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5th out of 60 books
—
94 voters
Crime Scene At Cardwell Ranch (Montana Mystique #1)
by
B.J. Daniels
After Hudson Savage betrayed her, Dana Cardwell hoped never to lay eyes on the seductive cowboy again. Until a bunch of old bones showed up on her family ranch. Suddenly her former lover was back in her life in a big way-to investigate a decades-old crime.
Five years ago, Hud left town with a heart load of regrets. But now, as acting interim marshal, he had a job to do. And...moreMass Market Paperback, 250 pages
Published
February 14th 2006
by Harlequin Books
(first published February 14th 2004)
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This is another 3.5. Which shocks the hell out of me. I keep reading these little Harlequin books hoping to like them and most of the time they are two-stars. The real shame of it is that this is a free book. It has been free for years, while the other ones cost money.
The only real complaints I had were:
-The slow reveal of what happened five years ago. I hate that. Stop mentioning and dropping hints about this mysterious five years ago and just tell me what the hell happened! I had already guess...more
The only real complaints I had were:
-The slow reveal of what happened five years ago. I hate that. Stop mentioning and dropping hints about this mysterious five years ago and just tell me what the hell happened! I had already guess...more
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May 16, 2009
Wendy (V-Lishous)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Wendy (V-Lishous) by:
I saw Alathea's review
I have been reading paranormal for over a year now. I felt I'd gotten so deep into that world that I wouldn't enjoy a regular romance/suspense book. I WAS WRONG! Not a huge surprise either being wrong, it does happen from time to time.
This was a quick read and very enjoyable. It had all sorts fo twists and turns in it. It was a true "Who Dun It". I kept changing my mind as to who the villan was and I was very surprised by who it actually was. I just didn't see that coming till just before the b...more
This was a quick read and very enjoyable. It had all sorts fo twists and turns in it. It was a true "Who Dun It". I kept changing my mind as to who the villan was and I was very surprised by who it actually was. I just didn't see that coming till just before the b...more
5 likes · like · see review
This as a very good "whodunit" story, who kept me guessing - incorrectly, LOL - about the killer's identity until the end. I could have sworn it was someone else but, when the mystery was solved, it made sense and I wasn't left thinking where the heck that had come from.
The romance part of the book was kind of weak - especially the silly Big Misunderstanding that kept Hud and Dana separated for 5 years - but I knew that beforehand, so it didn't bother me. I read this book mainly for the mystery...more
The romance part of the book was kind of weak - especially the silly Big Misunderstanding that kept Hud and Dana separated for 5 years - but I knew that beforehand, so it didn't bother me. I read this book mainly for the mystery...more
It was just a convenient read on a long bus ride, not too bad and can keep you turning the pages. But it really doesnt play your mind much, very predictable plot.
The romantic tension was nice, but really makes you wonder if what Dana and Hud did 5years ago sound as convincing if they really do love each other that much.
One extra star only because it was a free read
The romantic tension was nice, but really makes you wonder if what Dana and Hud did 5years ago sound as convincing if they really do love each other that much.
One extra star only because it was a free read
We have all heard about "guilty pleasures" and apparently we all have them. I have all types of pleasures but I am not a fan of calling them "guilty". I love what I love and I don't feel any shame in that. I mean, don't let there be a cheerleader competition on ESPN because I will camp out all day and watch the flips, the dances and the cheers! It is great fun. I am also a sucker for a silly romance novel. Yes - I know how they are going to end, yes - the language is often so silly that it is la...more
Still researching what's hot and new in category romance in the new millennium.
This is my third in the lot of sixteen free downloads, and the one I've most enjoyed so far. There's a mystery at the core of the book, and it's a fairly gripping mystery, well unfolded. In story terms, the mystery aspect is at least the equal of the romance aspect, and the two tie together nicely; I never felt that either part had been tacked on to the other.
The lead couple are more well-rounded than the last two I...more
This is my third in the lot of sixteen free downloads, and the one I've most enjoyed so far. There's a mystery at the core of the book, and it's a fairly gripping mystery, well unfolded. In story terms, the mystery aspect is at least the equal of the romance aspect, and the two tie together nicely; I never felt that either part had been tacked on to the other.
The lead couple are more well-rounded than the last two I...more
I read this book before, but I still enjoyed it.
Hud, and Dana were high school sweethearts. Hud left town 5 years ago without a backwards glance breaking Dana’s Heart. She couldn’t stand him now. There were bones found at the bottom of a well on Dana’s ranch. She was surprised that the acting marshal was Hud. He was back in town.
