Finding Her Montana Cowboy (Marietta St Claire's #4) by Lara Van Hulzen

Former rodeo star Wyatt Emmerson leads a quiet life. He’s busy working with his dad and raising his daughter on his own. Romance is the last thing on his mind, but when McKenna St. Claire crosses his path, life takes a turn that Wyatt never saw coming.

McKenna doesn’t sit still well; traveling the world has always been her favorite pastime. She’s vowed to stay in Marietta for her family, but is ready to pack her bags as soon as her twin nephews are born. But a wounded cowboy and his young daughter steal her heart, making her question what she really wants in life. Will she take a risk on love and call Marietta her home?

 * Goodreads * Amazon * 

This series follows the St. Claire siblings.  While the books follow a definite timeline, each book can stand on it's own.  You just might be happier if you read them in order.  

McKenna has popped up in past books and it was good to finally get her story.  She is known as the family wanderer, the world traveler.  Now she is hoping to stay near her family and share in those celebrations and relationships she has been missing out on.  I loved McKenna's innate desire to help people and to prove herself useful. 

Wyatt has had his time in the limelight and now he is ready to settle down and provide a steady home for his daughter.  I loved Wyatt's solid feel, the way he dug in deep and worked hard.  He was easy to love.

I enjoyed this story a lot.  It was easy to settle in with and I loved the ending which actually came from the father of those St. Claire siblings.  It was so sweet and now that I am watching my own children leave home and get married, it held extra meaning.  💙 

Content:  frequent mild swearing, kissing

- I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher at my request.  All opinions expressed are my own.

  

His Christmas Bride (The Marietta St Claire's Book 3) by Lara Van Hulzen

Lucas lives in New York, but he's always loved Marietta. When he gets engaged, he decides Montana is exactly the place to get married. Tanner Ranch brings back happy memories of horseback riding and summer nights under the stars making it the perfect place to hold his wedding. However, Erin Tanner walks back into his life and other memories start to make him doubt whether he's chosen the right bride.

Erin Tanner is content to live a simple life in Marietta, helping her dad run the family ranch. However, things haven't been easy for the Tanners. With their ranch in financial trouble and in desperate need of repair, Erin knows she needs to do something. And fast... Even if that means saying goodbye to any hopes of a romantic future with Lucas St. Claire by hosting his wedding at the Tanner Ranch.

While Lucas struggles with his feelings, Erin tries to move past hers and accept that Lucas isn't part of her future. But the connection they felt years ago pulls them toward one another, and Lucas is forced to face the truth of what he really wants in life.

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I have one last Christmas themed book for you this week!  As we head into the holiday season, I just want to wish you all the very best.  May you feel love and warmth however you celebrate.

Lucas is a character you will be completely frustrated with.  I was!  He is trying to live up to what he thinks his family expects of him and he is slow in coming around to his own true desires.  What is plain as day to us as readers, and to many of the characters in this book, is not what is obvious to Lucas.  Silly man.  

Erin, on the other hand, knows what she wants right from the very beginning.  I enjoyed how the flashbacks and backstory filled in the blanks as I read.  I got a very clear picture of Erin and her dreams and personality.  I really loved Erin.

This is a sweet, gentle love story.  It progressed slowly but I was never bored or discontent.  The secondary characters really helped this story feel well rounded and familial.  I loved the ending.  So sweet.

This is the third book in this series but it can be read as a stand alone.  Characters from previous books are in this book so you would appreciate them more if you do read in order, but you don't have to.

Content:  mild swearing throughout, kissing

- I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley at my request.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Winning his Heart (Marietta St. Claires, #2) by Lara Van Hulzen

Michael St. Claire, a widower and single father, fears his heart could never make room for another. Between raising his young daughter Annalise and rebuilding his dreams as a race car driver, love isn’t on his mind… Until feisty Franchesca shows up and changes everything.

With her mom’s health failing, Franchesca needs extra income. An offer from Mike St. Claire to be his daughter’s nanny is an offer she can’t refuse. She has always dreamed of making it on Broadway and living in New York, but her immediate attraction to Mike challenges all she thought she wanted.

Mike can’t deny his feelings for Franchesca, even with the risk of losing his heart again. But he doesn’t want to stand in the way of Franchesca’s dreams. Will his past and what she wants in the future tear them apart?

