Christmas At Cardwell Ranch by B. J. Daniels

Mystery and Romance

What Goodreads Says:

"AT CARDWELL RANCH, THE HOLIDAYS CAN BE BRUTAL...
It had been years since Tanner "Tag" Cardwell's boots touched Montana soil. This Christmas he was determined to change that. Until a run-in with local Lily McCabe revealed dark secrets from his past and deep trouble for his future.
Cowboys came and went in these parts. But Tag Cardwell caught Lily off guard in more ways than one when the two became entwined in a murder mystery. What was it about Tag? The dreamy eyes... The rugged physique... The protection she felt in his strong arms...
But before they could lose themselves in each other they had to trace a killer. Or risk finding a crime scene under the Christmas tree."

This is a short fast exciting Harlequin Intrigue book featuring some interesting characters.  Other books have been set on the Cardwell Ranch and some of the characters are reoccurring.  There are mentions of past stories while new characters become the feature and some old ones play big part in the drama.  This is the first Cardwell Ranch book I have read and I had no trouble reading this as a stand alone.

“Tag” and Lily are both strong characters.  They both become part of the mystery and the danger is what draws them together.  Tag’s father and uncle play an unexpected part in the story.  Even though Tag thinks that his father is just a beer drinking, guitar playing no account he still shows up at Christmas hoping to get to know him better.  What he learns is that his Father has an interesting past that is at odds with his public appearance.  Other characters are also not what they seem and they add to the danger.

The drama and intrigue play out very fast.  Neither the reader or the characters have time to draw a breath before more danger is added to the mix.  Pick this one up if you like your mystery and romance to move at a fast pace.  While the book is not long the story is so well written and well developed that I never felt that anything was rushed or anything important was left out.

Harlequin Intrigue published Christmas at Cardwell Ranch by B. J. Daniels in 2013.

I received an ARC of Christmas at Cardwell Ranch from Netgalley.