Texas Rebels: Phoenix - Linda Warren (HWR #1606 - Aug 2016)

Series: Texas Rebels (Book 5)

THE COWBOY'S LAST RIDE

Once he gets over the shock of finding out he's a father, Phoenix Rebel is ready to do right by his toddler son. The gorgeous barrel racer he runs into on the circuit could add a much-needed woman's touch. There's just one problem. She's a McCray -- a Rebel's worst enemy.

Rosemary could gaze into Phoenix's warm brown eyes forever. And helping the sexy bull rider and his adorable two-year-old has ignited a fierce yearning in Rosie. Somehow she and Phoenix have to find a way to create their own family -- even if it means leaving everyone else they love behind…

Very good book. Phoenix is the youngest of the Rebel boys and the one best known for his fun-loving ways. So it comes as quite a surprise to him to find out that he is the father of a two year old little boy. As unprepared as he feels, a Rebel doesn't run from responsibility, and Phoenix steps right up.

I have to say right off that I loved the way that Phoenix jumped right into being a dad. He connected very quickly with little Jake and I loved how he understood Jake's separation anxiety. He could very easily have accepted the offers of various family members to help him out, but he understood Jake's fear and was determined to be there for him. I also understood his frustration with the way his family seemed to think he wasn't capable of caring for Jake. It added to his determination to do it himself. 

Phoenix had been aware of Rosie for awhile, but because she was a McCray, he ignored her just as she ignored him. But an encounter while parking their trailers brought them into closer contact and sparks flew between them. Their next encounter had Phoenix asking for her help in shopping for things for Jake, and Phoenix's fascination with her grew.

Rosie had grown up with the feud between the families, but had had problems of her own to deal with. Her father had forced her to marry an older man who would help with the family finances. The man turned out to be abusive and had beaten Rosie so badly at one point that she lost her baby. Since her divorce from him her father had disowned her and she'd had no contact with her family. Seeing Phoenix's son brought back her grief, but also brought some light back into her life.

As she and Phoenix began to spend more time together, their feelings grew stronger. As long as it was just the two of them with little Jake, everything was fine. The love they shared was obvious and they were the perfect family for Jake. But the feud between their families was always hovering, ready to take the joy out of their lives. I really enjoyed seeing Rosie face down her father and brothers and make it clear that she was done with them. There was a brief moment of support from the brother whose son caused problems in the previous book. Meanwhile, Phoenix had been avoiding telling his mother about Rosie because of her own attitude toward the McCrays. I have to say that for most of this book I really didn't like Kate much at all. Because she didn't want to tear Phoenix away from the family he loved, Rosie tried to break things off with him.

Just as Phoenix is really settling in to being Jake's daddy, Jake's mother suddenly comes back into the picture. There were some scary, stressful days as Phoenix worries about losing custody of the son who has come to mean so much to him. The scene in the courtroom was fantastic, with the new Phoenix really shining.

But it still left the relationship between Rosie and Phoenix in limbo. I loved Phoenix's determination that he would marry Rosie no matter what. I especially enjoyed his grandfather's straight talk to Kate and his unwavering support of Phoenix. There were some intense moments there in Vegas as everyone waited to see what Rosie would decide. I loved the ending and seeing the little family finally have it all.

Texas Rebels: Jude - Linda Warren (HAR #1589 - Apr 2016)

Series: Texas Rebels (Book 4)

Rebel Dad

The day his son was born, Jude Rebel knew he was meant to be a father. That was why he had to stop the adoption. How could he give away his own flesh and blood? For twelve years, Jude has kept his secret. Until Paige Wheeler comes home to Horseshoe, regretting the decision that changed both their lives forever.

At eighteen, all Paige wanted was to escape her Texas town and troubled, hardscrabble life. Her ticket out cost her dearly. Now she has a chance to make things right. Finding out Jude has been raising their child is only the beginning. Is it too late for forgiveness? Or have they all been given a second chance?

Good story of second chances, redemption, and family. Paige and Jude had been high school sweethearts, but their futures were set on different paths. Jude loved his family's ranch and had no desire to go anywhere else. Paige had a miserable home life with an emotionally abusive mother and couldn't wait to get out of Horseshoe. She has a scholarship for medical school and can't wait to use it. Then she finds out she's pregnant.

Both Jude and Paige are young and know that they aren't ready to be parents. Paige is especially scared because of her mother. She takes her worries to her school counselor, who encourages Paige to consider adoption. Paige constantly asks for Jude's thoughts, but gets no real response. Jude has plenty of thoughts, but never expresses them to Paige, feeling that he has no right to ask her to give up her dreams. But when the baby is born and they've signed away their rights, Jude is torn. He says goodbye to Paige, but then makes the decision to cancel the adoption and raise the baby himself.

