SPECIAL FRIDAY WESTERN ROUNDUP!!! CHARLENE SANDS AND GIVEAWAY!!

Whoa Nellie!! Hope y’all are in the mood for more fireworks, cause today Ms. Charlene Sands is joinin’ us ‘round the campfire and she’s brought enough hot cowboys to have y’all seein’ red, white, and blue stars!! Why I had Cookie douse the ol’ fire since the heat from the Worth cowboys was heatin’ up my coffee near to boilin’!!

Keep readin’ after ya pick yerself off the floor, cause Charlene is sharin’ her top ten truths about cowboys! If ya didn’t know why we love these men before, Charlene clears it right up for ya!!

As a special treat Charlene is sharin’ the covers and blurbs for her upcomin’ releases EXQUISITE ACQUISITION and WORTH THE RISK!! So keep yer eyes on the blog ‘til the very end folks, ya don’t wanna miss a cowboy they’re thick as flies ‘round here today!

And Charlene is addin’ a real firecracker of a prize for one commenter, a $15 Amazon gift card!! Whooo-eee and pass Cookie’s sonofagun stew!! Ya could get yerself the whole Worth clan for that!! Just leave a comment and Cookie will get your name in the hat!

Here at the campfire we tend to focus on historical westerns, but I enjoyed this series so much and thought it was a fun idea to include a historical givin’ us a look at where it all began for the Worth family! I had to feature the Worths of Red Ridge!

So let me introduce ya to the Worth cowboys and the women strong enough to rope, tie and brand ‘em…

The passionate, impulsive evening Tagg Worth had spent in the arms of brown-eyed beauty Callie Sullivan was madness. Visions of their tryst still haunted him, but their one-night stand was a mistake the wealthy rancher swore he would not repeat. Hawk Sullivan’s daughter was strictly off-limits—especially since Hawk’s main goal in life was to put Tagg out of business.

Then, suddenly, there was a baby on the way. His baby. Tagg vowed to do the right thing, no matter what it cost him. But his inconvenient new bride tempted his solitary heart down a path a Worth didn’t dare follow….

KIRSTEN’S THOUGHTS: Okay, so I read this series a little out of order and actually read THE COWBOY’S PRIDE first, but after meeting Tagg and Callie in that story I instantly clicked “buy” for CARRYING THE RANCHER’S HEIR. They were such a great couple, and I had to read their story. I’m SO glad I did. Tagg and Callie’s romance is a page turner that’s sure to blister your fingers.

Both Callie and Tagg are people you instantly like, and Charlene does a beautiful job of bringing them and their story to life. Since the premise of the story is laid out in the blurb, I’ll say I was a little worried Callie might be a doormat heroine, letting Tagg walk all over her just to hold onto him. But she is anything but, and I found myself drawn to her character. A smart, resourceful, capable woman who could raise a child without Tagg, but a woman who is tenderhearted and  wants to build a life with the man who holds her heart. I appreciated that she didn’t play games, or keep the baby hidden forever, but was open and honest with Tagg throughout their relationship, even when he was holding back.

Get ready to meet a cowboy “worth” sighing over in Tagg. He has his moments when you wonder if he was bucked off too many times as a rodeo star, but his doubts are understandable when he’s marrying the daughter of his family’s fiercest competitor and his first marriage ended in tragedy. Plus, Tagg isn’t a jerk, or is hurtful on purpose. Despite his past heartache and current business issues with Callie’s father, Tagg is determined to make it work with Callie and give their child a home, he just doesn’t realize the harder he “works” at it the more he fails, until he realizes what’s really needed in the relationship is his heart.

This is a couple you’ll really pull for, and will be riveted to their story until the final HEA, as Charlene takes you right into the heart of Red Ridge and the Worth family.

                                                                                                                                                 

He’d been ready to move on, to marry a woman who’d provide him with heirs. But  a  year of separation hasn’t slaked rancher Clayton Worth’s raging desire for his soon-to-be ex-wife. And Trish is as unpredictable as ever. Her mysterious reluctance to have kids was what drove them apart. Now Trish is back in Red Ridge, mother to a baby girl. The irony is maddening.

Trish urgently needs to finalize their divorce before Clayton’s irresistible charm can melt her resolve. Because his touch awakens a consuming hunger that hasn’t died. They’d thought it was all over between them…but their hearts have other ideas.

