"fired up" by mary connealy

About the book: Dare Riker is a doctor who saves lives, but someone seems determined to end his. It may have something to do with the traitors he dealt with during the Civil War, or it might be related to the recent incident with Flint Greer and the ranch. Whoever the culprit is, he or she seems really fired up, and Dare can't let his guard down for a moment, which is a challenge, since right now he's trying to win the heart of the recently widowed Glynna.

Glynna Greer came west as a mail-order bride and ended up in a bad situation. Now her husband, Flint, is dead, and she's determined to care for her son and daughter on her own. She wants to believe Dare Riker is as decent as he seems, but she's terrified to lock herself into another marriage. She plans to support her small family by opening a diner—never mind that cooking is not her greatest talent. The men in Broken Wheel, Texas, are so desperate for home cooking that they seem willing to overlook dried-out beef and blackened biscuits.

Glynna can't help but notice that danger follows Dare wherever he goes. There's the avalanche. And then the fire. But things really get out of hand when someone plunges a knife from Glynna's diner into Dare's back. Are Flint's cronies still plotting revenge? Is Glynna's son engaged in a misguided attempt to protect his mother? Is a shadowy outsider still enraged over past injustices? And can Dare survive long enough to convince Glynna to take another chance on love?

My take: Fired Up continues the story of the Regulators—Luke, Dare, Vince, and Jonas—that started in Swept Away, book one of the Trouble in Texas series.

The plot of Fired Up is completely engaging, and I enjoyed watching the Regulators piece together the puzzle of who was out to get Dare. And I'm happy to say that while I had my suspicions, I wasn't sure who the "bad guy" was until Connealy revealed it. I did feel like the conflict with Glynna's son wrapped up a little too neatly (the shift in his feelings toward Dare happened quite suddenly and conveniently), but everything else in this book worked marvelously. Though Fired Up is ostensibly Dare and Glynna's story, my favorite parts were those surrounding Jonas's sister Tina and Vince. Those two will be great fun to read about in the future!

I like each book of Mary Connealy's that I read a little more than the last. That certainly makes reading her books enjoyable! If you like historical romance with a touch of humor, you should definitely check out this series.

My rating: 4.5 stars

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Buy the book.
Read my reviews of Swept Away (Trouble in Texas), In Too Deep and Over the Edge (Kincaid Brides), and Winter Wedding Bells (in A Bride for All Seasons anthology). 
Watch the book trailer:

About the author: Mary Connealy writes fun and lively "romantic comedy with cowboys" for the inspirational market. She is the author of the successful Kincaid Brides, Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages, and Sophie's Daughters series, and she has been a finalist for a Rita and Christy Award and a two time winner of the Carol Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her husband, Ivan, and has four grown daughters.

Connect with Mary: http://maryconnealy.com/

About the giveaway:
Mary Connealy is back with the second book, Fired Up, in her Trouble in Texas series, and she's celebrating with a Kindle Fire giveaway and a LIVE author chat party on October 8th.

  One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HD
• Swept Away  and Fired Up by Mary Connealy

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 8th. Winner will be announced at the "Fired Up" Live Webcast Event on October 8th. Connect with Mary for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Mary will also be taking questions from the audience and giving away books and fun gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of Fired Up and join Mary and friends on the evening of October 8th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by signing up for a reminder. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 8th!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."