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Christmas at the Carlisles #2
Bodyguard Under the Mistletoe
Bodyguard Jesse Longbridge had been shot while trying to stop a kidnapping at the Carlisle Ranch. He swore he'd track the enemy to the ends of the earth. And his path led him to Fiona Grant's door.
The young widow only had one thing on her Christmas list: keeping her daughter safe from the chaos of the investigation next door. So when a body was discovered on her property, Fiona jumped at Jesse's offer to stay for the holidays. He had a stoic face, but honest, caring eyes. And no matter how she ached to feel his toned and chiseled arms around her, she needed the protection that only a man like Jesse could provide....
The young widow only had one thing on her Christmas list: keeping her daughter safe from the chaos of the investigation next door. So when a body was discovered on her property, Fiona jumped at Jesse's offer to stay for the holidays. He had a stoic face, but honest, caring eyes. And no matter how she ached to feel his toned and chiseled arms around her, she needed the protection that only a man like Jesse could provide....
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2009
About the author
Cassie Miles
325 books69 followersCassie grew up in a small town at the very tip of southern Illinois. A tomboy, she spent most of her time outside and got into big trouble for breaking the trellis while climbing out her second-story bedroom window.
When her family moved to L.A., major culture shock ensued. She discovered that grapefruits grew on trees, television offered more than two channels, and all the other girls had breasts. While hiding out and waiting for her chest to develop, she read voraciously, raiding her mother's bookshelf for Mickey Spillane when she finished all her Nancy Drew novels.
Another move took her family to Denver, the place Cassie still calls home.
She graduated from North Central college outside Chicago, got married, and returned to Colorado where she worked in personnel at the Denver Post and lived in a mountain cabin without running water. Upon learning she was pregnant, a return to civilization seemed prudent. She settled in Denver, raised two amazing daughters, and started writing for Harlequin. After her divorce, she took a break from romance and wrote straight suspense.
During her frantic years as a single mom, writing books and working odd jobs to supplement her income, she hardly had time to breathe, much less to dream. Then something remarkable happened. She fell in love with a tall, sexy man who was an aerial photographer and the author of tough-guy mystery novels. Fortunately, he loved her back. She found her real-life hero, inherited three more grown kids and three grandchildren.
Cassie started writing romance again, loving every minute of a life filled with laughter, crazy road trips, sailboats, and journeys to Oregon with long walks on rocky beaches.
Not too long ago, the love of her life developed inoperable pancreatic cancer. With supportive friends and family standing by, he died at home.
Cassie now lives alone, surrounded by beautiful memories. She has no regrets and considers herself lucky to have found her soul mate, the man with whom she shared a perfect love.
Pseudonym/s: Kay Bergstrom
When her family moved to L.A., major culture shock ensued. She discovered that grapefruits grew on trees, television offered more than two channels, and all the other girls had breasts. While hiding out and waiting for her chest to develop, she read voraciously, raiding her mother's bookshelf for Mickey Spillane when she finished all her Nancy Drew novels.
Another move took her family to Denver, the place Cassie still calls home.
She graduated from North Central college outside Chicago, got married, and returned to Colorado where she worked in personnel at the Denver Post and lived in a mountain cabin without running water. Upon learning she was pregnant, a return to civilization seemed prudent. She settled in Denver, raised two amazing daughters, and started writing for Harlequin. After her divorce, she took a break from romance and wrote straight suspense.
During her frantic years as a single mom, writing books and working odd jobs to supplement her income, she hardly had time to breathe, much less to dream. Then something remarkable happened. She fell in love with a tall, sexy man who was an aerial photographer and the author of tough-guy mystery novels. Fortunately, he loved her back. She found her real-life hero, inherited three more grown kids and three grandchildren.
Cassie started writing romance again, loving every minute of a life filled with laughter, crazy road trips, sailboats, and journeys to Oregon with long walks on rocky beaches.
Not too long ago, the love of her life developed inoperable pancreatic cancer. With supportive friends and family standing by, he died at home.
Cassie now lives alone, surrounded by beautiful memories. She has no regrets and considers herself lucky to have found her soul mate, the man with whom she shared a perfect love.
