"Engaging lead off to a new series"

Author Tina Leonard has created a new series set in Texas. She has introduced us to a family of cowboys that live in Union Junction. The family is rolling in testerone as there are 12 handsome brothers making a good living at their family ranch which has been nicknamed Malfunction Junction.

In this first book of the series next door neighbor Mimi Cannady has decided that the "boys" need a housekeeper. She has helped eldest brother Mason write an ad for one that they intend to send to a friend of Mimi's who runs an employement agency. However in this high tech world we live in a problem occurs and the e-mail ends up going to the wrong place.

Suddenly and unexpectedly the "boys" find themselves with a group of twenty unwanted woman on their front lawn. They decide that they're going to pay for the woman to return to where they came from, but the weather and road conditions have another plan and the woman are forced to stay in Union Junction.

There's an emergency and every available person is asked to help out. Everyone but Annabelle Turnberry who is a new mom, and has a young baby. She agrees to stay back at the ranch and try her hand at cooking, and feeding the volunteers who are working to save the town.

Things are going along fine until Frisco breaks a leg in a freak accident. His forced confiment with Annabelle makes sparks begin to fly. They both are a bit world weary though and afraid to commit. In the end Frisco makes a daring escape broken leg and all to run to Annabelle.

While I did enjoy the story I thought that there were a few too many characters to try to keep track of in such a short story. I realize that many of them were introduced because we'll be reading about them in later books. Frisco Joe's Fiancee isn't a book that will burn your fingers as you turn the page, but it will keep your attention, and make you wish the next year was flying by so you can read about all the women who bring down this family of strong indepenedent men, turning them into family men.

Reviewed by Sandi Shilhanek
Posted July 31, 2003

Summary

Someone had rounded up a herd of twenty women for the Union Junction Ranch, home to twelve hard-ridin', heartbreakin' cowboy brothers! With the oldest conveniently gone from home, second-born Frisco Joe Jefferson smelled one big rat. The ladies claimed to have answered a housekeeper ad, but Frisco could spot matchmaking at ten paces. He almost shooed them away—then he looked into single mom Annabelle Turnberry's beautiful blue eyes, and "Go away" became "Stay..."

Oh, my! The eleven hunky examples of pure testosterone intimidated the once-burned, twice-shy Annabelle, especially the tall, dark and glowering Frisco. But when Frisco sweet-talked her cranky baby girl to sleep, Annabelle's wary heart warmed. This cowboy acted tough only to protect his family—could he be gentled by a woman's tender touch?