Taken By Trouble by Charley Colins

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Mystery/Suspense

Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Nikki

It’s not every day a girl takes out the trash and is nearly run over for it, but that’s exactly what happens to Sara Livingston. Manager and waitress at a bar, Sara typically spends her days serving drinks and turning up the TV volume on the latest sport’s game, a job that is quite enough to make her mostly liked by all. When she’s dropped into a game of cat and mouse with a stalker, she has no idea who could be behind the wheel of the truck or why they want her flattened on the pavement.

With her private eye brother out of town, she’s relying on her brother’s coworker, Clark Russells, to keep her from eating asphalt.

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Taking out the trash has never been so dangerous for Sara, who is almost run over doing the simple work chore at her brother’s bar. Turning to her other brothers best friend Clark in his absence to help her find the responsible person, they set out on to investigate occurrences that are slowly getting more severe.

I found that by the end of Taken By Trouble I was torn. The book starts out with Sara almost getting plowed down in the back parking lot of her brothers bar. She eats some pavement in her narrow dive and then manages to hobble back into the relative safety of the bar. She is immediately in the capable care of her brothers best friend and fellow PI, Clark. Though she is resistant at first, as the stalker escalates she finds having Clark hanging around to be a good thing.

My main problem was with the stalker himself and his non-escalation/escalation. The first thing the stalker does is try to run Sara down. Great start and it told me this stalker meant business. However, then everything gets downplayed as teenagers looking to settle a score after not getting served alcohol to protect Saras “jumpiness”…according to what her brother tells Clark. The stalker then makes a couple of pretty friendly phone calls that left a scowl on my face. The calls should have been at least as threatening as Sara acts like they were. I found myself pretty complacent at the hi-jinx of this guy and not at all feeling the tension Sara was. Somewhere around 80% the stalker finally decides to up his game and some real threat is revealed. There is just so much time spent on the investigation, running down leads, ect that I didn’t think the threat was accurately portrayed.

Being used to a certain type of book from Keri Ford, I think I just wanted more. Charley Colins (her alter-ego) writes with more detail, more story, but in the translation I think a bit of the flare is lost. Sara and Clark have a steady heat up to what looks like the beginning of a relationship. There is definitely some heat simmering for them both and yet nothing is resolved by the end. Now I don’t expect there to be tons of sex in a mystery/suspense that isn’t romance oriented but by having the two main characters sleep together you expect there to be some sort of resolution to their story but at the end of Taken By Trouble everything is just left up in the air. They are together/not together and they have feelings for each other but neither voices them. As a reader I was frustrated. There are two more books in this series and I’m positive that by the end of the trilogy readers will get the closure they need.

The process of finding and solving the mystery surrounding Sara’s stalker was a satisfying journey that had me right in the room with the characters. Though tedious at times, I enjoyed the systematic PI process Clark goes through in order to ensure Sara’s safety. I also enjoyed Sara’s mouth and her insistence that she was FINE, even though it was obvious she was not.

Taken By Trouble is a good start to an engaging mystery series featuring a down to earth heroine and tough PI. Together these two make a team that’s easy to watch and like. Colins knows how to hook a reader and keep them coming back for more! Just a good, solid book!

I give Taken By Trouble by Charley Colins 3.50 stars!

Rough Tumble by Keri Ford (The Roughnecks #3)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Nikki

Having her fiancé admit through email that he married another girl while away was humiliating enough. Telling the small town the truth was something Tonya just couldn’t face yet. With him in the military, it seemed easy to let everyone think they were still together. Just for a little while. Fast-forward through time a few months and Tonya’s restless, lonely, and unsure how to fix her lie. To add to that, she’s finding her best friend, Trent Iverson, more and more attractive.

When Tonya confesses the truth, Trent feels like his life is finally on the right path. Everything is smooth sailing until old fears that makes him controlling surface. He has to face the mirror and see his controlling ways if he wants to keep Tonya.

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This review is not really a review…it’s more like me just gushing over Keri Ford and you all just humoring the crazy reviewer. I absolutely adore her writing and Rough Tumble was no exception. I have been eagerly awaiting Trent and Tonya because both of them presented this unbreachable facade I knew was simply hiding hearts that were afraid to feel.

Tonya’s ego was bruised after her wayward fiance broke up with her over email and she’s since told the entire town he’s simply still overseas. Why tell the whole town how much she was hurting? Admit her defeat? Her lies have taken on a life of their own and now that she is ready to move on…she can’t. She can’t burst the bubble of her small town and admit her own mistakes.

