Carl is a millionaire living in Chance Creek renting a cottage from the Cooper clan, while searching for a ranch to buy to settle there permanently, because that's where Camila operates her Afghan-Mexican fusion restaurant with her Afghani partner, and she won't marry him if he won't settle in Chance Creek, and that means buy property here. Carl was drawn into the Cooper vs Turner feud when the Cooper matriarch, Virginia, promised Carl first dibs at the PERFECT ranch for him... If he will help Coopers clan do a major project to help them win the war between the clans... // Camila is renting a place from the Turner clan. And while she loves Carl, she can't love someone who's not living in Chance Creek permanently. And poor Carl has been searching for a ranch for THREE YEARS. Then Camila got a bit of shock from her mother... Camila needs to go back to Mexico to reclaim an ancestral mask, the symbol of her clan, for her papa from a side of family she only heard about, but never knew. And Carl just offered to go with her for the mission impossible... And on this trip. Camila will learn a lot more about herself, her family, her clan... and Carl than she ever expected to...
While I like this intro to the series, and the setup was quite good for subsequent shenanigans from other members of the Turners and Coopers, some of which are already in this novel, this novel also managed to go in too many different directions that got a bit... confusing. Carl ended up fighting multiple fires on multiple fronts (doing the project for the Coopers, going with Camila to Mexico, fixing the Mexican problem, solving his best friend Sven's problem, hiding his romance with Camila from the Coopers) that it was getting a bit messy. Similar thing with Camila: hiding her romance with Carl (who's an honorary Cooper) from the Turners, deal with her papa's misogyny (woman can't be head of his restaurant, even when his son doesn't really want to run one, and Camila does), with mama's demand to bring the mask back (which is mission impossible) and learn the REAL reason mask is where it is, and deal with her relatives in Mexico, some hostile, some enigmatic. While EVERYTHING was resolved at the end, it took a while for the various subplots to resolve itself. Even at only 260 pages, it just felt the book has "one subplot too many". On the other hand, the various little details about Mexican cooking, history of Chance Creek, and so on are good touches, and previous characters from her older Chance Creek series makes guest appearances. I like it well enough, I'll just call the extra sub-plot "minor" problem. 4.5/5
Showing posts with label Cora Seton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cora Seton. Show all posts
GRR Reviews The Navy SEAL's Christmas Bride by Cora Seton
The Navy SEAL's Christmas Bride didn't quite work for me as there's not too much holiday spirit. Instead, it ended up as more melodrama were the two who are enemies but secretly fond of each other, so they ended up goading each other as "flirting", which is about as romantic as slapping each other then next second they rip each other's clothes off. Not quite like that, but it's kinda close.
SEAL Dan Hemmins is about to muster out and he wanted to set up rich people's survival camp training in Utah, and a visit to Chance Creek to see his old buddy Mason Hall was perfect (see Vol 1: The Navy SEAL's email order bride) for Christmas when he can't go home. He did not count on running into Sarah Metlin... a soldier that could be as competent as he is... and that's saying a LOT as he's a Navy SEAL. Sarah had been trying to prove all her life against EVERYBODY, esp. her own family, that she's just as tough as her brothers, not that nobody ever appreciated that special operations do NOT admit female operators. She was not about to let some SEAL challenge her without responding in kind. Dan was smitten, as Sarah was the smartest and the toughest... and sexiest woman he'd seen. He'll do whatever it takes to get close to her, even if he had to challenge her to a few more contests...
I seriiously don't get this one. It seems they are fighting more often than not, and and when they fight, the SEAL just pins her down by body weight alone. That's kinda... creepy? Inappropriate? It's the full body contact version of stopping the slap, pull her close, then kiss her. It's so... cliche! Still, I guess between two hypercompetitive persons, this can constitute flirting.
Category: Contemporary / Military
Primary Plot: A SEAL thinking about retiring met a female soldier that may challenge his heart...
Tropes: HOliday, SEAL, enemies to lovers, forced proximity
Overall Rating: 3/5
GRR Reviews Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL by Cora Seton
Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL has one rather... absurd premise. But once you accept the premise as... "it may work", the story started to make sense. And old characters like Cap and Rose and all the other characters make guest appearances, and the bad guys... well, are bad but believably bad!
