Author: Christie Craig
Series: Hotter in Texas, book 1
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 9780446582841
Buy it: Amazon Barnes & Noble
Product Description:
Nikki Hunt thought her night couldn't get any worse when her no-good, cheating ex ditched her at dinner, sticking her with the bill. Then she found his body stuffed in the trunk of her car and lost her two-hundred dollar meal all over his three-thousand dollar suit. Now not only is Nikki nearly broke, she's a murder suspect.
Former cop turned PI, Dallas O'Connor knows what it's like to be unjustly accused. But one look at the sexy--though skittish-- suspect tells him she couldn't hurt anyone. The lead detective, Dallas's own brother, has the wrong woman and Dallas hopes a little late-night "undercover" work will help him prove it...
Don't Mess With Texas is my first experience with author Christie Craig and it certainly won't be my last experience with this delightful author! I've been in a reading slump lately and picked this book up on a whim at Target. I was able to get through it in two days! Reading slump broken---woo!
All of the characters, lead and supporting, in this novel are fleshed out beautifully and in such a way that the reader feels instantly drawn in to this world. Nikki Hunt is a delightfully wacky heroine (who hasn't had a conversation with themselves?) who never detours into damsel in distress territory. Dallas O'Connor is a strong man who never crowds Nikki even while doing his level best to protect her and clear her name. Almost from the moment they meet, they're partners. Neither character is stronger than the other.
Nikki's grandmother is a hoot and so are her merry band of octogenarians! In a less talented author's hands these characters could easily overpower the leads, but in Ms. Craig's hands they add dimension to the heroine and wind up providing a nice tale for Dallas's father and what he's struggling with.
I loved the sub-plot of Dallas's brother Tony O'Connor and his wife LeAnn. Their struggle with a painful event and how it destroyed their marriage is beautifully handled by Ms. Craig. I found myself wanting to spend so much more time with them. I hope Ms. Craig is able to weave them into the next two books in the series, since I really want to find out if they are able to have another child.
My only quibble with the book is the murder mystery. It's a bit thin and not really suspenseful, honestly. It's not really established who would want Nikki's ex dead, and the few clues that are provided are very easily dismissed. In the end, the perpetrator is not really much of a threat or a shock.
As I was reading Don't Mess With Texas, I was reminded of the author Susan Elizabeth Phillips' writing style. Ms. Christie's ability to establish the story, the characters and the romance are very much reminiscent of Ms. Phillps' ability to to the same. DMWT was like reading an old-school Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel. Romance readers will surely enjoy this little jaunt down to Texas! It's a shame that the next novel in this series, Blame It On Texas won't be available until September 2012!
Highly reccomended for fans of screwball romances, romances with heart and well, everybody, really!
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