Creed's Honor - Linda Lael Miller

Synopsis:
Conner Creed knows exactly who he is: a hardworking rancher carrying on his uncle's legacy in Lonesome Bend, Colorado. Maybe a small-town cowboy's life isn'this dream, but he owes the man who took him in as a kid. Until the identical twin brother he's been estranged from for years reenters his life.

Conner struggles with identity issues as he gets to know his wilder brother. And then he meets Tricia McCall, a beautiful woman who knows a thing or two about living someone else's dreams. Together, they just might find their own dreams right here in Lonesome Bend….

Review:
The next book in the Montana Creed's series follows Connor Creed.  Small town rancher Connor Creed has always done the right thing.  Holding on to the family ranch while his wilder older brother travels the rodeo circuit, drinks and has a multitude of women at this disposal.  Tricia McCall has a life in Seattle that she loves, friends that she adores and a man that she...tolerates.  Coming back to Lonesome Bend to settle her father's estate and sell off his properties is just a little hitch in the road, until she isn't sure Seattle is her home anymore, and not sure where her home actually is.  With the help of a matchmaking dog, a nosey goddaughter and a meddling grandmother, Tricia can't help but fall in love with the country side and the cowboy, right??

Notable Quote:
"...he likes her, too.  You can tell buy the way he looks at her.  It's the same way my dad looks at cheeseburgers."

Rating:
I adored the first in this series, but this second on kind of fell flat for me.  The main characters didn't even talk to each other until about page 100.  It seemed very slow to get to the point and when the point was made it was a rush to the end.  I liked the characters individually but together I am not sure they had chemistry, and that could be because there wasn't a lot of the book that revolved around them being a couple, just their own battles that needed to be won.  I am very much looking forward to Brody's book though, hoping this is just a little bump in the road.

Glory Glory - Linda Lael Miller

Synopsis:
Eight years ago, Glory Parsons had been forced to flee her hometown--and leave behind her first love. And Jesse Bainbridge would never know the heartbreaking price she'd paid--or about the child born of their fiery union....

Jesse had once wanted Glory with all the passion in his soul--until she walked out on him. Now she was back with shocking news that would change his life forever. Could he trust the woman who'd betrayed him--the only woman he would ever love?

Review:

I didn't think I would ever find a LLM book that I didn't like, until Glory Glory.  I liked the idea of the story, since it was done with a twist.  Glory gave up her daughter for adoption at the insistence of Jesse's meddling grandfather only to be adopted by Jesse's brother and sister-in-law.  Flash forward several years and the brother and sister-in-law both die in a crash.  Jesse is then raising his own daughter without knowing it is his kid.  Glory comes back after a bad breakup to heal and to be with her mother while she marries over the holidays.  Glory comes face to face with a child that can be none other than hers, just on sight she knows Liza is hers.  Glory sets out to become friends with Liza against Jesse's wishes.  The parts that just don't jive with me, is the fact that he despises her, wants nothing to do with her, but the next moment they are in bed together?  Then once he does find out that his grandfather set up the whole scheme she just says...its okay, I have loved you forever.  Just seemed that the whole story was rushed.

LOL Moment:

"Aunt Ilene sewed in one of her past lives, but she doesn't know how anymore"

Rating:

As much as I hate to admit it, this was my least favorite book that I have read of LLM.  The story seemed rushed and the relationships between Jesse and his almost fiance just kind of ended with no sadness or drama.  The relationship between Jesse and Glory was not believable and I didn't feel like I had a vested interest in any of the characters.

A Creed In Stone Creek - Linda Lael Miller

Synopsis:
When single attorney Steven Creed becomes guardian of an orphaned five-year-old boy, he trades his big-city law firm for a ranch near his McKettrick kin in the close-knit community of Stone Creek, Arizona. Taking care of little Matt and fixing up his run-down ranch house with its old barn loosens something tightly wound inside him. But when Steven takes on the pro bono defense of a local teen, he meets his match in the opposing counsel—beautiful, by-the-book county prosecutor Melissa O'Ballivan. It'll take one grieving little boy, a sweet adopted dog and a woman who never expected to win any man's heart to make this Creed in Stone Creek know he's truly found home.

Review:

This is the first book in the new Stone Creed trilogy.  Even if you have never read any of the Creed or McKettrick books, you will love this new series.  Steven Creed is a stand up kind of man that takes on his best friends son when both the child's parents died.  Deciding that working the hours of a normal criminal attorney in a fancy firm is not in the best interest of Matt, he buys a spread in Stone Creek where his cousin that he recently reunited with also lives.  While in Stone Creed, Steven runs in to the town prosecutor, Melissa and sparks fly until they end up on the opposite side of the law, her the prosecutor and him the opposing counsel, then tempers flare.  Steven is very close with his twin cousins (Brody & Conner), who have their own issues to work out and having seen just a smidge of them in the first book, I can't wait to read their own.  Of course there is a little who-did-it and it is fairly obvious who actually did the do-ing, but I don't think that took away from the story at all.

Notable Quote:

..."What a lot of gobbledegook..." (Melissa's sisters trying to set her straight on men)

Rating:

I fell in love with Steven from page one.  He has everything a great hero has, but he is the best of the best since he actually doesn't know he is a hero.  The love story was great, and Matt stole the show in several scenes with his 5-year going on 50 speeches.  I would highly recommend this book as I would any of the Creed and McKettrick series books.  I can't wait for Creed's Honor, Connor's story, in June.