To recap, Brian Lake is a SEAL... but won't be for much longer. His last mission was a total PR disaster, and he'd been relegated into a post where he will push paper until he was... "encouraged to retire". He always wanted a ranch after his father lost theirs when he was 14, and now he will never get the chance... Until General Augustus Reed ordered him on a special mission... Infiltrate his family ranch "Two Willows" in Chance Creek, Montana, secure his five daughters, for something is very wrong in town, and General Reed, a busy man, had neglected his daughters for too long. Officially, Lake is there to fix up the house. Unofficially, he's there to marry Cass, for the ranch was everything he dreamed of. But Cass was not ready to trust any man, much less a spy sent by her father. Cass had fallen for the previous foreman, Bob, who embezzled 30000 from the ranch, and the ranch hands he hired show no respect to the five daughters, each of whom has a special talent, yet all of them seem to have bad boyfriends. Cass found out about the embezzling and kicked Bob out, but Bob was spreading rumors in town about their engagement and may have hidden something on the ranch. Lake's arrival sent Cass into a tailspin. Lake is like no other men she knew. He can kick ass and take names... but also help her without reservation, as well as treat her sisters with respect. But Lake is but one man, and Lake will have to call upon his combat training to protect the ones he loves...
The premise is really far-fetched. A general sends armed forces rejects to his Montana ranch to romance his own daughters? But you can think of it as giving these rejects, many of whom just had a tough break, a second chance, and what better place than Chance Creek? Once the plot got rolling, it got a lot better, much better, but the different "bad boyfriends" were... let's just say... NOT a coincidence! The shootout at the end, however, was slightly underwhelming. And at least this series is NOT preachy (unlike that last series).
Category: Contemporary / military
Primary Plot: SEAL gets his toughest assignment: romance the General's daughter and keep his family safe!
Tropes: SEAL, different worlds, disguise, small town, protector, woman in peril
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Review The Navy SEAL's E-Mail Order Bride (Her by Cora Seton
Cora Seton specialized in Chance Creek romances, and the Hall Brothers were her attempt in setting up military veterans in her stories. It is a bit simplistic in character but decent setup.
Mason is handsome as heck, very charming, super-honest (took on Zeke's debts without blinking), hard worker, and of course, expert in love-making when it got to that. Megan, on the other hand, was ready to start a family and found Mason to be the perfect father material. The fact that they had to work to rebuild a ranch was a bit of complication, nothing more. The fun is how they got there, and how they have to convince each other not to give up. On the other hand, Mason seems to be a bit too soft-spoken for a SEAL and Megan... just didn't get a sense on why would she be willing to be mail order bride.
When the story was limited in scope, Cora Seton's storytelling skills shines through, and the limited scope here, a single pair being romanced, made the story quite readable and the extra details become good flavor. But the characters are not very convincing or 3-D.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: ex-SEAL must convince woman willing to explore his ancentral ranch with him to stay and marry him
Tropes: arranged marriage, mail order bride, SEAL, small town
Overall Rating: 3/5 (rounded up from 2.5)
The four Hall Brothers went into different branches of the US military, and the oldest brother, Mason was a SEAL. Due to their parents' death, the Hall family ranch (known as Crescent Hall) went to their uncle Zeke and Aunt Eloise. Eloise will give back the ranch to the four brothers... If they all get married within a year... and one of them had to get pregnant. As Mason was the first to get out, he assumed to role of recon'ing the ranch (Zeke left, and Eloise is at an Assisted Living facility) as well as advertise for e-mail-order brides... Mason got a reply from Megan, who was ready to take some time off and have a baby by herself (via IVF) but Mason's charm and grand gesture convinced her to got together to Montana to visit the ranch... But they found that the farm was in much worse shape than expected, and Zeke left a ton of debt in town... Is this going to be a bonding experience... or are their romance over before it started?
Mason is handsome as heck, very charming, super-honest (took on Zeke's debts without blinking), hard worker, and of course, expert in love-making when it got to that. Megan, on the other hand, was ready to start a family and found Mason to be the perfect father material. The fact that they had to work to rebuild a ranch was a bit of complication, nothing more. The fun is how they got there, and how they have to convince each other not to give up. On the other hand, Mason seems to be a bit too soft-spoken for a SEAL and Megan... just didn't get a sense on why would she be willing to be mail order bride.
