Romance

Another light hearted read by Christie Craig. Second in a series about 3 guys who run a PI office. The story was not out of the realms of possibility and the solving of it made sense. No great angst or tension just a couple of sweet romances wrapped around a mystery which thank goodness had nothing to do with drug runners or serial killers (over used in romantic suspense, IMO). In fact I really cared more for the secondary hero Rick and his quest to get custody of his son than I did for the main hero/heroine. I'll definitely keep going with this series. I find CC's books refreshing. ( )

As usual we get lots of humor and romance with a little suspense thrown in Christie's latest. The first meeting between Zoe and Tyler is hilarious. Zoe is deathly afraid of clowns. And after finally working up the nerve to go to the PI's for help her first run in with Tyler is him dressed as a clown and her running away almost screaming. The guys are working for the same man that Zoe wants/needs more information about. She thinks she is the grand daughter that had been kidnapped and found dead many years ago.

All the characters from the first book are back in this one. We get to see Dallas and Nikki moving into there new place. See how Tony and LeAnn are doing with a nice surprise. Bud the crazy dog gets some competition from Zoe's one eye'd 3 legged scared cat.

As with the first one we also have a secondary romance. Rick, a cop who is doing undercover work for the PI's , and Ellen, Nikki’s best friend who was stabbed in book 1 and is now working in the office for the guys. She is a single mother who doesn't trust a man as far as she could throw him. Rick is a dad but doesnt have custody of his son but is trying desperately to get him from his mother who is pretty much an unfit parent. As he had never really been a parent before he has no clue what he should do and after finally wearing down the very skeptical Ellen to help him once he gets his son the two realize there is quite the spark between them.

I really liked Zoe and Tyler but I have to say Rick and Ellen's romance was just a bit more interesting. I am looking forward to Austin's book. And one of the best thinks I like about this series is how all the books have such a comradery of friends and family. ( )

“Seeing my parents’ dysfunctional relationship left me feeling impaired, but I moved past it.Then between the force accusing me of being a corrupt cop and Lisa walking out… I put up barriers. It seemed logical that if I didn’t want to feel that way, all I had to do was not let people get close. You managed to break through those barriers. And now I love you. You know all my flaws. You get along with my crazy family. Both my real family and the friends. You make me laugh and… And I love your cat, too.” - Tyler Lopez

Talk about he-geek finds she-geek in this amazing book that follows the story of three PI partners and best friends, in Christie Craig's hotter than hell Texan romance series!

Tyler Lopez, the geeky one of the PI trio, knows all too well how foolish it is to trust your heart and not your mind. True love is rare, and with his screwed up genes, statistics show he's not someone who can find - let alone keep - it. Betrayed by both the force and the woman he thought was his other half, he knows better than to let his heart be involved again. But, protecting Zoe Adams has him second-guessing his decision to keep his heart out of the bedroom. Because being around the redhead who claims is the dead Bradford heiress, makes him want to seek second chances at forever. Zoe always thought there was something off with her. She was so different than her parents, both in looks and other aspects, it was hard to fit in. Not to mention her nightmares - that always felt more like memories. Now she thinks she might have finally found out why - and who she really is. But her search of her true identity puts her in danger - and she's been lied to a lot to easily trust the hot bookworm who took it upon himself to keep her safe.

What's not to love about a guy who's got both the looks and the brains? Man, I love me some geeky ex-cop PI - in other words, helloooo there, Tyler~

If for some unknown reason I didn't predict he was gonna be my favorite of the trio, then shame on me! I take full responsibility for being blindsided and not seeing it sooner. The guy was smart as shit, had manners, was funny and witty, knew how to respect a woman - or make her lose her clothes, and fast - and had a body to die for - and effing hell, when he opened his sweet mouth and spat out Spanish words, I swear I creamed my panties! Not to mention, I enjoyed reading his thoughts. Yes, he was making one mistake after the other when it came to Zoe, but damn, I can't say I didn't get the reason why. I'm a "mind knows better than heart" gal, too, after all. So where can I find me some of that? Preferably, with the same kind of whacko family and circle of friends, please!

Zoe was pretty cool, too. I loved how she defended him to his ex-colleagues, and how she could spar with him on equal mental ground. And she was no drama queen, so bonus points for the girl! Also, Strip Scrabble? Hell, I might just try that game myself one day. Certainly sounds better than strip poker or strip pool!

This book was so much better than the first one. Not only because of the couples that got together, but also because of the story development. Considering DeLuna, the main villain that the guys are trying to take down, there's not much here to read, but Blame It on Texas serves as an excellent filler for the big finale that will come in the final book. It provides Tyler with his own leading lady, FINALLY answers the big "what if" question mark on Rick and Ellen's relationship, and shows exactly WHY the guys have to end DeLuna's "career" as soon as possible. The way everyone treats them, how they whisper behind their backs, how they pretend to be sorry for not supporting them earlier, or how they plain tell them they still consider them guilty and don't trust them, shows the reason this chase, despite Tyler and Dallas settling down, has to go on till the very end. They need to get their lives back fully, need to clear their names and stand proudly straight without anyone else judging them, and to do that, DeLuna has to go down - well, you won't find a protester in me, that's for sure. It was also much more intense than Dallas's story - there we knew Nikki was innocent, we just needed to find out who was the real murderer. But here, Zoe's identity - and the reasons behind all this mess - do not get clear until the book is almost over. There seems to be no obvious clue to hold on to, and that takes the suspense to a whole new level.

The only thing that bugged me was the way everyone treated Rick. Even when he sounded and acted like a dick at the first book and the beginning of the second, the guy didn't deserve to be badmouthed like that. Hell, they didn't even believe he had a son, and they had Ellen thinking he said it to get in her pants! And this was all on the ladies, they did all the damage here! My heart broke every time LeAnn or Nikki opened their mouth and tainted his reputation without fully knowing what they were talking about. Alright, LeAnn had her reasons for not liking him. But Nikki? Heck no! Woman, you can't just prance around in the first book, claiming to never be one to make false assumptions just because someone said so - and let's not forget that it was because of such assumptions that you almost did time! - and then instantly jump to conclusions the minute you're safe and secured as Dallas's significant other. Nuh-huh, no way, it won't do... Thank heavens for small favors - particularly ones concerning Ellen's brains that managed to kick in before she lost that keeper of a hunk!

Can't wait to see DeLuna dead - or behind bars, though death would still not be enough for that piece of... work. And considering Austin is the real playboy of the group, I think I'm gonna enjoy it a little too much when he messes up with his own lady!

“I’m in love with you, by the way. And it’s not because of Ricky. I mean, I love that you helped me, but… it’s you. Everything about you. The way you approach life. I want you in my life.” - Rick Clark ( )

I loved this book. It's a great blend of humor, heat and mystery. We have Zoe, who has taken a one month leave of absence from her teaching job to investigate questions she has about her past. Then there's Tyler, ex-cop ex-con turned PI who finds her poking around his desk looking at his files. He's not sure he believes her story, but when someone starts taking shots at her he starts thinking she's not so nuts after all.

I loved Zoe as a heroine. She's really smart, she's independent, and she's determined to get to the bottom of the mystery of her memories. She's also pretty emotional and gets caught up in some things she isn't quite sure how to deal with. Her first meeting with Tyler is pretty funny. She's poking around in his office when he gets back from playing a clown at his niece's birthday party. Problem is, she's terrified of clowns. She flees, and the next time she sees him is at the diner where she works, where she accidentally dumps a tray full of food on him. Once they've both recovered from that, they finally get down to the business of discussing why she's there. I really liked the way that Zoe stuck to her story, even though she could see that Tyler was skeptical. Zoe also has to deal with her attraction to him. She's only there for a short time, plus he's made it clear he doesn't do commitment. Her brain tells her to resist, but her heart and body have other ideas. It's a little frustrating when she seems to blow hot and cold around him, but when she makes a decision she runs with it. The strip Scrabble game was hilarious. Zoe has a terrific way of being able to see the real Tyler. Her defense of him when they were at the police station was something that he really didn't expect. She falls in love with him but doesn't believe that he returns the feeling.

Tyler is a really interesting hero. He and his friends Dallas and Austin run their own PI firm. They are also actively trying to find out who framed them for a murder that sent them to prison until they were exonerated. Between that and the fact that his girlfriend bailed on him at the same time, Tyler hasn't been the most cheerful of people lately. He took the time to help out at his niece's birthday party because his family is important to him, but it doesn't help his mood any. Finding Zoe in his office gives a boost to his day because of the instant attraction he felt to her. I loved the way he couldn't get her off his mind until he figured out who she was. His skepticism about her story didn't last long once he found out about the attacks and got more information from her. I loved the protectiveness that kicked in right away. Tyler has decided that a committed relationship isn't in his future because of the issues of his past. Tyler is quite a hunk, but he is also something of a geek though he doesn't flaunt his smarts. He uses logic to make his decisions until he starts being around Zoe. Something about her has totally derailed his ability to be logical. He can be really awkward around her when he's trying to make moves on her, or when he tries to apologize for something, but his ability to cheer her up is sweet. I loved the scene where she is trying to protect her cat from Dallas's dog and Tyler gets a real eyeful. His honesty about his actions and reactions goes a long way toward cementing Zoe's feelings about him. When Tyler finally admits his feelings to himself it scares him because he's lost so much before. I loved what he finally did about it.

The developing relationship between them is really well done. Neither one feels that a relationship is what they want. Zoe isn't staying in Texas, plus she was burned in a previous relationship. She doesn't really trust herself or her judgment. Tyler doesn't believe that love is in the cards for him either. He sees all the ways that love can go bad and figures that staying away from the emotional risk will protect him. Both of them have to learn how to trust their hearts.

The mystery regarding Zoe's identity is pretty good. With the unsolved mysteries show giving her a lot to think about regarding some of her memories and nightmares, she takes things into her own hands to get some answers. I loved the way that she remained certain of her beliefs. I liked how the guys worked together, using their individual strengths, to get the answers she needed. There were a lot of pieces to the puzzle and I really enjoyed seeing Tyler put them all together. I liked seeing Zoe's faith in her parents restored at the end of the book.

There's a great secondary romance between Rick and Ellen. Rick is a cop who suddenly gets custody of his son and is desperate for help with what to do. Ellen is a single mother whose ex is an emotionally abusive scumbag. They are attracted to each other but have major issues dealing with their exes and children. I loved Rick's vulnerability when it came to being a father and Ellen's desire to see that he can do it. Their relationship is almost as tricky as that of Tyler and Zoe. I really enjoyed his actions at the end.

As the second book in the series, the characters from the first book Don't Mess With Texas were also present. I am really looking forward to reading Austin's story and getting the resolution of the guys' false imprisonment. ( )