Texas Trouble

Gerry Bartlett

Jun 2019 · Lone Star Book 2 · Lyrical Press

About this ebook

She was starting a new life in Texas—until old trouble turned up . . .

Scarlett Hall followed a job and a friend to Texas, but that cost her more than she’d bargained for. Now, wounded but determined to get past one of the worst days of her life, she decides she has to pull herself together. First step: cover up the physical scars left from her ordeal. That’s easy. But the emotional scars are proving harder to handle . . .

Then she meets Ethan Calhoun. This bad boy seems ready to make his own changes and might be just what she needs to start a new chapter in her life. When he offers her a job as manager of his new bar, she decides to go for it. A change of pace and a hot guy who makes her forget her troubles while she’s in his arms are a great cure. But it soon becomes clear that danger will be in Scarlett’s life no matter how many changes she makes. As Scarlett comes face to face with her worst nightmare, it seems happiness was just an illusion. Maybe Texas is just too much trouble . .

Ratings and reviews

She followed a job and a friend to Texas which cost Scarlett hall more than she bargained for but she’s determined to get past one of the worst days of her life. Covering the physical scars is easy, but the emotional scars are proving harder to handle…until she meets Ethan Calhoun who just might be what she needs to start a new chapter in her life. It soon becomes clear that danger will be in her life no matter how many changes Scarlett makes and as she comes face to face with her worst nightmare. This ‘Lone Star’ romance is an emotionally gripping, sweet and passionate romance with strong, convincing characters that readers can easily connect to and they can really understand what motivates them. The romance is sweet and the chemistry sizzles between Scarlett and Ethan with exuberant abandon. Scarlett’s past is a real hindrance to moving forward with her life which causes lots of emotional turmoil to flow from the pages and Ethan’s care and determination in romancing Scarlett warms the heart. The plot is steady to fast paced and keeps readers on the edge with thrilling suspense as Scarlett’s nightmare reappears in her life, but this story has double the suspense because Ethan has quite a bit of excitement and danger going on his life as well as family comes calling. Readers can’t help but get caught up in this thrilling, suspenseful and passionate read.

Texas Trouble by Gerry Bartlett Lone Star #2 The story begins strongly with Scarlett Hall entering a tattoo parlor to cover a scar incurred while she was held as a hostage. She is suffering panic attacks and experiences one almost immediately and that is when she meets the man who will be her main squeeze in this book. From there the plot became a bit too much for me with both Ethan Calhoun and Scarlett dealing with huge issues that probably would have been better dealt with in two separate books. Ethan’s mother is on the lam from a mental institution with a sidekick and both of them are over-the-top unbelievable characters while Scarlett is soon dealing with the fact that t he creminal creep that scarred her has also escaped and might be out for revenge against her. Sure, there is romance of sorts and there is some time together for the main characters but this book really felt more like two or three stories in one with the main characters almost taking the back seat. That said, I did manage to finish the book by skimming quite a bit...and I see that I gave the previous book four stars so would give another book by this author a read in the future though this book did not rate as high for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington - Lyrical Liaison for the ARC – This is my honest review. 2-3 Stars

I have long been a fan of Gerry Bartlett's work. I have never been disappointed in any of her works and this book only continues her run of books I absolutely loved. A continuation of her Lone Star Suspense series, this book can still be read as a stand-alone or out of order. Gerry doesn't rely strictly on mystery to keep you reading late into the night. Her love for the state of Texas is clear on every page, even when her characters aren't feeling the same way. Thank you to NetGalley, Gerry Bartlett, and Kensington Books for giving me the chance to read this story and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

About the author

Gerry Bartlett is a native Texan and former teacher with more than twenty published novels. She lives near Houston, Texas. Visit her at www.gerrybartlett.com.