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paulabrandon's review
4.0
When I read a category romance in one go, you know it's a goodie!
This has Justin McCabe going about building a ranch for teenage boys who need help. He hires a carpenter, and is surprised when said carpenter turns out to be a woman! There's an immediate attraction between them. They end up taking in a troubled teen, Lamar Atkins, who is to fulfill his community service obligations helping out on the ranch. As a result of selfish parents who found her to be a burden, Amanda lives a somewhat nomadic existence, fearful of getting kicked out of a place she loves. She must overcome this to find her home with Justin.
I enjoy an angsty romance as much as the next reader, but I also love the heartwarming ones! And Justin was my type of romance hero! Smart, big-hearted and six-feet-five tall! The connection they both develop with Lamar added an extra dimension to the heart of the story. Most refreshingly, Justin and Amanda didn't have just one obstacle between them that they kept banging on and on about. Their relationship progressed and changed as the book went on, continually upping the emotional stakes. And although this is obviously part of a series, we don't get sidetracked by back stories of characters from previous books, or set-up for characters for future ones. I really liked it.
This has Justin McCabe going about building a ranch for teenage boys who need help. He hires a carpenter, and is surprised when said carpenter turns out to be a woman! There's an immediate attraction between them. They end up taking in a troubled teen, Lamar Atkins, who is to fulfill his community service obligations helping out on the ranch. As a result of selfish parents who found her to be a burden, Amanda lives a somewhat nomadic existence, fearful of getting kicked out of a place she loves. She must overcome this to find her home with Justin.
I enjoy an angsty romance as much as the next reader, but I also love the heartwarming ones! And Justin was my type of romance hero! Smart, big-hearted and six-feet-five tall! The connection they both develop with Lamar added an extra dimension to the heart of the story. Most refreshingly, Justin and Amanda didn't have just one obstacle between them that they kept banging on and on about. Their relationship progressed and changed as the book went on, continually upping the emotional stakes. And although this is obviously part of a series, we don't get sidetracked by back stories of characters from previous books, or set-up for characters for future ones. I really liked it.
kath12's review
4.0
The Long, Hot Texas Summer by Cathy Gillen Thacker This book was given to me from Netgalley for an honest review. I found this book to be lighthearted and sweet. Even though it dealt with a couple of heavy issues it was still a light happy read. Here we have Amanda who is surprisingly a beautiful carpenter with a heart of gold. She is so strong willed and says what ever comes to mind, she doesn't seem to let anyone hold her down. Well except for maybe herself. I hated to see that she thought so little of herself and had such low self esteem. Then in walks a tall cool drink of water that is surely needed on a hot Texas day, Justin. Whooo what woman doesn't love her a stubborn strong willed man? But little do we know he is hiding some insecurities also. He hired her to do the carpentry work for his up and coming boys ranch. He has a hope to bring light to some troubled boys lives and little does Amanda know she is just the right person to help him, in more ways than one. It was sweet to watch these two grown to love and trust each other, including themselves. Like I said this was a quick light read for me. It was way different from what I am use to reading but I was still caught up in the story. I loved reading about these two characters. I think the author did a fantastic job with this whole book and I can't wait to read more from her. My song for this book; Stuck like Glue by Sugarland
scoutmomskf's review
4.0
Good book. Justin is building a ranch for troubled teens. He's doing very well except for the carpentry which is kicking his butt. He hires a master carpenter to help and is surprised when that turns out to be a tall beautiful woman. He's immediately attracted but the ranch is the most important thing. When they are also asked to supervise a teen's community service hours he also discovers she has a great ability to relate to troubled teens. The two of them make a great team both on and off the job.
Justin gave up a successful career to start this ranch. He had had a chance to help another teen and it hadn't turned out well which motivated him to do this. He is on a tight schedule to get everything done and knows he needs carpentry help. Amanda's arrival is a surprise to him but they quickly arrive at an agreement on her duties. Justin is attracted to her but accepts that the job comes first. Lamar's arrival gives him the chance to get a head start on his work with the teens but he soon finds himself having trouble with him. Justin is somewhat dismayed to find that Amanda has no trouble with Lamar but realizes that having Amanda there is a benefit. I really like Justin's determination to make a success of the ranch. He has put a lot of his own money into it plus his heart and soul. Amanda's arrival is just what he needs for the final push. I liked the way that once he recovered from his surprise he had no problem with her being a woman doing the job. He appreciated her abilities, though was a little jealous of her ability to relate to Lamar. I did not like the way that Justin's parents were less than supportive of his efforts. Every time we saw them they were telling him that he wasn't qualified to do what he wanted to do. Though they were big into charitable giving it seemed that they were far more interested in making money and were down on him for giving up a lucrative job to run the ranch. Justin's feelings for Amanda grew pretty rapidly. I liked the way that he understood her reservations and didn't push too hard to get her to reciprocate. There were a couple interesting twist in the decisions about who would be director of the ranch. I liked Justin's attitude about it and the way things worked out at the end.
