Status
Call number
Genres
Collections
Publication
Description
Fiction. Romance. Suspense. Western. HTML:In the first novel of this steamy contemporary Western romance series by two blockbuster authors, a cowboy and a woman on the run take a stand and fight for love. Carlin Reed lives in fear, off the grid, moving from place to place. So Battle Ridge, Wyoming, a small town in the middle of nowhere, seems like a good place to lie low for a while. But after becoming cook and housekeeper to cattle rancher Zeke Decker, Carlin suspects that she�??s made her first mistake. Rugged, sexy, and too distracting for his own good, Zeke is pure temptation mixed with something deep and primal that makes Carlin feel almost safe. Soon things are getting way too hot in the kitchen. Zeke doesn�??t challenge Carlin�??s terms: cash, dead bolts, and no questions. It is easy to see that she�??s a woman in trouble. Problem is, he�??s so blindsided by his attraction to her he can�??t think straight. Zeke tries to stay all business, no complications�??but that game plan is sabotaged the second Carlin gets under his skin. And when her terrifying past follows her to the ranch, Carlin faces a heartbreaking choice: run away from the man she loves, or put him in the cr… (more)
User reviews
Zeke doesn't want Carlin (aka Carly Hunt) on his ranch but he is left without a choice. With no housekeeper and the one ranch hand making an "attempt" to cook out of commission, he is forced to give Carlin a try. He tries to keep to himself but finds his attraction to Carlin more than he ever imagined. And when he finally learns all the details of her past, he pushes her to stop running and stay.
When her past catches up to her, will Carlin stay on the run or take a stand and fight for the cowboy she has grown to love?
I did enjoy this book. Zeke is a good alpha male - great "protector" for Carlin. They have chemistry and definitely some good "steamy" scenes. The characters were interesting, story was good. Maybe a few parts were a little "over the top" at times (*note - first sex scene, also the descriptive "final" scene with Brad) but not anything that messed the story up. For those looking for a good western, contemporary romance, it's worth reading.
I received this ebook in exchange for honest review from Netgalley.
The only bad thing I can say, is of course it’s the first in a series….ack! I love Linda Howard so I thought I’d like it and I was right. The back cover tells you it’s a contemporary western romance, so if you aren’t into that, well…try it, you
This book made me laugh out loud in places and smirk because you just know its so true. The storytelling was great, I picked it up and read it to the end. I had the time and no inclination to put it down. I liked the people I met and look forward to seeing which ones come back in the following books.
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book. Since I love both these authors, I was really excited to jump into this one.
Carlin Reed,
Zeke grumbles, growls and huff and puffs a lot in the beginning, but inside he's a big marshmallow. He and Carlin have perfect chemistry. When he finds out the whole story about Carlin, he wants to help her. He teaches her to shoot a gun and self defense tactics. But, what he really wants is for Carly to be able to stop running and live her life normally, even if it means he might lose her.
I liked the that the authors brought the issue of stalking back into the spotlight. I can't imagine living my life like that. I also like the descriptions of Wyoming, the details of ranch life, and the adjustment Carlin made learning to take care of the ranch hands.
With a set up like this one, I found myself on edge constantly, waiting for the other shoe to drop. The tension and suspense builds and builds.
There is a touching tribute or dedication to the late Beverly Barton at the beginning of the book, the recipes Carlin used while cooking for the ranch hands, and a sneak peek at Linda Howard's new book "Shadow Man" at the end of the book.
Overall, this book was as near perfect as you can get in this genre. I loved it. Great job ladies!
Carlin Reed is a young woman enjoying her life and friends in Houston. She makes the mistake of going on a blind date with Brad Henderson, a police officer, and her life changes forever. He refuses to accept her rejection, and becomes a stalker.
We meet some of the residents of a small town in Wyoming called Battle Ridge. Kat , the owner and baker of a little diner called The Pie Hole, is known far and wide for her baking skills. Zeke Decker, her cousin and owner of a ranch outside of Battle Ridge has the reputation of being a " love 'em and leave'em cowboy." He is in desperate need of a cook and housekeeper. Carlin makes a random stop in Battle Ridge looking for a meal and a little rest on her quest to a new home and identity. It turns out to be a very beneficial stop, and she becomes Carly.
