[[❤NicoleR][Poll Tally] Christmas at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels - 2 stars

[Theresa]

Boy, howdy, is this a mess! Tag (it's a cowboy mystery romance novel. Of course the hero is named something manly like TAG!) has arrived in Big Sky, MT just days before Christmas, a surprise visit to his absent father. Hours after arriving, he walks into the local bar where his father's band plays occasionally. There Tag gets embroiled immediately in odd doings that escallate rapidly over the next 48 to 72 hours, leading to several life-threatening showdowns, a high body count, saving the girl, and many secrets being exposed and storylines wrapped up. All just in time for Santa to gift the survivors on Christmas Eve.

Tag also meets Lily that night, who is helping out her brother as a barmaid during the holidays when on hiatus from her 'day job', a geeky nerdy mathematician. Lily also is recovering from being jilted at the altar, although she is the only person mourning the sudden exit of her boring, safe, older fiancee. Lily and Tag manage to spark, in spite of Tag's initial inability to raise his eyes higher than her boobs, and end up having a wild night of passion, unlike any Lily's ever dreamed let alone experienced. Imagine how great the sex would have been if Tag had not been woozy from a head wound (car accident) and strong pain killers?! Or could that be why she gives Tag the cold shoulder the next morning, letting him think it was drug induced fantasy? This attract/reject behavior by Lily repeats multiple times in multiple ways leaving me to mutter under my breath repeatedly to Tag to just give up on rescuing fair damsel; she deserves her fate. Of course he ignored me.

Another huge problem was that this one reads as if it is an event in one longer story. From the beginning there are allusions to ongoing storylines and past events, and a real sense that this is not a stand-alone, but part of an interwoven series, although there is nothing in title or intro indicating that or any easy way to find the proper sequence of the author's books featuring the extended family featured.

What led me to give it 2 stars: 1 star is for locale in Big Sky, MT, very recognizable if you had spent a week in Big Sky Meadow Village as I did. The 2nd star is because it is non-stop thriller, with tons of action.

[Joanne]

Theresa wrote: "Boy, howdy, is this a mess! Tag (it's a cowboy mystery romance novel. Of course the hero is named something manly like TAG!) has arrived in Big Sky, MT just days before Christmas, a surprise visit ..."

Oh! Something happened to your heart-it looks like you are swearing at Nicole😂🤣🤣

[Theresa]

I posted from desktop not tablet so the emojis don't always translate.

I just fixed from tablet...although on this one cursing might be proper.