Amanda was happy in her work as a carpenter working for the family business. She had had a troubled childhood with divorced parents who were more interested in their own happiness than in taking care of her. She took out her feelings in rebellious activities until custody was given to her grandparents. They gave her the love and discipline she needed to turn her life around. Those troubles caused problems with the wealthy family of a man she was engaged to so she broke it off with him. This has caused her to have some issues with getting involved with men with close and/or wealthy families. She feels the attraction to Justin but doesn't want to risk the same thing happening with him so she tries to push him away. She is surprised when her past doesn't bother him and starts to think that some kind of relationship might be possible. But she still doesn't think it can be anything long lasting and still tries to protect her heart. I loved the way that she could be a buffer between Lamar and Justin and tried hard to make each see the other's viewpoint. I loved her support of the ranch and Justin. She gave him the kind of support he should have been getting from his family. I loved the way that she helped Justin with the board and how she tried to do the job they asked her to do. I felt so bad for her and the way she felt about her part in the crisis. The way it was resolved was great and I loved the epilogue.
Lamar was a great secondary character. His attitude and actions were just what was needed to showcase what the ranch was about. He also showed the strengths and weaknesses of both Justin and Amanda. I was rather frustrated with both of them for their total cluelessness about what was causing Lamar's problems with school and some of the things that Justin and Amanda asked him to do. It was so obvious and they never figured it out on their own.
Justin gave up a successful career to start this ranch. He had had a chance to help another teen and it hadn't turned out well which motivated him to do this. He is on a tight schedule to get everything done and knows he needs carpentry help. Amanda's arrival is a surprise to him but they quickly arrive at an agreement on her duties. Justin is attracted to her but accepts that the job comes first. Lamar's arrival gives him the chance to get a head start on his work with the teens but he soon finds himself having trouble with him. Justin is somewhat dismayed to find that Amanda has no trouble with Lamar but realizes that having Amanda there is a benefit. I really like Justin's determination to make a success of the ranch. He has put a lot of his own money into it plus his heart and soul. Amanda's arrival is just what he needs for the final push. I liked the way that once he recovered from his surprise he had no problem with her being a woman doing the job. He appreciated her abilities, though was a little jealous of her ability to relate to Lamar. I did not like the way that Justin's parents were less than supportive of his efforts. Every time we saw them they were telling him that he wasn't qualified to do what he wanted to do. Though they were big into charitable giving it seemed that they were far more interested in making money and were down on him for giving up a lucrative job to run the ranch. Justin's feelings for Amanda grew pretty rapidly. I liked the way that he understood her reservations and didn't push too hard to get her to reciprocate. There were a couple interesting twist in the decisions about who would be director of the ranch. I liked Justin's attitude about it and the way things worked out at the end.
Amanda was happy in her work as a carpenter working for the family business. She had had a troubled childhood with divorced parents who were more interested in their own happiness than in taking care of her. She took out her feelings in rebellious activities until custody was given to her grandparents. They gave her the love and discipline she needed to turn her life around. Those troubles caused problems with the wealthy family of a man she was engaged to so she broke it off with him. This has caused her to have some issues with getting involved with men with close and/or wealthy families. She feels the attraction to Justin but doesn't want to risk the same thing happening with him so she tries to push him away. She is surprised when her past doesn't bother him and starts to think that some kind of relationship might be possible. But she still doesn't think it can be anything long lasting and still tries to protect her heart. I loved the way that she could be a buffer between Lamar and Justin and tried hard to make each see the other's viewpoint. I loved her support of the ranch and Justin. She gave him the kind of support he should have been getting from his family. I loved the way that she helped Justin with the board and how she tried to do the job they asked her to do. I felt so bad for her and the way she felt about her part in the crisis. The way it was resolved was great and I loved the epilogue.
Lamar was a great secondary character. His attitude and actions were just what was needed to showcase what the ranch was about. He also showed the strengths and weaknesses of both Justin and Amanda. I was rather frustrated with both of them for their total cluelessness about what was causing Lamar's problems with school and some of the things that Justin and Amanda asked him to do. It was so obvious and they never figured it out on their own.
kbranfield's review
4.0
If you are looking for a quick read that will warm your heart and heat up your summer, then you should pick up Cathy Gillen Thacker’s latest release The Long, Hot Texas Summer. This second installment of the McCabe Homecoming series is an engaging romance that is sweet yet deliciously steamy. Please click HERE to read my review in its entirety.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
3.0
*I received a free ARC of The Long, Hot Texas Summer via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
If you want a contemporary romance with few surprises, this is a book for you.
This and other reviews can also be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews.
Full review to come soon
If you want a contemporary romance with few surprises, this is a book for you.
This and other reviews can also be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews.
Full review to come soon
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