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An American Cage
Ted Galdi | 2017
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Danny Marsh is serving time in a maximum security prison in Texas. His cellmate, Phil Zorn, along with his good friend Monty Montgomery all decide to make an escape from prison and head to Mexico. But, as these things go, the plan did not go as it should and quickly decisions had to be made on the fly. Will the trio make it to Mexico, or will they be caught and forced to spend even more time behind bars?

Thank you to Ted Galdi and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the second book I have read by Ted Galdi. His first book, [bc:Elixir|22849611|Elixir|Ted Galdi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406903898s/22849611.jpg|41253131], was very good as well.

For most of his life Danny Marsh has run from his problems. But one night, he makes a mistake that he can't run from. Even though Danny is only charged with a minor crime, he is sent to a maximum security prison in East Texas. This is not a place Danny is doing well. When his cellmate, Phil come up with the plan for escape, Danny agrees so that he can get out of this place. But Danny learns a lot more about his "friend" once they are on the outside. Taking matters into his own hands, Danny finds a way to make it through the situation his been forced in to, alive.

This book is very hard to put down. I got through it quickly and I could feel myself right there along with Danny trying to find the place between right and wrong and good and evil.

Highly recommended.
  
Home For Christmas (Texas #9)
Home For Christmas (Texas #9)
RJ Scott | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Home For Christmas (Texas #9) by R.J. Scott
Home for Christmas is the ninth book in the Texas series, and we reunite with the Campbell-Hayes clan. It starts with Christmas (obviously) and Connor ready to make his way home. Before he goes though, he has to rescue a friend from a roof. River is blind drunk and speaks about things he had wanted to keep from Connor. Connor decides to throw an intervention, and the story starts.

Connor admits to being a fixer, and he thinks River needs fixing. The only trouble is, he doesn't really know River that well, and therefore has no idea on what to fix.

It was good catching up with the clan again, and I love how Jack and Riley still have their say, and insights, in their children's lives. Personally, I would have liked a bit more about River and his past, his condition, and what it took to move him forward, but this is only a short novel so I guess I can't have everything.

As with all of R.J. Scott's books, this was smoothly written, with some angst, and definitely some sexy times. The characters are wonderful to return to, and the scenery is breathtaking, making me want to see their ranch in real life.

Another winner for this author, and the series. I know this is supposed to be the final book, but is it really...? I hope not! Definitely recommended by me.

* I received a copy of this book with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Season of Hope
Season of Hope
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<a href="https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2020/08/15/season-of-hope-celebrate-lit">my link text</a>
Are you ready for a heart-searching, feel good, happily-ever-after type story? Well, then this is a book you definitely need to read! This is my first time reading a book by Carol James and I enjoyed the way she developed her story.

From the start, there is great tension and emotions between the characters without them being over the top or dramatic. They feel natural given the situation presented. Both Hope and her son were cute characters and I liked the conflicts between Hope and Josh. I felt they were very likely to happen to real people. The only thing I did not like was the way Hope’s son Mattie phrased things at times, it seemed like Carol James was trying to hard to get him to sound like a kid. Otherwise, I thought the characters were very well done.

The setting of this book takes place in a little Texas town near Fort Worth! I love all things Texas, and this was a fun addition to the storyline since I knew a couple of the places mentioned. The time period is set in the 1970’s right after the Vietnam War. I thought it was a unique timeline that I have not read very many books about. I truly enjoyed it.

I give the book 4 out of 5 stars for the creative characters, the interesting setting, and for the very prevalent aspects of finding faith and forgiveness.
 
