No Cowboys No Angels by Petie McCarty (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

No Cowboys No Angels

by 
Petie McCarty

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GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

A cozy romantic mystery with suspense, Book 1 from The Mystery Angel Romances series. An angel hidden in every book . . . it's up to the reader to figure out who.

In No Cowboys No Angels, Kellen Brand's inheritance turns out to be a whopper—one dilapidated farm in West Virginia and one guardian angel!

Since Kellen is convinced no sane woman would choose to live in Riverside, she vows to sell her farm and quick. Her handsome neighbor Luke Kenyon must block the farm sale or risk exposure of his family's secrets. While Kellen has located one potential buyer, she faces a town full of objectors. Someone is trying to frighten her off, and Luke is forced to step in and rescue her more than once.

Unfortunately, Kellen can't seem to stay out of trouble. She stumbles onto a clandestine hazardous-waste-dumping operation next to her farm, and she prays Luke has one more rescue up his sleeve. It's her only hope of staying alive.

Unless her mother really did leave her a guardian angel . . .

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EXCERPT

Slowing near the tree line to get her bearings, Kellen pulled over at a spot where the bank jutted out over the water. She climbed out of the car and scanned the shoreline. To her right, the slope flattened out and provided easy access to the water. The Tanawoc River maintained a good current, sending soggy leaves and debris speeding past in its flow. Grassy hills rolled back from the opposite riverbank, and she wondered if the Clandestine Mining Company still owned all that property.

A familiar aroma wafted up from the river, a combination of humus, plant material, microscopic plankton, and a touch of fish. Unable to stop the smile slowly stretching across her face, she untied her sneakers, rolled up her jeans, and slipped into the icy water. She immediately gasped and felt her smile deepen to a grin. She remained in the soothing current for a long time, taking in her surroundings as she watched trout dart in and around the submerged rocks to grab their plankton lunch.

A horse whickered behind her, then came the telltale creak of a saddle. Too close for comfort. The back of her neck prickled. Ankle deep in the water, she couldn’t make a decent sprint for the car, and Kellen regretted her impulse to visit this deserted stretch of riverbank.

Easing around, she spied the towering silhouette of a powerfully built man astride a huge black stallion no more than ten yards away. The rider’s face lay shadowed beneath a wide-brimmed Stetson. The cowboy made an impressive and, at this moment, intimidating sight—a throwback from the frontier days of the Wild West.

The horse whickered again and sidestepped away from the edge of the embankment, forcing the cowboy to twist around to keep her in sight. She could feel his dark eyes scanning every inch of her. The intensity in his gaze raised goosebumps on her arms, and a tiny shiver vibrated up her spine. Trapped here along the edge of the river, she felt vulnerable yet strangely unafraid. Would he come any closer?

A horn blared up on the highway, and she jumped with a yelp. The big horse reared at the sound of her cry, and Kellen caught a brief glimpse of the cowboy’s dark eyes, eyes that could stare right through to a girl’s soul. She scrunched her own eyes shut and forced herself to breathe. When she opened them, the rider was gone. Had she imagined him? Another mild shiver rifled up her spine. No, the fearsome rider was definitely real.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—"The  Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time. These days Petie spends her time writing sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and her cozy-mystery-with-romantic-suspense series, the Mystery Angel Romances.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and a noisy Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in No Angels at Christmas coming April 2019. 

Visit Petie's website or her Facebook page.

BIO Social Media:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

BookBub

Pinterest

Amazon author page

LinkedIn

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GIVEAWAY





a Rafflecopter giveaway


 
The tour dates can be found here



*************************

My review:


 

3.75 out of 5 stars

No Cowboys No Angels by Petie McCarty is a mystery with romantic, paranormal, and western elements. The challenges that Kellen Brand faces when she returns to the town where she experienced such privation as a child are not just the difficulty of facing her bad memories and selling the family homestead, but her attraction to her sexy neighbor, Luke, and the ties and relationships that seem to pick up right where they left off twenty years ago. When danger escalates, Kellen can only hope that the guardian angel her mother bequeathed her is still on the job.

This story is the first book in the ‘Mystery Angel Romances’ series and has quite a combination of elements. Of course I loved the sexy cowboy hero who has a little trouble smoothing over his abrupt mannerisms when dealing with the woman he sees as a big-city snob. Kellen was a little frustrating with her hot and cold mannerisms toward the town, her former classmates, and her exasperating neighbor—not to mention her incurable nosiness and propensity for jumping to conclusions—but she does have redeeming qualities.