KIRSTEN’S THOUGHTS: I have a confession; I bought this book for the cover! Because…well are you blind, look at that cover. Rugged Cowboy + Baby= Adorable. But that being said once I started reading I was hooked and fully involved with Clay and Trish’s story, and I was hooked on Charlene Sands’ books. Charlene gives us two people we can rally behind and I so wanted these two people together. They just belonged together, and it was obvious the moment they’re on the page together.

Clay Worth is in the sometimes unenviable of being the eldest son. It falls on his shoulders to carry on the Worth legacy, and in typical older brother fashion he often carries more than he has to instead of sharing the load.  He’s also a man used to hard work, but always getting what he wants on his terms. But as much as Clay wants to hold onto his resentment being around Trish and little Meggie breaks down his resistance and watching him charm his wife and baby Meggie was a tender journey.

Trish is a woman who’s worked hard for everything and you could feel her need for someone to care enough to work hard for her and her heart. I liked Trish, and sympathized with her desire to have Clay’s understanding about her needing to keep the business she built going, since she’d put her heart into it and at that time it was her baby. But while building her own business and struggling with her own doubts she added to the distance between her and Clay. Through the story Trish learns to trust and to lean on someone else leading her to the truth of what she’s wanted all along.

Both as stubborn as a mule it was sometimes fun and sometimes heartbreaking to see these two slowly let their walls down and find the truth behind all the misunderstandings and hurts of the past. Again Charlene’s characters are so real and she places you so deep in their lives you wish you could call them up and tell them to wake up and smell the burnt toast (because these two have enough passion for each other to burn toast without a toaster), they were made for each other. 🙂

Penny’s Song, founded by Clay and Trish, is a sweet thread that runs through both CARRYING THE RANCHER’S HEIR and THE COWBOY’S PRIDE, as each person adds their own touch to the charity.

 

Cowboy Chance Worth gets more than he bargains for when he saves damsel in distress Lizzie Mitchell. He has come to Red Ridge, Arizona, to rescue her family’s failing ranch and find Lizzie a suitable husband. Too bad it wouldn’t be honorable to keep the little spitfire for himself!

Lizzie may be innocent, but she’s not naive. Fully determined to find her own way in life, she doesn’t welcome Chance’s intrusion. But when he plans to leave she realizes she may not be ready to see the back of him just yet!

KIRSTEN’S THOUGHTS: As much as I loved Clay and Tagg, I was thrilled when I found out Charlene was giving us “the rest of the story” and providing a look into the past and where it all began for the Worths of Red Ridge. In Chance Worth and Lizzie Mitchell, I saw where the Worths inherited not only their land, but their honor, passion, pride, and hard heads, as well as their legends.

It’s been a long time since Chance has known what a real home and family are, but he comes to Red Ridge to honor a debt to the one man who’s been most like a father to him, Edward Mitchell.  Chance’s loyalty to Edward and Lizzie, and his teasing nature along with all that cowboy charm makes it easy for this hero to stroll right into your heart.

Elizabeth, “Lizzie,” Mitchell took a little longer to warm up to, but once you saw beneath all the sass to the woman who worked as hard as any man, loved her grandfather with all her heart, and just wanted to be treated like a woman it was easy to appreciate why Chance admired her and fell for this brave woman.

Chance and Lizzie’s romance is filled with tough times on the trail, both literally and figuratively, and sweet moments that warm the heart. Their mutual desire for home and someone to accept them just as they are, and the moment they recognize they found that person in each other will melt your heart. Their romance builds slowly as they learn to trust and rely on the other’s strengths, so by the time they admit their love you fully believe it, because you’ve seen it grow from reluctant partners on the trail to lovers and friends.

One of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of this series is that the stories revolve around the relationships. There are villains, but their role is minor compared to the couples working through their inner demons and doubts to tough it out and build a lasting relationship. I also liked the Worth family’s legacy of giving to ill children, Penny’s Song in CARRYING THE RANCHER’S HEIR and THE COWBOY’S PRIDE and Sarah Swenson in A COWBOY WORTH CLAIMING is a wonderful link from generation to generation.

These are all brilliant stories and if you’re looking for a great summer read, look no further! But you’ll love them just as much in spring, fall, or winter, too!! Don’t miss out on the Worths of Red Ridge!

Don’t get all jittery like a cat on caffeine there’s still a Worth Cowboy lined up to keep us hotter than an Arizona summer…Jackson Worth’s story, WORTH THE RISK, will be release October 2012!!
What a Cowboy Does
in Vegas…

Cowboy entrepreneur Jackson Worth wakes up next to trouble…literally. His new business partner, boot boutique owner Sammie Gold, should have been off-limits, but something about her sweet vulnerability has gotten under his skin. Working with her is torture, as are the memories of what happened in Vegas….

