Texas Haven

Dawson Ranch #1

by Kathleen Ball

Everything in Annie Douglas' life has taught her that men can’t be trusted. Although Burke is big, strong, and not seemingly gentle, Annie feels drawn to the handsome Texas cowboy. Upon discovering Burke’s advertisement for a wife, Annie shyly asks if he might consider her. Burke Dawson wants children; unfortunately, that also includes a wife. His first wife was a citified hellcat who stole half of his ranch. Now Burke’s determined to find an honest country girl with no expectations of love. Misunderstandings, accidents, and treachery leads to Annie leaving shattered and alone. Can their shaky start lead to the possible loving relationship they both desire but neither is sure of?

Genres: Romance, Westerns, Contemporary, Western Romance, Contemporary Romance, Novella, Fiction

180 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2012

About the author

USA Today Best Selling Author of
Contemporary Western Romance and Sweet Historical Western Romance.

Writing is my bliss and I try to write every day. I started with two publishers who I learned a lot from. Now I self publish. I like the control it gives me over release dates and book covers.


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Reviews

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was awful. Absolutely awful. I DNF'd it but I also skimmed to the end to see if the hero ever changed, or the horrible ex-wife got her comeuppance, and nope. They are awful people who deserve each other.

So very few people on GR have given this less than 5 stars, and I'm shocked, because the hero is an asshat and the heroine is a doormat. For once, I'll tell you guys to read the amazon reviews over goodreads. They tell in great detail with many examples why this book is full of WTfkery.

Seriously, when the "hero" allowed his ex-wife, who btw cheated on him, left him, took half his property, he let her stay with him and the new wife. Then, this is what killed it for me, he BELIEVES the ex over the new wife in everything. In one review, it says that the ex drugged him and made sure the current wife sees them having sex. I read this book to see how accurate the 1 star reviews were...People, believe the one star reviews...they aren't lying.

This book is being deleted off my kindle.

Also, mah girls who made me read this, you two need to add your ratings so I'm not the only one here

TL;DR

NOPE.

[Tmstprc · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad Diana Palmer derivative.

My god, the hero is dumb as a rock, she’s not much brighter, but at least she’s kind. The evil OW needed to go to jail.

1 star, only Diana Palmer could pull this off.

[Juls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I’m not gonna lie, the start was kinda disappointing. The harsh childhood that Annie had and the horrible things she went through made her very wary of men but Burke comes into the picture and she turns into a love sick spineless girl. And also the love scenes were a bit choppy. But towards the middle things picked up with a kick!

Now with that said, I loved the rest of the book. Alice, Burke’s ex comes into the picture and all hell breaks loose! Annie has to literally fight for her life!

Alice comes to Burke under false pretenses and stupidly Burke allows her to stay with him and his new wife, Annie. Not wanting to get burned again Burke wants to marry just for a partner and possibly children. He and Annie come to an agreement and voila they are saying “I do”.

Little do Burke and Annie know but Alice is working with Annie’s abusive stepbrother Sonny to get the inheritance that was left for her from her mother and believe me, the amount is staggering!!!

Every time something happened to Annie she would accuse Alice and Burke never believe her. This kind of reminded me of the movie Hush with Gwyneth Paltrow. The mom trying everything to get rid of the new wife. Well that’s what Alice was doing. Very creepy! I cant tell you how upsetting it was to have Burke not side with Annie. He just didn’t want to face anything or even protect his wife. I was NOT happy with him!

It takes one horrible accident and witnessing an act that is unforgivable for Annie to get up and move on with her life. She grows that spine that she lost when she fell for Burke at the beginning and becomes a woman of worth.

I still don’t understand why Burke was the way he was. Even after Annie left he had Alice stay with him. I just couldn’t believe how clueless he was and to feed of off Alice’s lies just made me cringe at his stupidity!

Lots and lots of misunderstandings and miscommunications between them led them to where they weren’t together. Had this marriage been a “normal” set up I think maybe they wouldn’t have fought love even though it was staring straight at them!

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[Shonnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes I wonder about 5 stars

Sometimes I wonder about 5 stars

I chose this rating because the characters were horrible. The story was a brainless read. The reader will be left wondering if the author believes her customers are unintelligent.