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This is the second book in this series, but this book can easily stand alone.  I knew I was missing the back history of Michael's brother and his wife, but I can always catch up on that later.  :)

I liked Mike and Franchesca and the opening scene for the book.  It got the couple off to a good start and I could feel the zing of initial attraction.  Annalise was a good addition to the book- so cute and innocent.  Relationships become a bit more complicated when you add in children!  Especially during kissing scenes.  Ha.

While I liked the book, the intensity of Mike and Franchesca's relationship waned a bit through the book.  I wasn't as connected to the characters as I would have liked to have been but I did like them.  Both Franchesca and Mike are stand up people who take care of their family.  Mike's family created a great supporting cast of characters.  And, hopefully with a couple more siblings to go, more books to come.  :)

3/5 stars

Content:  frequent mild swearing (too much for my taste), kissing

- I received a copy of this book via NetGalley from the publisher.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Rescue Me by Lara Van Hulzen

Keith is a soldier with a wounded heart.
Torie’s secrets haunt her.
Can they trust love enough to mend what’s broken?

Torie Walker is a police officer with a past she’d like to stay hidden from. Staying at her best friend’s cabin in the mountains over Christmas is just what she needs. However, when a handsome cowboy saunters into her life, she takes the risk and trusts him with her secrets.


Keith Scott is a United States Marine. Home for the holidays, he intends to spend a quiet Christmas with his family. What he doesn’t plan on is Torie Walker, a woman who mends his heart and makes him want to love again.

 * Goodreads * Amazon *

Happy Release Day to this new book by Lara Van Hulzen!  "Rescue Me" is the third book in the Men of Honor series.  I don't think you need to read the other books to follow this one but I think it would help enhance your reading experience to have some back story on the characters.  Besides, if you haven't read the first two books, you are missing out!  This is such a fun series and I have loved reading every book.

Keith and Torie are both such strong characters yet there is a vulnerability to them as well.  Both have been hurt and betrayed, each carry secrets.  I really loved how well Keith and Torie were matched- physically and emotionally.  Torie is a police officer and she is tough stuff.  She knows how to protect and serve other people.  Keith is a marine.  He's been through more than he can say.  He is also a physically strong and dominating presence.  He knows how to protect and serve others as well.  There was something so satisfying in seeing two equally matched, strong individuals coming together in a give and take situation.  I loved it.

The pacing of this book felt good, the characters were real and easy to relate to.  I felt like I knew them myself.  As the secrets unfolded, my anticipation increased.  I was compelled to keep reading until I had finished the book.  Yeah, not much else got done that day.  :)

This book does have some Christian elements to it, but I would call it more inspirational than Christian fiction.  There was some mild swearing but was otherwise clean.

Get to Me (Men of Honor Series #2) by Lara Van Hulzen

Aimee can identify a killer.

Dane can keep her safe.

But is he willing to face his past to do it?

When Aimee Jansenn stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad she comes face to face with a killer. As the only witness to a crime, she falls into a deadly situation and is in need of police protection.

Dane Scott has sworn off women. Until a fireball named Aimee enters his world. Telling himself they’re just friends, he vows to protect her. Can his heart follow suit or will she change his mind about love for good?

 * Goodreads * Amazon *

Okay, first a confession.  I read "Remember Me", the first book in this series, and I loved it and I saw that this second book was out and I wanted to read it really badly.  I also wanted to be able to officially review it because, well, I love finding a new author whose books I love and I love sharing that.  So, I emailed the author and asked (or maybe begged- I'm not sure which) if I could review this book for her.  She said YES!  :)

I first met Dane in "Remember Me".  I just knew I wanted his story and I knew it would be good.  It sure was.  He is yummy.  And Aimee?  What kind of a super cool name and spelling is that?!  Yeah, I'm a bit biased.  But, alas, the main character Aimee, is really nothing like me, so I guess I can only claim a connection to her awesome name.

The chemistry between Dane and Aimee is palpable.  It had me silently (or maybe not always silently) begging for those those charged moments and physical connections.  Lara does an excellent job managing the lightning.

Here's what you get with this book: a clean romance with sparks, a bit of suspense and a little faith thrown in for good measure.  I was pulled into this book from the very beginning and I didn't want to put this book down.  The settings change from San Diego to the Lake Tahoe area- both places that I am familiar with and love.  

So yeah, I really liked this book.  I'm so happy Lara Van Hulzen let me read and review this book for her.  I cannot wait to see what she does next!  Hopefully she is madly working at it right now.  ;)

There may have been a couple instances of mild swearing.  (sometimes I forget I'm reviewing and the mental notes disappear)