While I enjoyed Tonya’s fun but private personality I think the person that made this book was Trent. He’s such a jerk that he was endearing. His inability to not be in charge really scared him and he reacted by being overbearing and slightly full of himself. He was so used to being the one to take care of his brothers that he attempted to treat Tonya the same way. Poor Tonya was left shaking her head many times as she fought to figure out his bizarre need to be so controlling. There were times he was borderline for me, but in the end I truly enjoyed what he brought to the book, and Tonya’s life.

Tonya’s friends from past books make appearances as well and I always enjoy looking into their lives and finding out what happens after their happily ever afters. The feeling of family and loyalty always play a central theme throughout every Keri Ford book and it certainly plays on the small town feel. The town of Apple Trail truly cares about each other, even the nosy residents Tonya may want to strangle for being in her business constantly.

As I say goodbye to yet another amazing series from Keri Ford, I find myself hoping that her next book will be full length. Her writing calls to me and once I start a book of hers, I become entranced by it. Each book gives readers heartfelt characters, southern charm, quirkiness and a love for small town living. I can’t get enough of Keri’s writing and I just don’t want to.

I give Rough Tumble by Keri Ford 4.50 stars!

In Her Sights by Charley Colins (A Lexie Olympia Novel #1)

 

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Mystery/Romance

Publisher: Self Pub

My Copy: Sent

Some call her a killer.
Others call her a hero.

Lexie Olympia calls herself neither. She’s getting the job done because she can. A beloved philanthropist by day who’s nicknamed Melville’s Sweetheart, Lexie has the city wrapped around her little finger. Having been a victim in the past, left behind with the killer still on the loose, Lexie knows what it’s like to live with that fear. Instead of biting her nails over it, she takes action. Drug lords, gang leaders, con artists, kidnappers, serial killers, anyone who leaves behind innocent victims are marked on Lexie’s list.

When a neighbor leaves a stolen ancient dagger on her doorstep and skips town, Lexie’s left picking up the pieces. The police, a local private investigator, and a gang are all after this artifact and Lexie uses her nighttime persona, Artemis, to get to the bottom of things. Everything is going smoothly until she gets caught.

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Normally I stay away from mysteries because I’m more of an action or romance girl but when I read the blurb for this one I decided that it held a promise that most mysteries lack. A mixing of sub-genres  that was sure to entice even the most fickle of readers.  What I found within the pages of In Her Sights was an excellent merging of intrigue, action and sexual tension that made me crave for more by the end. Plus it’s wrote by one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, Keri Ford, who always manages to take a story and bring it to life seemingly effortlessly.

Lexie  isn’t just the town sweetheart but she’s also their protector, not that they know it. Her alter-ego Artemis prowls the street bringing justice to those who deserve it and vengeance to those who commit heinous acts on unsuspecting citizens. Shrouded in her public image of the gorgeous, political fund raising heiress, she lives two lives. When someone dares to try to steal from her she finds her two lives merged unexpectedly.

Clayton Addison needs something that Lexie supposedly has and as a personal security officer he should have been able to get it and be out in minutes. Lexie is not what he was expecting and he soon finds himself in over his head with this spunky blonde bombshell who has numerous secrets she seems intent on keeping. Along with the article he needs…a dagger that came into her possession quite unexpectedly.

As Addison and Lexie work together and her secrets are slowly brought to light Addison has to wonder at her upbringing and how finding her murdered parents has played a part in making her the complex woman he finds himself fighting feelings for. I was rooting for Lexie to overcome her nightmares and not only get a decent nights sleep but to let Addison in to her life. She has been fighting alone for so long that change scares her and she fights it. She convinces herself that the tension she feels when Addison touches her isn’t real and instead blames it on her tired psyche. Though there are those she trust she ultimately works alone and I found that sad.

I found the mystery of the dagger, where it came from and who wanted it for what reason extremely well wrote. Most often I can see through the mystery and figure out the motives long before the ending. That never happened with In Her Sights and at the end I was as surprised as the characters were! I’m not yet sold on her hired killer persona. You can call it what you want but in the end killing is killing and while she only kills those who deserve it, I’m not sure I yet understand it. I’m hoping following  books will help me come to terms with her profession.

