Category Archives: KC Klein

December 4, 2013 · 11:55 pm

Review: Hustlin’ Texas by KC Klein

Title: Hustlin’ Texas by KC Klein
Texas Fever Series Book Two
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 238 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Only one person in Oak Groves is happy to see bad girl Nikki Logan back in town…

Oak Groves’ most beloved bachelor, Jett Avery, lives by a simple set of rules. Getting involved with a complicated woman isn’t one of them. He learned that the hard way two years ago when he spent one of the most incredible nights of his life with Nikki Logan. But then she hightailed it out of town, never to be seen again—until now. It might be time to break one of those rules…

Picking up the pieces of her life, Nikki is back in Oak Groves, face to face with the one man she’s done her best to forget. But she has her reasons for being here—and they don’t include winding up in bed with Jett. Especially since he’ll never forgive her once he finds out the truth about why she’s back…

The Review:

Hustlin’ Texas, the second installment in KC Klein’s Texas Fever series, is a spicy romance between bad girl Nikki Logan and golden boy Jett Avery. Two years earlier, Nikki and Jett shared a red hot one night stand, but Jett’s declaration of love spooked Nikki into running away. Back in town to repay a debt, Nikki immediately crosses paths with Jett and the sparks are soon flying between them.

Jett is charming, laid back and easy going. He is a longtime friend to the Logan family, and as Nikki’s brother’s best friend, he has always been a part of her life. He is her go to guy when she lands herself in trouble, and Jett always rides to her rescue. Jett is also crazy in love with her but Nikki is elusive and keeps tantalizingly out reach.

Nikki is a mess, plain and simple. By all outward appearances, nothing gets to her but underneath that tough as nails exterior? She is a teeming mass of insecurities. Nikki keeps everyone at a distance in an effort to protect herself and she won’t let herself believe that love lasts. Nikki runs at the first sign of trouble and she has no intention of staying in town once she repays her loan.

The relationship between Jett and Nikki is full of unresolved issues and red hot desire. Nikki allows Jett to get close to her, but then she allows her fears to gain hold and she pushes him away again. This back and forth continues for the entire novel and I had to admire Jett’s unending patience with her. The sexual tension between them is unrelenting and they come frustratingly close to consummating their desire time and again.

Hustlin’ Texas unfolds from multiple points of view which provides readers with valuable information about each of the characters. The shifts in perspective are fairly smooth and easy to follow. There were a couple of story arcs that seemed out of context and one proved to be essential to the storyline while the other really did not seem to serve any purpose but I suspect it might set up the next novel in the series (fingers crossed).

An entertaining addition to the Texas Fever series, Hustlin’ Texas is a sweet and sexy romance. The characters are beautifully developed and likable and although there is conflict, it is mostly internal as Nikki comes to terms with her insecurities and misconceptions. KC Klein keeps the angst to a minimum but she definitely makes Nikki and Jett work for their happily ever after.

Please click HERE for my review of Texas Wide Open.

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Filed under Contemporary, Hustlin' Texas, KC Klein, Kensington, Rated B, Review, Romance, Texas Fever Series

November 13, 2012 · 3:56 am

Review: Texas Wide Open by KC Klein

Title: Texas Wide Open by KC Klein
Texas Fever Series Book One
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 81,000 words
Book Rating: C+

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Katie Harris loved growing up on a ranch. She had her horse, the beautiful Texas prairie, and Cole Logan, the cowboy next door. But there are a lot of secrets hidden under a Texas sky…

Katie always knew she’d marry Cole one day—until he broke her dreams and her heart. But now that Katie’s father is sick, she’s back home, older, wiser and nowhere near the love-sick fool she once was.

Cole knows Katie doesn’t want anything to do with him. But after so many years, he can’t pretend she’s no more than a neighbor. Not when thinking about her cherry lip gloss and hell-for-leather passion is keeping him up all night. Holding his ground was hard enough when she was seventeen. Now that she’s her own woman, Cole’s heart doesn’t stand a chance…

“Passionate, gritty and fast paced…with a hot blooded, honorable hero to make every woman’s knees go weak.”—Diane Whiteside

The Review:

KC Klein’s Texas Wide Open is a passionate second chance at love story. Katie Harris has been love with neighbor Cole Logan for the majority of her young life. With an eight year age difference between them, Katie has been impatiently waiting for Cole to see her as the sexy young woman she has become. With time running out before she heads off to college, Katie takes matters into her own hands and attempts to seduce Cole. Brokenhearted by his rejection, Katie leaves her beloved horses, ranch and love for Cole behind to attend college.

Katie Harris is a strong-willed young woman who knows her own mind. She is also impatient, immature and impulsive. Her feelings for Cole have remained steadfast over the years, and she is tireless in her efforts to attract his attention. With her dad pushing her to attend college out of state, Katie is determined to take their friendship to the next level and when subtlety and jealousy do not capture Cole’s attention, she wages an all out seduction in an effort to win Cole’s heart.

The deaths of both his parents forced Cole to grow up way too fast. Raising his sister Nikki and trying to keep the family ranch has left him exhausted both emotionally and financially. Cole is close to Katie’s father and their lives are closely intertwined.

Texas Wide Open is told through multiple points of view which helps give readers valuable insight into the different characters’ thoughts, emotions and motivations. While I appreciate getting inside all of the characters’ heads, several of the shifts in perspective are quite abrupt and pulled me out of the story.

Texas Wide Open frequently flashes back to the pivotal events surrounding Katie’s senior year of high school and the events leading up to her leaving for college. Some of the transitions from past to present were not always clear which made the story a little confusing at times.

Much of the plot concentrates on Cole and Katie’s past relationship which does not leave much time to develop their current one. In the present, their relationship is on again/off again so frequently that I had a hard time keeping up with whether they were together or not. Lack of communication between them is frustrating and contributes to a lot of their problems.

An additional story arc between Cole’s sister Nikki and his best friend Jett provides added interest to the storyline. With more than her fair share of emotional baggage, Nikki’s life is currently a mess. When her latest round of trouble lands her in jail, it is Jett to the rescue. Their storyline is unresolved and I hope that Ms. Klein plans to revisit them in the future.

Texas Wide Open is a fast-paced story that is full of drama, lust and unrequited love. With past events interspersed with current ones, KC Klein guides her readers through the various ups and downs of Katie and Cole’s volatile relationship. Their road to happily ever after is long and sometimes emotionally exhausting but it is well worth the wait.

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Filed under Contemporary, KC Klein, Kensington, Rated C+, Review, Romance, Texas Fever Series, Texas Wide Open