Winning Over The Cowboy by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

Landry's dream has always been to own her own dude ranch. By no means did she hope to gain that dude ranch through her best friends death. According to Eden's will Landry and Eden's brother Chase are now co-owners of the dude ranch and must find a way to work together. The only problem is that neither trusts the other. Landry has just been dumped at the alter by her fiance so she cannot afford to trust another man in her life and Chase thinks that Landry is just a gold digging usurper bent on stealing his family inheritance away from him. Chase comes up with a plan to get Landry to sell him her half of the ranch, but will it backfire on him?

Awww, I really enjoyed Landry and Chase's characters. They were both rather adorable and of course meant for each other. I did get frustrated at their assumptions about each other. It seemed that they would take a step forward in their relationship and then two steps back, but they eventually got there. I loved the whole concept of the dude ranch and the way that Landry and Chase managed to work together to promote their different areas of interest. The spiritual aspect of the story was light with mentions of going to church and a need for trust, but not overly preachy. A sweet story with likable characters.

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

Gwen's husband is in prison for being caught as a serial killer. Gwen was accused of being his accomplice, but has been acquitted. Now Gwen and her two children are constantly in hiding because of their association with her ex husband Mel. People are out for revenge and the hate they spew is almost as horrific as what Mel would do to his victims. Now settled in a home on Stillhouse Lake Gwen is hoping to set down roots and keep her children safe. Gwen is just starting to get comfortable and hoping that her life is now her own when a woman's body turns up in the lake by her home. Gwen's past life is once more dredged up and her and her children are in danger because now there is a copy-cat killer out there and he obviously has been groomed by Mel. Gwen is no longer the meek woman she was while married to Mel and she will stop at nothing to keep her children safe.

Oh my goodness! So scary! The story was gripping and had me hooked even though it is outside of what I normally read. I found Gwen's character to be strong and I loved her fierceness in wanting to protect her children. She frustrated me though with her constant back and forth of, "Do we leave, or do we stay?" It seemed that she would settle on one and then turn right around and change her mind. Yes, understandable in the circumstances, but frustrating none the less. The murders were grisly and a bit hard to read, but not overgraphic. There was a mention of sex, but not descriptive. The language is pretty intense. All of that to say that yes, it is outside of my normal genre to review on my blog, but if you enjoy thriller-type books then you will definitely enjoy this. And a suggestion? You might not want to read it at night with the lights out and just your Kindle to light the room like I did. Made the book seem that much more scary!!! And a warning: This book is marketed for adults unlike this author's Morganville Vampire series which is YA and which I really enjoyed as well.

Critical Care by Candace Calvert

After watching her brother die in the ER Claire has no desire to ever work in the ER again. She tried, but it was too soon and an uncaring doctor called her a "weak link" and now that has crippled Claire for ER work.

Logan, Dr. McSnarly to the nurses, has no patience for nurses who can't keep it together on the job. Logan has no need for God in his life. After all, God refused to answer his prayers as a child so why should he need him now? The only problem is that Logan is miserable. He has run off almost every ER nurse he has worked with because of his harsh attitude, his marriage ended in divorce, he has the reputation of being uncaring, and he has no need for counciling that the hospital offers after a tragedy hits.

Claire is brought in to assess the ER staff after a particularly gruelling day in the ER. When she meets Logan the sparks fly! Claire sees a side of Logan that he has never shown at the hospital. Will they both learn that God's plans are so much better than theirs?

Like Claire, at first I didn't care for Logan! But also like Claire he grew on me! I loved his more vulnerable side and I definitely loved the peeks of humanity and caring that he showed to his patients in the hospital. The spiritual aspects of the book were also well done. Claire and Logan's different struggles with God and how He helped them overcome those struggles were definitely true to life experiences. I liked the secondary characters in the story as well. We read Erin's story in the next book DISASTER STATUS, which I read years ago so may have to read again! The ER activity was exciting and the romance between Logan and Claire was sweet. I enjoyed CRITICAL CARE. If you are a fan of medical romance stories then this will suit you perfectly!

Pony Express Mail-Order Bride by Rhonda Gibson

When Pony Express rider Philip Young arrives at his home relay station his brother greets him with a surprise. Bella Wilson and her two young nephews have answered a mail-order bride ad that Philip never placed! Bella sees no other way to care for her young nephews. Bella and Philip agree to a marriage of convenience. Neither one are looking for love since their pasts have proven that love cannot be trusted. Slowly but surely Philip and Bella begin to care for each other, but what happens when Bella's former fiance' arrives and threatens Philip and Bella's newfound happiness?

I enjoyed Philip and Bella's story. I did get frustrated with Philip's reasons for not wanting to fall in love with Bella, but everything worked out in the end, so that made me happy! I also enjoyed several other characters in the book. Hazel, the neighbor that gave Philip and Bella her home to live in, was quite a character. I loved her outspokenness. Philip's brother Thomas and his wife were a big help to Philip and Bella with the boys. If you enjoy historical romances then I definitely recommend this book for you to read. If you like Pony Express stories then you will enjoy it even more!

*I won this book in a contest and was not required to write a review. All opinions are my own*