Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch

I'm not a Harlequin type of girl, so I was very skeptical when this book was offered as a free ebook for the Kindle. However, as I didn't have anything to lose, I began reading it. It really had an interesting story line, and I truly cared about the main 2 characters, Dana & Hud.

Brief Synopsis: Dana Cardwell is the only family member left who cares about Cardwell Ranch since her mother's death. Her 3 siblings want it sold for their share of the profit, and it's a legal battle she seems destined to lose. Things change when her manager finds a skeleton in a well on the property. The marshall is called, and Dana's in for another shock when she realizes Hudson Savage has been appointed interim marshall until a permanent replacement can be show more found. Hud & Dana were engaged until 5 years ago, when he suddenly left town after breaking her heart. Dana doesn't trust herself around him and hopes they won't see each other much, but as he investigates the remains on her property, he becomes more and more involved in her life. Does he deserve her forgiveness? Is it possible that he never stopped loving her? And even more pressing: what does it have to do with the body in the well?

The Good: I found Dana & Hud to be very likable characters. Even though we know Hud still loves Dana, he doesn't put on a charming, romantic act. He realizes she's not ready for it, and he decides to lay low and offer her what she most needs, which is protection. Dana is a strong character as well. I really appreciated that she didn't play games with Hud. She wasn't a shy, coy woman who batted her eyes at him to try to make him suffer. She didn't chase after Hud and even tried to avoid him. I thought it made her more believable, considering their past. When she finds out the truth about him, she's strong enough to confront him and express her emotions without becoming an emotional wreck. She's the kind of person I would like to be friends with. She's reasonable and in many ways, not what we normally expect in a romantic heroine.

The Bad: I figured it out before the story actually led me to the conclusion. At that point, I was really just waiting for it to end. Speaking of endings, that's another problem for me in this book. After wrapping up the mystery in a neat little bow and resolving the problem between Hud & Dana, the story ends rather abruptly. What happened to the ranch? What about the other Cardwell siblings? Hud visits his father and reveals his plan for the future, but we don't get to see the scene played out, and I was very interested in it.

The Verdict: A solid 3.5 stars. This is a very light, enjoyable read. The mystery is interesting, and I really enjoyed the family dynamics, but there's not a lot of depth in the story. The romance is heartwarming without becoming too descriptive. In short, it's a great book to cuddle up with on a cold winter day. show less

Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch
4 Stars

When old bones are discovered at the bottom of a well on the old Cardwell homestead, Dana Cardwell is surprised to learn that her former fiancé, Hud Savage, is the new marshal investigating the case. Five years after leaving town, Hud is back and determined to prove that he never betrayed Dana. But will he get the chance not that she has become the target of a killer?

The suspense plot is well-crafted albeit somewhat on the predictable side as it is relatively easy to figure out the killer and the motive.

Dana and Hud's romance is a little on the lackluster side. Their chemistry has potential but never really comes to fruition. That said, the characterization is excellent for such a short category show more romance. Daniels manages to pack in a great deal of information on the various characters and their backstories.

All in all, a good mystery and an OK romance. show less

This is another 3.5. Which shocks the hell out of me. I keep reading these little Harlequin books hoping to like them and most of the time they are two-stars. The real shame of it is that this is a free book. It has been free for years, while the other ones cost money.

The only real complaints I had were:
-The slow reveal of what happened five years ago. I hate that. Stop mentioning and dropping hints about this mysterious five years ago and just tell me what the hell happened! I had already guessed one part of it by page 25 yet it wasn't revealed in the story until page 110.
-A chunk of the book passes with not much happening.
-Small details: there are a couple of typos, and confusion of secondary character names. For instance, in one show more chapter a deputy is introduced as Liza Turner, and a few chapters later she calls herself Deputy Stone while another deputy is Norm Turner.
-Dana bordered on too stupid to live. She certainly did some things that fall squarely in the TSTL category.

I liked the mystery and how it played out. Some parts of it were easily guessed, but I still had to wait until everything was revealed to get how it all came together. While, in the end, parts of it were a little confused, I still appreciated the story.

I liked that Dana maintained her anger against her sister, Hud (even with giving into physical urges), and her other siblings. I like that the truth had to come out first and that it wasn't all convenient just to get everybody together again.

I liked Hud. While I think he should have stayed around and fought instead of running away, he was a solid character and you could kind of understand his faults.

Even the typical clean ending wrap up was fine with me, including this one plot point brought up throughout the book that screamed CONVENIENT CONTRIVED RESOLUTION just made me laugh and smile. Maybe because I knew it was coming, or because I had started to think it wasn't going to come and when it did I was like "THERE IT IS!" Or, and this is probably the greater reason, it screwed over a very unlikeable character.

On paper, I think, I really shouldn't have liked this story, but something in the way it was written made it an entertaining, enjoyable read for me. show less

This was one of sixteen free ebooks that Harlequin promoted for one of their anniversaries.

Overall, I found this a good read, and interesting as a mystery (more so than as a romance). The atmosphere was suspenseful; while I guessed the villain fairly early on, I wouldn't have been surprised if one of several other characters turned out to be the bad guy. I liked the main characters and was happy that they got back together. The "how I did it" spiel from the villain at the end was over the top, but by then I had enough momentum that I was willing to put up with it.

(As for the names, though....I know someone surnamed Savage, so I can buy that. But Brick Savage? Please.)

Picked this up when I was in the mood for "something romance-y" and was pleasantly surprised. There's an actual suspense and it's not just a flimsy excuse for romance/smut. I enjoyed it! )

If you read enough of my reviews, you'll know that one of my pet peeves is poor editing. "Crime Scene At Cardwell Ranch" by B.J. Daniels suffered from this...which caused me to suffer while reading it.

Five years ago Hud left his small hometown, and his love, behind after he was caught in a compromising situation with his love's sister. Now a mysterious letter and a job offer have hastened his return and Hud intends to get to the bottom of exactly what happened that night. Before he can start his own investigation, he's called out to his ex's ranch where the bones of a body have been found in a well. It doesn't take long for his 'new' case and his own personal case to converge. Pretty much everyone in town seems to be a suspect and his show more ex is suddenly in the cross-hairs of a killer.

Incorrect words (i.e., ...land looked rung out...um, do you mean wrung?), jumps in locations/scenes, blatant clues and an overwhelming number of unlikeable suspects with motives (not to mention unlikeable victims) left me fairly uncaring about the mystery portion of the story. The 'romance' was G-rated and I though BOTH hero and heroine behaved childishly in the past AND present. Do I really need to say that I didn't enjoy this read? show less

I got this a free download for my new kindle and so I took it. It was more plot heavy than I expected - Hudson Savage returns after a 5 year absence, back to Colorado and to the mess he leaves behind. His first case is on his ex-fiancé’s land - Dana Cardwell has discovered human remains at the bottom of her well...

The sentences made sense and I could read it from beginning to end, but it lacked a really intense passion, or, failing that, a strong sentimentality. It was kind of bland. We read about Dana's struggles but didn't feel them, Hud actually felt more real to me than anyone else. There was community and gossip and old friends, but Dana's family was falling apart, and her mother may have been a strong woman, but she raised 4 show more dysfunctional kids. What Stacey (Dana's sister) did to her was an unspeakable betrayal and to let 5 years go by before clearing it up... well that didn't speak well for any of them. So I got it for free and I finished it, but I wouldn't go around enthusiastically recommending it. show less