Lexie is an adept heroine who can handle her own and she rescues the hero a time or two as well. I loved the turning of the tables from the typical male/female roles. Addison held his own but as a team they worked well together. Addison needed a strong female because of his own sad past and so Lexie fit in well with what he needed. His guilt over the deaths of his own family still weigh heavily on him and affects how he perceives his job as protector and head of his security company.

One of my favorite things about Keri Ford has always been her ability to take a world in her head and make it real. Make me care and make me believe. Past books have all been novella length and her characters were so complete in those that I had high hopes for her debut novel length. Keri doesn’t let her readers down and her fans are sure to love this one as much as I did. One part Robin Hood and one part Tomb Raider make this a winner in the literary world!

In Her Sights is an excellent romantic mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire book! At the end I wonted more and I can’t wait to see where this story and these characters take me in the future! Completely addictive and wonderfully entertaining, In Her Sights will win over readers in droves!

I give In Her Sights by Charley Colins 4.50 stars!

 

Rough Play by Keri Ford (The Roughnecks #2)

Available: August 2012 

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press

My Copy: Sent

Jacob Iverson has plans. Distant plans, but they do exist. Find the right woman, eventually settle down and do the whole “white picket fence” routine. But until eventually comes, he’s having fun with right now. Then he meets Flora, who blows him back a step. Or two. Suddenly his distant plans are rushing up to meet him…only not quite the way he imagined.

Abandoned at seventeen, Flora Simms has made her way through the world, found life and family in the form of two best friends. Everything is just the way she likes it. From life to love to relationships, she knows what she wants, how she wants it, and doesn’t care if anyone agrees or not. And what she doesn’t want is someone trying to tie her down with long-term plans. But Jacob Iverson brings images of the future to her mind, and heart. Jacob somehow knows what she needs and he’s hitting all the right spots. But can Flora give up her idea of independence to let him in?

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What more can I say about Keri Ford and her fantastic writing that hasn’t already been said? Once again Keri has pulled me head first back into the world she has spun over several books and made me care. Made me feel like a resident of Apple Trail and a friend to the residents. Made me want a man and want to befriend a woman. Keri Ford has an incredible talent and I urge  contemporary romance lovers to give her work a try, come on the journey with everyone who has already picked up her books and loved them.

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Rough Play brings us back to the Iverson triplets in this second book of a planned trilogy. Jacob Iverson knows he wants to settle down and have a family at some point. Right now he just wants to finish the job his little brother has started in restoring the family mansion and drilling on the property. Afterwards, when things get back to normal, he can think about his future. He’s tough, he loves his family and he is smoking hot….uh Nikki like. Nikki like A LOT.

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Enter Flora who has no plans of settling down. She thrives on her independence and refuses to give up any of that hard earned control for anyone. She only wants a good time and she knows she can get it with the Iverson triplet who has turned her head. Working as the plumbing contractor on the mansion restoration project gives her plenty of opportunity to oogle Jacob but when things turn serious between them it becomes stifling for her to be around him. Flora only knows how to take care of herself. She simply can’t compute letting anyone fully into her life for fear that they will leave like her wayward mother did. While I thought that sometimes her emotions were scattered and hard to follow, Flora was endearing in her floundering to understand the emotions slowly churning inside her.

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What I loved most about Rough Play was how real it felt to me. I’ve said that before because Ford writes everything from the heart and that translates to pulling the reader in. The conversation just flows effortlessly between characters and the addition of humor in the personalities of the characters felt spot on. I find myself constantly chuckling when Jacob and Flora found themselves in over their heads and their reactions to those situations.

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I found Rough Play to be a great read! Full of heart and emotion and of course including a very sexy hardworking man! This would be a great pool side or beach read and it’s short enough that you are able to read it in one sitting. Or maybe that’s because I couldn’t put it down once I started it. I want more from this world and am incredibly excited that there is still one more book to go in the series!

I give Rough Play by Keri Ford 4 stars! 

Keri Ford Guest Post and GIVEAWAY

When Unfortunate Things Happen.

Thanks Nikki for letting me visit today and oh my goodness—I’m THRILLED to be your May book of the month!

Gretchen Jones, heroine of Rough Ride experienced one of the worst events—the death of a husband. Wrong place, wrong time and tragedy struck. I sat down with Gretchen and her best friends, Flora and Tonya, to talk about Gretchen and her late husband.

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Gretchen’s smile was broad, her eyes even somehow light as she sat between her two best friends, talking about her late husband. “Paul was a good man. Sweet.”