The bones opened up one case, and re opened another. Dana was being threatened, but Hud, and Dana had to find out who was behind the threats. Everyone in Dana’s family...more
Hud, and Dana were high school sweethearts. Hud left town 5 years ago without a backwards glance breaking Dana’s Heart. She couldn’t stand him now. There were bones found at the bottom of a well on Dana’s ranch. She was surprised that the acting marshal was Hud. He was back in town.
The bones opened up one case, and re opened another. Dana was being threatened, but Hud, and Dana had to find out who was behind the threats. Everyone in Dana’s family...more
Like BJ Daniels and Lorena McCourtney ... I think that more authors should offer one free e-book for readers to get a taste of their writing. If it were not for those two authors giving away a free e-book of theirs I would have never come across these authors with such great talent for creative writing!
I was certainly very very surprised to see that that such novels were Harlequin Romance novels because I am surely not a "romance reader." But over time I see that Harlequin books (or authors) do...more
I was certainly very very surprised to see that that such novels were Harlequin Romance novels because I am surely not a "romance reader." But over time I see that Harlequin books (or authors) do...more
Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch was a 2009 publication and is currently being offered for free as an ebook on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. And free is good. It's the shortest of the 4 Harlequin Intrigues I've recently read, coming in at a brief 160 pages. And I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. The love part is for the well-crafted mystery, the confident writing style that moves along at a rapid pace and kept me reading to find out who committed the crimes. The hate part was bec...more
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I'm not crazy about het, but I'll read it if the price is right, and being a freebee definitely fits that description. I picked it up from Amazon, loaded it to my Kindle, and decided to read it while I was cruising.
First off, left me just say that a reader in her late teens (and possibly younger)/early twenties might think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but frankly, I found the heroine TSTL. The front door is open, and she blithely walks on in? Uh... no. What half-way intelligent...more
First off, left me just say that a reader in her late teens (and possibly younger)/early twenties might think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but frankly, I found the heroine TSTL. The front door is open, and she blithely walks on in? Uh... no. What half-way intelligent...more
Romance/western mystery is not my genre--or genres, admittedly. But when Harlequin Romance donated no less that 4 large boxes of THIS book to our school, I began promoting it aggressively just so I could get rid of the copies, and clear space in my library!
Then, I realized that if I am trying to get students to take a free copy of this, I had better get over my initial distaste for the title/cover/genre and general vibe I was getting and actually read the book.
This book was wrought with cliches...more
Then, I realized that if I am trying to get students to take a free copy of this, I had better get over my initial distaste for the title/cover/genre and general vibe I was getting and actually read the book.
This book was wrought with cliches...more
1 like · like · see review
If you read enough of my reviews, you'll know that one of my pet peeves is poor editing. "Crime Scene At Cardwell Ranch" by B.J. Daniels suffered from this...which caused me to suffer while reading it.
Five years ago Hud left his small hometown, and his love, behind after he was caught in a compromising situation with his love's sister. Now a mysterious letter and a job offer have hastened his return and Hud intends to get to the bottom of exactly what happened that night. Before he can start his...more
Five years ago Hud left his small hometown, and his love, behind after he was caught in a compromising situation with his love's sister. Now a mysterious letter and a job offer have hastened his return and Hud intends to get to the bottom of exactly what happened that night. Before he can start his...more
9 likes · like · see review
Dana doesn't want to sell her family's Montana ranch, but her siblings are insistent that they want the capital from it now rather than wait for gradual pay-offs in the future. Without her mother's new will, Dana doesn't really have a leg to stand on. Things get even more complicated when a body is found in an old well on the ranch. The town brings in a new marshal to investigate, and he turns out to be none other than Dana's ex-fiancee, Hud.
Daniels does good job with the intrigue element of thi...more
Daniels does good job with the intrigue element of thi...more
It turns out I feel kind of rotten giving a book a bad rating, so if I go into too much detail about why to justify it, I apologize in advance.
