#Review: Reunion at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels - 4.5 Wine Glasses

Title: REUNION AT CARDWELL RANCH
Series: Cardwell Cousins (Book 4)
Author: B. J. Daniels
Format: Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
Published: Paperback: Harlequin (December 15, 2015)
ISBN-10:037369878X
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Author and NetGalley
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 Wine Glasses

New York Times bestselling author B.J. Daniels continues her acclaimed Cardwell Ranch series! 

The last of his clan to come home to Big Sky, Montana, Laramie Cardwell wasn't planning to spend the holidays chasing an elusive cat burglar. He's stunned to discover that the masked, black-clad figure he tackles to the snowy ground is a woman. After a distracting and sizzling kiss, she flees Laramie, who's knocked senseless by the culprit. Even though he manages to hold on to the stash in the melee, the sexy thief single-handedly steals Laramie's heart! Now he'll move any mountain to capture the mystery woman whose kiss still smolders on his lips.

Linda's Thoughts:
Would he love the house as much if his cat burglar didn't come back for the painting? He pushed that thought away, telling himself he was in the market for a house long before he'd laid eyes on the dark-clad figure running along the rooftop. Long before the kiss.

REUNION AT CARDWELL RANCH by B.J. Daniels is an excellently-written western romantic suspense novel! B.J. is one of my very favorite authors and I've thoroughly enjoyed ever book I've read by her. This is the story of Laramie Cardwell, the youngest and the last Texas Cardwell to fall in love and stay in Montana. It takes place less than a week until Christmas.

Even though REUNION AT CARDWELL RANCH is the fourth book in the author's Cardwell Cousins series, it can be fully enjoyed as a standalone, if that is your druthers. The romantic relationship and the danger plot are fully contained within this novel. Fans of the series will enjoy catching up with favorite characters from previous books. You know you're addicted when you smile every time a previous favorite makes an appearance; I smiled a lot in this tale.

As the story begins, Laramie has come to Montana to be with family at Christmas. Laramie is the chief financial officer of the brothers' lucrative barbeque enterprise. He's considering purchasing a second home in Montana so he won't have to stay with relatives every time he visits.

On a house-hunting mission, as he pulls up to one prospective home, he is taken aback to discover that he's obviously come upon a burglary-in-process. He successfully runs down and tackles the masked, black-garbed thief only to find out that the thief is a woman. When she unexpectedly surprises him with a sultry kiss, he's startled; she takes advantage of his brief attention lapse and escapes - but, without her plunder. When Laramie reports the burglary, he's shocked to discover that nothing has been taken which makes Laramie even more determined to solve the mystery and find the elusive woman whose kiss he cannot forget. His investigation will take him into the western art world with a colorful array of characters. Be prepared for a riveting read.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from this thriller:

"There is one man," the artist said after a moment. He'd paled. "H. F. Powell."
"Where would I find him?"
West didn't seem to hear him for a moment. He shook his head as if clearing away cobwebs from his brain. "Find him?" His laugh was more of a grunt. "Six feet under, last I checked."
---

Was that designer stubble on his jaw?
---

She warned herself to let it go. But that meant letting the painting go. She couldn't do that, she thought with a curse. And Laramie Cardwell was practically daring her to come steal it.

I had so many favorite scenes in this tale, but, since it is set at Christmastime, I'll highlight one which reminded me of a certain tree in a Charlie Brown Christmas. Here's a short snippet from that scene:

"Dana can't stand the idea of an ugly tree not getting to be a Christmas tree," her husband the marshal explained with a shake of his head. "We do what we can for it."

I literally inhale every book I can get my hands on by B.J. Daniels. She is just not capable of writing anything but riveting reads. My only complaint about this one is that I didn't want it to end. If you enjoy intriguing romantic suspense with sexy cowboys and beautiful western scenery, REUNION AT CARDWELL RANCH should decidedly be on your must-read list!



Suggested Reading Order:
B.J.'s Cardwell Cousins series is a spinoff from B.J.'s Cardwell Ranch series. The previous books directly related to the Cardwell brothers are:
#4, Cardwell Ranch series, CHRISTMAS AT CARDWELL RANCH (Tanner "Tag" Cardwell and Lily's story)
#1, Cardwell Cousins series, RESCUE AT CARDWELL RANCH (Hayes Cardwell's and McKenzie's story)
#2, Cardwell Cousins Series, WEDDING AT CARDWELL RANCH (Jackson Cardwell's and Allie's story)
#3, Cardwell Cousins Series, DELIVERANCE AT CARDWELL RANCH (Austin Cardwell's and Gillian's story)
#4, Cardwell Cousins Series, REUNION AT CARDWELL RANCH (Laramie Cardwell and Obsidian "Sid" Forester's story)