Tonya chuckled. “So funny.”

“Yes!” Gretchen brightened. “He just had a fun and easy sense of humor.”

“Good heart.” Flora reached over and patted her friend’s knee then looked to me. “I didn’t know him well, but he was quick to lend a hand and never met a stranger.”

Gretchen covered her friend’s hand with hers. “It was nuts. And so fast. I was working in Tonya’s diner at the time. Not long out of high school. I needed to make ends meet and Tonya needed workers she could count on.”

Tonya rubbed over her face. “Oh my gosh. Yes. Gretchen and I ran around with each other during school. I had just inherited the diner from my aunt and I needed all the help I could get. One day Paul walked in. He’d just bought a trailer park down the street and had moved in.”

Gretchen laughed, her cheeks pinking. “You tell it. I think you remember better than me!”

“That’s because you just stood there staring with your mouth hanging open!”

Gretchen was still laughing. “It’s true. Paul walked in, smiled at me and I just lost my breath.” Her laughter died a little. “He could do that to me every day I knew him.”

Tonya extended an arm across the top of the couch and gave her friend a small squeeze. “Paul walked up to the counter and Gretchen just stared at him. I had to come away from the register to seat him. And then wait on him. They were adorable. He asked me for her number. Instead I told him she got off work at six, that he should come back for dinner.”

Gretchen’s laughter was gone, but a small wishful smile was still on her face. “Tonya was short handed but she sent me home that day to rest, shower, do something with my hair and put some make up on. I was back in time to meet Paul and it was just a whirlwind from there.”

I smiled at her. “Sounds romantic.”

“It was. People called me crazy. We dated for weeks then got married at the courthouse. We couldn’t stay away from each other.”

“Paul passed away in a convenience store robbery, is that right?”

Gretchen’s eyes had misted over. Flora gave the hand she held an extra squeeze. “He’d gone in for a couple items when a teenager came in with a gun. Paul tried stopping it. And he did. The store owner and the others in the store are all safe because of Paul’s selfless acts. He was a hero that night.”

I cleared the knot from my throat. “It’s been a few years now, is that right?”

“Yes. It’s hardest at night. When it’s quiet.”

Flora nudged her. “Now you have your thoughts about a certain someone to keep you occupied.”

Gretchen’s cheeks colored pink. “Do not.”

“Do so.” This time Tonya nudged.

I leaned forward as they teased. “Rumor is there’s someone in your trailer park who keeps catching your eye.”

Gretchen pressed her lips together.

Tonya tapped her on the knee with a flip of her hand. “No clamming up now. You’ve talked our ears off about Lane Iverson nearly since the day he moved in.”

“Fine.” Gretchen rubbed her thighs. “I think he’s cute.”

“You stare at him out your windows when he drives in and out.”

“One time!” Gretchen shook her bowed head. “You make me sound like a stalker.”

“Not a stalker, but I know it was more than one time.” Flora had an eyebrow raised.

“Maybe.” Gretchen’s cheeks were burnt red now as she fought a smile trying to break free. “Maybe a few times.”

I fanned my face. “I think it’s getting a little warm in here.”

Tonya snickered. “That would be Gretchen’s body heat warming up just thinking about him.”

“Stop it.” She nudged her friend, but it was easy as she laughed.

“Have y’all gone out yet?” I sipped from tea. This sounded like juicy details ahead.

Flora’s nose lifted. “He’s too busy being grouchy to pay anyone any mind.”

Gretchen turned to her friend. “He’s not grouchy!”

Tonya was nodding. “He eats in my diner a few times a day and he is always grouchy and cranky.”

Gretchen was shaking her head between them. “He is not. He’s helped me work in my yard before. I think he’s sweet. Maybe a little shy.”

“Cranky,” both her friends repeated.

Gretchen flipped her wrists at them. “They don’t know him like I do.”

Tonya faced him with her hands on her hips. “You don’t know him at all!”

Not to be deterred, Gretchen only nodded. “I know enough. I just need to wait for my moment. When he’s ready.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Leave me a comment and I’ll randomly pick someone to win a copy of Donnell Anne Bell’s The Past Came Hunting. A book about a different robbery…different murder…and entirely different victim. Thanks Donnell for donating your book! You can find out more about her at her website, facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Donnell-Ann-Bell/285286321485019 , and twitter.