First of all, if you are going to offer something for free, make sure it's good. I would be more forgiving if this was an indie author publishing independently, but it's not, it's an established author with Harlequin. Indie authors would be more careful about what they offer for public consumption because they hope to be successful, established authors on...more
First of all, if you are going to offer something for free, make sure it's good. I would be more forgiving if this was an indie author publishing independently, but it's not, it's an established author with Harlequin. Indie authors would be more careful about what they offer for public consumption because they hope to be successful, established authors on...more
I may have found another author for my re-read shelves. Or it just might be the comparison to the books I've recently read, but I had no problem reading this from beginning to end non-stop. My only complaint is that it is too short. It could easily have continued from the ending, even though it ended in a good place. At any rate, I liked the setting, the characters, the pace, and the dysfunctional family, four young men and women who all wanted different things. The murder was a bit upsetting. I...more
Ok so I had this book for a long time and I didn't read it. My sister had given it to me b/c she got it for free from somewhere and when I saw the cover it put me off so I decided not to read it. But then one day I was bored and didn't have anything to read so I picked up this book and decided to see what its all about. AND to my surprise it was actually a really good read. I could not put it down, it was a page turner and had lots of twist and turns. It also had romance but mainly focused on th...more
I don’t know about you all, but if I see something published by a legit publisher for free in the Kindle store, I ‘purchase’ it, regardless of what it is, because it’s really a risk-free investment. And for once in my life this investment actually managed to turn out to be a good thing. You see, I grabbed Crime Scene At Cardwell Ranch by BJ Daniels when it was free on Kindle, just because I figure I like cowboys and I like Harlequin and it’s not like I’m losing money on this. THEN the other week...more
I just love “short” Harlequin stories. They’re just long enough to cram everything in without the whole thing seeming hurried and short enough to finish it elegantly without the plot-dragging devices and predictable turns.
This book is one of such stories. The suspense was nicely done, even had some traces of a thriller in it, and surprise of all surprise I didn’t see that ending coming. The villain was utterly unexpected for me (yeah, you can call me naïve if you want) and the added bonus of a t...more
This book is one of such stories. The suspense was nicely done, even had some traces of a thriller in it, and surprise of all surprise I didn’t see that ending coming. The villain was utterly unexpected for me (yeah, you can call me naïve if you want) and the added bonus of a t...more
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I don't read many books that fall into this category but this one was free and so...why not? The pacing is good, characters well rounded and the plot realistic. The murder is handled well and brings in numerous individuals important not just to the police investigation but to Hud and Dana's life.
The thought the personalities of all the characters were developed well with the exception of Jordan, Dana's brother. He was too over-the-top for me and the thought he could have been toned down to be b...more
The thought the personalities of all the characters were developed well with the exception of Jordan, Dana's brother. He was too over-the-top for me and the thought he could have been toned down to be b...more
Crime Scene At Cardwell Ranch opens with a woman coming to after falling down a well. Injured and confused, she calls out to her lover, only to have him shoot at her. Fast forward 17 years and Dana Cardwell is starting a very bad day. Her foreman comes to her about some bones in an old well on the property and they call the sheriff in. The old sheriff had just retired and as the new one drives up to conduct the investigation, Dana realizes it's her former fiance, Hudson Savage. Hud left town 5 y...more
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It was an interesting premise, so I was kind of excited to read this book. I didn't get to it for a while, but once I did I was drawn in. I wish the author would've explained things a bit sooner because it got tiresome to keep hearing about the same problems again and again, but the murder plot line kept me interested enough to finish. The subplot where the heroine was going to have to sell her family's ranch because of her jerk siblings irritated me, at best. Romance novel heroines have become...more
I had a hard time starting this book because of the fact that it is a Harlequin novel. However, I am glad that I did decide to read it, because it was not the sexy, sleazy romance i have always thought of when I heard Harlequin novel. the author is actually from Montana and this story was set in Montana, which was fun for me, a native Montanan, because NOTHING is set in Montana! And it was fun being able to visualize a lot of the places she was talking about, since I had been in the area this wa...more
I started reading this book on a whim as I had just downloaded the free kobo app for the iphone and this book was free. It was quite enjoyable. The characters where great and had some great depth and the relationship for a small town where pretty genuine. I specifically appreciated how quick news travels in a small town :0)
I enjoyed the mystery that was part of the story, as it kept me guessing throughout the book. Just when I thought I had it all figured out there's a twist and I'm totally wron...more
I enjoyed the mystery that was part of the story, as it kept me guessing throughout the book. Just when I thought I had it all figured out there's a twist and I'm totally wron...more
Jan 24, 2010
Rachel
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
romance readers; those without a lot of time
Shelves:
read-in-2010
This was one of the free books that Harlequin advertised for their 60th anniversary. It is a very short murder mystery. For a romance it does focus more on the mystery and intrigue and does not have multiple explict sex scenes, which I prefer (leave a little to the imagination). Overall it's not a bad read, for this genre. There is not a lot of character development or growth and in my opinion the story line was pretty easy to follow. However when I read this type of novel it is because I need s...more
This was one of sixteen free ebooks that Harlequin promoted for one of their anniversaries.