Pseudonym/s: Kay Bergstrom
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 1, 2009
Trying to prevent Nicole Carlisle from being kidnapped, Jesse Longbridge had been shot and spent the last three days in a coma. Upon awakening, he learns that Nicole’s kidnappers have been identified but are still at large, the ransom of one mill has been paid and the money disappeared, Nicole is alive and well and left her husband after demanding a divorce, and the FBI, since there was no crime, called of the search parties.
Nicole’s sister-in-law isn’t satisfied with those answers and Jesse has to agree. Nicole is still his employer and until he hears the words directly from her he won’t rest until he finds her. And the ransom money.
But the Carlisles aren’t the only ones looking for the money. A rift between the kidnappers forced one of them to hide the money, and the most likely place was the Widow Grant’s house.
Living alone with her daughter, Fiona Grant never thought about protecting them until the night she heard two men argue in front of her door. The next day she sees a shadow lurking around her house and seeks help. The first one to come to her rescue is Jesse, the man who had once saved her husband’s life. And when the two find a dead body on her property, both are convinced Fiona and her daughter are not safe by themselves.
Taking on the pro bono job of her bodyguard, Jesse moves in. But will he be able to protect them so soon after almost losing his life, when the man that shot him is gunning for Fiona next? Will they find the money? And what exactly happened the night Nicole was freed, met her husband alone, and demanded a divorce?
This is the second book in what appears a trilogy about the goings on at the Carlisle ranch, and while it doesn’t reach the appeal of the first book, it is still an awesome sequel. It takes on where Colorado Abduction ended, with Jesse Longbridge waking up from his coma and wanting to continue where he left off – saving Nicole Carlisle.
The story flowed naturally, smoothly transitioning from one story to the next. Though the romance took a rather back seat to all the action, the suspense and mystery of the investigation to uncover the truth of what happened compensated very well.
Jesse and Fiona were wonderful characters, fully formed, with some emotional baggage (on Fiona’s side because she was a widow and on Jesse’s side because she had loved another man before him), but it didn’t slow the pace down, it didn’t dilute the intensity of the narration, but only added to the appeal of their budding love story.
I love it how Ms. Miles is able to develop a story, convey all the necessary emotions and feelings, without falling into the abyss of emotional scarring almost too deep to overcome. I’ve noticed (and applauded) it in Colorado Abduction and this "style" became even more apparent in Bodyguard Under the Mistletoe.
Carolyn and J.D. were recurring characters in this book as well, giving us a few precious glimpses of how they progressed from their (a little unconventional) HEA in the previous book.
But what really caught my attention (actually held it from the first book) was the main plot – the arc coursing through the trilogy. The kidnapping had seemed to be resolved, but this book tore everything at the seams. The suspense was gripping, the mystery intriguing, and the final twist a huge surprise. I sure didn’t see that one coming until the very end. Kudos to the author for succeeding in carrying a simple kidnapping plot through two books without losing the reader’s attention. I can’t wait to read the conclusion of this wonderful trilogy.
Nicole’s sister-in-law isn’t satisfied with those answers and Jesse has to agree. Nicole is still his employer and until he hears the words directly from her he won’t rest until he finds her. And the ransom money.
But the Carlisles aren’t the only ones looking for the money. A rift between the kidnappers forced one of them to hide the money, and the most likely place was the Widow Grant’s house.
Living alone with her daughter, Fiona Grant never thought about protecting them until the night she heard two men argue in front of her door. The next day she sees a shadow lurking around her house and seeks help. The first one to come to her rescue is Jesse, the man who had once saved her husband’s life. And when the two find a dead body on her property, both are convinced Fiona and her daughter are not safe by themselves.
Taking on the pro bono job of her bodyguard, Jesse moves in. But will he be able to protect them so soon after almost losing his life, when the man that shot him is gunning for Fiona next? Will they find the money? And what exactly happened the night Nicole was freed, met her husband alone, and demanded a divorce?
This is the second book in what appears a trilogy about the goings on at the Carlisle ranch, and while it doesn’t reach the appeal of the first book, it is still an awesome sequel. It takes on where Colorado Abduction ended, with Jesse Longbridge waking up from his coma and wanting to continue where he left off – saving Nicole Carlisle.
