Welcome to the Six Pack Ranch, where one sweet young thing plus the Coleman boys equals trouble with a capital T.

Back Cover:
Blake Coleman is old enough to know that acting on impulse causes nothing but a heap of trouble. But when trouble’s a blonde wearing a cowboy hat with slim legs that go on forever, what’s a man to do? Wanting the sweet girl next door is just wrong. Hell, he was the one that taught her to ride a horse and now all he can think about is riding her. The responsible thing to do is keep his hands off.

Jaxi has other plans for his hands, and his heart. She may have considered Blake a big brother once but that was a long time ago. She’s all grown up now and ready to convince him that she’s just what he’s been waiting for.
Add the complication of two sexy younger brothers who have suddenly noticed Jaxi and things heat up fast. Blake’s gonna have to decide if a little trouble is worth fighting for.

After a particularly hot prologue that sets the scene for the rest of this novella, the story truly starts when Blake Coleman’s mom breaks her arm in an apple picking accident. Jaxi is the one to take care of her until she’s better and this puts her in close proximity to Blake, her childhood’s crush, a proximity she welcomes because she’s ready to make her move on Blake. She’s had her friendly fun with the other Colemans, even dated Travis, which didn’t work out but now it’s time to rope in her man.

Jaxi is a sweet, loyal and quick-witted young woman. She has always considered the Colemans as her second family because of her close friendship with the younger brothers, the twins, and the neglect by her own family.
Blake is caring, giving and responsible, the typical traits of a first-born son.

Even though on the surface Jaxi and Blake relationship seems a big brother-little sister relationship type of thing, it’s soon clear that they have feelings for each other that defy any brother-sister type of relationship. Both fight those feelings though, Jaxi because she is sure Blake doesn’t reciprocate the feelings and Blake because he is ten years older than Jaxi and feels like he’s too old for her. At first Jaxi’s relationship with Travis seems to be the big problem but this is soon taken care of. Travis does have some sort of secret that was a very intriguing given in the book. I am fairly certain I know what that secret is and am anxious to see it confirmed. I must also admit that Travis’ character puzzled me a bit, certainly if my suspicions about his secret turn out to be correct. I am not a fan of him. He treated Jaxi badly and acted like a first-class jerk. Am very curious to see what Vivian is going to make of his story

For a short novella, I have to say it was a very good read. It had development in the characters, spanned a reasonable and believable period of time and the romance, sex and characters were very well balanced. Kudos to Vivian Arend for proving that short novellas can be satisfying too and the length of a story doesn’t have to impede the storytelling qualities.

So if you’re looking for a hot and sweet contemporary with Canadian cowboys, ROCKY MOUNTAIN HEAT would be the perfect choice because it was a short and sweet and above all, a HOT read. I loved it from start to finish and when I was done I couldn’t wait to see what Vivian Arend had in store for the other Coleman boys/men.

Rating: 8 out of 10



Welcome to the Six Pack Ranch, where learning to live again takes some sensual twists.

Back Cover:
Beth Danube has escaped to a small Alberta town to make a new start for herself and her three little boys. Her emotionally abusive husband may be dead and buried, but so is her heart. What she doesn’t want is another man in her life—not now, maybe not ever. Yet when her libido reawakens after ten years of unsatisfactory sex in the missionary position is any woman strong enough to turn down sex-in-boots, Daniel Coleman?

The middle child of the rowdy Coleman boys, Daniel’s the quiet one who has always subdued his desires and acted as peacemaker. His powerful attraction to the young widow takes him by storm, and he’s willing to pursue her until they both find satisfaction—in and out of the bedroom.

Only Beth isn’t sure she’s ready to cross the line. Becoming friends with blazing hot benefits means she’s still the one in control. Letting her heart trust again? She isn’t that brave—or foolish. Daniel is going to have to be mighty convincing to help her overcome the past.

Beth Danube and Daniel Coleman meet during a night on the town in a Calgary bar. Sparks sizzle but Beth is not planning on pursuing anything with the first man who makes her want to explore her sexuality after an abusive relationship. Then faith lands her right in Daniel’s arms again when she moves to his hometown and ends up in a farmhouse owned by his father. Daniel always wondered why the woman he shared some hot moments with months ago, ran off leaving him with no way to contact her. Now that she’s fallen into his lap, he’s not letting her go again.

