Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication date: December 6th 2016
My rating: 4 stars
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(Originally published as The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off.)
One woman's quest for chili perfection
Carlene Lovell is going to hit her no-good, deadbeat, cheatin' ass, soon-to-be ex-husband where it hurts: at the annual chili cook-off, which he's won for 10 years in a row. To win, though, she'll need more than a little help...
Is another man's second chance at love
Police Chief Jack Landry has been smitten with Carlene forever. Now that she needs some help keeping the peace (and getting revenge), it's his chance to prove that not all men are dogs....
My Thoughts:
Carolyn Brown once again had me laughing my head off with A Heap of Texas Trouble! It was a wonderful mix of family, friends and
love!
I felt the acute sting of betrayal, right along with Carlene
when she finds out her husband of five years, Lenny, has been cheating on her!
Yes she’s hurt, but Carlene doesn’t plan on just lying down and taking it! I was thrilled that Carlene had her family’s
support, her mother, aunts and Cousin Patrice. Cousin Alma Grace is another
story, and I wanted to strangle some sense into that woman for a lot of the
book! All the rest of the family is in
Carlene’s corner, ready to hide the body if she decides to kill that scumbag
Lenny! Carlene opts for a much tamer
revenge: win the Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off and steal the much prized trophy away
from Lenny, and hilarity ensues!
There are several story threads in this book, and every one of
them were highly entertaining. There’s
romance for the cousins, Carlene, Patrice, and Alma Grace; even though it wasn’t
the complete focus, all of them are a sweet treat! Carlene’s mother and two sisters head the
team to win the Chili Cook-Off even though none of them are much good at
cooking, (the results are pretty funny and scary at the same time) they pull
together to search for the perfect Chili recipe. Agnes and Violet take opposing
sides in Carlene’s breakup, but it wouldn’t take much to keep enmity burning
between them.
I think this is the funniest book of the series and I was
giggling all over the place while reading this story! Agnes Flynn, the crafty old lady and loyal friend,
(thankfully she’s on Carlene’s side!) is back, and her wars with Violet, the
other old crone in town, always make me laugh! Aunt Tansy’s psychic powers assisted by her
inspirational bird, Dakshani, were funny as hell! Kitty, Lenny’s horrible
mother, was a pain in the butt for all of Carlene’s family, but the
confrontations were priceless!
A Heap of Texas
Trouble can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone, but I would definitely
read it before The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop to appreciate some of the history of
the Agnes/Violet wars. I read the series
out of order and now I’d like to go back and re-read The Yellow Rose Beauty
Shop. If you want a book to make you
laugh and warm your heart, A Heap of
Texas Trouble is definitely your story!
5 comments:
This sounds SO cute, Rachel! I'm always on the lookout for new romance authors, especially now when I'm at the point where the backlogs of my beloved authors have been read and re-read and I just need to find a new author to devour. This sounds like the perfect book to curl up with, so thanks for putting this on my radar, dear! I can't wait to dive in! :)
That's great the MC doesn't let the fact that her husband cheated on her ruin her life! I love heroines like that. I also appreciate good humor. Thanks for sharing, Rachel.
-Lauren
Cowboy romances are so cute! I haven't heard about this novel, but it does sound like an interesting read - great female character though :) thanks for sharing! Dont know why my other comments got cut off lol Benish @ Beenazai
I put The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop on my tbr-list after your wonderful review, but haven’t read it yet. This sounds so good; I definitely need to pick up this series. This year was busy and tiresome in real life and I just want to curl up on my sofa with a light funny feel-good book and a cup of hot tea. Thanks for putting this series on my radar again.
Awesome review Rachel :D So glad you enjoyed this book a lot. <3 Not for me at all, ack, with the husband and such, but that cover is so cute. I like it a lot :) Thank you for sharing. <3
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