Cowboy SEAL Daddy - Laura Marie Altom (HWR #1686 - Apr 2018)

Series: Cowboy SEALs (Book 6)

THE ENGAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT

After his divorce, cowboy turned Navy SEAL Wayne Brustanovitch swore he’d never remarry. Now he needs a wife -- and fast -- in order to fulfill his ailing father’s final wishes. Wayne has a plan, but for it to work, he’ll need his pregnant friend Paisley to agree to…

A make-believe marriage! Paisley Carter knows her hunky neighbor’s idea is a bad one, even if it’s for a good reason. Then again, after her ex left her pregnant and alone, a no-risk relationship is the only kind Paisley wants. But as she and Wayne play pretend at his parents’ Arizona ranch, the line between the ruse and reality begins to blur. Can Wayne and Paisley resist falling for each other for real?

Good friends to lovers story. Wayne and Paisley have been friends and neighbors for three years, ever since Wayne and his teammate Logan moved in. She has especially appreciated his help since her ex-boyfriend left her pregnant and turned out to be married. But she's shocked when he comes to her with an off-the-wall request.

Wayne is still recovering from the trauma of his divorce and has sworn that he will never remarry. His ex cheated on him with a fellow team member, leaving him convinced that he isn't relationship material. However, a recent call from his father has Wayne reeling. His father says he is dying, and all he wants is to see Wayne married and maybe with a baby on the way before he dies. After a facetious comment by Logan about renting a wife, Wayne decides to ask Paisley if she will pretend to be married to him to ease his father's mind.

I completely understood what was driving Wayne to come up with such an idea, but it had disaster written on it from the beginning. Paisley has a bad feeling about it, but she likes Wayne's father and goes along with it for his sake. I wanted to shake Wayne a few times at the beginning because he seemed to treat it all like a big joke, not seeing how it could go really wrong. I thought Paisley had a more realistic view of the pitfalls that could occur. Still, they might have been able to pull it off if Wayne's friend Logan and Paisley's friend Monica hadn't decided to get married - at Wayne's family's ranch. Suddenly, Wayne's mom wants Wayne and Paisley to make it a double wedding and things start to spiral out of control.

I enjoyed the development of Wayne and Paisley's relationship, but I also spent a fair amount of time wanting to shake them both. From the moment they agreed on the deception, their relationship began to change. I had to laugh when they decided they had better kiss a couple of times to make sure that it would be believable when they arrived at the ranch. Neither one expected the flash-bang of attraction that flared up between them and it freaked them both out. It made things a bit awkward between them until they agreed to put it behind them and concentrate on the plan. Once they arrived at the ranch, the important thing became figuring out what was going on with Wayne's dad. It was sweet to see the way that Peter and Jules welcomed Paisley and were so happy about the wedding and the baby. This just added to the guilty feelings that Paisley had about lying to them. As Wayne and Paisley spent more time together, each of them started to wonder what it would be like if it were real. There were some really sweet scenes with the two of them, especially when Wayne just wanted to be close to her.

I liked Wayne and Paisley, but both of them had some serious issues to overcome. Wayne's ex had done a number on his confidence in his ability to love. Being with Paisley and thinking about her baby makes him happy, but he's afraid to trust that it will last. He uses charm and humor to keep things from getting too serious, but something inside him makes him long for something different. He is so convinced that he doesn't know how to love that he doesn't see that he is in love with her. Paisley frequently frustrated me, with her waffling back and forth about whether or not to go through with the wedding. First, she agrees, then she wants to tell the truth, then she's back to going along with it. Her feelings for Wayne are getting stronger, but she's afraid that she's taking advantage of him. She grew up with a mother who manipulated men into taking care of her, and Paisley is terrified of being like her mom. This often causes her to push Wayne away. I ached for them both at the wedding scene, as Wayne wants to make it real, but can't give Paisley the words she needs to hear, and Paisley's fears won't let her see what he can't say. It takes some time apart, and some serious looking at their fears before either is ready to face their future. I loved Paisley's big moment at the end as she went after what she wanted.

