A Baby Between Friends - Kathie DeNosky (HD #2242 - July 2013)

Series: The Good the Bad and the Texan (Book 2)

"What Are Best Friends For?"
More than anything, Summer Patterson wants a baby. What she doesn't want is a husband. Thankfully, her best friend, Ryder McClain, makes the perfect sperm donor. Ryder is loyal, undeniably sexy and the one man she trusts--the only reason she agrees to conceive their baby naturally.

When baby-making nights with Summer blaze like the West Texas sun, Ryder feels the heat. He never expected Summer to say yes to sharing his bed. Now he's falling for her--and the prospect of fatherhood--while hiding a secret that could destroy her faith in him forever.

Very good book.   I like friends to lovers stories and this one was pretty sweet.  Summer and Ryder have been friends for several years and she is very comfortable with him.  She doesn't think she will ever marry but she wants a child of her own, so she asks Ryder to help her out.  Ryder is surprised but ends up willing to do it.  Neither one expects their friendship to heat up to something more.

I liked both Summer and Ryder.  Summer had been alone for several years after the deaths of her parents.  She wants a family of her own but because of an incident in her past feels that she will never be able to marry.  She has given it a great deal of thought and asks Ryder to be the donor for her to have that baby.  She is surprised by his conditions but is willing to try it his way.  She is nervous about the physical intimacy but discovers that she welcomes it from Ryder.  Her feelings for Ryder start to change from friendship to love but she's afraid that he will never feel anything but friendship for her.  I really enjoyed seeing the way that Summer was able to overcome her past with Ryder's help.  I also liked the way that she had the courage to go to Ryder at the end and show him that he was always the man she thought he was in spite of his own past. 

Ryder had been friends with Summer for several years.  Suddenly he started seeing her as more than just a friend, and it was freaking him out a bit.  When she came to him with her plan, his first reaction was to turn her down flat, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings either.  So he came up with the idea to require that it be done naturally.  He was stunned when she agreed and wasn't quite sure how to deal with it.  When he found out about what had happened to her I loved his reaction.  I especially loved the way that he was so determined to help her overcome her fears.  His total control over himself and his willingness to let her set the pace were just what she needed.  His feelings for her were growing stronger but he felt he didn't deserve the high regard she had for him.  When his past rises up to haunt him he breaks things off with her and tries to hide from his feelings.  I loved the intervention by his brothers and how they tried to make him see sense.  But the best part was when Summer came to confront him and showed him that he had nothing to fear.

The Texan's Contract Marriage - Sara Orwig (HD #2229 - May 2013)

Series: Rich Rugged Ranchers (Book 5)

"Marry me...for the baby's sake."

With a fortune at his disposal, there is little Marek Rangel can't buy. Now, he has put a price on something priceless: his late brother's child. He will stop at nothing to ensure the baby's birthright...even if it means marrying a complete stranger.

A rising opera star, Camille Avanole relishes her independence, but she loves her child more. The billionaire rancher will give her son security and a chance to know his Texan heritage. So she agrees to Marek's demands, telling herself she won't fall in love-because if she does, he will only break her heart....

Good book with plenty of heat though not much in the way of conflict.  Camille had spent a weekend with Marek's brother Kern and ended up pregnant.  Kern was killed in an airplane crash right after Camille told him about the baby.  Marek's fiancee was killed in the same crash. After the baby was born Camille went to Marek to tell him about the baby and let him know that she wanted Kern's family involved in Noah's life so that he would know that side of his heritage.  She did not expect Marek to offer a marriage of convenience in order to give Noah a better life.

I really liked both Marek and Camille.  I liked the way that Camille didn't try to hide Noah's existence or deny Marek and his family a chance to get to know him.  She was a little worried that they would try to take Noah from her.  When Marek offered her a marriage of convenience so that they could both spend the maximum amount of time with him she wasn't sure at first if it would be a good idea.  She is attracted to him and doesn't want to take a chance on falling in love with him.  She is just getting started in her career as an opera singer and doesn't want the distraction or the risk.  But she knows the advantages that it will give to Noah so she says yes.  As they spend time together, alone and with Noah, Camille finds her feelings for him growing stronger and soon realizes she has fallen in love with him anyway.  

