Kristi Gold

Good book. Though this is the last in the six-book Stolen Baby subset of the Texas Cattleman's Club series, it can be read as a standalone. There was enough backstory given that I didn't feel lost, though I'm sure it would have been even better had I read the previous books before this one. I still want to read the others. The premise of the series is that a doctor is running a black market baby ring, and various members of the TCC get involved in stopping it. In this book, the doctor is on show more the run, and TCC member Darin Shakir has stepped up to find him and bring him to justice.

Darin is well known for his ability to track anyone under any circumstances, and equally well known for working alone. He isn't happy about being told that he has to work with an FBI agent and plans to do his best to avoid it. Thanks to a case of mistaken identity, he believes that bartender Fiona Powers is that agent. When his first encounter with the bad guy goes wrong, Darin is injured and ends up in her hands.

I loved the scene in the bar when Fiona and Darin first meet. There are sparks between them, but Darin tries to focus on his mission and believes that she is his FBI contact. When he's injured saving her, Fiona takes him back to her apartment and insists on caring for him. I loved the contest of wills between them, and Fiona's method of ensuring his cooperation. Both Fiona and Darin are stubborn when they believe they are right, and this trend continues throughout the book.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Fiona and Darin. Darin has been a loner since the deaths of his fiancée and unborn child in circumstances he blames himself for. He makes it clear that he doesn't do relationships and that anything that happens between them is short-term only. This makes it all that more unsettling for him when he can't stop thinking about her and experiences something closely resembling possessiveness and jealousy at several times during their search for the bad guy. Fiona has plans for her future, and they don't include a relationship. Over the next few days, as they worked together, I loved seeing Fiona's feisty attitude knock down the walls that Darin had put up around his heart. Fiona had believed that she could get through her time with Darin without losing her heart. The heat between them was intense, though there were several times when luck was against them doing anything about it. When they finally succeeded, the connection surprised them both. I ached for them both when it was time for Darin to leave. She knew how she felt, and that the pain of losing him would linger for a long time. It took Darin a bit longer to realize his feelings. I loved the scene at the airport when she shocked him with her goodbye words and his stunned reaction. It still took some good advice from his friends to get him moving in the right direction. I did like his big moment, and both the love and respect he showed for her. The epilogue was good too, bringing all the couples from the series together.

The mystery of the story was well done. Tracking and capturing the elusive kidnapper was not as easy as Darin thought it would be. That first encounter when Darin was injured gave a good idea of the challenges ahead of him. Because of his past, I understood his wish to work alone, and how hard it was to accept Fiona's help. For the reader, there was also the occasional peek into the viewpoint of the bad guy, adding an extra layer of intensity to the growing tension. The final confrontation was terrific, with some unexpected twists. I loved Fiona's strength of will and her part in taking down the bad guy. I could feel Darin's fear for her and his determination to save her. I was on the edge of my seat until it was all over. My only unresolved question was if they were able to find all the missing babies. show less

When 10-year-old Stormy overhears her widowed single mom (Erica) telling friends that she'd like to hire a personal trainer someday if she had the money, Stormy goes out and finds one (Kieran) for her mom's birthday present. Erica is stunned when a gorgeous, hunky man is on her doorstep saying he's her birthday present. Erica learns who Kieran really is, and although she has no time for a fitness program, she agrees to it so she won't hurt her daughter's feelings, and Kieran agrees to do it show more for no charge. Kieran and Erica are attracted to each other, but because of Kieran's rule never to mix business with pleasure, the two must fight their attraction.

This was a really cute and thoroughly enjoyable read. It had such an appealing cast of characters. I absolutely loved hero Kieran. He seemed too good to be true. He was handsome, sexy, charming, thoughtful, kind, considerate, caring. I loved the romantic plans he had in store when he brought Erica to his beach house. Erica was a very likable heroine, relatable, and down-to-earth, and her daughter Stormy was adorable and irresistible. I also loved Kieran's family, their family dinners, and how close-knit they were. This was an all-around wonderful read. show less

Good book and beginning to the series. Paris is an interior designer who is desperate for a job. Thanks to her ex-husband, she is in debt and jobless. She heard of Dallas's plans for Texas Extreme, and shows up to apply for a job that hasn't even been advertised yet.

