risks losing her whole family this time-because they blame Tony for their tragic loss.

As a U.S. border agent, Tony sees his fair share of danger. But nothing stops his heart like seeing Lucy once more. Her family's anger toward Tony meant he and Lucy lost any future together. But Lucy has a hold on his heart again...and he's not at all sure he wants to let go of her this time.

Very good book.  Lucy and Tony were secretly dating at the time of her brother's death.  Afterward they drifted apart, unable to deal with their grief and guilty feelings.  Now Lucy runs a free taxi service for people who have had too much to drink.  She needs to raise some money to keep it going and decides to try bull-riding as a fundraiser, and asks Tony for his help.

I really liked both Lucy and Tony.  Lucy has loved Tony for years, but was unable to handle the guilty feelings over what she felt was her part in Michael's death.  She has poured those feelings into her taxi service.  Her parents don't approve of her efforts and give her no support.  When she decides on bull-riding she swallows her pride and asks Tony for help in learning how to do it.  I really loved her determination to do anything she can to keep her service going.  Seeing Tony again made her realize that her feelings for him had never gone away but she tried hard to keep them from affecting her plans.  It also became obvious that he still had feelings for her, but she was sure that those feelings would die if he knew about her part in her brother's death.  She also had to deal with her parents' feelings toward Tony, and her own feeling that she had never been good enough to receive her father's love.  I loved the way that she stood up to both Tony and her father to do what she felt needed to be done.  I think she was a lot stronger than either of them gave her credit for.  

Tony had been Michael's best friend.  They competed together in rodeos and hung out together when they could.  Tony felt guilty for not being there for his friend the night he died and as a result ended his relationship with Lucy.  He was sure she would hate him for that.  When she came to him for help he tried to talk her out of it but gave in when he saw her determination to compete with or without his help.  His feelings for her were as strong as ever and he was determined to keep her safe.  I loved watching him unsuccessfully fighting those feelings.  As a border patrol officer he was also investigating a human trafficking ring.  He enlisted Lucy's help to get access to her father's land for that investigation.  I also enjoyed seeing how good he was at that job.  As part of his guilty feelings he had requested a transfer away from the area in an effort to escape the memories. 

There was a lot of pain in this story as both Lucy and Tony had to deal with Michael's death and the hole it created in their lives.  They had to learn to accept that nothing could change the events of that night.  I liked seeing the way those events impacted more than just Tony and Lucy.  I loved the dog Maddie and her part in the story.  The epilogue was great - brought things to a very satisfying conclusion.