Tracy’s review of Trouble in Texas (Deep in the Heart of Texas #4) by Katie Lane
Inheriting the most notorious house of ill repute in Texas can spell trouble for a girl’s reputation . . . especially when she’s Elizabeth Murphy, Bramble’s prim and proper librarian. Yet when she discovers a buck-naked cowboy handcuffed to a four-poster bed, she forgets all about the town gossips. Elizabeth has sworn off men, but the stranger’s kisses melt her resolve faster than ice cream on a hot summer day.
Waking up in Miss Hattie’s Henhouse isn’t how Brant Cates reckoned on getting to the bottom of his great-granddaddy’s murder. The plan was to solve the centuries-old crime, then get the heck out of Dodge. But after meeting Elizabeth and discovering that the buttoned-up beauty is a sexy siren in disguise, he just can’t pull himself away.
Now Brant needs Elizabeth to finally put his past to rest, but is she willing to risk her future on Bramble’s newest bad boy?
Elizabeth is a staid 37 year old librarian in Bramble, Texas. She inherited one of the most notorious henhouses in Texas, Miss Hattie’s, and wants no one to know that she’s even associated with it. She’s selling it and that’s all there is to it. Unfortunately the 3 older “hens” that live there don’t want that and try everything they can to talk her out of it.
When Brant is on his way to his brother Billy’s wedding he stops by the Miss Hattie’s. He’s looking for answers in the death of his grandfather and thinks he might find them there. What he finds is 3 old hens who end up shooting him and handcuffing him to a bed.
Brant manages to get loose and things get ironed out but when Brant meets Elizabeth he can’t stop thinking about her. He isn’t looking for love because he thinks he’s cursed but that doesn’t stop him from making friends with Elizabeth – friends with benefits.
This story takes place mostly at Miss Hattie’s which is about an hour from Bramble where most of this series has taken place. In one instance it was nice to take a break from Bramble but on the other I kind of missed all the townfolk. Yes, there was some interaction with them, but not all that much.
The romance between Brant and Elizabeth is mostly focused on their sex life. Yes, there were other parts too but it was mostly bedroom antics. Brant was kind of all locked up in himself and Elizabeth was trying to find out who she was – when she thought she already knew.
The secondary characters – the hens, Minnie, Sunshine, Baby & Starlet were all pretty great, as was Brant’s brother, Beau. He had a charm about him that just wouldn’t quit. I think that these characters really carried the book as a whole.
Overall it was a cute book but not the strongest link in the series. A nice, quick read.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5
You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place
This book is available from Forever Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.
I read the first book in this series & the e novella, but somehow never got to the rest! Now that this one is out, I will read them all in order. Love the cover model!