Hard Ride to Dry Gulch - Joanna Wayne (HI #1504 - July 2014)

Series: Big D Dads: The Daltons (Book 3)

A haunting beauty with mesmerizing brown eyes is in desperate need of Dallas homicide detective Travis Dalton's help. Faith Ashburn's troubled teenage son is missing…and may be hiding secrets that could get him -- and his mother -- killed.

Faith will do whatever it takes to find her boy, even if it means turning to the rugged detective, a man shadowed by his own painful past. When the search reveals a shocking connection to the dangerous criminal Travis has sworn to bring down, Faith has to trust him with her life. And when passion flares, she has to trust him with something she vowed never again to give: her heart.

Good story with lots of drama. It's been almost a year since Faith's teenage son disappeared, but she hasn't given up trying to find him. She's gone into some dangerous situations in her search for clues, and is rescued from one of them by Travis. He is haunted by the sadness in her eyes, but doesn't see her again for months, when she shows up as a bridesmaid in his brother's wedding. When he hears her story, he has to help her. 

I liked Faith's determination to find her son, but it was a little frustrating that she couldn't seem to see him as an adult. She is certain that he is in trouble. There are things that the police are telling her about him that she just can't believe. While the missing persons case is still open, she feels that they are not giving it much of an effort. When Travis offers to help, she takes him up on it.

Travis had not been able to forget his meeting with Faith. He's not entirely convinced that her son didn't leave by choice, but he's willing to help. Things get more intense when he discovers that there is reason to believe that a dangerous criminal that Travis has been investigating might be involved. 

The chemistry between Travis and Faith is strong, but is held in check by their circumstances. Travis is still fighting the sense of betrayal cause by his father's abandonment of him when he was a child. He spent time in an abusive foster home because of it. His father is trying to make amends because he is dying of a brain tumor. Travis normally avoids relationships, but finds himself falling for Faith. He is also aware of the fact that nothing can come of it until her son is found. Faith does not trust easily, but she has to trust that Travis is doing everything he can to find her son. She still makes a couple of stupid moves at the beginning and is lucky that Travis is there for her. Travis's support and caring add to the feelings that are growing, but she's unable to think of moving forward until she finds her son.

I really enjoyed the suspense part of the story. It felt very realistic to me. I could easily see how a teenager could end up caught in a situation like that, and feel that he has no options. I loved following the leads along with Faith and Travis, and found myself entirely caught up in their search. The intensity increased the closer they got, and the finale was excellent.

Unrepentant Cowboy - Joanna Wayne (HI #1469 - Jan 2014)

Series: Big D Dads: The Daltons (Book 2)

Protecting the innocent is second nature for Dallas defense attorney Leif Dalton. So when his teenage daughter insists on visiting the Dry Gulch Ranch -- and forging a relationship with Leif's estranged father -- he's ready to do what it takes to keep her safe. And although he doesn't want another connection to the ranch, after sexy veterinarian Joni Griffin lands in a stalker's crosshairs, staying close becomes his only option.

With a serial killer in pursuit, Joni will take any measures to survive. But joining forces with Leif puts her heart at risk. As the danger rises, so does the passion flaring between them. Now trust may make the difference between life and death.

Leif is a high powered Dallas defense attorney who is feeling a bit burned out. By the end of his latest case he's gotten the feeling his client isn't so innocent after all. When his fifteen year old daughter shows up on his doorstep wanting to get to know her grandfather, Leif's estranged father, he's not very happy about it. His relationship with her hasn't been great lately, so he'll suck it up for this chance to reconnect with her.

Leif harbors a great deal of resentment toward his father because of the way RJ wasn't there for him and his brother. His dad may be trying to make amends now that he's dying, but that doesn't mean Leif has to go along with it. He's certainly not going to let his daughter spend too much time with such a crummy excuse for a father. He meets his father's vet Joni soon after arriving at the ranch. When he discovers that her home has been broken into after a murder happened near her home, he can't help but jump in to protect her.