Carly and Zeke have a rocky start to their housekeeper/boss relationship. They learn to get to know each other, one beginning to trust the other, and Carly, finally tells him her secrets. His need to protect her is all consuming.
The relationship between Carly and Zeke is so satisfying. They both have pasts and fears they have to conquer, and their journey is sweet and passionate.
I enjoyed this novel very much. I have never read one of Ms. Howard's western contemporaries, and I'm looking forward to the next installment of The Men of Battle Ridge.
Zeke Decker's ideal housekeeper would definitely not be female, unattached, attractive, and wearing a comes-with-trouble sign a mile high. But he's in a bind, and beggars can't be choosers.
As the nights get colder, the struggle to keep the heat in the kitchen gets harder. But Carlin's leaving in the spring...
I'll admit, I was skeptical when I saw that Linda Howard had co-authored this with Linda Jones. Nothing against Jones, but I've found that a fair number of co-authored books end up being uneven and annoyingly choppy in terms of plot. This one was a very pleasant surprise. Carlin and Zeke are entertaining, the descriptions of ranch life are accurate enough not to be distracting, and the happily-ever-after is satisfying. The villain's one-dimensionally evil, but hey, that's what he's there for, after all. Had to laugh at the cover, though - the hunky cowboy showing off his chest would be a blue-tinted ice sculpture pretty darn fast given the weather in most of the book.
Carlin Reed is running
After working part time (and under the table) at a small town restaurant, Carly gets a job as a housekeeper and cook on an out of the way ranch owned and managed by Zeke Decker. It takes awhile for Carly to trust him and while they are attracted to each other, they do nothing about it. The romance is a slow simmer as we see their relationship grow through daily life as well as challenges that come into play.
Now I am not a big fan of suspense stories but Running Wild has just the perfect amount. It really keeps the plot interesting and yet it wasn’t too over powering. I know I am looking forward to more in this series by this wonderful writing team!
Book 1 ..... A new series by Linda Howard sounds like great idea to me. I really enjoyed these characters and this story. I liked how Linda Howard and Linda Jones took a timid young girl and made her learn fast how to get along and live with everything against her. Not sure how these ladies divided the story or work, but the combination created a really good story and I am eager to see what the next book has and who will be in it, especially who the main characters will be
Running Wild is the first book in a new series by Linda Howard and Linda Jones and if this is any indication of what’s to come, I can’t wait for the next book.
Her running takes her to an unlikely place by the name of Battle Ridge, Wyoming a very quiet ranching town that is sort of on the way out, with people moving trying to make a living elsewhere.
After working for a while for Kat the owner of The Pie Hole here in town, Carlin gets sort of coerced into taking a job for Zeke Decker, a cattle ranch owner who is just walking sex on a stick, if you know what I mean! He is gruff, blustery and the type of guy who wants to fix everything for almost everyone!
This was a wonderful romance, but even more importantly, it was a terrific suspense novel. This is something that Linda Howard is known for, and she really worked it. I had trouble seeing just where Ms Jones left her mark, as the writing was so seamless between the two women.
Some of the passages got to be a little too much with the inner angst but they were soon bypassed by increasingly suspenseful…well…suspense scenes.
Zeke does get around to eventually getting his own way and teaching Carlin just what she needs to know about saving herself if she ever finds herself in need to. And of course she will eventually need to. She makes for a great kick-butt heroine who also knows when to let someone more experienced take over in the kicking butt department.
This was written with a tight plot, great, well-rounded characters of different kinds all with their own voices. The scene descriptions where vividly written, the scenery descriptions made you actually see them in your mind. There was even plentiful humor to break up the fear factor. The sexual aspect took quite a while to come up and I appreciated that. I don’t always like a book where the couple has to fall into bed in the 5th chapter. I could actually believe that they took their time and really fell into love instead of it being simply lust disguised to look like love.
I loved this book and will be buying the next one in this series, and I will be keeping this on my to –be- re-read shelf!
*ARC SUPPLIED BY PUBLISHER*
Ever since her creepy stalker took over her life and drove her into fear, Carlin Reed has been on the run, keeping off grid and moving from one town to the next. In months she has never found herself stationary in a place she could call home.