*Contest open until 5/22 at 11:59pm CST with winner announced the next day. Open to US residents ONLY and winner has choice of physical or e-book copy*

Fifteen years ago a young Colorado Springs police officer arrested a teen runaway accused of aiding a convenience store robbery and attempted murder. She was innocent, but still served prison time briefly. Her testimony sent the real thief to jail for much longer. Now she’s a young widow raising a son, and the man she put in prison is free and seeking revenge.

She moves to a home in a new neighborhood—then learns that her next-door neighbor is the by-the-book officer who arrested her. Now he’s a Colorado Springs P.D. Lieutenant. Like it or not, he may be the only one who can protect her and her son from the past he helped create.

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Keri Ford writes Sexy Country Contemporary Romances. See her website for more information about her books and The Roughnecks Blog Tour with all the giveaway, sneak peeks and blog stops: http://bit.ly/Hb1hwS

Blurb

You do for family, no matter what. Lane Iverson knows that better than anyone. Harboring a secret about his mother’s death, Lane is counting the days until he finishes helping his brothers with some work and can head back to his hiding hole hours away. As long as he doesn’t have to face his three brothers every day, the guilt is easier to carry.

There is only one thing that can risk his plan. All of five foot tall with these deep eyes and a voice that shudders through him. The completely addicting, Gretchen Jones. She’s been watching him the entire time he’s been in town. With courage from her friends behind her, she confronts what she wants. To her surprise, that’s the easy part. Keeping her heart protected when she knows he’ll be leaving? Not so easy, but her only choice.

Read Chapter One http://bit.ly/H0azIz

Amazon http://amzn.to/IQiTz8

Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/J9Rzth

AllRomance Ebooks http://bit.ly/JN35rh

TMP http://bit.ly/JrZkK1

Goodreads http://bit.ly/KgZbaL

Find Keri at:

Website http://bit.ly/Heo4Vr

Twitter http://bit.ly/HRgGgu

Facebook http://on.fb.me/HenzL0

Rough Ride by Keri Ford (The Roughnecks #1)

Available: Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press

My Copy: Sent

You do for family, no matter what. Lane Iverson knows that better than anyone. Harboring a secret about his mother’s death, Lane is counting the days until he finishes helping his brothers with some work and can head back to his hiding hole hours away. As long as he doesn’t have to face his three brothers every day, the guilt is easier to carry.

There is only one thing that can risk his plan. All of five foot tall, with these deep eyes and a voice that shudders through him. The completely addicting, Gretchen Jones. She’s been watching him the entire time he’s been in town. With courage from her friends behind her, she confronts what she wants. To her surprise, that’s the easy part. Keeping her heart protected when she knows he’ll be leaving? Not so easy, but her only choice.

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Lane knows Apple Trail isn’t home. It can’t be. The secret that he carries weighs to heavily on him to be around his family for long. Get in, do the job and leave. That’s all Lane wants to do. Except he can’t seem to shake the girl who owns the park where he is staying while he’s helping his brother drill for oil. Gretchen is always around, always there and Lane can’t help but notice the small beauty and her larger than life personality.

Trying to move on from the death of her husband, Gretchen sets her sights on a fling with Lane. Sex only is the way to go although convincing herself to go through with it is hard. It doesn’t take long for Gretchen to feel something else for Lane that she isn’t sure she wants to name. Can she convince Lane that being a flight risk isn’t nearly as much fun as being in love?

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When Keri Ford told me that she was ending her Apple Trail series I felt depressed. It was like losing a friend I had grown to count on to cheer me up. It was awful. I counted on Keri Ford’s writing to pull me out of reading slumps I tend to get into. But no fear. She may have ended one series but technically it’s still going. Keri is releasing her Roughnecks series this spring/summer starting with Rough Ride and guess where they are set? APPLE TRAIL!! YAY!!

Back in Apple Trail #5 (Satisfying Her Tastes) we met Grant who came to town to take over his families property on the outskirts of town. He wanted to drill for oil there with the underlying result of getting his triplet brothers to come to town to do it. That is the starting point in Rough Ride. The Iverson triplets have descended upon Apple Trail with their smoking hot looks and rock hard bodies. Triple the fun ladies…. *fans self*

Lane Iverson has been living in the local trailer park in the temporary housing owned by Gretchen Jones. She’s a tiny spitfire of a woman who definitely packs a punch to his libido! She seems to have no idea of the reaction Lane has to constantly seeing her prance around in barely there clothing and he tries his best to ignore it not wanting to stay in the little town any longer then he has to. He has a secret he has been trying to keep from his brothers and being around them makes it that much harder to keep it. Lane’s mother, who has previously died of cancer, had confided him in that she was losing the war with the disease but made Lane promise to keep it from the rest of the brothers. He knows how hurt they will be upon finding out of his deception and he thinks keeping his distance will make it easier to keep the secret. He’s closed off and separate from the rest of the family and though they seem to sense his distance they don’t corner him.