Actually, everything was grossly exaggerated. I'm now motivated to write a book about nonsense to see how many 5 stars I'll receive.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathleen Ball was another lovely lady I got to meet and being from Texas I do love a good Cowboy romance. First time to read any of her books and boy am I glad I picked up her book. This book was full of emotion. I couldn't help but to feel bad for poor Annie that just wanted some love and affection. I couldn't image living a life without either but that is what she survives. Annie makes it impossible for you not to root for her. Burke is a good ole cowboy that is Texas tough and caring. He's been hurt but tries to be soft with Annie. Burke and Annie were a joy to read about and I didn't want to stop. When Annie cries you feel close to tears yourself. I wanted to hit Burke upside his head at times. Most books I would be yelling at the book when a main character was so blind to what was right in front of his face but something about Burke kept me from doing that. After many ups and down Burke finally sees the light and gets his act together. I loved reading how Annie went for shy and bullied to strong. Also adored reading her take in so many strays and help anyone she could. I have to say Cowboy romance isn't something I read alot of but I'll have to change that after reading this book. Texas Haven isn't a very long book it's under two hundred pages but that doesn't affect the book at all. This was a great start to a series and can't wait to get my hands on the next book.

[Shirley Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annie Douglas is beautiful, compassionate, and kind, but she has no self confidence and doubts her ability to read men. She has never known love from anyone, especially her family. They all considered her an albatross around their necks, completely useless and no value at all. After the latest fiasco with her ex-fiance and ex best friend, she wonders about her worth as a woman, too. Tired of her constant depression, her stepbrother sends her to Texas to look at a newly acquired ranch, never dreaming her life was about to change.

Burke Dawson is handsome, sexy, and strong, but he has no clue to understanding women. Where his ex-wife is concerned, he is absolutely blind. In the divorce, she demanded half the ranch that had been in his family for generations. Confused by her actions, he struggles to survive.

Things are about to change. A chance encounter with a broke down rental and a beautiful woman make him consider his choices. He's advertised for a wife, having no time for courtship, but does he want a city girl again? The chemistry is there and she is definitely willing. All he really wants is an unpaid housekeeper and she wants a husband and family. After consideration, a marriage of convenience is born.

But there is a snake in the background. Using Burke's integrity against him, Alice, his ex-wife, invites herself into this new marriage, causing as much mischief as possible.

Can love develop from this unlikely beginning? Will diabolical plans of others prevent their happiness? After the ultimate betrayal, can Annie ever forgive Burke, or will Alice, the ex-wife, really win?

This is an excellent story. Well written. The twists and turns keep the reader engrossed and wondering where the story will go. The reader wants to shake Burke for his foolishness, slap Alice for her interference, and defend Annie against them both?

I would recommend this book. Excellent read!

[Delta]

Free 07-13-15 (Contemp Western Romance)

[Jo-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annie is sent to look at some land her step-brother, Sonny, bought in Texas. When she gets to the property, she runs into Burke who asks what she is doing on his land. Annie has no self-confidence because she has been mentally and physically abused. She doesn't trust men and sure doesn't want to get Burke angry but shows him the deed to the land, proving that her step-brother owns it. Burke is a handsome, strong rancher (though pretty gullible) who wants nothing to do with women after his ex-wife took him to the cleaners in their divorce. He does want children so needs a wife but doesn't want love so he has been advertising for a wife. Annie wants a family too so she applies for the 'job'. They get married and everything is actually going pretty good until ex-wife, Alice, shows up and makes life miserable for them.

This book was really well written with lots of suspenseful scenes that kept me turning the pages. I didn't want to stop reading this so I stayed up most of the night. Alice was such a witch and tried to get rid of Annie in so many terrible ways that I didn't want to believe that someone could actually be as horrible as she was. And then we find out that she has teamed up with Annie's abusive step-brother so they can get Annie's huge inheritance. I felt so sorry for Annie because she wanted to be loved so much but she ends up with Burke who just wants a partner. Then her life gets even worse when Alice and Sonny are against her. You will really get caught up in the lives of the characters in this book. I loved the surprising twists and turns in this story. I highly recommend it.

[Rhi G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway

Annie goes to Texas to look at a piece of land her step brother Sonny bought, little does she know half the land belongs to a hunky man named Burke. She is uncomfortable around men because of the years of mental and physical abuse. She went through a messy breakup with her ex fiance and was in no way looking for love. Burke also was coming out of a terrible marriage with the queen bitch, Alice. He wants to get married for partnership, help on the ranch and kids. They go on one date and he pops the question soon after. She's desperate for love and companionship and says yes. They get married and everything is running pretty smooth, until Alice pops into the picture. The book changes tone completely and tensions run high.
.