This book was love. The attraction was there as well as chemistry. It had romantic suspense, a ruggedly sexy cowboy, and a creepy obsessed stalker. Granted, I didn't expect to see the stalkers perspective and could have done without it, but it did tie and blend into the story well. The situation and reactions from Carlin were raw emotions of fear and with that developed her into one amazing character. She didn't jump into stupid incidents because she had a stalker, she was a woman on a mission to survive.
The author did a great job with the characters. I loved Zeke, his reaction to Carlin was amusing, their interactions based on the sexual tension crackling between them had me giggling at times. Plus, I loved Spencer, one of the ranch hands – he was kind of sweet at times. I hope the other book in the series will be based on him.
I felt bad for Carlin, living in a constant shadow of fear everyday, looking over her shoulder and simply waiting to run. But I did love how their relationship grew through the book before they went jumping into bed together. There was times that Zeke made me aww at how considerate he was. There was other times that the character in the book made me angry for the things they did. Like his disgusting Rancher at the beginning of the book and their old housekeeper. Both overall it was a nice fix for a romance reader that needed something new, different, and amazing read. Looking forward to the next book of the series.
I like the characters and I will auto buy the next book in the series. This reminded me more of the
I thought the sweetest scene was when Libby was eavesdropping. I liked the respect they gave eachother with out losing their personality.
There is no mystery to the book. It basically is she has a stalker and is terrified and living under the radar. That was pretty cookie cutter, but like I said, I did enjoy the characters. I would put this in the light reading category and take it for what it is. If you prefer suspense I would grab her other book out right now.
Quick thoughts and mini review -
This is the second book written by Linda Howard and Linda Jones who I have both enjoyed their books in the past. Although with Howard, her recent stuff hasn't lived up to the promise of her older books and have been disappointing, but
However while I enjoyed the glimpses of humour, snark and the sparring between Carlin and Zeke, there was something missing.
I was also not keen on the suspense part of the book, the villain was too cardboard cutout for me and I wished there was more expanding on that aspect especially in the beginning.
The pace was also pretty slow and it kind of bogged down in the beginning, and I think this affected the romantic tension which started off fantastically but petered out in the middle. However the story and romance picked up in the end but it never really reached the potential it could have been - which would have been a wonderful romance. But this is definitely much better than their first collaborative book Blood Born.
I loved Carlin and Zeke and thought their relationship developed and grew at the right pace. The character development for the other ranch hands and townspeople was also well done. But for me this book was not Linda Howard's best. Doesn't come close to Mr. Perfect or Dream Man. But of course this was a collaboration and I really couldn't spot anything that actually sounded like Linda Howard's style. But it was enjoyable nonetheless and since I liked the other characters I'll probably be picking up the next book in the series.
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Why I Read This: LTER
My Usual Read? Yep, I love this genre & usually this author (Linda Howard, don't know Linda Jones)
Recommended for: Linda Howard fans or any romantic suspense fans
Cover Art: 4.5 stars out of 5 - Although the guy on the cover
My review:
First of all, I enjoyed the book for what it was. I didn't lower the rating to 3 because I didn't enjoy it (see below for why I took off 2 stars). However, be warned, if you're looking for something new, something different, this is not it.
This is a fairly classic example of a format that Linda Howard has written more than once before and will probably write again--she does it very well so why not? The story formula is standard: a Heroine with an evil stalker (Villain). She runs away and hides in the Hero's home which is AuthorConveniently (a) isolated and (b) in desperate need of some kind of household/domestic assistance.
There is no mystery. There really isn't even any suspense to speak of because really, you have to know how this is going to turn out. The Villain will be killed, probably by the Hero in some Uber Alpha defense of the Heroine and then the two of them live HEA. It's a romance novel. End of story. Almost.
Linda Howard writes suspense without suspense--that is, scenes that have edge and tension without any actual suspenseful mystery to them. She's just that good at it. More "chiller" than "thriller." You feel the tension and edge as the characters stress out and although some of her books make this tension a little more towards the melodramatic side, this one is a very successful edge with no "drama queen" attached.
Several other reviewers commented on some snarky banter, just like in Open Season and/or Mr. Perfect (both of which I looooved!) but I'm sorry, there was no snark in this book. Good edge, unbelieveably good sex and steam but no snark.