Overall, I found this a good read, and interesting as a mystery (more so than as a romance). The atmosphere was suspenseful; while I guessed the villain fairly early on, I wouldn't have been surprised if one of several other characters turned out to be the bad guy. I liked the main characters and was happy that they got back together. The "how I did it" spiel from the villain at the end was over the top, b...more
Overall, I found this a good read, and interesting as a mystery (more so than as a romance). The atmosphere was suspenseful; while I guessed the villain fairly early on, I wouldn't have been surprised if one of several other characters turned out to be the bad guy. I liked the main characters and was happy that they got back together. The "how I did it" spiel from the villain at the end was over the top, b...more
Originally posted at Herding Cats & Burning Soup
Might not be the catchiest title but it's a pretty good book! I picked up Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch not too long ago when I needed a book with a cowboy hat on the cover. I hadn't read Daniels before so didn't know what to expect and gotta say I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. The story was very light in the romance department and not steamy at all but the mystery and crime were very well done and kept me turning the pages. I enj...more
Might not be the catchiest title but it's a pretty good book! I picked up Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch not too long ago when I needed a book with a cowboy hat on the cover. I hadn't read Daniels before so didn't know what to expect and gotta say I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. The story was very light in the romance department and not steamy at all but the mystery and crime were very well done and kept me turning the pages. I enj...more
My college student center handed out free copies of this romance+mystery novel to girls at my school. I read it because It's the only book I had right now that I hadn't read and I wanted something new. I was actually pleasantly surprised. I'm not hugely into romance, but this book really kept the smut on the down low and focused more of the mystery aspect. It was a predictable romance/mystery plot, but still a fun, short read. I enjoyed the hero and heroine and the plot was complicated enough to...more
It was a nice romance mystery. Dana cardwell lives on the family ranch. her family is making her sell the ranch. 5 years earlier she got her sister in bed with her fiance who than left town. on cardwell ranch old homstead well is found a murder victum and when the new sherriff comes its Hud her old boyfriend. Dana ends up dealing with a murder victum her whole family forcing her to sell,old boyfriend who doesnt remember that night 5 years ago. somone has tried to kill dana now. has lots of suspe...more
1.5 stars
I got this book for free from Amazon for my iPod Touch, and it took me...hmm...6 months to finish it. Not a strong recommendation--but on the other hand, I did actually finish it.
Sooo...it's not much of a romance. The connection between the characters was bland at best. And the hero's name is Hud, which reminded me far to much of Hudge from the "Loaded Goat" episode of The Andy Griffith Show. The mystery was better than the romance, I guess, although it was not that great. Given the ab...more
I got this book for free from Amazon for my iPod Touch, and it took me...hmm...6 months to finish it. Not a strong recommendation--but on the other hand, I did actually finish it.
Sooo...it's not much of a romance. The connection between the characters was bland at best. And the hero's name is Hud, which reminded me far to much of Hudge from the "Loaded Goat" episode of The Andy Griffith Show. The mystery was better than the romance, I guess, although it was not that great. Given the ab...more
I've had this book forever I figured it was time to start reading it. It sounds really good.
I really enjoyed this book. I'm going to have to pick up more books by this author. I loved the story about Dana and Hud. It was an amazing story and at moments in the book I didn't think Dana would be able to overcome the hurt Hud had put her through 5 years earlier. It was a great mysery and I loved the way everything worked out in the end. The only issue I had with the book was it didn't explain how th...more
I really enjoyed this book. I'm going to have to pick up more books by this author. I loved the story about Dana and Hud. It was an amazing story and at moments in the book I didn't think Dana would be able to overcome the hurt Hud had put her through 5 years earlier. It was a great mysery and I loved the way everything worked out in the end. The only issue I had with the book was it didn't explain how th...more
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B.J. Daniels' life dream was to be a policewoman. After a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist, she wrote and sold 37 short stories before she finally wrote her first book. Since then she has won numerous awards including a career achievement award last year for romantic suspense.
She lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, two Springer Spaniels, Jem and Spot, and a temperamental tomc...more
More about B.J. Daniels...
She lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, two Springer Spaniels, Jem and Spot, and a temperamental tomc...more
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