"Family Man" by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton

Vincent Fierro is approaching 40 with three failed marriages behind him.  His large, Italian family is worried that he'll never find the right woman, and so is he.  While on a service call at the home of a gay, married couple, he overhears a tearful but tender exchange that stirs a deeply buried longing to connect with another man.  But he can't be gay, can he?  Is he even willing to find out?  If he is, will his family disown him?  Vince confides his inner turmoil to family friend Trey Giles, a twenty-five-year-old college student who is out but doesn't date.  He works two jobs to support his alcoholic mother and elderly grandmother, so his life is complicated, but he likes Vince enough to help.

This was a very well written story about two men with family responsibilities that make their lives harder than they should be.  I won't say more to prevent spoilers but it was sweet, and the authors did a great job.  262 pages (Kindle edition).

"Texas Pride" by Kindle Alexander

Kitt Kelly raises cattle and horses on his ranch in Texas.  He lives a simple but closeted life in his small hometown helping out his widowed stepmother and younger sisters.  When he discovers that his high school crush, Austin Grainger, has secretly purchased the portion of his ranch that he had to sell, his feelings are thrown into turmoil.  Fortunately, Austin is now a big movie star with a beautiful fiancee waiting for him to return to California after he gets tired of Texas, so Kitt knows that he can never act on his feelings.  What he doesn't know is that Austin is even deeper in the closet, that his fiancee is really just a "beard," and that he has no intention of returning to Hollywood.  When Austin gets his first look at Kitt since leaving town after high school, he knows that the can't deny his feelings for him again.  However, Austin is trying to prevent the locals as well as the media from finding out that he's the newest landowner in town.

The writing and story were well done and kept me interested in finding out what happened next.  The relationship between two closeted men who believe that they can't come out without serious consequences propels the action at a good pace.  As their feelings blossom, they both must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to truly be themselves and be happy.  Several twists with both Austin and Kitt make this book even better.  289 pages (Kindle edition).

Defiance of Eagles by William W. Johnstone

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Short and classic.  Boyd Ackerman is an Army trained veteran.  After a court martial he becomes an outlaw band leader. His band is unstoppable until he is challenged by Falcon MacCallister and his brothers.

Audio:  8 hrs.

Print:  336 pages

Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient Times to the Present by Max Boot

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

In war it is a fact that small bands of warriors are harder to defeat the a regular standing armies . A fact documented from the earliest of combat to the present day conflicts.

Audio:  34 hrs. 30 min.

Print:  784 pages

The Shadow of a Noose by Ralph Compton

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

After their last parent dies, the twin brothers go off in search for their sister. The sister is out avenging the death of their father and the outlaw gang that killed him. The family joins forces and prevails.

Audio:  9 hrs. 45 min.

Print:  320 pages

The Professional by Robert B. Parker

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Four married women are being blackmailed by a long time professional crook. He has done time for his action but sets his sights higher, and some people die. He is stopped by the combined skills of Spenser and Nancy.

Audio:  5 hrs. 29 min.

Print:  352 pages

The Car: The History of the Automobile by Jonathan Glancey

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

The auto started as basically a horseless carriage.  With bigger and powerful engines and design improvement cars became as big as Cadillacs and Dusenbergs.  With the further improvement  the cars became smaller like the current Fiats, Mini Coopers, and Smart Cars.  Cars with better millage, what a cycle.  251 pages.

"A to Z" by Marie Sexton

Cute story about the lonely owner of a small movie rental business and the lost and damaged man he hires for help.  Zach Mitchell has been stuck in a rut for the past 10 years first working at then owning a small store that rents DVDs in a small suburb outside of Denver.  His life is safe, boring, and monotonous until he hires a regular customer to help run the shop.  Angelo Green is native American and Italian, abandoned by both parents to the foster care system, and distrustful of everyone.  He's also stuck in a rut working two jobs with no friends, but when he starts working at A to Z video things improve.  When the new owner of the building doubles the rent, Zach must decide if he should take a chance by moving the business to the small town of Coda, CO, and asking Angelo to go with him.

This is not a sequel but takes place in the same world as "Promises," and the main characters from that novel play an important part in the story.  It is told from both Angelo's and Zach's points of view, which I liked since they both have very distinct voices and backgrounds.  I really enjoyed this book and seeing how both Zach and Angelo changed over the course of it.  Some of the funniest parts were with Angelo trying to school Zach on movies, of which he knows very little for a DVD rental store owner.  197 pages (Kindle edition).

"Stars & Stripes" by Abigail Roux

Book number six in the Cut & Run series begins with relative calm in the lives of FBI Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett.  There have been no extremely dangerous cases or chases with bad guys since returning from their harrowing trip from Chicago in the company of Julian Cross (in book five) a few months ago.  Even their personal relationship is going well until Zane is called away to his estranged family in Texas when a relative is shot. Unable to stay away, Ty soon follows.  Although not there in an official capacity, they can't help but investigate the criminal activity in the area.

There's much more to this book than my short description, but to say anymore would be major spoilers.  I'll just say that both Zane's and Ty's families (both parents and siblings) are visited and lots of progress is made with each.  Most of the book takes place in the hill country of Texas where Zane's family owns a very large ranch and most everyone knows him and them.  His mother and father are quite the characters, and Zane's exchanges with them are very well written.  However, Ty's interactions with the animals are truly priceless.  Roux has me hooked on this series and her two main characters; I can't wait to read more!  275 pages (Kindle edition).