Little does Annie and Burke know, but Alice is working with Sonny to get the inheritance that was left for her from her mom.

Every time something bad happened to Annie she would accuse Alice and Burke never believe her. He just didn’t want to face anything or even protect his wife. I was NOT happy with him! The whole time I was reading this I was getting extremely pissed lol. *shaking,sweating,growling*

Burke made me very mad throughout this book. The fact that he let Alice stay as long as he did would make me never go back to him. Annie did grow a bit of a backbone so I was happy for that. I think Burke should have had Alice arrested though..

[Rhonda Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I have read a classic romance novel as I normally stick to Christian novels. I enjoyed this book immensely and did find that Annie and Burke both breathed sincere prayers a few times. Annie was adamant about remaining a virgin until marriage. Warning: they are newlyweds who are extremely attracted to each other and there are a few steamy love scenes between Annie and Burke after they are married.
Annie had been abused, unloved, and unwanted all her life and all she wants is love. Can she and Burke overcome their differences? Will Burke ever stop comparing her to the vixen he was married to before...the one who left him, broken hearted? Will the ex-wife, Alice, ruin their chances for love? Can they ever have a peaceful, loving home amid the sprawling Texas ranch land? Read this one and find out for yourself. I hope that you will enjoy this novel as much as I did.

[Amber Dane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathleen has done it again in this beautiful tale of a sexy and confident cowboy who had me liking him from page one to loving him every page thereafter. I like a strong man, especially a sexy cowboy hiding a gentle side beneath a rough exterior. He knows what he wants and goes after it, even if not always at the right moment. When Burke meets Annie, she draws so much out of him and watching their relationship unfold was spectacular. The author wove a superbly well-written, hold your breath, page-turner and it was very hard to stop reading. Chock full of emotions and conflict that had me talking out loud to the book, is definitely a keeper for me. This has got to be my favorite of this author's yet. She has quite the imagination and handles secondary characters exceptionally well! A touching and memorable read and I will definitely be back for the next installment in this series.

[Layla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed the second book in the Dawson series, I really looked forward to learning the story of the Annie and Burke mentioned in Clint and Ryelee’s story.
The writing is good, the characters come alive and certainly rouse emotion.

Burke knows that Alice is an evil, scheming piece of work, yet he allows her into their life and home. The way in which she storms into the house should be warning enough. He blindly trusts Alice and abandons Annie to her lies and treachery.
The story has twists and turns and retains interest. As a romance, however, I found it disappointing. I just could not warm to Burke or forgive him as easily as Annie. He allowed himself to be played for a fool and failed to show that he deserved a second chance.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me longer than normal to read since I couldn't stand Alice. Every time that self-centered bitch (Alice) came into the picture I to put the book down and walk away. I would have loved to punch her lights out. Another great story!

[Ingemar Bjornson · Rating 2 out of 5]

How can anyone be that stupid

What even moderately intelligent person would allow that viper of an exwife to stay there and then believe her instead of his wife. She was just as much of an idiot for taking him back.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5 stars*

[Michele Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good entertaining Read. If you like handsome cowboys, ranchers and the mistreated red-head-step, this is a great read that will hold your interest and keep you turning the pages.

[Janejellyroll · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so bad it's almost entertaining.

Annie is sent by her abusive stepbrother to check out a piece of land he just bought in Texas (they live in New York). While there, she meets Burke, a rancher who is recovering from his divorce from Alice (the "citified hellcat" referenced in the book description). Burke has decided that love isn't for him and has placed an ad for a wife. Seemingly on a whim, Annie offers to become his wife. Burke, not wanting another city woman, turns her down . . . until a few days later, when he reconsiders and sends a proposal after her to New York. After one final "goodbye" beating from her stepbrother, she returns to Texas and marries Burke.

Things are going well when Alice returns home and Burke decides that a "man of integrity" must let the ex-wife who frequently lied and cheated live with him and his new wife. He also insists that Annie wait on Alice and put up with her verbal abuse. Perhaps a more talented author could conrive a way for all this to make sense. Bell is not that author.