It isn't easy, but he has the help and support of his family. Zane is the center of Jude's life, and he will do anything to keep him safe and happy. Then after twelve years, Paige comes back to Horseshoe for her mother's funeral. She has been haunted by her decision for years, and wants to find out what happened to her child. Jude isn't happy, but knows he has to tell her the truth. He also knows that his son's happiness comes first, and it's up to Zane to decide what he wants to do.

This was a very emotional book, as three people had to deal with the consequences of a decision made long ago. There were things I did and didn't like about the ways they went about it. I loved Jude's devotion to Zane and the way that he stepped up and took responsibility. Though he had help from his family, he was Zane's father and the main caregiver. However, I had trouble with his lack of communication with Paige, both in the past and present. Back during her pregnancy, he never spoke up about his feelings and what he thought was the right thing to do. He just went along with her decisions. When he went and got the baby, he never tried to reach her and tell her what he had done. When Paige came back, he still wasn't the most communicative. He did tell her some of what he felt, but wasn't always as open as he should have been.

Paige had had a miserable life at home. It left her with some real problems with her self esteem. Because of her mother's attitude, Paige didn't feel that she could bring a baby home, which left her vulnerable to a counselor who had her own agenda. When Paige came back and told Jude what it had been like for her after she left, I completely understood Jude's anger. She had wallowed in her misery, never bothering to even call Jude and tell him how she felt. Of course, when she found out that Jude had been raising Zane, she wanted to meet him. She wasn't happy about Jude's resistance, and proceeded to still beat herself up about her past actions. I wanted to shake her and tell her to snap out of it. 

Then there was Zane. He's a really smart, happy kid. He's enthusiastic about the things he likes. He's been curious about his mother, and Jude has been honest with him about what happened. But he's still only twelve, and it rocks his world when he finds out about Paige. I ached for Paige when he refused to have anything to do with her, but had high hopes that his better nature would win out. His was the part I liked most, as he worked his way through his feelings.

Paige and Jude also discovered that the feelings they'd had as teens had not gone away. Neither had their old ways of dealing with things. Jude knew that Paige had to go back to California to finish her training, and did not talk to her about it. Paige had to make a decision about her future, and didn't talk to Jude either. So much angst could have been avoided if they had just talked to each other. They nearly blew it again, but finally had the courage to confront their fears. I did like the way that they worked things out.

One Night in Texas - Linda Warren (HAR #1497 - May 2014)

THE SECRET OF HORSESHOE, TEXAS

Angie Wiznowski has made mistakes -- the biggest is the secret she's kept from Hardison Hollister for ten years. The man she loved has the right to know what happened following that hot Texas night long ago. And it could cost Angie the most precious thing in her life.

Hardy has no inkling he's a father…until an accident leaves a young girl injured and the Texas district attorney with an unexpected addition to his family. Blindsided by shock and hurt, Hardy can't forgive Angie for her deception. But as he gets to know his child, old and new feelings for Angie surface. While scandal could derail Hardy's political future -- is that future meaningless without Angie and their daughter?

Good second chance story. Back when she was eighteen, Angie was in love with her best friend's older brother. But he treated her like another sister, until the night of a party got out of hand. Punch was spiked and Angie got rather tipsy. Afraid to go home because of her mother's strictness, Hardy put her to bed at their house. The next morning, a grateful kiss from Angie turned into something more. By the time Angie discovered she was pregnant, Hardy was engaged to another woman, so she kept her secret. She married a friend to give Erin a name, but it didn't work out and she came home to Horseshoe and the support of her family.

For ten years the secret has weighed on her. When Hardy moved back to Horseshoe she knew she had to tell him, but circumstances kept it from happening. Until the day Erin ran out in the street, right in front of Hardy's truck. Suddenly there's no keeping the secret any longer. Hardy is stunned, angry at being kept in the dark for so long, and determined to get to know his daughter.

I thought this was a pretty realistic look at how people react to things that happen in their lives. Because of her mother's rigid religious beliefs, Angie had been afraid to confess her pregnancy to her family. The desperate marriage and its end are not uncommon. Erin has become Angie's life, and she will do anything to protect her. She's mostly able to put Hardy out of her mind, until he moves back to Horseshoe. Hardy had been attracted to Angie way back, but the age difference was significant at the time. Plus, he had had his life and career mapped out since he was a kid, and Angie had no place in his plans. So he buried the memory and moved on with his life. When he came back to Horseshoe he did what he could to avoid coming in contact with her. He was horrified by the accident and was determined to do whatever necessary to make things right.