There are several very dramatic scenes that keep the tension escalating and poignant issues that both main characters are dealing with that give the story depth and emotion. Certain details are inconsistent to me, such as whether a cabin has an attic, whether a benefactor would donate expensive equipment but be obtuse to the lack of lunches for the kids, or even how a certain bad guy ended up in the right place at the right time, but that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the tale. Overall, this is a fun and romantic story that leaves one with a warm fuzzy feeling and reminds us of how important faith can be.  

A copy of this title was provided to me for review

 

Par for Cinderella by Petie McCarty (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Par for Cinderella

by 
Petie McCarty

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GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

Billionaire Aidan Cross longs to escape his life of celebrity and become a regular guy, if only for a brief time. His chance comes when his yacht breaks down near quaint Cypress Key, Florida—the site of his planned five-star golf resort. The golf resort no one in town wants.

Casey Stuart has given up her dream of escaping to the big city. She refuses to desert her uncle, even when he hires the new stranger in town to replace her at their golf course. Casey vows to steer clear of the stranger called Aidan and the danger their inescapable chemistry provokes. Aidan’s stay is temporary, and falling for him promises only heartbreak.

When Casey discovers Cypress Key’s mayor is making underhanded business deals, she ends up on the wrong side of the powerful autocrat. Aidan steps in to rescue her, but secrets from his past threaten to bogey their new-found relationship.

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EXCERPT

With the last guest safely off and headed for the parking lot, Casey turned to face the trespasser.

She stopped.

Swallowed hard.

Swallowed again, but her dry throat persisted.

The boater was drop-dead gorgeous. Light-brown hair with sun-blond streaks, long enough to thread fingers through along his collar, and chocolate-brown eyes that trapped and held you, like puppy-dog-cuddlable brown one minute and sensuous, you’re-not-safe-from-me hazelish the next.

Like now.

She fought for the presence of mind to smile at all that hunkiness.

Then came the fireworks.

His smile—straight, perfect white teeth—held a hint of mischief and seduction and the power to kick her feet from beneath her as she tiptoed down the gunwale to secure the back canopy and check gas-tank levels. Mostly for a reason to get a closer look at this hottie. The sound of the second boat flying into the marina barely registered. Her eyes were still locked on the hottie’s take-me-I’m-yours mouth.

By the time her brain had caught up with her girly parts, the vast wake from the second boat’s way-too-fast approach had set up a tsunami strong enough to rock her big tour boat and knock those aforementioned metaphorical feet right out from under her. Unsuspecting and still enthralled by the stranger, Casey went blindly over the side.

At an angle. Not straight and backward.

Her skull clipped the stern on her way over the side. The beautiful masculine smile she had fixated on disappeared when everything else went black.

Amazon link

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World -- "The Most Magical Place on Earth" -- where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time. These days Petie spends her time writing sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and her cozy-mystery-with-elements-of-romantic-suspense series, the Mystery Angel Romances.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband, a spoiled-rotten English Springer spaniel addicted to pimento-stuffed green olives, and a noisy Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in Angel to the Rescue.

Visit Petie's website or her Facebook page.

Social Media:

Website

Facebook page

Twitter

Goodreads

Pinterest

Amazon author page

LinkedIn

***********************

GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway



The tour dates can be found here


***********************

My review

4 out of 5 stars

“Par for Cinderella” by Petie McCarty is a sweet contemporary romance that provides a golfing twist on the familiar fairy tale. Casey Stuart and her uncle are struggling to keep afloat in the small town of Cypress Key. Golf resort developer Aiden Cross doesn’t expect his brief incognito foray to explore the site of his proposed resort to include rescuing a damsel in distress but he’s enchanted and quickly drawn into the challenges of the close-knit town. Unfortunately, there’s something sinister undermining the local businesses and his investigation and deception threaten to derail the relationship that is growing between him and Casey. She demands trust and honesty while he wants to know he is loved just for himself and not his money. Their dreams may take them on separate paths unless they find a way to take a leap of faith.

This story is part of ‘The Cinderella Romances’ series and has plenty of golfing references to tie the story together while the romance builds between the main characters. I thought Aiden was charismatic and a sweet guy but Casey frustrated me at times even though I admired her affection for those in her life. I think she may be a little too naïve and insecure to be an equal partner in the relationship but hopefully she will continue to mature. There are several intriguing secondary characters who hopefully will continue to show up as the series progresses. I had no trouble reading this as a stand-alone story although I figure this couple will make appearances in a subsequent tale.

