Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Fired Up by Mary Connealy, ©2013, Trouble in Texas series, Book 2

When a doctor who attracts danger falls for a cook determined to make it on her own, there's going to be trouble in Texas!

November, 1868. Dr. Darius Riker met recently widowed Glynna Greer when he was going out to the ranch in Swept Away, Book 1. Unfortunately, it wasn't how he would have liked the meeting to begin when her husband was killed leaving her and her two children alone now. On the way to town to take her belongings, a rockslide comes down around them. Could it be retribution for the confrontation with the aid of the Texas Ranger over regaining the Stones' S Bar S ranch from Flint Greer and his men?

With Glynna Greer and her two children moving to Broken Wheel, hopefully they will be out of danger. Friends of Luke and Ruthy Stone are helping with her move, the same ones who came to help him regain his Texas ranch stolen by Greer. The Regulators stick together.

It is now shortly after Greer's death. His widow is going to reopen a diner in an abandoned house in town to provide for her family. She has turned out to be a doctor's helper as well, as she stitches up Dare Riker's shoulder injured during the rockslide along the narrow trail.

Hearing Luke Stone had returned to his land, Red Wolf comes for help. His Kiowa people have contracted measles through contact trading with the whites. Their winter camp is near the buffalo grounds. Luke was friends with Red Wolf and others his age as boys. Many had left and others had died with pneumonia and encephalitis compounded with measles. While attending to the Indian children, Dr. Riker comes to relieve Glynna and her son Paul while they eat and get some sleep. They are applying poultices and giving willow bark tea, along with cooling fevered bodies. Glynna came as a mail-order bride with Paul and his younger sister, Janny. Paul makes it clear of his intent to protect his ma from male attention.

Before even opening the diner, firewood, meat, potatoes and other supplies show up at her back door. Cowpokes eager for a home cooked meal may need to overlook burned biscuits and scorched beans. Likely, Dr. Riker is going to need to stock up on bicarbonate of soda as he tends to her less than successful cooking skills with the patients she will unknowingly send him.

His foot hit the bottom step on his way up to the board sidewalk that led to the diner just as black smoke billowed out its front door, followed by a herd of cowboys running out, coughing, and covering their mouths.

The diner had only been open a few minutes.

Well away from the building, Tug Andrews, who owned the general store, yelled, "Let us know when the smoke clears, Mrs. Greer. We'll wait."

--Fired Up, 89

Come to Broken Wheel, Texas, and join the Regulators, Dare, Luke, Vince, and Jonah. A new cook comes to town, and the reverend's baby sister. Change is coming. Fun to be enjoyed.

***Thank you to Litfuse Publicity Group for sending me a copy of Mary Connealy's Fired Up for this blog tour. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

As always, I love Mary Connealy's books. I especially love the tongue-in-cheek humor with which she tells the stories and makes the people seem 'down right real'. Again, Thank you Mary.

Another smash hit for Mary Connealy! I thought it was well done, even though a few parts of it are kinda cliche. I mean the mail-order bride bad situation, the not being able to cook, widowed....But all in all a great book. I loved reading and waiting what thing would happen next to the Dare. He seemed to always be getting into some situation or another. And then what food would Glynna try to pass off as acceptable for this meal. Between the love brewing with Glynna and Dare, and the antics of the men and children in the town, this book is a fun read to curl up with a cup of caffeine of your choice and just enjoy.

If you are looking for fun Historical Romances that have some cowboys or handsome men from the west in them, you are looking at the right author! Mary Connealy has some great characters.

This is the second book in Mary Connealy's Trouble In Texas series. I am enjoying this series. I loved the story of Dare and Glenna. It had Romance, action and humor. I am anxiously waiting for the third book.

I won a copy of this book in an online giveaway and was not required to write a review.

Fired Up

Trouble in Texas #2

By Mary Connealy

Fired Up takes up where Swept Away left us. Luke and Ruthie are married. Flint Greer is dead and his mail-order widow Glynna is preparing to open a diner which may be the worse thing to happen to Broken Wheel, Texas. But her cooking skills are a boon to Dare's doctoring practice with all the bellyaches she causing

But someone is still determined to make Doctor Dare Riker a patient without a doctor. And they're determined to make Dare's condition deadly and permanent.

But the Regulators are determined to keep their friend safe, which isn't easy when the good doctor falls hard for Glynna, especially since her son is dead set against any romance between his mom and any man.

Fans of Mary Connealy will love the second book in the Trouble in Texas series. Dare, Glynna, and Paul have to work past the issues that are keeping them at odds with each other before it is too late and a killer manages to get his revenge.

Historical Fiction wrapped in Romance should appeal to many readers and the touches of humor just add to the fun. Escape for a few hours to 1860's Texas and enjoy a quick vacation from the everyday.

And I think there is a setup for a third book when Tina, Jonas's younger sister, comes to town and she's determined to reform it. I can't wait to find out what comes next - there's sure to be more Trouble in Texas!

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Bethany House and BookFun/TBCN in exchange for my honest review.