I loved the importance that family played in the story. The biggest part was Wayne's father, Peter, and his health issues. I ached for Wayne and the pain he felt at the thought of losing his father. I loved Peter, with his broken English, his big heart, and his love of John Wayne. I ached for him and his belief that he was dying. I loved the ride that he and Wayne went on, where Peter showed his medical papers to Wayne and got the surprise of his life. Paisley also had family issues to deal with. Throughout the book more and more of her relationship with her mother was revealed, as was the effect it had on Paisley's life. I liked seeing her finally face her mom and the impact it had on her mindset. The epilogue was fantastic, with a great view of their lives a year down the road. I especially loved the bit with "Duke."

The Cowboy SEAL's Christmas Baby - Laura Marie Altom (HWR #1666 - Nov 2017)

Series: Cowboy SEALs (Book 5)

HIS UNEXPECTED CHRISTMAS SURPRISE…

A baby's cry was the last thing former SEAL Gideon Snow expected to hear on an Arizona mountain trail. Nor was he prepared for the sight of the young mother suffering from memory loss. Gideon has plenty of reasons for avoiding people -- and his painful past -- but two fragile people now depend on him to survive. Can he just fall for the lovely Jane Doe?

Jane doesn't deny the pull of the gruff-yet-sweet cowboy who saved her and her baby. He's more than a cowboy hero -- Gideon's given them a chance at a new life and love. But Jane knows that any day, her memory might come back. And the woman Gideon is falling in love with might disappear forever…

Very good book that had me hooked from the first page to the last. Gideon was surprised to find a woman who had just given birth in the middle of a snowstorm. To make matters worse, she had no idea who she was or how she got there. To top it all off, the horse he was riding was spooked by the storm and ran off, leaving them to make their way out on foot. I was on the edge of my seat as I followed their journey off the mountain, to where Gideon could call for help.

I liked both Gideon and Jane. Jane's fear when she couldn't remember anything about herself was clear, but she did a good job of trying to keep a brave face. She had a terrific sense of humor and used it to hold her fears at bay. I loved her determination to make the best of things until her memory returned. Gideon was a man who I wanted to hug and to smack, frequently at the same time. I ached for all that he had lost and wanted him to stop taking it out on everyone else.

I enjoyed the development of Gideon and Jane's relationship. Though Gideon tried to stay away from her, his protective instincts kicked in when he found out that she had nowhere to go. It was sweet to see him shopping for her and baby Chip, and making a place for them in his house. There were some very adorable scenes of him with the baby. He was also very attracted to Jane but resists that attraction. His ex-wife had done a number on him when she rejected him after his injury, and now he feels like he isn't a whole man. His pride won't let him risk another rejection, and he is frequently rude and mean when he feels himself getting too close. Jane initially tries to resist the feelings that she develops for Gideon. Without her memory, she can't be sure that she isn't married, though eventually bits of returning memories convince her she is safe on that score. I loved how she did her best to take care of him, especially feeding his sweet tooth. It amazed me that she didn't hit him with a frying pan on those occasions when he was so horribly rude.

I loved seeing the three of them start to form a sweet little family unit. It was obvious that Gideon loved both Jane and Chip, but he let his fears win. It didn't take long for Jane to fall hard for Gideon, especially when she would see him with Chip. As her memories started to return, she kept quiet, not wanting to ruin what they had. I ached for her when it all came out. Gideon's reaction was pretty extreme, thanks to fear and hurt pride. I loved Jane's solution. I loved Gideon's "aha" moment and how he exposed his vulnerability. Jane's reaction was perfect. The epilogue was good, though I was a little disturbed by her "family" comment. It was fun to see the role reversal.