Joni doesn't know why she seems to be the target, but she's glad for Leif's presence. Having him there makes her feel physically safer, but she's not so sure about her heart. The danger is intensifying emotions for both of them. One of the things she really likes about Leif is his obvious love for his daughter. I liked the way that she encouraged him to talk to Effie openly and truthfully. 

There were a lot of parallels between Leif's relationship with his daughter and the one with his father. It took Joni pointing them out for him to be able to see them. She lets him know that he's going to have to deal with his past before he'll be able to have a successful future with his daughter.

The suspense itself was pretty good. I enjoyed seeing the way that Leif and Joni worked together to figure out who it was. There were a couple of things going on that created some confusion. Some of the clues were buried enough that it took awhile for them to sort it out, but even then it almost got ignored. The final confrontation was good, but the resolution of the relationships felt a little rushed.

One negative about the book was the cover. Leif isn't a cowboy, he's a lawyer. He spent only a few years as a young child on the ranch. It shows him on a horse, and I don't think he rode once during the whole book.

Trumped Up Charges - Joanna Wayne (HI #1426 - June 2013)

Series: Big D Dads: The Daltons (Book 1)

When a mother's love meets a father's instinct…

Ex-Marine Adam Dalton once dreamed of a life with Hadley O'Sullivan, but war and a near-fatal injury cost him dearly. Now he returns to Dallas to discover the unthinkable -- Hadley is the prime suspect in the disappearance of her twin baby girls…the daughters he never knew he had.

Beyond Hadley's terror of having her children kidnapped is the shock of seeing Adam. Yes, she had kept him from his daughters, but now, when he insists they work together as a united front, she knows she is still in love with him. Despite their past, finding their children is their only hope to finally becoming a family -- if time doesn't run out first.

Good book with excellent suspense.  Hadley is going through the nightmare of kidnapped daughters when Adam reappears in her life.  He has come to offer whatever assistance she needs, just because he has never forgotten her and the love he had for her.  He's shocked to discover that he's their father, but it only makes him more determined to find them.  

I liked Adam a lot.  He's in Dallas for the reading of his father's will, only to discover that he's not dead but has used the ruse to get all his children together.  While there, Adam hears about the kidnapping and rushes to Hadley's side to offer her what support he can.  He is stunned when Hadley reveals that he's their father.  As they work together to find the girls, Adam realizes he still loves her.  I loved the way he so fully supports her while the whole thing is going on.  He also finally opens up to her about what has happened to him and why he took the actions he did.  

Hadley is terrified over the loss of her daughters.  When Adam appeared at her door she was shocked, but she found herself leaning on him right away.  His strength was about all that was keeping her together.  She felt guilty about not telling him that the girls were his, so she finally let him know.  Having him there helping her made her realize that she had never stopped loving him.  I really liked the way that she got him to open up to her and that she didn't let his injuries bother her.  

The romance took second place to the suspense itself.  I was hooked from the very beginning.  It was easy to relate to Hadley's fear and her frustration with the lack of progress that the police were making.  There were glimpses of the kidnapper, but not enough early on to get a good sense of who it was.  There were several possibilities and I was kept guessing until nearly the end.  I could see how furious Adam and Hadley were over the detective's apparent focus on her as a suspect.  I really didn't like his focus on Hadley as it made him look like he wasn't really looking at other possibilities.  Things got really intense as it got closer to ransom time.  There were a couple interesting twists at the end.  

I enjoyed the character of Adam's dad RJ.  He's made a lot of mistakes in his life and is now trying to make up for them.  As this is the first book in the series, there is a little bit of his backstory at the beginning.  I liked his attitude while Adam and Hadley are at his ranch, and how he was helping them.  It goes a long way toward helping heal his relationship with Adam.  I am looking forward to the rest of the series.  

Only issue with the book is Harlequin's continued unwillingness to properly capitalize Marine in its books.