As scared as she was, I was happy to see Angie finally tell Hardy the truth. She is nervous about it, afraid of his reaction, and worried about the effect it will have on Erin. Hardy's anger is understandable, but I also admired his determination to be involved. I loved the fact that they actually talked about it like rational human beings. I was a bit mad at him at first, as he tried to lay all the blame on her, but he redeemed himself when he finally admitted that some of the blame was his own.

What followed was a terrific story of two people brought together by a child. I enjoyed seeing Hardy get involved in their day to day life, dealing with the good and the bad. Spending that much time with Angie has the old feelings coming back. Angie also discovers that her love for Hardy had never really gone away, and was now growing even stronger. She worries that their growing closeness could damage his political aspirations, and tries to keep him at arm's length because of it. Hardy has his own battles to fight, against his father's expectations, and against his girlfriend's determination to sweep it all under the rug. A threat against Angie brings everything into sharp focus for him, and I loved seeing how he dealt with it, though I would have liked stronger consequences for the instigator. I liked seeing Hardy's vulnerability at the end, as he goes after what he really wants. I loved the epilogue and seeing how things are going a year down the line.

I loved their daughter Erin. She was quite character in her own right. Her reaction to the news was not unexpected, and I thought that Angie and Hardy handled it well. Her happiness at having a father was sweet, and I loved Hardy's reaction the first time she called him daddy. She also has a pretty strong will, and I loved the way she took sharing the news into her own hands.

The assorted family members also had their places. The strongest ones were Angie's mother and Hardy's father. I didn't like her mother for most of the book. She was far too rigid and judgmental, and her reaction to the news was just plain mean. There was a neat scene where she was called out by her mother-in-law, and she did redeem herself pretty well at the end. Hardy's father is one of those men who seems to enjoy running his children's lives. His constant harping on Hardy and what he had to do was annoying. Once Hardy found out about Erin, I liked seeing him push back. I wanted to smack his father over his visit to Angie and loved seeing her stand up to him. Fortunately, he came around pretty quickly.

Texas Rebels: Quincy - Linda Warren (HAR #1573 - Dec 2015)

Series: Texas Rebels (Book 3)

A Heart Divided

Quincy Rebel lives by a strict code of honor. Family first. Which means Jenny Rose Walker, his younger brother's ex-girlfriend, will never know how deeply and devotedly he loves her. The woman of his dreams is off-limits…until his brother gets engaged to someone else.

Jenny is ready to sever all ties with the ranching clan who has been like a second family to her. Even if it means giving up working with her best friend, Quincy, who she helps train paint horses. Quincy…the tall, masculine Rebel who's always been there for her. Is she developing feelings for him? Or are they headed for a rebound romance that will leave them both brokenhearted?

Good story. Quincy has been in love with Jenny for years, but she is his brother's on again off again girlfriend, so she is off limits to him, so he loves in silence. Then Paxton gets engaged to someone else and Quincy is ready to see if there's something there for him. Jenny and Paxton have been dating since high school, so she is devastated when she learns that Paxton has found someone else. It hurts too much to even continue working with Quincy and his horses. 

This was an interesting love triangle. Quincy has loved Jenny for years, but has limited himself to friendship. He's been there for Jenny whenever she's been on the outs with Paxton. Jenny has clung to her relationship with Paxton, even when he hurts her by being with other women. And Paxton comes back to Jenny whenever his latest fling doesn't work out.

I loved Quincy. He's always looking out for the people he cares about. He's frustrated by the way Paxton treats Jenny, but he won't break the "bro-code" and go after his brother's girl. He's furious when he hears about Paxton's engagement and discovers that he hadn't had the decency to tell Jenny in person. He's also hopeful that with Paxton out of the way, Jenny will see how much he cares for her. I loved seeing how he was always there when she needed him.

I really didn't like Paxton. He's very immature and selfish. He doesn't see anything wrong with chasing other women while he's out rodeoing. He always manages to charm Jenny into taking him back, and then turns around and does it again. He's also too much of a coward to do the right thing and tell Jenny about his engagement himself. Even his engagement seems to be for all the wrong reasons. The only thing he does right, when he finally does talk to her face to face, is to explain to Jenny that what they had had for the last several years wasn't a relationship but a friendship.

I was a bit conflicted about Jenny. I couldn't understand why she kept taking Paxton back over and over again, when someone as wonderful as Quincy was right there. I liked her a little more as she woke up to the truth about her feelings for Paxton and why she had stuck with him for so long. 

I loved seeing how Jenny finally started to realize that Quincy was more than a friend. But after deluding herself for so long about her feelings for Paxton, she was afraid that she was just using Quincy to feel better. There was a strain on their growing relationship though, because Quincy wasn't really sure that she was over Paxton. He was worried because of the way that Paxton still called her and was afraid that Jenny would go back to him. Both of them had some work to do in gaining the confidence in themselves that would allow them to believe in the love they shared. I loved the way they came together at the end.