The Marryin' Kind by Nancy J. Parra

Genre: Western Romance

Publication Date: February 2005

One Word Review: Cute

Author Website: www.nancyjparra.com

GoodReads Synopsis: At the ripe old age of twenty-three, Madeline Morgan is resigned to the idea that love and marriage are not for her. Unfortunately, her father disagrees and comes up with an ingenious plan. Robert Morgan proclaims that neither of his younger daughters can marry until Maddie does. Aghast at being hounded by sweaty bachelors anxious to win the pot and her hand, Maddie turns to her brother for help. Her brother's solution is to spread the story that Maddie was pining away for the love of her life, Evan Montgomery, who left for the war and has never returned. As luck would have it, two years later Trevor Montgomery returns home to find a beautiful stranger living there, claiming to be his brother's fiancé. Trevor works to uncover the truth behind the woman who has stolen more than his family home.

Kathy’s Review: I really enjoy the Morgan Brothers/Sister books. This story follows the oldest sister Maddie. Maddie was a likable character, she is headstrong and won’t be pushed into marriage. Our leading man, Trevor, was also likable. I wondered at one point if there was going to be a twist to the story (Trevor was actually Evan), but it all played out pretty predictably. They had good chemistry together and the main plot was believable.

Overall, I thought the story was cute, it wasn’t my favorite of the series, but still enjoyable (I think Beth’s story is still my favorite). Both series are fun, clean, romantic reads and I would recommend to anyone looking for a nice light-hearted story.

Bookworm Rating: 4

Morgan Brothers:
Book One: Saving Samantha
Book Two: A Wanted Man
Book Three: Loving Lana
Book Four: Wyoming Wedding

Morgan Sisters:
Book One: The Marryin' Kind
Book Two: The Bettin' Kind
Book Three: The Lovin' Kind

Loving Lana by Nancy J Parra

Genre: Western Romance

Publication Date: October 2003

One Word Review: Cute

Author Website: www.nancyjparra.com

GoodReads Synopsis: Lana Tate dreams of the day she can leave Wyoming and live in a more civilized place like San Francisco or New York. Since her mother died her father has been paralyzed with grief, and Lana must sing in the saloon just to earn enough money to make it through the winter. Taggart Morgan watches the reward for the capture of the legendary wild stallion grow until it reaches two thousand dollars. Taggart expects competition for the stallion, but he never suspected that a delicate but determined young gal would be the one to stand between him and his goal.

Kathy’s Review: I really enjoyed this one. The story was cute, lighthearted and fun. Lana and Taggart had great chemistry. They could be arguing one moment and totally caring the next, and it worked. The plot was cute, how they are both going after the same wild stallion and eventually have to work together. Both the Morgan Brother series and the Morgan Sisters are fun reads, I think I like the sisters a little more, but overall they are great and I would recommend to anyone looking for a nice romantic story.

Bookworm Rating: 4

Morgan Brothers:
Book One: Saving Samantha
Book Two: A Wanted Man
Book Three: Loving Lana
Book Four: Wyoming Wedding

Morgan Sisters:
Book One: Marrying Kind
Book Two: The Betting Kind
Book Three: The Loving Kind

Wyoming Wedding by Nancy J Parra

Genre: Western Romance

Publication Date: October 2004

One Word Review: Okay

Author Website: www.nancyjparra.com

GoodReads Synopsis: Shay Morgan has never met a woman he can't charm---ever. When old Ben Edwards asks Shay to bring his stubborn daughter Jenny home for one last visit before he leaves this world, Shay is sure she'll gladly come home with him. Dr. Jenny Edwards has no love for the father who abandoned her and her sick mother when she was a child. When Shay rides into town he's taken aback by the beautiful, gentle doctor. He opts not to tell her why he is in town, knowing he must gain her trust before he can take her home.

Kathy’s Review: This wasn’t my favorite of the Morgan series that I have read. I enjoyed the story and like that it was quick and clean. Jenny Edwards was a good heroine. She overcame a lot of struggles and became a great leader in her community. She is a doctor, which was kind of rare at the time, but the town loved her and supported her. She had a big heart, but is very cautious of trusting men. All her beliefs get flipped upside down when Shay Morgan comes to town. I wasn’t a big fan of Shay’s, he was just a little too into himself and knew what his looks did to people and used it to his advantage. He just wasn’t humble enough for me I guess. Jenny did have a good influence on him and they had good chemistry. The story was a little predictable; I was a little disappointed with Jenny’s dad and wanted a little remorse and some explanations from him. Overall, it was an okay read. It worth reading if you read the other books in the series, which I recommend.

Bookworm Rating: 3

Morgan Brothers:
Book One: Saving Samantha
Book Two: A Wanted Man
Book Three: Loving Lana
Book Four: Wyoming Wedding

Morgan Sisters:
Book One: Marrying Kind
Book Two: The Betting Kind
Book Three: The Loving Kind

A Wanted Man by Nancy Parra

Genre: Historical Romance

Publication Date: December 2002

One Word Review: Fun

Author Website: www.nancyjparra.com

First Line: “The boy is mine, bought and paid for fair an’ square.”

GoodReads Synopsis: Brianna McGraw ventures out West to find and rescue her brother from bandits who will sell him illegally to the highest bidder. Separated after they were orphaned a few years ago, Brianna has worked hard as a librarian to save money for the trip. But when she arrives, she realizes she has to somehow come up with a thousand dollars to buy him back. She then sees a wanted poster with a sufficient reward and decides to become a bounty hunter, accomplishing two good deeds at once--bringing a criminal to justice and saving her brother. Trey Morgan's renegade days are long over. He is at home on his ranch, tending to his cattle, when Brianna appears and arrests him. He is more amused than concerned, wondering how she thinks she's going to drag him 900 miles through the mountains. To his surprise, Brianna proves over and over again that she is intelligent and strong enough to make the long and grueling trip. While he quietly observes his beautiful captor, his discomfort grows when she begins to win more and more of his respect and admiration. Soon, the threat his beautiful captor holds over him is not so much in the pistol she wields, but the lasso she has firmly fastened over his heart.