Beth has had a rough past, after a terrible accident in which her abusive husband died and she was left with a severe leg-injury, she’s trying to build a new life for her and her three sons Lance, Nathan and Robbie. She’s resilient and strong, despite the adversities she’s been through.

Daniel is the quiet Coleman brother, the peacemaker. He’s confident and direct but he’s also intuitive and compassionate.

I loved this second installment of the Six Pack Ranch series as much, if not more, as the first one. I loved the contraction in Daniel. He is quiet and sweet but also sexually dominant at the same time. I also loved Beth’s strength and her love for her sons and as a reader who likes children as characters in romance, Beth’s sons stole my heart and Nathan broke it when he opened up to Daniel about his fears. No I didn’t keep it dry, but don’t tell me you were expecting me too because by now everyone knows I’m a crybaby when it comes to emotional stuff in books.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HAVEN is another hot, hot, hot book in this series. Vivian Arend is very talented and creative when it comes to sex scenes. They are explicit and beautifully written and I can guarantee you need something to cool down with once you’re done with her books.

In a rather small page count Vivian Arend delivered a beautiful story, full of loveable characters, hot sex, family dynamics and sweet romance. I didn’t think she could top ROCKY MOUNTAIN HEAT with its sequel but she certainly did by giving me the emotional, tear-jerking ending I crave so much in the romances I read.

Quotes:
She came undone. Between the relentless strokes, the dirty talk and the whole
naughtiness of the situation, the earth unraveled and took her with it. His mouth clamped down on hers as she started to cry out, the need to express the pleasure tearing her apart, overriding the logical sections of her brain.

"Tonight, you're mine. No games, no playing. Just open yourself up and give
yourself to me, Beth. Let go and let me catch you." Her throat was tight as he suspended himself over her, thigh to thigh, nose to nose. His eyes, oh damn—his eyes were beautiful. Full of tenderness and need and she wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him down on top of her, sighing as his bare
skin touched hers as if for the first time.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

In general about this series and the writing:

I have found another pack of cowboy siblings to love and add to my keeper shelves because next to the McKays from Wyoming (yup, I’m talking Lorelei James here) I now have the Colemans from Alberta. All the Coleman brothers are undeniably and deliciously yummy, from Blake down to the oh-so naughty double-teaming twins Joel and Jesse whose story I am awaiting with abated breath. From the obnoxious Travis to the quiet Daniel and the mediator Matt, they all have that “come-to-mama-and-let-me-make-you-feel-real-good” vibe that just pulls you in. The bond between them is strong and heartwarming and the banter is highly amusing.

Though I’ve only read these two books in the series (because there are only two so far…I’m pining for the next), I already know that each book has a different and unique vibe to it. Each book fits the personalities of the main couple both sexually and emotionally. I appreciate this in series and Vivian Arend did a great job of it.

Whether it’s straight contemporary, paranormal or cowboy romance, Vivian Arend's writing is so easy and natural it’s no hardship to read. Humorous, hot, down-to-earth…I really like that combination and they keep pulling me back to her books. Shortly I’ll have read her complete backlist and yearning for more if I keep this up…

Back Cover:
FATE HAS THROWN TWO SWORN ENEMIES. . .
Of all the hotel rooms rented by all the adulterous politicians in Chicago, female Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had to choose the one next to 1308, where some hot-and-heavy lovemaking ends in bloodshed. And of all the FBI agents in Illinois, it had to be Special Agent Jack Pallas who gets assigned to this high-profile homicide. The same Jack Pallas who still blames Cameron for a botched crackdown three years ago—and nearly ruining his career…

. . .INTO EACH OTHER’S ARMS
Work with Cameron Lynde? Are they kidding? Maybe, Jack thinks, this is some kind of welcome-back prank after his stint away from Chicago. But it’s no joke: the pair is going to have to put their rocky past behind them and focus on the case at hand. That is, if they can cut back on the razor-sharp jibes—and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension…

Cameron Lynde is an assistant US attorney. Unforeseen circumstances lead to her being the sole witness to a high-profile murder, which puts her in the path of an FBI agent she'd rather not cross paths with ever again after they crossed swords professionally in the past. I loved Cameron. She is a great heroine who will definitely be added to my favorite heroines list. She's professional, witty and not afraid to own her mistakes.

Jack Pallas is an FBI Special Agent. After a forced transfer to the Nebraska office, he's returned to Chicago and the key witness in his first case is the assistant US attorney responsible, in his eyes, for his transfer. Julie James has provided me with yet another sigh & drool-worthy Jack to add to my fave heroes list. He seems so aloof and cool but it's just the surface of a passionate man.

