Books & Spoons Review AMBUSH AT DRY GULCH by Joanna Wayne

COWBOY TO THE CORE  

Jake Dalton believes in worthy causes—like opening his Texas ranch to inner-city kids for the summer. But there's a catch…that involves a woman. Dedicated do-gooder Carolina Lambert can hold her own against any man…Jake included. Except now someone with a nasty grudge who's been waiting for the perfect moment to strike has the beautiful widow in his sights. 

R.J. Dalton's estranged son is the last man on earth Carolina wants to trust with her life. But the rugged single father has sworn to keep her safe. As passion ignites—and a killer closes in—Carolina and Jake may lose their chance at a love neither expected to find again.

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A good old western family saga, like a John Wayne movie, with a little danger on the side. 
I liked that the hero and the heroine, Jake and Carolina were older, mature people. I find myself enjoying those stories more and more, having the chance to find love at the later in your life, or second time, as Jake and Carolina do. The story is rather clean, the passion and attraction in understated, and doesn't go further than some kissing and assumed love making. 
The family, extended family, has their own drama and troubles, nothing is explored too deeply, or brought to the daylight, dealt with, and found a solution. Even the life long alienation between Jake and his father doesn't get much of deeper investigation, but everything is fixed in a one sentence. 
The suspense is in the background, the investigation is constant, and the culprit is being hunted, but there's no acute danger or action in the story, just a crescendo, with little details. 
I liked the laid back, smooth, southern summer feeling the story has. But for an Intrigue story, I expected more suspense, intense danger, fierce action. Even in the romance, or at least for the family drama, some deeper emotions, more details, fine points of their lives, particulars of the family reunion and settling between Jake and R.J. Now the story reads very sleek and mild, polished with very little details or deeper information on any issue or element of the tale.
~ Three Spoons

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