A one-night stand with the cowboy? What on earth was Sammie thinking?
Jackson Worth is drop-dead gorgeous and completely out of her league. But if
Sammie wants her happily-ever-after, she’ll have to shed her girl-next-door image to seduce the confirmed bachelor once and for all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iffin’ you’ve read all about the Worth boys and are just sittin’ there waitin’ for Jackson’s story ride on over and get a copy of EXQUISITE ACQUISITIONS! Go Ahead and start fannin’ now, this book sounds HOT!!

For Macy Tarlington, the only good part of seeing her legendary mother’s possessions sold at auction is ogling Carter McCay, the tall Texan who buys the famous diamond ring. Even better is seeing him again when he rescues her from the paparazzi like a white knight in a Stetson.

Carter whisks her to safety at Wild River Ranch, hiding her identity by day and lusting after her by night. Yes, he’s sworn off love. But with the Hollywood runaway starring in his every fantasy, Carter may find Macy too much temptation—even for a hard-hearted cowboy.

 

TOP 10 TRUTHS ABOUT COWBOYS BY CHARLENE SANDS

We all have our own interpretation of what a cowboy truly is.  In romance novels, we tend to gloss over the reality of what it takes to be a true cowboy.  We take our fantasies seriously and dive in, head first and our cowboys have a lot to live up to.

But take it from this greenhorn, who once spent 2 hours in a saddle riding a tall horse named Champion over hills, through tunnels and along pastures of sunny downtown Burbank; the trail is a dust bowl of grit, horses are total fly magnets and without shade, the perspiration rate requires more than a woman’s Secret deodorant.  In short, there is nothing really romantic about what cowboys do.  Sigh….

But as readers, we suspend our disbelief and like to think of the cowboy, rancher hero as Adonis in leather boots.  Okay, admit it.  Who doesn’t love a hunky man who sports day old stubble, has incredible deep-set eyes and a rugged, muscled body?  A man who saunters, knows no fear and can hold his liquor?

So, instead of thinking of grime and sweat when we think of cowboys, we think in other, more positive terms.  Here are my truths about the Cowboy, whether present day or from the Old West.

Truth #1 –His sex appeal knows no bounds  – He’s the kind of guy that makes a woman do stupid things.

Truth #2–He’s handsome – who can resist a man with a sharp profile, high cheekbones and deep penetrating eyes (that rake over the heroine at every opportunity)

Truth #3  — He’s built tough – like a Ford Truck, this cowboy is ripped and strong.

Truth #4  –He’s savvy – He’s no greenhorn and his intelligence keeps him in the $$ green $$

Truth #5 — He’s perceptive – He can read a woman’s desire and knows exactly what she likes. (We are talking behind closed doors)

Truth #6– He’s honorable.  Even if he’s a bad boy, he will always uphold his honor.

Truth #7 — He’s charming – when he shows his softer side, he can (and will) charm the pants off the heroine.

Truth #8 – He’s not a fashionista – but when he tips his black Stetson he’s got your attention.

Truth #9 – He’s decent.  It might take him a while to figure it out, but in the end, he will always do the right thing.

Truth #10 – He’s rugged and a man of the earth.  He will die fighting for his land, his honor or the woman he loves.

Charlene Sands is a USA Today Bestselling author of thirty-five romance novels, writing sexy contemporary romances and stories of the Old West. Her books have been honored with the National Readers Choice Award, the Cataromance Reviewer’s Choice Award and she’s a double recipient of the Booksellers’ Best Award. She belongs to the Orange County Chapter and the Los Angeles Chapter of RWA.

Charlene knows a little something about true romance–she married her high school sweetheart! When she’s not writing, she enjoys sunny Pacific beaches, great coffee, reading books from her favorite authors, spoiling her two cats and her new baby granddaughters!  She invites you to read her Worths of Red Ridge Series and her newest Harlequin Desire from the Highest Bidder continuity entitled, Exquisite Acquisitions.  You can find her on Twitter and Facebook.  Be sure to visit her website for fun blogs and her ongoing contests at www.charlenesands.com

Is it hot ‘round the campfire, or is it just all these cowboys?! Gracious sakes, now I see why it’s been so hot…Charlene Sands’ cowboys!

Come on and join us for a jaw session! Do you have your own Cowboy truth to add to Charlene’s list, or which one of her top ten was your favorite?!!