I adored Gretchen and her quirky sense of self. Once she set her sights on Lane the boy was a goner. It was only a matter of time really. She is this tiny wisp of a girl who packs a wallop that even the giant-ness of Lane couldn’t handle. You know that old saying “the way to a man’s heart  is through his stomach?” Well Gretchen uses this to a tee. Baking Lane all kinds of yummy goodness that slowly starts to crack the wall of guilt he had erected around himself. Though he makes it clear to Gretchen that a sexual relationship is all he can give her, he begins to feel more for her quite fast and it scares them both. Gretchen had been holding onto her husbands memory for years after his death and the idea of moving on was a bit foreign to her. Both Gretchen and Lane did a whole lot of growing in this short novella.

As typical with a Keri Ford novella, the heat level jumps off the page right into your face. You can cut the tension with a knife….or the comical conversations Keri weaves into the story. I absolutely adore Keri’s writing. Fresh, funny and endearing is what I look for in each and every thing she writes. She knows what I expect of her and she delivers with everything she releases! I can’t wait to see how the next Iverson triplet deals with the lure of love!

I give Rough Ride by Keri Ford 5 stars! 

Keri Ford Guest Post- Ending A Series

 

Thanks Nikki for having me today! You asked me to blog on what it’s like to end one series and begin a new one. At first glance I thought this post would be a snap to write, but since this is my forth start, not so easy.

Then I figured out why I’m making this so hard. I’m way over thinking it. Thing is, it was pretty simple to move from one series into the next because I was writing on them both at the same time. I didn’t have any sort of end-of-the-series lag time where there was nothing to work on.

I was working on my new series while still writing the last book of the old one. So there. What’s it like for me to transition from one old to a new? Smoothly!

I think it goes back to how I feel about my characters. I’ve been asked before, “Do you fall in love with the hero?” And my answer is no. I’m already in love with someone else, my husband. Even though he snores. For me as the writer of a book, I see myself as the matchmaker. I partner people up, set them off a journey and those people continue into happily ever after land.

And that’s kind of how I feel about ending a series. I matched all those people up, now I’m eagerly moving on to do some more matching-making.

Something else that added to the smooth transition was, it wasn’t always easy writing the last book in the series. Chasing Her Trail gave me some series fits. The horror of ending a series on a bad book was with me each time I sat down to write the story. Chasing Her Trail was downright scary to write. I worried constantly. I lost hair. I bit my nails steadily. I got acne. I gained a few pounds. So when it was time for something new and refreshing—I was all over that like something fast.

Now that Chasing Her Trail is released, there’s nothing more I can do with it but cross fingers. I’m a bit sad looking back knowing I’m finished with the series that began my career, but at the same time I can’t wait to show you all The Roughnecks.

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Keri Ford is the author of six sexy contemporary novellas set in the small town of Apple Trail, Arkansas. She’s got 3 more novellas currently scheduled for 2012 and a series of single-title romantic mysteries coming 2013.

Her latest release is Chasing Her Trail and is available at TMP | Amazon |B&N |  Smashwords | AllRomanceEbooks | Bookstrand

To keep with the latest on Keri, check out her website (http://KeriFord.com).

Twitter (http://twitter.com/KeriFord)

Facebook (http://facebook.com/AuthorKeriFord)

 

 

Chasing Her Trail by Keri Ford (Uninhibited In Apple Trail #6)

 

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance (slightly erotic)

Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press/Sapphire Nights Books

My Copy: Sent

Jessie McBride barely survived the unexpected death of her loving parents. Forced to fend for herself with few people to depend on while raising her younger cousin, Jessie learned to be self-sufficient. She kept a few friends close and pushed the rest of the world away, along with that helpless, dependent girl she was once. Been there, done that, never again.

It works until Henry Green enters her life, with sentimental tales of his grandpa and family. Jessie is drawn in as Henry strives to take care of the man who raised him. But while Henry is putting things in place for his grandpa to retire, his well-intended controlling ways are smothering Jessie.

