Review: Hitched by BJ Daniels

Hitched
by BJ Daniels

Genre: Contemporary Series Romantic Suspense (Western)
Publisher: Harlequin (Intrigue)
Cost: $4.12 (although I bought mine for $3.67 at WalMart)

What I Liked:
I had never read a BJ Daniels book before, and I think I might be the only person on the planet. With 50 books to her credit and several USA Today Bestsellers under her belt, BJ Daniels is a well-known and successful author. She even lives near me. And for some reason, I've never read a book.

I was in Wal-Mart picking up a different Harlequin book and I spied BJ's Hitched on the shelf and I thought, why not. It's only three and a half dollars.

Well, let me tell you, I wish I'd listened to the hype earlier. This book was fantastic. She has a new Winchester Ranch book out and I'm definitely going to pick that up as well. It was a real page-turner, and I haven't read one of those for a long time. Too long.

Generally, I try to steer clear of the romance novels that take place in Montana. After reading Nora Roberts' Montana romances and a few others, I just got sick of people writing about Montana like it's some kind of fairytale covered-wagon-y place where everyone still rides horses to work. Somehow, people get it in their heads that the whole state wears Stetsons, Wranglers, and Carhart. No, we do not. And I was even more skeptical of reading something that takes place in the North of MT, because that's where I grew up. And that's probably the place it bugs me the most when people get wrong.

And while there were plenty of cowboy hats and horses in this book, somehow, it didn't bother me. Could be because I know she's from Montana, and I know she knows what she's talking about. Could be her good writing. Could be a lot of stuff. I couldn't quite figure it out. But I loved it.

Her hero was just perfect, and I even didn't hate the heroine. If you've read any of my reviews, you know that I almost always hate the heroine. But this time, she was at least tolerable. It could have helped that this was a suspense book, so there was more going on than just the romance. And it was a very interesting story. Perhaps a little soap-opera-y. But let's face it. That's part of why we read romance novels, eh? I know it's part of why I do. I just can't help it.

Anyway, a well-crafted story, interesting characters, good setting, and lots of suspenseful moments. All-in-all, a pleasure to read. And this book definitely turned me into a BJ Daniels fan. I hope her backlist is available... :-)

(Oh, and by the way... this book was one of her USA Today bestsellers.)

Book Blurb:
Following a trail of secrets back to his family ranch, Jack Winchester needed a cover to solve a decades-old mystery. And Josey Smith offered him the perfect one—if she would agree to pose as his wife for a week. The gorgeous redhead was up to her neck in trouble, and Jack protected what was his, pretend marriage or not.
On the run from a killer, Josey had no choice but to accept Jack's proposal. She no longer trusted herself to tell the good guys from the bad, but the handsome, blue-eyed cowboy made her feel safe. Yet it soon became apparent that the sparks that flew between them were anything but fake, and the danger they faced was all too real…