Their past never faded–and neither did their passion. Between running his family ranch and dealing with far too many needy relatives, Shaw Jameson doesn’t have time for more trouble. But when his first love, former-child-star-turned-businesswoman Sunny Dalton, returns to Lone Star Ridge, Shaw senses things are about to get a whole lot more interesting. Shaw isn’t prepared for the memories that … for the memories that come flooding back now…or the reignited spark between them that turns into a raging inferno. Still, this gorgeous cowboy will do everything he can not to get burned a second time. Because Sunny never promised this visit was permanent and Shaw has no intention of giving up the land he loves. Letting Sunny go again is certain to leave a Texas-sized mark on his soul–and a permanent wall around his heart. Unless he can prove their small town holds the promise of the future they both always imagined.
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Good read! Humorous
Great read
A little slow
Tangled Up In Texas by Delores Fossen, is book one of new Lone Star Ridge series and it is a delightful romance about a cowboy and a former child star. Between running a ranch and dealing with too many needy relatives, Shaw Jameson doesn’t have the time for more trouble. His day starts with finding a red bra on the road–only this one comes with spikes. Yep, here comes Sunny Dalton, his first love is a former-child-star-turned-businesswoman who is heading home in Lone Star Ridge. Delores Fossen’s humor bring life to her delightful yet quirky characters like Granny Em with her saucy attitude, and Lenore, Shaw’s mother, with specialty dishes. I am laughing along as I read the meddling of family and small-towns gossips, ups and downs in Shaw and Sunny’s relationship as they try to cope with it all. There are characters to boo and hate while cheering on for the good guys. Yee-haw! Everyone is definitely tangled up in Delores Fossen’s Tangled Up In Texas. Be sure to read the excerpt at the end of an upcoming book, CHASING TROUBLE IN TEXAS about Shaw’s brother Austin and Sunny’s sister, McCall.
Good second chance story with interesting (and sometimes hilarious) family dynamics. Sunny is on her way back to Lone Star Ridge after ending another engagement and to recover from a health scare. With her is the sixteen-year-old son of her ex-fiancé. She looks forward to seeing her grandmother again, but home holds a mixed bag of memories. The Dalton triplets were stars of a show called The Little Cowgirls, and not all of her memories from that time are good ones. She didn’t expect to see her teen crush Shaw before she even made it home.
Shaw Jameson is the oldest of his siblings. He runs the ranch with the help of his brothers and sister and does his best to keep his life on track. It isn’t easy when he seems to spend his life cleaning up his father’s messes. Most of those messes come from the fact that Marty can keep his zipper zipped and mostly look a lot like him. Sunny’s arrival throws Shaw for a loop, especially when her arrival coincides with that of another half-sister.
Shaw and Sunny have a history from when they were kids and teens. They were good friends that developed into something more, but one major issue kept them apart. Sunny wants kids of her own, and Shaw doesn’t. So they went their separate ways, but the feelings never went away. Sunny’s quest led her into two engagements that didn’t work out, while Shaw stuck to his plans. I enjoyed their first meeting, which gave a good indication of how the rest of the book would go. It started with Shaw finding some intriguing bits of Hadley Dalton’s costumes along the road, followed by the arrival of Sunny herself, who was retrieving them. It was clear from that moment that the sparks between them were still there. Sunny’s almost-stepson was also there, which gave Shaw a bit of a start when he thought of his and Sunny’s past. But the biggest thing was the presence of Marty’s latest mess, Kinsley, his previously unknown daughter. Kinsley just found out about him and wants to meet him. Knowing his father, Shaw also knows that it won’t go well.
Fate finds ways of throwing Sunny and Shaw together, and it isn’t long before they give in to the flames of attraction. Both are certain there is no future for them as their fundamental differences have not changed, but they can enjoy their time together for what it is. Of course, Fate has other plans. I liked watching their friendship grow along with the attraction. There were some terrific scenes as they worked together to help Kinsley. They also paired up to support each other when Sunny’s greedy mother shows up and creates all kinds of complications. Though there were times I felt that the relationship between Shaw and Sunny took a backseat to the family drama, that same drama helped pull them closer together. Shaw’s refusal to have a family of his own seemed at odds with how wonderful he was with children, from his young nieces to the teenagers Ryan and Kinsley. I liked the changes that I saw in both Shaw and Sunny that brought them together in the end.
The family dynamics in both Shaw and Sunny’s families made for some hilarious and some heartbreaking scenes. The stories of Sunny’s times as part of The Little Cowgirls had a significant impact on who she is now, especially her need to keep some things private. I liked that she had enough good memories of home, plus her love of her grandmother, that she was able to go there to recover. I loved her grandmother, Em, who was a feisty old lady. She especially made me laugh with her appreciation of a good-looking cowboy. She is also protective of Sunny, even when it comes to her daughter. It was her actions against Sunshine that created much of the drama in this book. Sunshine herself is one of those characters that is very easy to detest. There were also her issues with her ex-fiancé, who was a selfish jerk. He made a total ass of himself at the end of the book, and I cheered the actions of both Em and the duck.
On Shaw’s side, it is impressive that he and his siblings turned out as well as they did considering the father they have. Marty’s irresponsibility is horrendous. While I didn’t like him much, he does have a few redeeming moments. I ached for the way Shaw and the others constantly had to deal with the results. I really liked how they stood together to take care of Kinsley when she showed up. I hurt for Kinsley, who felt rejected by both parents and wasn’t surprised by how she expressed those feelings. When Marty finally showed up, my heart broke for her. Things became even more complicated when Sunshine stuck her vengeful nose into the situation. In the end, I wasn’t at all surprised by the solution to the issue and loved Shaw’s comments to Kinsley about it.
Now I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, about Austin and McCall. There was a teaser at the end of this one, and it sounds like it will be just as good.
Runaway Bride is not the moniker anyone wants to be known by but that’s what Sunny Dalton is dealing with at the moment. Yes, she ended her engagement to Hugh Dunbar just weeks before the wedding but she had admitted to herself that marrying Hugh just wasn’t going to work for her. So here she is with Hugh’s son Ryan, who Hugh basically ignores, at her grandmother’s house in Lone Star Ridge, the setting for her former TV career along with sisters McCall and Hadley. The triplets were the stars of a reality TV show called Little Cowgirls. Now she is back to regroup after the near disaster of marrying Hugh Dunbar. Back to the scene of the reality show she disliked so much since it dominated her childhood and teen year life much to her dismay. The plus side to being back though is Shaw Jameson. Sunny just can’t stop loving Shaw. Too bad their goals are so opposite. Sunny wants to have a baby and Shaw doesn’t.
Shaw Jameson is happy running the family ranch. He’s happy to see Sunny back in Lone Star Ridge as well. That joy is tempered by the fact she delivers another half-sibling to his door. Shaw’s father has children strewn throughout the country. Some have found their way to the Jameson family homestead, like this one, Kinsley Rubio. His father is A.W.O.L. as usual. Kinsley has run away from home after just discovering the identity of her father. She just wants to meet him. Shaw knows this won’t end well. But at least Sunny is back! That puts a smile on his face.
Tangled Up in Texas by Delores Fossen is the first book in her new series, Lone Star Ridge. In addition to telling Sunny and Shaw’s story this is where Ms. Fossen introduces all the Jameson siblings living in Lone Star Ridge. They are a very interesting family. Delores Fossen always does an excellent job of writing very likeable, well-developed characters. But if she doesn’t want you to like one, by golly, you won’t like that character. (Sunny’s mother, Sunshine) She does characterization that well. This book is a great start to the series. Looks like there’s plenty of good reading ahead.