Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

This is a duology, so what follows are two separate reviews.

I don’t read thriller romances much anymore because so few offer the emotional depth I look for beyond the tension from terror and a physical release. Daniels is one author I keep picking up because she can lace the real people stuff in with the murderer out to get them so that it feels like the developing relationship has a chance once the crisis is over.

Rescue at Cardwell Ranch is no different.

Would they have broken their routines long enough to recognize their attraction without her becoming a serial killer’s target right in front of his eyes? Unlikely. But once McKenzie crosses paths with Hayes, everything changed.

Sure, it might still have pulled them together when they met the next day as part of a pre-arranged business deal, but the difficulty of her recognizing him without knowing him adds an edge of complexity that wouldn’t be possible without his initial rescue. And this is what I mean about her characters. They feel full and complete with more going on than just survival. Yes, they were already destined to meet, though neither of them was aware of that fact. However, the people that they are in the beginning, him with strong ties to Texas that make him suspicious of his brother’s sudden decision to move to Montana and her as a single-minded businesswoman, could have been too wrapped up in their own lives to recognize just what was happening between them without the push. And those lives serve to complicate by offering viable red herrings to finding her attacker as well so it doesn’t feel like a simple, straightforward plot.

One warning though: we spend some time in the killer’s head. It’s well written, uncomfortably so, as we learn about his history and why he can’t just walk away. Beautifully done, which might make it hard to read for some.

Ultimately, Daniels offered characters that felt real, a tense situation with enough detail to be plausible, and a resolution to both the serial killer and the romance that didn’t feel too easy. I enjoyed it.

Wanted Woman was the second book in the B.J. Daniels duology, and in my opinion, the stronger of the two. The story begins with a simple mystery, that of Maggie’s natural parents when she has always known she’s adopted. It quickly turns sinister, though, as it appears her father (her last living parent) was murdered rather than dying in an accident, then the attorney responsible for the adoption is also killed.

Maggie’s not the sort to sit back and wait for things to happen, but she’s not doing herself any favors either. A bit of a wild child, she’s been raised to wealth but has a street streak that serves her well as she goes from innocence to being wanted as a witness for the crime while someone (not going to reveal because it’s a spoiler) is trying to kill her.

I had a hard time stepping away from this book to get things done, and not just because there are a lot of tense moments when lives are on the line. The characters are full fleshed and interesting from the two mains to the many others who all seem involved in what happened so many years before in a small, Oregon town.

Maggie is strong, determined, and smart, but she’s in over her head and can’t do everything on her own. Jesse has history and knows too much about what is going on in this town for comfort, his or hers. He can connect the events and what he knows comes closer than he’d prefer. Even worse, he’s the temporary deputy sheriff for his brother, who is injured, while she has city cops looking for her.

We’re given a villain, but a complicated one who isn’t all he appears to be while the mystery of how things got to this point has all too many possible solutions.

I figured the mystery out before the big reveal, but that’s a talent of mine so proves only that the answer is well seeded, with the pieces there to make it plausible and solid, not that it’s obvious. I certainly didn’t want to put the book down even after I’d figured it out. The characters are wonderful, pretty much all of them. I enjoyed the back and forth with the nosey reporter who happens to be marrying Jesse’s brother, the out-of-control rich girl Jesse feels ties to because of his own past, and so many others who helped to make the town of Timber Falls, Oregon, feel well-rounded and solid.

Plus there’s a pretty twisted twist that messes with the romance between the two in a way that only increases the tension between them.

P.S. I received these books from the publisher as a duology through NetGalley in return for an honest review. ( )

Contemporary, Romance

Montana

Hayes Cardwell is a P.I. from Texas that is in Big Sky, Montana for his brother’s wedding. He expected to spend time with his brother not playing hero. Luckily Hayes managed to save McKenzie Sheldon from a brutal abductor. Since then he hasn’t been able to get her out of his mind or his heart.

McKenzie awoke to see a tall, dark cowboy that saved her from an attack. Since that moment she has felt drawn to Hayes like a Western fantasy. The danger though is closer than either one thinks it is and they will find out if Hayes will be able to protect her from what is coming.


Washington & Oregon

Maggie Randolph is running from someone while she is searching for something she needs to find. What she never expected was on meeting a man that she can actually trust.

Jesse Tanner is a deputy sheriff for the small town of Timber Falls. Now he has to catch Maggie before it is too late for her.

This is two stories in one book. It gives the reader plenty of mystery and action and each one will have the reader trying to guess just who is behind what is going on in the stories. With the twists and turns each story takes they are sure to keep the reader from wanting to put down the book because they will want to find out just how each one ends. There are plenty of suspects for readers to choose from and they keep the story moving at a fast pace that does not disappoint in the least. The stories aren’t connected so it is easy to read one and come back later for the other one. The plot of each story is different and engrossing to the point they make it hard to put either one down for any reason. It is definitely worth taking the time picking up and reading. ( )

In Daniels’ romantic suspense novel, Texas P.I. Hayes Cardwell journeys to Montana to review and discuss the possibilities of opening a barbeque restaurant there. His brother had met and was planning to wed a local and wants to bring the family business there. Upon arrival, Hayes finds himself playing hero to real estate agent McKenzie Sheldon when he stumbles across her under attack in a grocery store parking lot. When the culprit escapes, Hayes vows to protect the beautiful blonde. Taking her safety into his own hands while attraction sizzles between them, the couple takes a stand against a danger that is hiding in plain sight.

A fast-paced, hard-to-put-down sequel to the Cardwell’s series. ( )