Can Henry’s invitation back to life and love tempt Jessie to drop the emotional wall, or will Henry give up on chasing the girl she once was?

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The cousin of the worst mistake in Jessie’s life needs a favor? Oh no, she thinks not. No way in hell is she going to sell off some of her daddys hard earned land and what she has fought for years to achieve to no cousin of Quinn, aka, the jerk. Henry has his work cut out for him if he plans on getting land to build his aging grandfather a home. The fiery landowner, Jessie, doesn’t seem to like him much or his ideas on how his plan can help them both out.

Jessie has a house falling in around her, a yard that desperately needs cut and acres upon acres of land to keep an eye on. She doesn’t have time to help out someone else as long as she is trying to help herself out. No matter what amount of money Henry throws in front of her. When he tells her of his plans for his grandfather though, that hits a nerve. Who is she to deny something she was never given a chance to have…family. Slowly Henry and his high handed ways are wearing her resolve down. Maybe her problem wasn’t depending on other people…but who she had depended on in the past.

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I will admit, I’m sad. I am totally sad that Chasing Her Trail is the last in the Apple Trail series that introduced me to Keri Ford. It’s one of those series you just don’t want to end. You know it has too, because at some point you’re going to run out of residents to write about…but when the time comes it just brings you down. I love this series. It’s honest, real and makes my heart go pitter patter. Having said all that, Keri Ford has given us an ending fitting to her series. I think I say this with each book of hers I read, but this is her best work yet!

I absolutely adored Henry and Jessie together. I mean, I wanted to knock their heads together a few times, but I did love them! Poor Jessie was just to headstrong for her own good. I mean geez woman, when your house is literally falling in around you, admit defeat and let someone help you! If that someone happens to be an incredibly hunky guy that has money to throw around, can give you amazing orgasms and is a family man too…well isn’t that just icing on the cake? Stop being so stubborn woman and let him in!

And Henry, goodness gracious man, if you are falling for a woman with a past like Jessies and you know she hates people doing things for her, don’t go doing things without asking first! Let her think everything is her decision..even if you really know it’s not.

These two both needed their heads examined. Each getting on the other nerves by simply being who they are. Funny thing about that though, once they came together, the sparks flew and there was no turning back for either of them. I loved how Keri had them slowly see that what they thought as their attributes really might have been hindering their success all along.

Another thing I love about this series is the crossover characters. We are treated to a good size epilogue at the end of the series that ties everything up neatly and I enjoyed that. I do love a happily ever after and Keri Ford gave me what I wanted. Not to fear though, we will get to go back to Apple Trail in some degree with her new Roughnecks trilogy coming out next year!

Keri Ford is an incredible author and an amazing woman. Her characters are real and the emotion jumps off the page. She combines awesome story lines with a down home southern charm that will reel you right in and keep you hooked through six amazing novellas! I have really enjoyed watching her grow with her first series and I now know that the sky is the limit with her. There are amazing things to come from her…she is an auto buy author for me and I think, given the chance, she’ll be one for you too!

 

I give Chasing Her Trail by Keri Ford 5 stars!

Satisfying Her Tastes by Keri Ford (Apple Trail #5)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Novella

Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press

My Copy:  Sent

Blondes have more fun? Pfft. Bad Girls have more fun. Rebecca Gabel was accused of being a bad girl and she discovered life was easier (and more fun!) to live up to the reputation than try to deny it. But now with a new comer who’s taking her up on her suggestions, Rebecca is a little out of her element. There’s talking the talk…and then there’s having to walk it.

Grant Iverson recently inherited land from his mother, so he’s arrived in Apple Trail, Arkansas to check the place out and see if there are any treasures hidden there. What he doesn’t expect to find is a woman full of curves and a mouth of pure sin, but whose eyes reflect nothing but curious innocence.

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Satisfying Her Tastes is novella number 5 in the Uninhibited In Apple Trail series that has broken Keri Ford out of up and coming author status to full blown grade “A” wonder author! This woman keeps cranking out these stories left and right seemingly effortlessly.

This trip to Apple Trail introduces us to Mike Gabel’s (from the last book- Making Her Nights) sister, Rebecca. Rebecca has always been labeled easy, why should anyone think any different now, years later? Why not just embrace the accusations? What better time then when hunky Grant walks into her life? Grant just inherited a run down, over grown, sprawling 1000 acres complete with a dilapidated house . None of that really interests him as much as the oil wells. Seeing those as a way to convince his triplet brothers to settle down in Apple Trail for good. First things first, get the land under control. Helping him in more ways than one is Rebecca. She isn’t what he expected when he decided to finally settle down. Home just became a person and not a place, something they both with have to work at before they can have their happily ever after.