Kathy’s Review: Parra certainly creates some very likable characters. Brianna was a hoot, I liked her right from the start. Her interactions with Trey were fun and left a smile on my face. I’m not sure about the historical aspects of the story, but she finds herself in a tough situation and really takes her problems head on. With all of the Parra novels I’ve read so far she takes these interesting plot ideas and makes them very believable. I thought Trey was great, I loved that he just “gives up” right at the beginning because he is so curious about what this “little chit” was up to. The more time they spend together they more they fall for one another, and it was fun to be along for the ride. Again, like her other books, I wish it had been a little longer. It kind of feels like things get wrapped up a little too quickly and I would have liked a few more chapters, at least. I still really enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it.

Bookworm Rating: 4

The Lovin' Kind by Nancy J Parra

Genre: Historical Romance

Publication Date: April 2006

One Word Review: Cute

Author Website: www.nancyjparra.com

First Line: “It was the most humiliating day of Beth Morgan’s life.”

GoodReads Synopsis: Beth Morgan has never met a man she couldn't love. All her life the Wisconsin beauty has been happily surrounded by beaus. It isn't until she starts down the aisle that she realizes it's the attention she loves and not the actual men. So, Beth does what any self respecting socialite would do. She turns on her heel and runs. Quaid Blair hunts down the runaway bride, drags the spoiled willful girl home, dumping her ruined wedding dress and all in her father's study. She has to get out of town now, even if it means going all the way to Wyoming with none other than Quaid Blair. Quaid agrees to take the spoiled vixen to her brother in Wyoming. He figures it will take one maybe two days on the trail before Beth Morgan caves to the hardship of pioneering and demands to be taken back home. The trip becomes a battle of wills and Quaid learns there is more grit to this stubborn woman than he first thought. Admiration turns to love, but once back in civilization, will this fickle woman go back to gathering beaus? Beth comes to understand the difference between infatuation and true love. But Quaid has seen her at her worst. How could any man forget the spoiled girl she once was?

Kathy’s Review: I actually think I liked this one more than The Bettin’ Kind, which is saying a lot since I really enjoyed The Bettin’ Kind. I guess I just really liked Beth and Quaid. Beth is so stubborn, she totally reminded me of me. I have a pretty strong stubborn streak and could totally see myself in Beth’s shoes, although I think she probably handled things a lot better than I would have. Quaid was just great, I liked that he tried to get under Beth’s skin, but was also really protective of her and deep down really cared about her. The setting was a lot of fun as well and the different struggles they have to go through. The romance is sweet and grows stronger throughout the story; I was enjoying myself so much I didn’t want the story to end. I do wish it would have been a little longer, but again its probably just because I liked the characters so much. I look forward to reading more of Nancy’s books!

Bookworm Rating: 4.5

Morgan Sister Romance:
Book One: The Marryin’ Kind
Book Two: The Bettin’ Kind
Book Three: The Lovin’ Kind

Morgan Brothers Romance:
Book One: Wyoming Wedding
Book Two: A Wanted Man
Book Three: Loving Lana
Book Four: Saving Samantha

The Bettin' Kind by Nancy J. Parra

Genre: Historical Romance

Publication Date: October 2005

One Word Review: Cute

Author Website: www.nancyjparra.com

First Line: “I’m in big trouble.”

GoodReads Synopsis: Amelia Morgan dreams of a handsome prince who would take one look at her and fall in love. Together they would find a dynasty of magnificent horses and live happily ever after. What she never counted on was her baby brother losing her beloved stallion to a slick card shark. Desperate not to lose her dream, she gambles that the threat of marriage would cause the card shark to cut and run rather than go through with a hasty marriage to a total stranger. Alex Laird is no dummy. He calls Amelia's bluff, fully expecting her to jilt him at the altar. Then the question of the horse's ownership would be indisputably his. These two stubborn foes go through with a hasty marriage, neither willing to let go of their claim to the horse. Stuck with each other for the time being, each comes up with a plan to secure their future. Unfortunately, their goals are once again at odds. For a while, Alex decides an annulment is the answer to their predicament. Amelia takes a different tact. She believes the only way to see her dream come true is to make Alex fall in love with her. The struggles that ensue become more than a battle of wills. It becomes a battle of the heart where dreams are won and lost at the turn of a card.

Kathy’s Review: This was a fun quick read. I liked Amelia right from the start, she is stubborn and fun. After reading the synopsis I wondered how the whole wedding thing would play out, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was actually somewhat believable after you get to know the characters. Both Alex and Amelia thought they other would back down, but both are too stubborn to back out. I admit, I thought Amelia seemed a little naïve once they were married, almost immediately she set out to make Alex fall in love with her, which was fun, but still seemed a little unrealistic. Alex deep down was a decent guy, never tried to take advantage of the situation…even though he wanted to. They had good chemistry though and it was a very entertaining read. I wish it were a little longer and maybe a little more added to the ending. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a nice lighthearted story.

I accidently read this out of order; I’m looking forward to going back and reading the first book, The Marryin’ Kind. It doesn’t seem to make a big difference, each book follows a different sisters’ story. Oh, and don't judge the book by the cover (hated the cover), I didn't think the cover really did it justice.

Bookworm Rating: 4

Reading Order:
Book One: The Marryin’ Kind
Book Two: The Bettin’ Kind
Book Three: The Lovin’ Kind