The cast of secondary characters isn't very big but there were plenty of remarkable and memorable characters to help Cameron and Jack carry the story. In particular, Sam Wilkins, Jack's partner who made a lasting impression on me with his humor and metro sexual ways, which he had no fear displaying.

In SOMETHING ABOUT YOU Julie James combined a few elements that reel me in every single time: law enforcement/legal stuff and humor. I am a sucker for both and SOMETHING ABOUT YOU had plenty, making it an instant candidate for my keeper shelf. With it's exceedingly strong start, once I read the first page it was very hard to stop reading, the humor, legal stuff, and investigation and FBI stuff...I ate it all up and loved it. Something that had not happened in a while occurred when I read this book: I read it in almost one sitting because I just couldn't put it down.

I liked that it wasn't a whodunit but it was still suspenseful in the way Cameron's role was incorporated in the investigation. This gave more room for the relationship between Jack and Cameron to be set up and explored. The build up of the sexual tension between the main characters was brilliantly and believably done. I wouldn't have liked it if Jack and Cameron had jumped into the sack immediately because to me that would've been out of character, so another point for Julie James' wonderful writing skills. Though not extremely focused on the romance, the balance between romance, plot and characters is excellent. And knowing who the killer was early in the story made it a more of a contemporary romance rather than a romantic suspense novel for me.

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU is a contemporary romance just the way I like them! My first taste of Julie James' writing has left me wanting more, much more. I am definitely ready to dive into JUST THE SEXIEST MAN ALIVE and PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

Quotes:
He stole another look, for security purposes, and watched as the sweater once again slid away from her collarbone, inching down, taunting him, teasing him, dipping lower and lower, revealing creamy ivory skin and that delicate gray silk strap he could rip away with his teeth.
A shoulder. He was going crazy over a fucking shoulder.

Thank God -he was cranky about something. This Jack she could handle. The Jack who cupped her face as he whispered the most romantic and sexy things anyone had ever said to her as he made love to her on her own staircase, on the other hand, was a force of a different nature.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

2010 challenges have been coming out of the woodworks since the start of December and I have decided to join quite a few, but I've decided to also host one of my own. Regular blog visitors and people who know me, know Contemporary Romance is one of my favorite subgenres within romance.

While searching and coming across challenges to join for 2010, I didn't find the contemporary romance reading challenge I was looking for. And what do you do when you don't find what you're looking for?
You create it yourself. So here it is...and I hope you will join me in the Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge 2010!


Before I list the details, I do want to make one thing clear: by contemporary romance I mean straight contemporary, so without paranormal, fantasy or time-travel elements. Sexy, steamy contemporaries are eligible and so are category romances. (i.e. Harlequin Blaze, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Super Romances, Silhoutte Desires, etc.)

Details:

1. Read at least 10 contemporaries between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010

2. You don't have to pre-select your books, you can just add them as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed. Nothing is set in stone! Also, the books you choose can crossover into or from other challenges you are participating in.

3. Feel free to grab the button below for the sidebar of your blog. It would be great if you would link it back to this post so others can find their way back to this post and join the challenge.

4. If you decide to join this challenge be sure to create a post telling others and feel free to add a link back to this post so others can join in the fun.

5. I will be creating review posts where you can link your own reviews, but reviews are optional.


Find below the "work-in-progress"-list of my books for this challenge. Some have been and will be put in the list beforehand, others will be added along the way in the course of next year.

THE LIST: (in random order)

01. Kristan Higgins - Fools Rush In
02. Julie James - Something About You - Click HERE  for my review
03. Julia London - Summer of Two Wishes
04. Lisa Kleypas - Sugar Daddy
05. Carly Phillips - Cross My Heart
06. Deidre Knight - Butterfly Tattoo
07. Jill Shalvis - Slow Heat - Click HERE for my review
08. Deirdre Martin - Straight Up - Review coming soon!
09. Vivian Arend - Rocky Mountain Heat and Rocky Mountain Haven - Review coming soon!
10. Louisa Edwards - Can't Stand the Heat





HAVE FUN and HAPPY READING!

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When signing up below for Mr Linky, please add the direct link to your post where your Contemporary Romance books will be listed as it makes it much easier for others to find.
If you don't have a blog, just leave the URL blank.
If you have trouble signing up below, please leave the name you want posted with your bloglink in the comments of this post or email them to me via this Contact Form