In which I reference an Alfred Hitchcock movie and fuss about more misogyny-disguised-as-romance.
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Wrangled by B.J. Daniels
Title: Wrangled- Author: B.J. Daniels
- Category/Series: Intrigue; Whitehorse, MT: Chisholm Cattle Co., Book 6
- Genre(s): Contemporary, Suspense
- Publisher: Harlequin, June 2012
- Source: Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley ($2.99 ebook)
- Length: 217 pages
- Trope(s): Cowboys, Kidnapping, Serial Killer, Friends-to-Lovers, In Disguise
- Quick blurb: Something involving a cowboy and a cowgirl, with some wacky not-really-suspenseful crime stuff.
- Quick review: If this finale book had this much Chock-Full-Of-Crazy, I don’t think I’d survive the entire series.
- Grade: C
“But that kiss? I was just fulfilling a promise I made you before you moved to New Mexico. Remember?”
The happy couple….
Dakota Lansing is an orphaned cowgirl playing host to her Surprise Step-Sister. Zach Chisholm is a cowboy who…um…I don’t really remember, but he’s definitely a cowboy because his last name is Chisholm and he drives a pickup.
The setting….
The 8,000,000-acre (approx.) Chisholm Ranch near Whitehorse, Montana, which conveniently features a mysterious graveyard, numerous villain-proof hidey-holes and a water cistern that becomes vitally important to the plot.
The storytelling….
Yowza. In-Disguise Serial Killer Out for Revenge, with bonus Prison-Escapee Minions. Surprise Step-Sister coerced into doing something illegal that never really made sense. Heroine and Hero identify Surprise Step-Sister’s birth mother with two phone calls and one brief road trip. Surprise Step-Sister and Heroine abducted by Serial Killer. Last-Second Rescue aided by an Airplane Chase, a la North by Northwest:
Kinda like this. But not really.
It’s all very exciting. And when I say “all,” I mean there’s a LOT of shit going down on the Old Chisholm Homestead.
Even without reading the previous five books in the series, the identity of the Disguised Serial Killer is blindingly obvious – but really, who the hell cares, because it gives us plenty of fun “Hey, yoohoo, the villain is RIGHT THERE, dumbass!” moments.
The romance….
Hmm…let me think for a moment…. I believe there was some smooching and maybe some under-the-clothes touching at some point, but then The Crazy took over.
The recommendation….
I went with a C grade because this book fulfilled most of my expectations of an over-the-top Harlequin Intrigue suspense plot, but the romance got lost in the dust.
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Fortune’s Perfect Match by Allison Leigh
Title: Fortune’s Perfect Match- Author: Allison Leigh
- Series/Category: Special Edition; The Fortunes of Texas, Book 954 (approx.)
- Genre(s): Contemporary
- Publisher: Harlequin, June 2012
- Source: Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley ($2.99 ebook)
- Length: 218 pages
- Trope(s): Beta Hero, Secret Baby (kind of)
- Quick blurb: Sophisticated city girl and scruffy small-town guy, with some baby drama
- Quick review: Nothing spectacular, but I enjoyed it.
- Grade: B-
“Problem is—” his fingers slowly inched upward, “—I usually make a habit of doing things that aren’t smart.”
The happy couple….
Emily Fortune is the VP of advertising for her father’s telecom company, and she’s desperate to become a mother like her sisters. Max Allen is a brooding airport manager and pilot-in-training who had to give up the Secret Baby That Wasn’t Really His. (Don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler.)