Once Alice moves in, an already shaky plot goes totally off the rails. Burke knows that Alice married him for money and took half the ranch when they divorced. Yet he completely refuses to acknowledge that her intentions in returning home might be selfish and as a series of increasingly dramatic "accidents" befall Annie, he maintains a "well, I just don't know who to believe" stance. Even after Annie is hospitalized, he can't decide whether to believe Alice or Annie.

Annie, for her part, is a complete doormat. After she leaves him for her own survival, Burke is verbally abusive and cruel to her in public. Her response is to pay off all his bills with her new inheritance. The resolution is rushed and incredibly unsatisfying.

[RomeoJuliet · Rating 3 out of 5]

hero was such an idiot in this book. OW was manipulative and evil person and he believed her even knowing the kind of person she is. He is just plain stupid IMO. By letting her live with him in the same house where his wife lives he basically opened the doors to destruction of their marriage. She didnt even try to hide her disdain for his wife so why would he just let her live there, let her take care of his wife when she got injured.

I really wanted him to slap her in the end when she boasted about all of her actions. He just let her walk away with just a reprimand. I am not a violent person but this OW deserved that slap.

Heroine did take a stand in the kind but it was so half hearted that it was not really a stand in the end. I guess for some people it might seem realistic. She did love him and that was the only reason she was able to forgive him in the end. But when and where she fell in love with im was unclear to me.

Hero did hurt heroine a lot with his actions. I am glad we got to read some of his mindset but that didnt justify his actions at all.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy cow this book was filled with misunderstandings, miscommunication and non-communication. I really wondered how Annie and Burke were going to find their happily ever after. But find it they did and the road there was littered with obstacles. I seriously wanted to pop these two upside the head to just TALK to each other... but then again, that would create a shorter story.

Ms England did a good job with the narration. Her southern accent was the right touch. Her pacing was good and she put enough emotion into the performance to draw me in. The only thing that kept throwing me is her pronunciation of Burke. I thought she was saying Burt until I went to look up the book description. But past that, I enjoyed her work.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pitiful Cowboy & City Girl

Not one of my favorite stories. Very repetitive at times when talking about heroine's & hero's feelings & thoughts. Definitely needed better editing. Major red flag was saying heroine had found a Belgium Waffle Iron, it should be Belgian. Belgium is a country. Parts of story did not flow well or make sense, especially when they made love in the barn. I understand heroine having a rough life, but her background was never truly explained, especially how her life was changed when she returned to the city. It was a struggle to finish reading, but I kept hoping it would get better instead of worse. 😫

[Elaine Kiefer · Rating 3 out of 5]

No sweet, Clean romance here.

This book is full of heartache, misunderstanding, deceit and plain stupidity. Burke is proud to be a man of integrity, but he is clueless when it comes to his ex wife and his new wife. His insensitivity and thoughtlessness almost causes him to lose the best thing that ever happened to him.
I have read most of the books by this author and they always have tragedy and loss but come around to a happy ending. This book went a little over the top with language and graphic sex scenes. A little too much for my taste. Also, I really didn't much care for either character.
A disappointment.

[Athena Que Será, Será · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hated that the evil Ow was left scot-free 😠; not fair.
Tags: age-gaaap, betrayal, cheating-hero, cowboy-rancher, cruel-cruel-hero, damaged-broken_heroine, divorced-hero, emotional-cheating, hero-hurts-heroine, hero-loved-or-loves-ow, hero-married-to-heroine, heroine-leaves, heroine-second-best, hurtful-words-overheard, mean-mean-girls, older-hero-younger-heroine, om_drama, ow-drama, read, rich-heroine, scarred-heroine, second-chance, small-town, southern-romance, troubled-marriage, unlikable-hero, unrequited, virgin-heroine

[Lea & Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love's trials

Annie is a survivor. So much trauma and grief shape her growth. Burke is not a knight but a man who must face and grow through his own demons. Well written as readers expect.

[Linda B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love me a good western even a modern day one. There was mystery, jealousy, and fun. I would recommend this to all romance readers.

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible. Really bad writing. So many mistakes.

[Cath Erine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confused

He cheats on his current wife with his cheating ex-wife by accident? Ex-wife tries to kill current wife and she doesn’t go to jail, just gets kicked off the ranch?

[victoria Pressley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reading enjoyed

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I laughed my ass off this whole book. What a shit show.

[Eliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

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