When the story was limited in scope, Cora Seton's storytelling skills shines through, and the limited scope here, a single pair being romanced, made the story quite readable and the extra details become good flavor. But the characters are not very convincing or 3-D.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: ex-SEAL must convince woman willing to explore his ancentral ranch with him to stay and marry him
Tropes: arranged marriage, mail order bride, SEAL, small town
Overall Rating: 3/5 (rounded up from 2.5)
GRR Review A SEAL's Oath (SEALs of Chance Creek B by Cora Seton
A Seal's Oath tries to set up the beginning of a new romance series by introducing a new cast of characters but recycling Chance Creek Montana, a town where all of the author's previous romances (cowboys, SEALs, and other Heroes) reside, but the amount of proselytizing about environment and minimalism (away from the rat race) confuses the romance and the extra wedding, extra crew, and the ball just completely diluted the darkest hour and made grand gesture virtually undetectable.
Boone Rudman and his three buddies, all ex-SEALs are all from Chance Creek, and they are going home. They found this special TV deal to take over Westfield Ranch, if they can start a sustainable community back home... but they have to get married and preferably get their wives pregnant. When Boone arrived, he found that his old crush, Riley Eaton, was already there with her three friends trying to live Jane Austen style. Reily's uncle was the owner who sold out to the TV producer. Riley still had some feelings for Boone, but how much can Boone reveal without making Reily do the runaway bride?
This book, I'm afraid, just has TOO many characters, as if as if the author can't stop adding them. You have the four guys, the four gals, plus the producer (and his assistant), the local couple doing historical reenactments, the wedding families and the happy couple, the other established characters (guest-starring from the other Chance Creek novels)... plus the additional personnel that will establish the community later, and the ball crew and participants...
As a result of way too many characters, the plot was a mess, and both the guys and the gals immediately squared off. Reily felt so betrayed by her uncle she can only see Boone as the enemy even though she can see the second chance. Add some "washing in the creek" (hey, it's a Jane Austen revival) and it's time for steaming kisses. There was vast amount of proselytizing about how our society is wasteful, and how sustainable community (NOT a commune!) can be built cheap and blah blah blah it's as if GreenPeace was a sponsor. Adding the Jane Austen charm barely saved it from the 1 star rating.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Returning Ex-SEAL must convince old girlfriend to marry him for real, even though it's also for a TV show and to retain her old farm
Tropes: small town, SEAL, reality show, reunion, return
Overall Rating: 2 / 5 (rounded up from 1.5)
Boone Rudman and his three buddies, all ex-SEALs are all from Chance Creek, and they are going home. They found this special TV deal to take over Westfield Ranch, if they can start a sustainable community back home... but they have to get married and preferably get their wives pregnant. When Boone arrived, he found that his old crush, Riley Eaton, was already there with her three friends trying to live Jane Austen style. Reily's uncle was the owner who sold out to the TV producer. Riley still had some feelings for Boone, but how much can Boone reveal without making Reily do the runaway bride?
This book, I'm afraid, just has TOO many characters, as if as if the author can't stop adding them. You have the four guys, the four gals, plus the producer (and his assistant), the local couple doing historical reenactments, the wedding families and the happy couple, the other established characters (guest-starring from the other Chance Creek novels)... plus the additional personnel that will establish the community later, and the ball crew and participants...
As a result of way too many characters, the plot was a mess, and both the guys and the gals immediately squared off. Reily felt so betrayed by her uncle she can only see Boone as the enemy even though she can see the second chance. Add some "washing in the creek" (hey, it's a Jane Austen revival) and it's time for steaming kisses. There was vast amount of proselytizing about how our society is wasteful, and how sustainable community (NOT a commune!) can be built cheap and blah blah blah it's as if GreenPeace was a sponsor. Adding the Jane Austen charm barely saved it from the 1 star rating.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Returning Ex-SEAL must convince old girlfriend to marry him for real, even though it's also for a TV show and to retain her old farm
Tropes: small town, SEAL, reality show, reunion, return
Overall Rating: 2 / 5 (rounded up from 1.5)
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