And yes, that brings us to the chemistry between the H/h couple. It was good. I thought it was nice that Howard didn't just shove them together and get to banging like she often does in the shorter-format books, but she had a novel-worth of elbow room and used the page space to gradually build the tension between them--sexual tension. Their first kiss sizzled. Their first "time" was mind-blowing. They had a couple of hawt quickies (which are hard to write well without getting too descriptive or lengthy, which kind of defeats the purpose).
Overall, they actually fell in love in a reasonable period of time--both time elapsed in the story and pages elapsed in the book. It did not feel at all rushed, felt very much like the relationship grew and the characters both evolved a little. I really like it when a character is transformed by a story, not just the same going in and coming out with some kind of "goal achieved" on their arm in the pages between. I like characters to earn their triumphs. I think these people did.
I really liked the secondary characters, too. Kat Bailey, the sidekick cousin of the Hero who became the Heroine's best bud actually was the snarky center of the book. She'd be great to have as the heroine of her own story--and probably, that's what's planned given this is touted as book ONE of a series, implying there'll be a book 2, etc. Spencer, a youngish ranch hand was very sweet and would make a good Hero when he finishes growing up (maybe in book 3 or 4 ?)
Linda Howard has a knack for creating a nice landscape against which to create a series, second only to the likes of Nora Roberts, and this book is no exception. Just one problem: I've read this book before. That is, I was on that ranch, inside that house and pretty much saw those mountains in another Linda Howard series. I'm 95% sure it was in The MacKenzie Family Saga. I don't mind. It's a good setting out there in Big Sky Country of huge ranches and cowboys--and how many of them really vary from all the others?--but it was a little weird to have that sense of deja vu as I was reading.
Once again, I did enjoy this book but the fact there was so much "regurgitated" made me detract one star from the five. The second star was removed because of a redundancy issue I saw that falls to editing--or slacking thereof. Linda Howard books typically are very well-edited and I suspect it's because she, herself, reads them very carefully. Not so in this case. I can't imagine she would've let some of the errors I found pass unnoticed.
Some of the editing issues were as simple as repeating an exact phrase 2 or 3 times across 5-10 paragraphs (1-2 pages apart). That's just a lack of going back to read it "with fresh eyes" as it were. If I were not, myself, an Indie Author doing this hard hard HARD work myself, I wouldn't realize from whence this issue springs. Unfortunately, it's as simple to fix as proofreading, which also wasn't really done thoroughly. I found myself "having to" pick up a pen to mark up the paper because the wrong name (Zeke and Brad were interchanged twice and given they are Hero and Villain, respectively, that's quite the mix-up to miss!) and other typos just drove me insane. I had to redpen it to let out my exasperation and go on enjoying the story.
The ultimate Editing Mistake Not To Make: choreography. The heroine's hands were in one place (he had her hands clamped over her head) then in the next moment, she's pushing at his shoulders? Linda Howard doesn't usually screw up this stuff so I'm thinking this is another error due to the collaborative process. Sadly. Of all things, screwups in the choreography of a sex scene of a romance novel are pretty much the pinnacle of Mistakes Not To Make.
Bottom line: great story but not a new one. Fast read but only because of the likeable characters. The redundant descriptions, expositives and recycled though richly-textured setting were almost a detriment more than an asset. It's probably a great start to a new series but it won't be winning any awards.
It's probably going to sell well because it's (mostly) at Linda Howard's rewarding caliber and her books usually sell. But selling well doesn't equal great book; it simply means commercially viable and it is high sales that gets a book on the bestseller list. Howeard's been on the NYT Bestseller list non-stop for 20+ years. This book will be no different. Ardent fans will love it. New fans will get hooked on her because of it.
Last note: I have no clue who Linda Jones is or what her involvement, contribution or affect on the structure or sound of the story was here. It seemed like a standardized Linda Howard book. Sorry, Ms. Jones. Wish I'd seen your influence more and I'd comment on it!
Would I recommend this to others? In a heart beat - as a quick and easy read for a nice pickmeup with some squirm-worthy sex scenes. Not, sadly, as anything new or fresh though.
The combination of Howard and Jones writing together works well, if this novel is anything to