Dallas is the oldest of the six Calloway sons. He is strong-willed and determined, which put him at odds with his father. After JD's death, Dallas discovered that he only inherits the ranch if he is married by his thirty-eighth show more birthday, which is only a few days away. As he isn't sure that his plans for the ranch will happen, he sends Paris away. Then his two stepmothers suggest he offer her a job as his wife, killing two birds with one stone.

Sparks fly between Dallas and Paris from the start. The chemistry is strong, but both are wary of getting involved. Paris isn't sure she can trust another man after being used so badly by her ex. Dallas has no intention of committing permanently to anyone. Finding out that his father was a bigamist has wrecked his ability to trust in any relationship, so he's decided to avoid them all together. He and Paris agree to a marriage in name only, with an annulment at the end, but the heat between them puts a strain on that plan. Discovering that an annulment would negate the reason for the marriage opens up the bedroom door for them. Giving in to the passion isn't a problem for them, but keeping their feelings out proves to be much harder.

I loved seeing the relationship develop. Paris knows immediately that she's going to have trouble keeping her heart safe. Though he appears to be pretty cynical, Paris sees glimpses of another side to him. Dallas has been determined to stay alone, but the more time he spends with Paris the more he finds visions of his future including her. This freaks him out a bit, and he does some pulling away before Paris confronts him about his behavior. There are some pretty sweet scenes of his protectiveness as he learns a little about her past. Things are looking promising for them as they both consider making the marriage permanent, when Paris's ex shows up, looking to make trouble. There are some things that come out that play on Dallas's fears, and he says some terrible things to Paris. I loved seeing her give as good as she got. It was fun to see Dallas's brothers and stepmothers get in on the act too. I especially liked his conversation with Maria, or as she put it "I verbally beat him over the head." I liked his big moment at the end with just a bit of groveling. The epilogue was good, with a not so surprising surprise at the end.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters of the two stepmothers. Their background story is a little odd, but it really works for the book. Each of them is an interesting character and their involvement adds a bit of fun. We didn't see too much of the brothers, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them. show less

Single mom, emotionally wounded man. Hannah hasn't had an easy life. She was the illegitimate daughter of a man who was never in her life. Her mother was a bitter woman who never had anything good to say about him and who frequently didn't seem to even like her own daughter. Hannah had a happy marriage with a man who loved her, but he died shortly before their daughter was born. She was determined that her daughter have a better childhood than she did and made sure that Cassie heard plenty show more of stories about her daddy. But things were still rough financially, until the day that Logan showed up at her door.

Logan is one of the lawyers working for the Lassiter estate and came to tell Hannah that she had inherited some money. There are some conditions, one of which is that she can't tell anyone of her connection to the family. Hannah is more interested in learning about her father than in taking the money and turns him down. Logan doesn't want her to lose out without knowing all the facts, and invites her to come to stay with him while she investigates.

There is an immediate and strong attraction between Hannah and Logan, but any number of reasons they should avoid it. Hannah wants to protect her daughter from being hurt by a man who wouldn't stay in their lives and her own heart from falling for another man. Logan has spent the eight years since his divorce hiding from risking his own emotions. There are things in his past that make him reluctant to get deeply involved with anyone, especially a woman with a child.

I really liked the way that Hannah was more interested in finding the truth about her father than in having the money. She's felt the lack her whole life and now that she has the chance she's going to take it. She's nervous about staying with Logan, but she's also tempted. Logan waffles back and forth between being glad Hannah is there so that he can get to know her better, and being terrified by his growing feelings for her. I got a bit frustrated with the way he would avoid her when his feelings got to be too much. I was glad when he finally found the courage to tell her his story, but he's still fighting his feelings. His guilt and fears were so strong that he couldn't see any way for him to be happy. I did like his big moment at the end.

Hannah finally gets her questions about her father answered. I loved seeing her get to know the various Lassiters on her journey. There was quite an interesting twist to the story by the end. It was nice to see Hannah get the type of family she'd always wanted. show less