Marek is still grieving the loss of his fiancee and his brother.  He says he will never love again as his love for her was too strong to ever want another or to want to risk that kind of pain again.  When Camille comes to him about Noah he is leery at first but quickly realizes she is telling the truth.  I love the way that he wants to be part of Noah's life but insists that he will not try to take him away from Camille.  He tries very hard to find a way that will satisfy them both until he hits on the marriage idea.  He is honest with her about his feelings that he will not love again, but that he would like them to be comfortable enough with each other to make the marriage a real one.  I loved his immediate connection with Noah and how good he is with the little boy.  His love for Noah starts to melt the ice that had wrapped around his heart.  He also found himself think more and more about Camille and wanting to take their marriage to the next level.  He also discovered that his grief was lessening and that he was actually happy more often.  He attributed that to Camille and wanted her to cut back on her work to spend more time at home.  Once he heard her sing he realized that he couldn't ask her to do that and made the decision to suck it up and take what he could get.  I really liked the way that he appreciated her talent.  He also finally accepted that he had fallen in love with her.

Both Marek and Camille wanted what was best for Noah and did an excellent job of working together to decide what that would be.  They did well at making sure the other one knew what they wanted and expected.  I also loved the ending and the way they came up with a solution that would make them all happy.

The Millionaire Cowboy's Secret - Karen Whiddon (HRS #1752 - May 2013)

UNDERCOVER SEDUCTION

Undercover ATF agent Skylar McClain dreams of justice and lives by the law. She "always" gets her man. Armed with a killer smile and an undercover identity as a photojournalist, she should have no problem bringing down any criminal-even a sexy millionaire horse breeder. But no assignment has ever tested her boundaries like Matt Landeta. His connection to Mexican drug cartels makes him dangerous. Only, what if there's more to this case than right and wrong?

All Matt wants is revenge. Not a gorgeous distraction like Skylar, whose hunt for answers will complicate things. Yet an unexpected enemy is about to bring Skylar closer to the truth...and to Matt. And letting go of his darkest secrets might be the only way to protect her. 

Good book.  Skylar has been sent undercover to Matt's ranch to find out the location of the large stash of ammunition that Matt is supposedly selling to a Mexican drug cartel.  She is devoted to her job and is known for bringing her cases to a successful conclusion.  Five years earlier her husband and son were killed during a bank robbery and she feels guilty about it.  Going after the bad guys is her way of dealing with her loss.  She was not expecting an immediate and intense attraction to Matt - the first she'd felt since her husband's death.  She certainly didn't want to be attracted to a man she considered to be a criminal.  As she tries to track down the location of the ammo she is also fighting the attraction.  She also becomes more certain that Matt is not the criminal that she thought he was.  When she finds out that her cover was blown she and Matt come to an agreement to continue his plans to trap one of the cartel members.  As they work together Skylar realizes that she has fallen for Matt and is willing to risk her job to help him.  There is a lot of confusion during and after the final confrontation and it takes some major soul searching on Skylar's part for her to be willing to risk her heart on Matt.

Matt's parents and brother had been murdered by a member of the cartel when he was away from home.  He felt as though they would still be alive if he had been there.  Now he wants revenge and is willing to do whatever he can to achieve it.  He has even gone so far as to change his name.  He has acquired a lot of ammunition and is hinting that he would be willing to sell it to the cartel member that killed his family.  When Skylar arrives on his ranch in her cover identity he is already aware of who she is and why she is there.  He is not happy about his attraction to her and the distraction she causes.  He tries to continue with his plans but ends up bringing her into it when she gets involved in an attack on him.  I liked the way that he respected her abilities enough to include her in the planning even as he wanted to keep her safe.  I loved the way that being with Skylar helped Matt come to terms with his own losses.  The events that happened after the final confrontation showed him just how much he wanted Skylar in his life.