Giveaway and Review~ Texas Haven by Kathleen Ball

Blurb:

Sexy ,Rancher Burke Dawson wants a family- including a wife who has no expectations of love. Burke never bargained on Annie Douglas. Searching for a place to belong, Annie Douglas heads to Texas, hoping to discover the one thing she had never had, love and passion.

Deciding not to act on their attraction, they part ways. Burke continues to search for a wife, but he realizes that only Annie will do. Annie heads back to her lonely life in New York City and her controlling Stepbrother. Annie is thrilled when Burke proposes.

Annie’s Stepbrother tries to stop the wedding, he doesn’t want her to know about an inheritance she is supposed to receive upon her wedding day. Failing that, he hires Burke’s caustic ex-wife, Alice to break up the marriage at any cost. Alice has plans of her own that include her remarriage to Burke. She just needs to get Annie out of the way.

Misunderstandings, accidents, and treachery cause Annie to return to New York, shattered. Finding herself pregnant, Annie heads back to Texas only to hear from Alice that Burke denies that the baby is his.

Discovering Alice’s misdeeds, Burke throws her off the ranch. He tries his damnedest to lasso Annie once again. Nothing seems to work. Making one last effort, Burke takes Annie for a walk under the Texas stars and gives her the one thing she wants most- his heart.

Title: Texas Haven

Series: The Dawson Ranch

Author: Kathleen Ball

Publisher: Secret Cravings

Purchase Links:

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Excerpt:
Annie felt enchanted. For all the show of not liking cats, Burke seemed attached to this one. If only he had given her a better name.

After a delicious dinner of steak, potatoes, and homemade biscuits, they sat on the porch swing in the front of the house. The night had cooled pleasantly with a refreshing breeze blowing the prairie grass back and forth. Long-stalked sunflowers bent and danced to some unknown ballet. Annie closed her eyes and took it all in. She wanted to make a memory of this place, of this moment for when she was back in New York. It was going to be harder to go back to her stark existence after this perfect night. She looked at Burke’s profile hoping to memorize it too. There was such strength in his features from his square jaw line to his crooked nose. She wondered if he had broken it in a fight. His eyes were so blue that she had gotten lost in them many times throughout the evening. All of Annie’s nerves tingled as her arm brushed against his. There was no doubt about the attraction they had for each other.

“Have you always lived on this ranch?”

Burke grinned. “All my life.”

“It must have been nice growing up here with your family.”

“Well, my mother was a saint of course and my father… let’s see, how can I describe him without chasing you away? He was a strict old son of a gun who was about as mule-headed as a man could be. It was his way or you suffered the consequences. I guess you could say that I was a slow learner.”

Annie put her hand on his arm. “I grew up basically the same way. I know all about consequences.”

 About the Author:


A voracious reader, Kathleen quickly discovered the world of romance novels and she knew she was home. Kathleen wrote her first book two years ago. She was shocked to find out that people loved what she wrote. All of Kathleen's novels are award winners. Callie's Heart is her first published novel. It is the first book in The Lasso Springs Series. Kathleen lives in Texas. She moved there from Rochester, New York and is having the time of her life exploring Texas culture. Kathleen is married to her wonderful husband Bruce and they have one son, Steven. They just welcomed new additions to their family, a new daughter in law, Brittany and her cute as a button son, Colt.

She feels blessed to be supported in her writing by her family and friends.

Connect with her via: Her blog / Facebook / Twitter

My thoughts:

I liked the overall plot. It had romance, danger, and mystery. The story was simplistically complex. 

The characters behaved in ways that frustrated me! Burke was unbelievably gullible. Annie was so doubtful and she always thought the worst of herself. Don't even get me started on Alice's character!

I was glad that Annie finally got a back bone towards the end of the book. The ending was sweet! Kathleen Ball wrapped it all up nice and neat.

I recommend this book to those who like romances that keep you wondering how it will ever work out.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Honestly I thoroughly enjoyed it despite having issues with the way some of the characters behaved. :)

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

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