Christine Feehan

RockyMountainMiracle
Publisher: Pocket Star
Released: November 17, 2014
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Rating: ★★★★½

No Christmas will ever be the same after Cole and Maia meet on a snowy western ranch… Find out why in #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan’s romantic holiday e-novella!

When Cole Steele, a womanizer rumored to have killed his father, meets Maia Armstrong, a veterinarian rumored to practice magic, the sizzling romance could melt all the snow on his Wyoming ranch. And when an injured horse brings them together, Cole can’t help but believe that Maia casts spells on animals—and men. What else could explain the burning passion he feels for her and the thawing of his heart just in time for Christmas?

ROCKY MOUNTAIN MIRACLE is rather dark for a Christmas romance, but I loved that it packed such an emotional wallop. Cole Steele and his 14-year old brother, Jace, suffered years of abuse by their cruel father, but it comes to an end when he is murdered. Now Cole has custody, but the two brothers are left struggling to cope with some heavy emotional scars.

Enter Maia, a traveling veterinarian with a supernatural gift for communicating with animals. She comes to the Steele’s ranch to save an injured horse, but a blizzard hits, and she ends up stranded there over Christmas. Maia quickly realizes that it’s Cole and Jace that need saving from their dead father’s hold.

This was a quick read that easily pulled me in. Cole and Maia seemed an unlikely couple at first, with Cole’s caveman tendencies and Maia’s solitary ways, but things heated up between them nicely. I also enjoyed the mystery surrounding the father’s death and some recent unexplained happenings on the ranch. Their being trapped on a remote ranch in a blizzard added to the suspense.

The ending made me teary-eyed, but in a good way. Though the characters suffered much tragedy in their lives, the ending is hopeful. Definitely a different kind of Christmas romance.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

287631
Series: Drake Sisters, #1
Publisher: Berkely
Released: October 1, 2005
Source: Purchased from Amazon
Rating: ★★★★

“Sarah’s coming home.” Ever since Damon Wilder sought refuge in Sea Haven, he’s heard the same breathless rumor pass the lips of nearly every local in the sleepy coastal town. Even the wind seems to whisper her name – a reverie so powerfully suggestive that it carries the curious Damon to Sarah’s clifftop home, and seeks to shelter him there.

But Damon has not arrived alone. Two men have tracked him to Sea Haven, and into the shadows of Drake House, where Sarah hides her own secrets. And danger- as well as a desire more urgent than either has ever known- is just a whisper away…

MAGIC IN THE WIND is a 103-page story that kicks off Christine Feehan’s Drake Sisters series. I first read this a long, long time ago, before I even knew what a book blog was. :-)

This book introduces the Drake family, a tight-knit group of seven sisters with awesome magical abilities, powers to control earth, water and air. Though we get to meet a few of the sisters in this book, MAGIC IN THE WIND is Sarah’s story.

Sarah is the eldest sister, and she’s come home to Sea Haven on a special assignment for work. Her path crosses with the new man in town, brooding and reclusive Damon Wilder. Damon’s in hiding from terrorists who nearly killed him months before, leaving him badly injured instead. Neither Sarah nor Damon is interested in a romantic involvement, but Drake family magic has other plans in mind.

I enjoyed this book and thought it was an intriguing opening for the series. Though short, it’s packed with romance, suspense and magic, three of my favorites! Damon and Sarah had a serious case of insta-love, and I thought their relationship could have been developed more. Of course, the speed of their attraction could be blamed on magic, so I’ll let it slide. ;-)

I’m in love with the setting of this series – Sea Haven, a small town on the Northern California Coast. It is described as such a magical place, fitting for these seven sisters!