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
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Blaine Harrison recommended track County Line by Cass Mccombs in Wit's End by Cass Mccombs in Music (curated)

 
Wit&#039;s End by Cass Mccombs
Wit's End by Cass Mccombs
2011 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

County Line by Cass Mccombs

(0 Ratings)

Track

"I discovered Cass McCombs’s music when we were making our fourth album Radlands, which we choose to make in America. At that point we’d all been living in London for years and we were looking for a taste of another life, another existence, and we found that in Texas. “We moved to Austin and lived there for about four months, which doesn’t sound like that long, but it was long enough to immerse ourselves in Texan culture. We went to make the record in this old colonial era ranch house, right out in the middle of nowhere and it was perfect. We had racoons raiding our dustbins, rattlesnakes under the back porch, and a rifle. We even used it to shoot tin cans. “I think it was our first week in Texas, and we went to the local record store in Austin. I always like to ask the guy behind the counter what he likes to listen to, especially if I’m in a different place and the Texan record store guy said, “You’ve got to hear the new Cass McCombs record."" “We put it on, and from that moment it totally shaped what Radlands went on to become. We actually went out to Austin without any songs written, but once we heard Cass McCombs we realised it had the DNA of what we wanted to make. “County Line” is a very slow song. It has a sense of longing about it, a dream-like half-remembered memory mood to it. He’s just got the loveliest voice which is so evocative, and it really captures the mood of Radlands"

Source
  
Dark (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #1)
Dark (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #1)
Kat Kinney | 2019 | Paranormal, Romance
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dark is the first book in the Blood Moon, Texas Shifters series and it introduces us to a world where shifters and vampires are not the best of friends, where you can be turned by sex or a bite, and where the thunderstorms are FIERCE!

The story itself is a simple one. Unrequited love, up-and-coming band, kidnappings, stalkers, silver addiction, did I say simple? The world-building is fulfilling enough as it is set in contemporary Texas (as you might have guessed from the series title!). Although I have never been, it was easy enough to 'see' this world.

If I had any complaints, I would mention the transitions in some of the scenes. A couple of times, I was confused between what was actually happening and what had already happened but was being remembered. Another time was right at the start. Was Hayden speaking to Ellie in the car or was she remembering the conversation?

Told from the first perspective from both Hayden and Ethan, this was a fast-paced story with plenty of action to balance out the blooming second-chance romance between our two main characters. I would love to know more about Ethan's brothers as I wasn't sure at the end just what was happening but that's probably just me.

A great start to a new series by a new-to-me author but one that I hope to continue with. Definitely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Nov 17, 2021  
Stop by my blog to read part of the prologue from the contemporary Western fiction novel THE BIG EMPTY by Loren Steffy. If you like what you read, enter the giveaway to win a signed copy of the book as well as a logo hat - three winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2021/11/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-big-empty.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
When Trace Malloy and Blaine Witherspoon collide on a desolate West Texas highway, their fender bender sets the tone for escalating clashes that will determine the future of the town of Conquistador.

Malloy, a ranch manager and lifelong cowboy, knows that his occupation—and his community—are dying. He wants new- millennium opportunities for his son, even though he himself failed to summon the courage to leave familiar touchstones behind.

Witherspoon, an ambitious, Lexus-driving techie, offers a solution. He moves to Conquistador to build and run a state-of-the-art semiconductor plant that will bring prestige and high-paying technology jobs to revive the town—and advance his own career.

What neither man anticipates is the power the "Big Empty" will wield over their plans. The flat, endless expanse of dusty plain is as much a character in the conflict as are the locals struggling to subsist in this timeworn backwater and the high-tech transplants hell-bent on conquering it. While Malloy grapples with the flaws of his ancestors and his growing ambivalence toward the chip plant, Witherspoon falls prey to construction snafus, corporate backstabbing, and financial fraud. As they each confront personal fears, they find themselves united in the search for their own version of purpose in a uniquely untamable Texas landscape.
     
Deepwater Horizon (2016)
Deepwater Horizon (2016)
2016 | Action, Drama
I enjoyed the acting and special effects. I felt the suspense that was intended while the disaster was building. (0 more)
The plot and personal side of the stories were a bit scattered and hard to follow. I didn't feel deeply connected to most of the characters. (0 more)
Close to Home
Living in Texas all of my life and being surrounded by the oil and gas industry, this movie was close to my heart. Because of the realness of the event, my rating may be a bit biased, but I did enjoy the film. Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell, along with a pretty dynamic supporting cast, recreated the event well and made me care about the outcome. Semi-spoiler...I HATED the bad guy by the end of the movie. No sympathy for him what-so-ever.