I also liked the secondary characters. Mrs. Gentry was a trip with the way she treated Gideon. I loved that she didn't put up with his attitude very often. I also enjoyed the way she pulled Jane and Chip into her heart also. I especially enjoyed her part in bringing Gideon and Jane back together. I also liked West and Sherrie. They were excellent friends to Gideon. I loved that West also didn't pull punches when he talked to Gideon. The relationship between West and Sherrie was great, and I enjoyed their banter regarding their professional relationship.

The Cowboy SEAL's Jingle Bell Baby - Laura Marie Altom (HWR #1621 - Dec 2016)

Series: Cowboy SEALs (Book 4)

A BABY FOR CHRISTMAS?

Tiffany Lawson promised herself that she would never, ever give her heart to a man again. Now she's a pregnant former rodeo queen and ex-debutante struggling to support her mother and grandmother. She's already picked out the perfect adoptive parents, but cowboy Navy SEAL Rowdy Jones isn't letting anyone take his child.

Rowdy loves the rush that comes from being a Navy SEAL, but finding out he's about to become a dad? That trumps everything. While he and Tiffany shared only one night, Rowdy's determined to do right by her and their baby. His next mission -- to win Tiffany and keep his son -- might be his toughest yet…

Tiffany and Rowdy "met" when both were more than a little intoxicated. Rowdy was home on leave and looking for some action. Tiffany was attempting to forget the mess that her life was, with a father who had just gone to prison and a husband who filed for divorce because of it. The sparks between them were immediate and intense. They didn't expect to see each other again, as Tiffany went back to her life and Rowdy left on another deployment. When he returned, Rowdy was shocked to find out that Tiffany was pregnant and planned to give the baby up for adoption.

Rowdy is an honorable guy, and he heads home to make things right with Tiffany. He comes on very strong, insisting that the best thing to do is marry and raise the baby themselves. He doesn't take into account that he and Tiffany don't know each other, that she has her own life to live, and that he is gone more than he is home. Tiffany is shocked to see Rowdy after such a long time, and pretty skeptical of his reasons for not getting in touch. She has enough on her plate, supporting her mother and grandmother, and a baby is more than she thinks she can handle. She has put a lot of thought into her options and isn't happy to have Rowdy trying to interfere.

Both Rowdy and Tiffany irritated me through a good share of the book. Rowdy is pushy and doesn't seem to pay much attention to the reasons Tiffany wants to give the baby up at first. Then he thinks about the changes it could mean to his life, and suddenly he starts waffling back and forth over what he wants to do. Unfortunately, it seems more about the effects on him than what is best for the baby. My problem with Tiffany was her lack of confidence in her ability to handle raising a baby. She also let her pride get in the way. Even when Rowdy made it clear that he would provide support, even if she didn't want to marry him, she looked at that as a cop-out. The redeeming factor was that neither one wanted to give up the baby, they were just letting their fears dictate their actions.

I did enjoy the development of their relationship. It was fun to see Rowdy insert himself into Tiffany's life, making himself indispensable to her mother and grandmother. He was also sweet and protective of her. I liked seeing him take her shopping, then care for her when she had problems. Tiffany is wary of letting herself fall for Rowdy. She's been let down before and doesn't want to risk it again. But being around Rowdy scrambles her brains and her insides, and he is starting to convince her that maybe they can make it work. There are still some challenges that come up, such as when he gets called for a mission and doesn't bother to let her know he has to leave town for a while. And when Rowdy loses a friend on that mission, he starts to wonder if Tiffany was right all along. I did like how they made up their minds at the end. The epilogue was good.

The secondary characters were interesting. I liked Rowdy's family. They weren't shy about giving him advice, but they also gave their support no matter what his decision was. Both his dad and his brother made some very good points. Tiffany's mom and grandmother were both pretty odd. Both of them latch on to the idea of Tiffany and Rowdy getting married and nothing will convince them otherwise. Tiffany's mom, Gigi, seems to be in a world of her own most of the time, ignoring their changed circumstances. Grandmother Pearl had her own quirks and was pretty talented at finding ways to keep Rowdy close to Tiffany. I also liked Rowdy's SEAL friends and ached for their loss.