I love the town of Apple Trail! Qaint country living where everything you need if right under your nose. I adored Grant. He was deliciously built and had a family oriented heart. His need to get his brothers in one place and establish a family was always forefront in his mind. I like when the hero is family conscience and is willing to start a family instead of playing the field forever. Usually that is held for the female characters so I enjoyed the twist of roles in this one.

Rebecca was a bit hard to connect to for some reason. I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly. I liked her go get em attitude and her snarkiness. I think I got mad when she left for such a long time on Grant. I couldn’t understand why…for someone to just up and leave under the circumstances. Then to have the revelation she does and not go back sooner. Not find him. Track him down and bare her soul. Uggg!

Even with my gripe..that’s just another reason why I love Keri’s books. They make me feel like I should comfort fictional characters. Rage at them when they behave badly and give them a piece of my mind. The Uninhibited in Apple Trail series is innovative, engaging and smoldering with sexiness…a series that I can read again and it will still feel fresh.

I give Satisfying Her Tastes by Keri Ford 3.75 stars

Making Her Nights by Keri Ford (novella- Apple Trail #4)

Available: Now Amazon

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press

My Copy: Sent

He never loses control and she always tests the rules.

Chief Deputy Mike Gabel is the man in charge in Apple Trail. No one gives him more trouble than a certain blonde. While her stunts are frustrating to deal with, it’s the constant way she keeps him trapped in knots.

Tiffany McBride has a reputation for being a trouble maker. She’s been betting and causing trouble since her parents died when she was a teenager. What looks like a young woman sewing her oats, it’s actually desperate measures to gamble for extra money to put food on the table.

When these two acknowledge their attraction, sparks fly…that is if Mike’s public position can survive Tiffany’s frowned upon reputation.

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Keri Ford continues her Apple Trail series with yet another endearing tale or romance with an everyday feel. This quick, afternoon read will make you smile. It’s a sweet tale of adoring love with mutual respect.

Mike has an important job to do. Apple Trail may not be a big city but as Sheriff he is in charge of the welfare of his townspeople. Unfortunately that makes him the bad guy In Tiffany’s eyes. Tiffany is constantly hopping from one mistake to the other and it’s Mikes duty to make sure she doesn’t get hurt. No matter how good she looks while pulling her stunts.

Tiffany doesn’t pull her stunts just for the fun of it. Well anymore. It’s a means to put food on the table. To pay the bills. Not that anyone has ever stopped to find that out. Mike certainly never has. Until the night they make the bet. Tiffany will behave during the day if she can have Mikes night. Innocent enough. And then they were alone…..

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I’ve said it before…I will say it again…Keri Ford is uber talented. Making Her Nights was a quick easy afternoon read that improved my mood and left me heaving a little sigh of contentment. Keri writes with a fluidity that just feels like a girlfriend telling someone a story. Her quirkiness definitely comes through in the attitudes of her characters. They often find themselves in funny situations that had me chuckling.

I enjoyed Tiffany a lot. She had this hard exterior that had people thinking she was a trouble maker. I felt for her that for so long no one even attempted to look past her exterior. Until Mike. She was mouthy and adventurous and I’m thinking I know why I like her so much. We are a lot a like. Anytime some hunky Sheriff wants to come sweep me off my feet, I’m game (Oops hope hubby isn’t reading this). Sadly for me I GRADUATED with our Sheriff’s SON and soooooo….well…..I will just leave it at that.

Mike was scrumdidiliumptous. I was in love. He was sweet and understanding when he finally got Tiffany to open up. His tenacious attitude when pursuing her was great too. That boy was going to get his woman not matter what anyone, especially Tiffany, said. It was nice to see him unravel and loosen up.

Making Her Nights is an awesome addition to an awesome series that you should be reading. Keri Ford has a knack for making me space out and totally enter the books she has written. Something about them is just so real, so natural. I say it every time, but with each book it just gets better. If towns like Apple Trail exist, I want to live there. To live in a small town where everyone is called neighbor and friend. Where life moves just a bit slower and the grass is just a bit greener. Love truly can occur in the most unlikely of places and everything does turn out for the best.

I give Making Her Nights by Keri Ford 4 stars!