I did not expect this series. It starts with a sweet staid cowboy meets city slicker, save the ranch, love story. There is a bit of sad backstory (kids long missing from the ranch, presumed runaways and likely no longer living), some interesting side characters, and a wonderfully developed world in which the ranch itself is almost a character, but the romantic outcome is fated. All in all a bit tropey, but a nice story. I expected the series to continue along that vein and it would have been good.
Then with the next installment, it became something great, the backstory comes to life in a very tangible and explosive way. It carries the rest of the series as it unfolds bit by bit with each new book. The side characters become main characters that filter in and out of their own stories while supporting the others. The ranch becomes not almost a character of its own, but the main character of the story providing the backbone for every other character. It is a place of family and friendship, of healing, and most importantly a place of hope and faith for broken men who have lost their way. The sweet meet-cute turned to intrigue and suspense. To delving into the full range of what men are capable of when driven by fierce love and loyalty when they are faced with those who are capable of anything and nothing good. This series, in my mind, is greater than the sum of its parts. The story told in whole with all pieces in place deserves ten stars at least.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
reviewed via Kindle Unlimited
Then with the next installment, it became something great, the backstory comes to life in a very tangible and explosive way. It carries the rest of the series as it unfolds bit by bit with each new book. The side characters become main characters that filter in and out of their own stories while supporting the others. The ranch becomes not almost a character of its own, but the main character of the story providing the backbone for every other character. It is a place of family and friendship, of healing, and most importantly a place of hope and faith for broken men who have lost their way. The sweet meet-cute turned to intrigue and suspense. To delving into the full range of what men are capable of when driven by fierce love and loyalty when they are faced with those who are capable of anything and nothing good. This series, in my mind, is greater than the sum of its parts. The story told in whole with all pieces in place deserves ten stars at least.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
reviewed via Kindle Unlimited
When cowboy Nate Todd is faced with the realization that the dude ranch resort he is part owner of is just a breath from failing, he and his business partner take the dreaded step of bringing in someone from the outside to overhaul and run the business. When attempts to find someone local fail, they realize they need to cast a wider net.
Jay Sullivan is a New York marketing executive that has just been downsized from his job, along with hundreds of others. With job prospects close to home slim and his family in turmoil, he realizes that a fresh start somewhere else may be just the thing he needs. Besides the salary package Crooked Tree is offering includes a horse.
The first part of the book is very slow burn, with the readers getting to know both MCs and their families. By the time the characters meet, the reader at least, understands why both of them need this arrangement to work. With so much responsibility on Nate’s shoulders (raising his younger brothers, running the ranch, etc) you can tell he is just short of burnout on a personal level. Jay has made it his job to look out for his sister and her children. Crooked Tree is just the place to do that.
The poignant backdrop for what otherwise is a typical cowboy romance trope, a sad family history of missing ranch teens presumed to have run away years before, makes the ranch’s slow descent into red ink make sense on a certain level and the reader feels for the three broken families left behind in the obvious tragedy, giving more reason to root for the men who find love with someone who on the surface shouldn’t work.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
reviewed via Kindle Unlimited
Jay Sullivan is a New York marketing executive that has just been downsized from his job, along with hundreds of others. With job prospects close to home slim and his family in turmoil, he realizes that a fresh start somewhere else may be just the thing he needs. Besides the salary package Crooked Tree is offering includes a horse.
The first part of the book is very slow burn, with the readers getting to know both MCs and their families. By the time the characters meet, the reader at least, understands why both of them need this arrangement to work. With so much responsibility on Nate’s shoulders (raising his younger brothers, running the ranch, etc) you can tell he is just short of burnout on a personal level. Jay has made it his job to look out for his sister and her children. Crooked Tree is just the place to do that.
The poignant backdrop for what otherwise is a typical cowboy romance trope, a sad family history of missing ranch teens presumed to have run away years before, makes the ranch’s slow descent into red ink make sense on a certain level and the reader feels for the three broken families left behind in the obvious tragedy, giving more reason to root for the men who find love with someone who on the surface shouldn’t work.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
reviewed via Kindle Unlimited
With its history, innate character, and distinctive culture, New Orleans is not a typical city. The Key To Murder, the debut book by author Jenn Pitts is not a typical cozy.
Turning 30, Sammy Richards felt restless and in need of a change. Following a lifelong love of all things New Orleans, she moves to an apartment in the French quarter and begins a new life in a new place with new friends. She finds a diary among the books in her furnished apartment containing clues to a romantic scavenger hunt around the city and is curious to use the clues to explore her new home, until she finds a dead body and a possible connection to herself.
New Orleans is a character in itself, with its unique southern charm, and ghosts and skeletons tucked away its hidden nooks and crannies. Any author writing a story set in this city must be sure to include its eccentricities. Jenn Pitts has done a masterful job in this respect. She offers the reader an insider’s view into this historic place, but from the perspective of fresh eyes. Sammy’s enthusiasm for her new hometown spills over, the reader follows along as she learns about her neighborhood, taking in the sights, smells and feels. This extends to the new people in her life, an eclectic bunch that fits their setting well. Each is interesting and dynamic with hints of their own history just waiting to spill over.
The mystery is a slow burn, beginning with the strange book and key as well as mysterious presents left on Sammy’s doorstep that none of her neighbors take credit for. She gets pulled into the mystery of the diary and the events that follow lead her in an intriguing direction that could shape the whole of the series to come and stretches the boundaries of the new friendships she has made.
I am excited for more from this author and this series.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Turning 30, Sammy Richards felt restless and in need of a change. Following a lifelong love of all things New Orleans, she moves to an apartment in the French quarter and begins a new life in a new place with new friends. She finds a diary among the books in her furnished apartment containing clues to a romantic scavenger hunt around the city and is curious to use the clues to explore her new home, until she finds a dead body and a possible connection to herself.
New Orleans is a character in itself, with its unique southern charm, and ghosts and skeletons tucked away its hidden nooks and crannies. Any author writing a story set in this city must be sure to include its eccentricities. Jenn Pitts has done a masterful job in this respect. She offers the reader an insider’s view into this historic place, but from the perspective of fresh eyes. Sammy’s enthusiasm for her new hometown spills over, the reader follows along as she learns about her neighborhood, taking in the sights, smells and feels. This extends to the new people in her life, an eclectic bunch that fits their setting well. Each is interesting and dynamic with hints of their own history just waiting to spill over.
The mystery is a slow burn, beginning with the strange book and key as well as mysterious presents left on Sammy’s doorstep that none of her neighbors take credit for. She gets pulled into the mystery of the diary and the events that follow lead her in an intriguing direction that could shape the whole of the series to come and stretches the boundaries of the new friendships she has made.
I am excited for more from this author and this series.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The beautiful descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and its inhabitants were breathtaking. Visit inducing even. I never really warmed to Stacie but I enjoy her fount of knowledge of the wildlife. I did appreciate her style of investigation. There were plenty of timely reveals to keep the story on pace, and I most certainly did not catch on to the killer, though in hindsight there are a few obvious moments.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily