#BookReview: Wedding at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels - 5 Wine Glasses

Title: Wedding at Cardwell Ranch
Series: Cardwell Cousins #2
Author: B.J. Daniels
Format: eBook/Paperback, 224 pages
Published: June 17th 2014 by Harlequin 
ISBN: 0373697708
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Kindle | B&N
Source: Author
Reviewer: Linda
Rating: 5/5

The highly anticipated continuation of the Cardwell Ranch Collection, read by more than 2 MILLION!

Jackson Cardwell won't stop until she is safe.

In Montana for his brother's nuptials, Jackson Cardwell isn't looking to be anybody's hero. But the Texas single father knows a beautiful lady in distress when he meets her. Someone's hell-bent on making Allie Taylor think she's losing her mind. Jackson's determined to unmask the perp...and guard the widowed wedding planner and her little girl with his life.

Allie has no idea who wants to harm her and take her daughter away. The truth is even more shocking. For Allie's past has stalked her to Cardwell Ranch. And not even the sexy cowboy who awakens irresistible passion may be able to save her from a killer with a chilling agenda.

Thoughts:
PLEASE SAVE A CARDWELL COWBOY FOR ME!

WEDDING AT CARDWELL RANCH by B.J. Daniels is the second book in her Cardwell Cousins series, which is an off-shoot series from her Cardwell Ranch series.  This book can be read as a standalone even though there are interconnected characters and a continuing background story.   All of B.J.'s books are fresh and fascinating Western mysteries set in gorgeous scenery, suffused with intrigue, spiced with sexy cowboys and imbued with slightly sensual romance.  

WEDDING AT CARDWELL RANCH begins as the Cardwell clan is gathering to celebrate the wedding of Tag and Lily whose story was told in CHRISTMAS AT CARDWELL RANCH, one of the books in her Cardwell Ranch series.  Again, you don't have to have read that book to enjoy this one as B.J. seamlessly includes everything you need to know.  Single dad Jackson Cardwell, our hero, hears singing as he arrives for the nuptials accompanied by his son, Ford.  It ends up that an angelic blonde about his son's age is the songbird and, for once, Ford is rendered speechless.  A few minutes later, Jackson hastily responds to a terrified scream from the barn to find the girl's mother, Allie, a striking older spit-image of Nat, the little girl  who had mesmerized his son, quaking with fear.  We discover that Allie was startled by a black cat which had emerged from a box of wedding decorations she was unpacking.  Amidst the wedding preparations, Jackson becomes determined to solve multiple baffling incidents in the thick of the dark aura of impending peril which surrounds Allie.

This is Allie Taylor's first wedding gig since her marriage.  She's a wedding planner, a recent widow, a single mother and our heroine.   Ever since her husband, Nick, died in a freak hunting accident, strange things have been happening, from her purse being displaced to slashed clothing to her horse bolting.  At first, she blamed the drugs she was prescribed after her husband's death for her hallucinations.  But she's been off them for a while and continues to be traumatized by the occurrences.   She wants and needs this wedding to be perfect but has some real worries that whatever is besieging her will wreck the wedding or harm her or her daughter.  Then... there's this sexy cowboy who keeps saving her.

I LOVE the Cardwells!  I inhale every book B.J. writes about them.  They've become family.  :-)))  All the characters are realistic and easy to relate to.  Jackson is a wonderful hero, a great single dad, divorced, handsome, gallant and tortured by his own past.  The brothers' mother and Texas did a fantastic job raising these Cardwell brothers as any woman would be lucky to snare one!

Allie's lifestory will pull at your heartstrings.  I was as confused as she was by the crazy things happening around her.  I caught myself holding my breath over and over hoping that she would be ok. Every character around her seemed suspicious with their own reasons to want her out of the picture.

Their romance is sweet.  If you're looking for an erotic romance, look elsewhere.  B.J.'s books are heavy with mystery with just the right amount of romance to spice the reader's imagination.  Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

---
Jackson couldn't bear to see Allie like this.  He pulled her to him and, dropping his mouth to hers, kissed her.  She leaned into him, letting him draw her even closer as the kiss deepened.  Fireworks lit the night, booming in a blaze of glittering light before going dark again.  Desire ignited his blood.  He wanted Allie like he'd never wanted anyone or anything before.
---
"It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."
He laughed.  "No, honey, that would be you."
---

This tale grabbed my attention from the first page and held it until the last.  B.J. always seamlessly educates too.  I learned what gas lighting was while reading this one and a few interesting nuances about the wedding planning business!

Bottomline:  WEDDING AT CARDWELL RANCH is another incredible and unique book from B.J. Daniels.  Slowly but surely, the Caldwell brothers are moving to Montana accompanied by their award-winning barbeque which the mention of never fails to make me salivate.  I highly recommend this book to lovers of cowboy cloak and daggers that keep you guessing as to the real dastardly culprits until the very end.  MORE CALDWELLS please!!!!!!