For me, some of the motivations are a bit murky and I thought the resolution was a little too tidy. I also take issue with the solution for Aiden’s name since I think a search would have turned up pictures of him despite the additional letter and given the number of busybodies in town, I’d have expected his secret to be exposed long before it happens. Despite all of this, I enjoyed the story and I’m interested in seeing that hunky Ian gets his own happy ever after. Those in search of a sweet light romance should enjoy this, even if it’s starting to be too cold for a beach read!

A copy of this title was provided to me for review

The SEAL's Angel by Petie McCarty (Excerpt, review and GIVEAWAY) GFT

The SEAL's Angel

by Petie McCarty

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BLURB:

The SEAL's Angel is the third story in the Mystery Angel Romance [MAR] series. Each stand-alone love story in the series has an angel hidden in the plot, and the angel's identity isn't revealed until the finale -- unless the reader figures it out first.

In The SEAL's Angel, Navy SEAL Sean MacKay's teammate is murdered after stealing a deadly nerve-gas formula from Syrian terrorists. Naval Intelligence believes MacKay's teammate was a traitor and shipped the stolen formula to his sister in the states for safekeeping. MacKay is given orders to find the sister before the terrorists do and to retrieve the stolen formula at all costs.

Foreclosure looms for Cory Rigatero as she fights to keep her rustic resort near Mt. St. Helens afloat after her brother deserted her to join the SEAL Teams. Cory's whole world dives into a tailspin when Sean MacKay shows up at her resort with the news of her brother's death and the wild suspicion her brother may have sent her traitorous classified documents. No way will Cory trust MacKay -- the man who once seduced her and then vanished into the night without a trace.

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EXCERPT

"I thought I'd go out front and see if Vern needed any help," Cory said.

"He's all done," Cook said and handed Garth a dog biscuit from a jar on the counter. "He had a young man out front helping him when I peeked out the window."

"A young man? You mean Jasper?"

"No, I've never seen this one around here before." Cook went back to her pot. "Handsome, though," she added. "They headed for the barn."

"I better go see who it is," Cory said, already striding for the back door.

She called out as soon as she reached the barn, and Vern hollered from his small office at the back. Cory threaded her way through all the equipment in the back half of the barn and stopped dead in the doorway of the shop that doubled as Vern's small office.

Cook's stranger stood up when she appeared in the doorway and literally took Cory's breath away.

Shaggy hair and dark brown curls perfectly teamed with a matching beard was her first thought. Her second thought was broad -- really broad -- shoulders beneath his black flannel shirt, and hips so narrow his black jeans sagged a bit on his frame. His sleeves were rolled up, and those forearms and biceps belonged to a working man.

Good grief! Stop staring Cory!

She jerked her gaze to his face, and blue eyes stared back. Blue eyes that caught her gaze like a predator traps prey. Blue eyes that twinkled with just enough devilment to cause a wicked flutter in her belly. Blue eyes that looked startlingly familiar.

Maybe she just wanted them to look familiar, so she could already know this handsome man.

"Mac here is our new help."

Buy links for The SEAL's Angel:

Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Petie spent a large part of her career working as a biologist at Walt Disney World -- "The Most Magical Place on Earth" -- where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job in order to write her stories full-time.

Petie is a member of Romance Writers of America, and she shares homes in Tennessee and Florida with her horticulturist husband, a spoiled-rotten English Springer spaniel addicted to pimento-stuffed green olives, and a noisy Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in Angel to the Rescue.

Visit Petie's social media links:

WebSite   

Facebook

Goodreads

*****************************

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*****************************

My review:

3.75 out of 5 stars

The SEAL's Angel is a contemporary romance with military elements that combines a reunion story with a mystery and features a sexy SEAL, Lt. Sean MacKay, who has several goals and the determination to achieve them.  Unfortunately, what he wants and what he gets may be two different things, especially since he has to deal with not only his superior officer’s expectations but also his own feelings of guilt, and the lack of cooperation from the woman he is determined to protect—from himself as well as from those who seek to harm her.  There are some things that even a SEAL can’t solve, but maybe with a little help from someone with even more pull, anything can be possible. 

There are a lot of good elements in this exciting story, plenty of conflict, an alpha male (or three), a second chance at love, loyal friends and a wonderfully protective dog.  The danger continually ramps up, and the relationship between the main characters heats up nicely.  UnfortunateIy, I wasn’t thrilled about several elements of the story, including the erratic behavior of almost all of the males in the area and the unexpected twist at the end which threatens to change the genre of this story (although the blurb should have given me that clue), and somehow, I expected a little more competency given the backgrounds and advanced training of several of the men.  Despite this, the story was a fun light read and I can’t help hoping there will be a chance to read about some of Sean’s teammates also.

 A copy of this title was provided to me for review