Monday, May 25, 2015

Texas Winter by R.J. Scott


Texas Winter
Texas Winter by R.J. Scott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Ms. Scott takes us back to Texas and the Double D Ranch in Texas Winter. Well, after a side trip to the Caribbean that is, as the book opens with Riley and Jack finally taking their honeymoon a year later. Unfortunately their trip is cut short when Riley’s sister Eden calls to tell him that his 8 year-old daughter is on her way to live with him. Yep, the WTH? thoughts running through your head are pretty much what Riley was dealing with too – except his were coupled with the fear that an instant family would send Jack running. Not surprisingly, Jack took the news in stride and was not only accepting of Hayley, he embraced fatherhood head on. Of course, it didn’t hurt anything that Jack wanted a family with Riley and that Hayley is actually Riley’s blood just made it that much better. But what made the instant family circumstance perfect was Hayley herself. She is such a sweet little girl and exactly the kind of child these two men needed as she is independent, intelligent, understanding, and has no problem letting them know what she needs and wants, or when they’re messing up. The conversation about shutting the bedroom door had me laughing out loud.

But even when life is good in the Campbell-Hayes family, it’s rarely smooth sailing and Texas Winter saw the guys dealing with more than one bump in the road as they adjusted to fatherhood. Despite the fact that Riley’s father and brother are both dead, he is still cleaning up the messes from their unethical business practices at HayesOil. I absolutely loved how Jack responded when Riley finally confessed to him about what he was dealing with. It would have been so easy for Jack to get offended that Riley kept secrets or didn’t trust in his support, but instead he reiterated that he would always have Riley’s back, but that he understood Riley’s fears (even if they were unfounded). The way in which Riley got to show Jack that he had his back as well was hilarious. Well, after Jack calmed down and no longer wanted to kill his mother’s boyfriend, that is. While the biggest twist in Texas Winter relates to Hayley and is far too spoiler-riddled to discuss, Riley’s handling of the situation was impressive and the author had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Texas Winter was a joy to read. There is plenty of action and suspense, but it’s blended well with the sweetness that is Hayley and her entry into Riley and Jack’s life. I loved watching Jack and Riley’s relationship continue to grow over the course of the book and how they seemed to instinctively adjust to Hayley’s presence – or at least knew when the other needed a swift kick in the rear. My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed; or perhaps I just wasn’t ready for the book to be over when I got to the end. Either way, I enjoyed Texas Winter and am already looking forward to reading Texas Heat soon.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Texas Winter (Texas #2) by R.J. Scott blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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