The story flowed naturally, smoothly transitioning from one story to the next. Though the romance took a rather back seat to all the action, the suspense and mystery of the investigation to uncover the truth of what happened compensated very well.
Jesse and Fiona were wonderful characters, fully formed, with some emotional baggage (on Fiona’s side because she was a widow and on Jesse’s side because she had loved another man before him), but it didn’t slow the pace down, it didn’t dilute the intensity of the narration, but only added to the appeal of their budding love story.
I love it how Ms. Miles is able to develop a story, convey all the necessary emotions and feelings, without falling into the abyss of emotional scarring almost too deep to overcome. I’ve noticed (and applauded) it in Colorado Abduction and this "style" became even more apparent in Bodyguard Under the Mistletoe.
Carolyn and J.D. were recurring characters in this book as well, giving us a few precious glimpses of how they progressed from their (a little unconventional) HEA in the previous book.
But what really caught my attention (actually held it from the first book) was the main plot – the arc coursing through the trilogy. The kidnapping had seemed to be resolved, but this book tore everything at the seams. The suspense was gripping, the mystery intriguing, and the final twist a huge surprise. I sure didn’t see that one coming until the very end. Kudos to the author for succeeding in carrying a simple kidnapping plot through two books without losing the reader’s attention. I can’t wait to read the conclusion of this wonderful trilogy.
October 31, 2014
I enjoyed this book. It did seem to have a slow pace to the story. The suspense was good, however the book had very little action.
Nicole was kidnapped, and her husband paid a large ransom to get her back. After he paid the large sum, his wife was never returned. Jesse worked for a security firm, and he and his partners was investigating , trying to find leads.
Fiona lived on a small farm with her cute daughter Abby. I loved Abby. I think she made this book. Strange things started happening, and Fiona, and her daughter was in danger. Jesse appointed himself as her bodyguard. The romance between Jesse, and Fiona was slow, and sweet. I enjoyed that they built upon the friendship, trusting one another before they feel into bed.
Nicole was kidnapped, and her husband paid a large ransom to get her back. After he paid the large sum, his wife was never returned. Jesse worked for a security firm, and he and his partners was investigating , trying to find leads.
Fiona lived on a small farm with her cute daughter Abby. I loved Abby. I think she made this book. Strange things started happening, and Fiona, and her daughter was in danger. Jesse appointed himself as her bodyguard. The romance between Jesse, and Fiona was slow, and sweet. I enjoyed that they built upon the friendship, trusting one another before they feel into bed.
January 16, 2011
One of those books that gives me hope that I will one day become a published author because it was SO badly-written. So incredibly cheesy.
November 15, 2017
When the bad guys from the last book in this series get away during the confusion, they end up hiding. One of them hang around one of the neighbours from the ranch in the last book. Our heroine is a widow and single mother. The heroine's late husband knew the hero and liked him. Our hero was one of the people shot in our last book, and has woken up and time to go do his job even if he's just gotten out of the hospital. They meet and our hero becomes our heroine's bodyguard to protect them in his late friend's honor. As they get to know each other, they start to fall for each other. However once they find out everyone involved and keep them safe, will they survive?
The plot was well thought out but seems to take awhile to get going. Towards the end all the twists and turns are done really quickly and there are some surprises. The main characters are likable if not predicable. This is an ok read, but really had nothing to do with Christmas.
The plot was well thought out but seems to take awhile to get going. Towards the end all the twists and turns are done really quickly and there are some surprises. The main characters are likable if not predicable. This is an ok read, but really had nothing to do with Christmas.
January 6, 2018
Part of a series, but doesn't really stand alone and all of the Carlisle Ranch books should be one longer book. This is a story of a kidnapping but because it is a middle book, there is not a lot of plot here and the conclusion is missing.
August 24, 2020
For some reason, this series really caught my imagination. Maybe it was imagining what Mom's reaction to them would have been, maybe it was my 'misspent youth' as a wannabe cowgirl? In any case, I really enjoyed the Christmas at the Carlisles series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews