Casee‘s review of The Gift (Malloy Family, Book 5) by Beth Williamson.

Trevor Malloy loves women of all shapes and sizes. When he bets a small fortune on a hand of poker only to lose to a lady gambler he can’t seem to charm, he finds himself beholden to a woman for the first time.

Adelaide Burns refuses to fall under Trevor’s spell and is determined to make him pay every cent he owes her—in muscle and sweat.

Like sparks from flint and rock, Trevor and Adelaide nearly set the sheets on fire. Together they find heaven in each others arms, fight for Adelaide’s saloon, and face a future that only the luck of the cards will tell.

This is my least favorite book of the series. First of all (and this has nothing to do what I actually thought of the book), who is that woman on the cover? The cover totally turned me off, but it was Trevor the book that I didn’t really like.

Trevor Malloy is a selfish bastard. Srsly. He’s an arrogant ass, too. From the moment he leaves home (in a huff) and turns up in Adelaide’s salon, Trevor grated on my nerves. He left home after he decided that no one appreciated him. Boo-hoo. He decided that he could definitely make it as a professional gambler. That’s when he loses all of his savings and then some to Adelaide. His arrogance got the best of him.

Adelaide was an okay heroine. I didn’t love her, but I didn’t dislike her either. I was pretty ambivalent about her. When she first saw Trevor, she was determined to teach him a lesson. She didn’t plan on getting a $15,000 (or so) marker from the man. Though it’s not in her nature to be mean, she decides that the perfect lesson is to make him think he has to work off his debt in her salon. Which will take the rest of his life.

I really hoped that Trevor would get better as the book went on, but that didn’t happen. To top it all off, he got in a fight with his brother, Brett, at the end of the book b/c he’s such a jerk. I just really didn’t care for this book. It didn’t turn me off of the series, though. I still am really enjoying it.

3 out of 5.

This book is available from Samhain. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Other books in the series:

Casee‘s review of The Treasure (Malloy Family, Book 4) by Beth Williamson.

Ray Malloy is a single father in an age when every child has two parents. Abandoned by his shallow wife, he struggles to find the balance between being a father and being a successful rancher. At the end of his rope with his wild child daughter, he hires a governess from New York to teach his daughter, Melody, to be a lady.

Lillian Wickham is desperate for a job, poor as a church mouse, and determined as a bulldog. Arriving in Wyoming to a chilly reception, and saddled with a five-year-old girl that could be mistaken for an incredibly, dirty little boy does not daunt her.

Ray is determined to avoid women completely, to ignore Lillian’s luscious figure, ruby red lips, and husky voice. Lillian is determined to turn Melody into a lady, come hell or high water, and avoid the hellion’s devastatingly attractive father at the same time. Until one night when Lillian’s clumsiness drops her right into Ray’s arms and their passion takes on a life of its own.

When unexpected danger steals into their lives, and threatens the stubborn child they both love, will their passion be strong enough to survive, or will it tear their world apart?

I thought that The Prize was my favorite of this series, but I think that The Treasure is my favorite. Mostly b/c of Lillian. She’s such a feisty heroine, something I don’t usually like. With the way that Lillian’s character was written, I couldn’t help but like her.

After Lillian was fired from her job as a governess, she heads to Wyoming to be a governess/teacher. Traveling sight unseen is one of the hardest things Lillian has ever done, but she doesn’t have another choice. She has a bit of a problem with clumsiness, which is why she was let go from her last few jobs.

Ray Malloy sees Lillian and immediately knows that she’s not the one he needs to take over the caring of his five year old daughter, Mel. For one thing, she’s way too young. Ray has no intention of being attracted to someone that is living in his house and taking care of his daughter. He soon learns that Lillian is more of a steamroller than anything else and when her mind is set, there is no turning her from her course. He finds himself agreeing to a trial period, though he’s sure that he’s going to send her back as soon as possible.

Lillian’s clumsiness was so endearing. Ray’s acceptance of it was even more so. He just accepted it as a part of Lillian and didn’t make her feel bad about being who she was. He was a person that gave her unconditional acceptance, which no one has ever given her. That doesn’t mean that he was easy to live with. On the contrary, Ray was the most surly and arrogant man that she’s ever been around.

Their attraction is almost instant, with Ray fighting it the whole way. When his ex-wife returns after abandoning her and their daughter five years earlier, Ray has no idea the lengths she’s willing to go to get what she wants. Lillian is the only one that can help him, which he grudgingly accepts.

Most of the time I was reading this book, I found that I had a little smile on my face. Lillian was just really refreshing and so perfect for Ray.

4.25 out of 5.

This book is available from Samhain. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Other books in the series:

Casee‘s review of The Reward (Malloy Family, Book 3) by Beth Williamson.

Hermano is not just the bandito you met in The Bounty. He’s Malcolm Ross y Zarza half-Spanish, half-Scottish bastard son of a Texas hacienda owner who has hidden in the guise of a Mexican bandito for half his life. Malcolm left home at 18 fueled by rage at his half-brother Damasco and the treatment he received at the hands of Damasco’s mother, Isabella.

He returns at age 35 to find his mother, the Scottish cook that fell under the spell of Don Alejandro Zarza. When Malcolm returns to Texas, he finds his childhood friend, Leigh Wynne, a widow and owner of the neighboring ranch. Unable to believe his gut-wrenching attraction to the girl he thought of as a little sister, he tries to fight his own instincts to make her his woman.

Inevitably, he fails in his struggle, because together they set their world on fire. They forge a bond to find out the truth behind his dying father, his vicious half-brother, the murderous Isabella, and the passionate grab for the land held weakly by a man past his prime. Bullets will fly, and Malcolm and Leigh must stand and fight, for their lives and their future.

Hermano was first introduced in The Bounty. He actually strung Tyler up and semi-tortured him to keep him from finding Nicky. So the relationship between Tyler and Hermano has always been somewhat strained.

After Hermano helped rescue Jack and Rebecca, he decided that it was time to head home to Texas. Hermano left Texas after he was almost beaten to death by his half-brother. Deciding it’s high time to return, he sheds his Hermano persona and goes back home as himself. Malcolm Ross y Zarza has a score to settle and it’s high time that he finishes it.

When he returns and find his childhood friend, Leigh, in trouble, Malcolm is determined to help her and keep her safe at the same time. He is furious when he realizes how close Leigh has come to not only losing her ranch, but losing her life. After talking to his half brother, Damasco, Malcolm thinks that there’s more going on than just sabotage for the sabotage.

Leigh has worked her butt off to keep the ranch prosperous. After her husband unexpectedly dies and leaves it to her, Leigh is stunned. When Malcolm shows up after fifteen years, Leigh is both elated and angry. Elated b/c Malcolm is home. He’s no longer the boy she knew. He’s now a man that she is even more helpless to resist. And angry b/c she had thought he was dead.

This book really had it all. It had some mystery, tons of romance, and intrigue. I was really happy when Malcolm made peace with his father. The story of his childhood was very sad. Also, his stepmother (though she would never claim him as her stepson) is one crazy bitch. Like uber crazy.

4 out of 5.

This book is available from Samhain. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Other books in the series: