Fired Up

Trouble in Texas #2

by Mary Connealy

Dare Riker is a doctor who saves lives, but someone seems determined to end his. It may have something to do with the traitors he dealt with during the Civil War, or it might be related to the recent incident with Flint Greer and the ranch. Whoever the culprit is, he or she seems really fired up, and Dare can't let his guard down for a moment, which is a challenge, since right now he's trying to win the heart of the recently widowed Glynna.

Glynna Greer came west as a mail-order bride and ended up in a bad situation. Now her husband, Flint, is dead, and she's determined to care for her son and daughter on her own. She wants to believe Dare Riker is as decent as he seems, but she's terrified to lock herself into another marriage. She plans to support her small family by opening a diner—never mind that cooking is not her greatest talent. The men in Broken Wheel, Texas, are so desperate for home cooking that they seem willing to overlook dried-out beef and blackened biscuits.

Glynna can't help but notice that danger follows Dare wherever he goes. There's the avalanche. And then the fire. But things really get out of hand when someone plunges a knife from Glynna's diner into Dare's back. Are Flint's cronies still plotting revenge? Is Glynna's son engaged in a misguided attempt to protect his mother? Is a shadowy outsider still enraged over past injustices? And can Dare survive long enough to convince Glynna to take another chance on love?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Westerns, Historical, Christian, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys always with a strong suspense thread. She is a two time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader's Choice finalist.
She is the bestselling author of 65 books and novellas.
Her most recent three book series are: Braced for Love, A Man with a Past and Love on the Range for Bethany House Publishing. She’s also written four other series for Barbour Publishing and many novellas and several stand-alone books for multiple publishers.
Mary will be a published author for ten years in 2017 with nearly a million books in print. She has a degree in broadcast communications with an emphasis in journalism and has worked at her local newspaper.

Find Mary online at:
Seekerville
Petticoats & Pistols
My Website

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fired Up, the second book in the Trouble in Texas series by Mary Connealy, does not disappoint! It is full of attraction between the two main characters.

Glynna Greer is the widow of an awful man who was killed at the end of the first book, Swept Away. Glynna is trying to learn to stand on her own two feet without the need of a man. She has two children to support, a young daughter and a very angry teenage son who hates any man that even looks at his mom.

Dare Riker is the town doctor who is having a bit of a crisis regarding occupation. He learned his doctoring in Andersonville prison and never had formal training. He thinks he should get out of the doctor business, but every time he tries, there is someone else needing his help.

Dare and Glynna are meant to be together. It is obvious throughout the book that they are falling in love with each other. But, of course, it is not going to be easy bringing these two together! Where is the fun in that? Someone is out to kill Dare. It could be any number of people, including Glynna's angry son. If Dare can survive long enough for his Regulator friends to figure out who is trying to kill him, maybe he will have a chance at happiness with the beautiful Glynna. And can I just say that I LOVE THIS COVER!!! This is exactly the way I imagined Dare Riker to look. I am looking forward to reading every book in this series.

I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review, which I have given.

[Sheila Samuelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5 Stars!!
Review:
I wanted to love this book since i loved her Kincade Brides Series but this one fell flat for me.

The characters were interesting to read about and the storyline was fast paced which i loved BUT too much explaination about certain parts of the story bore me.

If it wasnt for the explaination i would of rated it higher.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glynna Greer is opening up her diner and the Regulators are helping her move her things to town after saving her from a long painful life with her husband Flint Greer. The diner business is doing good even though her cooking makes everyone sick. Dare Riker, the doctor in the group of Regulators, is doing a good business though, thanks to her cooking. The men go to the diner just to look at the beautiful Glynna and won't give up eating her food.

As they are moving her things to town Glynna and Dare are just about killed by an avalanche, next Dare's house catches fire and he just about dies in that fire. Dare doesn't know but the rest of the Regulators decide someone is trying to kill him so they start standing watch on his house at night. They have at least two suspects, Glynna's son Paul and Lana Bullard, her husband was Flint's right hand man but had disappeared after her husband was killed. Lana holds Dare responsible for murdering her son and her husband and Paul doesn't want his mother to ever have anything to do with any man again after the way his father treated them and then Flint treated them even worse. Or it could be someone that is holding a grudge from when he was in the Andersonville prison during the Civil War.

I can understand why Paul feels the way he does and he's old enough to feel like he's responsible for his family now so he will do anything to keep his mother, his sister and himself safe from ANY man. Lana has her reasons, but does she really? People and their grudges, some just can't seem to get rid of them. It is so much better if you can forgive, and that's for yourself, not the one you're forgiving.

I love Mary's books and she didn't fail me with this one. Just another one I can add to my favorite list!

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seems that there may be more books in this series that I have not read. The story itself can stand by itself but it does seem that a reader would benefit by understanding the other story lines.

I know that Glynna is a prisoner to her circumstances in many ways, but it seems as though she was in denial about her own abilities. How could a woman not know that her cooking stunk? And why on earth would she try and feed others?? I know that women were scarce but honestly I would think that men of that time would have more care for their stomachs.

I liked Dare, and I understood his point that he was not a "real" doctor; but I thought the continual harping and moping about it was overdone. Then suddenly, a newspaper says that he can be considered a Dr. and then he is fine with it.

Aside from all that the story was entertaining. The many theories on who was trying to kill Dare held my interest long enough to finish the book, but honestly there wasn't much that captivated me, or was very memorable. There were also several intimations of things to come in subsequent books. Still it was a quick read.

I got an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Melina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in Mary's Trouble in Texas Series, but you really wouldn't have to read the first book in the series to really like and understand this one. I really enjoyed this book. It had a little romance, and a lot of action. There was a little mystery to it also. Mary's books are so easy to read. They flow so well. This is series is packed full of great characters and we get to meet a new character in this story, Jonas' sister, Tina, she seems like a firecracker and I am hoping the next book in the series is about her. This book was about Glynna, who the regulators saved from her abusive husband. It is kind of funny that Glynna decides to open a diner, and she can't cook at all! She promised her children she wouldn't get married again without their blessing, and when there are sparks between her and Dare, her son is not happy. Then Dare's life is threatened several times, it take the whole group to figure out who is after Dare. If you like a fun, action packed, faith filled book, this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

[Teresa Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Mary Connealy book. Honestly, I don't think she knows how to write a bad book.

Book 2 in the Trouble In Texas series, picks up where book 1 ended. This time the focus is on Dare and Glynna. My favorite part about Mary's series is how she keeps prior characters involved in the story. Luke and Ruthy story, the main characters in book 1, is also continued in book 2. To me, that's one of the main reasons to read a series - allow secondary characters to tell their stories while continuing with the original story.

You don't have to read book 1 before reading book 2 - there's enough history included to be able to follow the story with little to no trouble - but you'll enjoy both books more if you read them in order.

Can't wait for book 3 to release so we can read Vince and Tina's story. Given the spit fire Tina is and how proactive Jonas is of his baby sister, I'm anticipating another great story.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book of the Trouble in Texas series was a well-written and entertaining historical western Christian romance novel with good character development and a thread of suspense. I enjoyed this novel a great deal and liked getting to know Dare and Glynna better. Mary Connealy always creates such fun characters, and in this series as in the Kincaid Brides series, she introduced most of the cast in the first book and then develops all of the characters and their relationships throughout the series while still focusing mainly on one romantic couple per book. Anyhow, I really enjoyed this novel and am glad that I decided to read this series.

[Chantelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Starts off right in the thick of things! I haven't read book 1, so I imagine it's just picking right up from where book 1 left off...I wouldn't mind it so much if things were recapped just a bit in the first chapter, I don't need the whole plot of book 1, just enough information to figure out who these people are and what they're doing. Eventually about chapter 3, I began to get my bearings about the characters and the plot: woman with an abusive husband is rescued with her two children (ages to be determined) by a group of good friends, made up of a lawyer, doctor, pastor, and rancher. I gathered one of the friends, Dare the doctor, was the one to kill her husband because the husband was (perhaps?) tangled up in some kind of unsavory business that drew the group of friends to Texas in the first place to right some kind of wrong. [I get the impression that that plot was visited in book 1] Now the doctor and the woman, Glynna, are interested in each other; meanwhile her son is surly and dislikes every male character even breathing in his mom's direction. The group of friends, Glynna, and the children are on their way to town but have to pass through a canyon to get there. Of course there's immediately a suspicious avalanche and pretty much everyone gets hurt in some way, the worst is the doctor himself. And while Glynna is patching him up we learn a bit more about his and his friend's past, though it isn't exactly clear yet what that is. They make it to town relatively quickly and Glynna offers to cook and clean Dare's house while he's healing. This means putting off opening her diner for a little while while she also heals (although that's from a scrape on the face and some bruises and I don't know why that'd prevent her from opening her diner, but not from cooking and cleaning at home---but okay.)
Chapter 3 begins in a very strange completely unrealistic feeling setup: it was explained to us previously that although Glynna wasn't treated well by her dead husband and that they didn't own much of anything whatever possessions they did own she had to keep because it would be useful regardless of the bad memories associated, giving the impression that she didn't own much and had to keep the small number of possessions regardless of her feelings. But now suddenly we learn that she is drowning in free stuff (supposedly anonymously given by possible suitors or just dumb luck): tons of free clothes, food stuff left on her doorstep, firewood chopped and delivered, and the most unrealistic is the diner and the apartment above completely free for the taking. "Abandoned with no one to buy it from, she just moved in...Glynna and the children wanted for nothing. So there was no rush opening the place. It appeared she could live there forever for free." I'm sorry, what? I got the feeling that the diner was a necessity for her to support her children and make money, but it suddenly sounds like she doesn't need to worry about money at all and the diner is just a hobby of hers...but the next sentence reads as if the author is suddenly realized how that came across and speaks about Glynna getting to work and stopping relying on the kindness of others as soon as she was healed; but left all that in to explain why this poor widow is suddenly able to afford to live in a building in town and run a business.
Shortly after we learn Glynna had been married twice before once to some "nitwit" Reggie and then to her recently deceased husband, Flint. Is this significant? Who knows. But we learn that the whole ragtag group is headed back to the pass to clear the rubble and Glynna and the children's job is to distract the rancher's wife who may or may not be pregnant but is a workhorse of a woman who doesn't sit idly by while there's work to do. Dare spends the morning napping and healing and headway seems to be made by the ranch hands on the pass. But just as lunch is wrapping up, a Native American (the blood brother of the rancher) arrives half-unconscious in the yard, searching for help with a measles outbreak. I actually enjoyed this subplot because I felt we got to know Date, Glynna, and her son a lot more as characters. However once the outbreak is taken care of, we are right back in Dreamland with Glynna opening her diner. Turns out though she can't cook at all (despite having 2 children, how has she fed them all this time if her food is described as practically inedible?) All the eligible men in town turn up though religiously because Glynna is a golden skinned, golden haired, golden eyed beauty (and the author must remind you every page that Glynna is golden).
The writing feels disjointed and scenes don't flow smoothly into one another, I caught myself thinking "was that important?" more than once when the author would have a "trivial" scene and then suddenly jump into a tragic event. It had a lot going on and was whiplash inducing. There were also moments where it felt like a glitch in the system: action A happens followed by action B and C, then action A happens again. Ex: Dare just escapes his burning house and he hears a crack and the side of the house starts collapsing towards him, he and Vince get up and start running and putting out Dares burnt clothes. They hear a crack, the side of the house starts collapsing towards them and they act like it's a new event...did the characters get temporary amnesia?!

Either way I made it halfway through with hopes it'd

[Jessica Moore]

DNF: I've tried this series before and it's never worked out. There was too much going on, and the idea that a woman in the 1800's who has been married twice with two children can't cook is preposterous.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glynna's has had husband trouble. Husband #2 is recently deceased, and it's a good thing too. Now Glynna's determined to be independent; opening the only diner in Broken Wheel will help with that. The main problem: Glynna can't cook. Afraid of serving under-cooked food, Glynna makes sure to cook everything until very well done.

Glynna's children are recovering from the violence the witnessed during Glynna's last marriage. Paul is angry, Janet has retreated into herself. Both need time to heal.

Dare is a doctor - well, kinda. He hasn't had any formal training. Just apprenticeship during the war, and what he's been able to read in books. Dare has decided that he's going to take up ranching. How hard can it be?? But in the mean while, people keep trying to kill Dare. Now Dare, and his friends Luke, Vince, and Jonas must try to figure out who wants him dead.

There are many of the same characters from the first book including Lana Bullard. I did not appreciate how the character of Lana was handled. She had her issues, but if you consider her back story (living as a prostitute) and all the trauma that is involved in that life, you know she should be been treated with respect and love, not disdain. I am disappointed that this book was published by a christian publishing house and it contains such blatant disregard for people's mental health.

[Carol Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone is attempting to kill Dare, the good-hearted doctor that has rescued Glynna and her children from her mean now dead husband, Flint. An avalanche, an intentional fire, and a stabbing are sure ways to kill someone, but Dare is not ready to give up yet.

There are many suspects and while Dare is very interested in pursuing a relationship with Glynna, her son, Paul could be the exact person trying to get Dare out of the picture for good. Of course, there are many other suspects as well. Lana, the new cook at Glynna's restaurant and a former patient of Dare's that thought he killed her baby, one of the many enemies he has made in the past. A man like Dare could have a number of people wanting to harm him.

Problems are not just for Dare as Jonas is dealing with his own surprise of a sister that he has not seen in many years and never had a relationship with has shown up in town and seems to be causing some issues.

Life in Broken Wheel is just as exciting in Book two of the series as it was in the first one. Of course, the attempted murderer is discovered and thankfully, for Glynna and Dare it is not her son Paul. They discover that they need to have a relationship that is more than just friends.

[LaSibila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glynna y Dare intentan comenzar su historia mientras que su hijo Cole se opone. Cuando su casa se incendia, las sospechas de que hay un enemigo oculto, o más, lleva a los Reguladores a montar guardia para hacer justicia.
Esta novela parece que todos los personajes empiezan a quejarse de todo. Muy triste evolución y lo lamento porque la primera estuvo muy bien... con un villano muy malo y unos héroes muy geniales.
Glynna recupera el restaurante pero no sabe cocinar. Pero los hombres van porque es bonita.... (whaaat????!) Nunca aprende a cocinar. En cambio contrata a Lana, porque cocina bien. Lana, la misma que acusa a Dare de matar a su hijo (aunque nunca estuvo embarazada). A pesar de sospechar que le falla la cordura. Por qué?
La llegada de Tina, hermana de Jonas, no aporta nada nuevo con sus dichos y su actitud criticona. Jonas se pone super celoso y anda todo malhumorado. Saltee su interacción con su interés amoroso y el final "Mehh" 😡

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book two in the series because it kept all the characters from the first book and had them involved in this book. Dare doesn't think he's a doctor because he never went to school so he wants to try ranching but Glynna won't sell him her land- which she doesn't even want because it's tied to her late husband who was a an abusive husband so she doesn't want any money that is attached to him. Dare says he doesn't want to be a doctor but runs to the aid of anyone that is hurt. Dare's buddies are keeping watching over him since all this bad stuff is happening to him. Things get really dicey when they try to figure out who is out to kill him. They have it narrowed down to Glynna's son or Lana Bulllard, who is a lunatic but has a grudge out for Dare because she thinks he killed her baby. There wasn't actually a baby because Lana was too old to carry a child but she thinks Dare did her wrong. How it all ends up in the end is a little amusing. Love reading this time period where there were certain rules like women couldn't be alone with a man or it ruined her reputation. Like the western side of it. Had Indians involved and ranching. Good book.

[Angieleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good pioneer romance by Mary Connealy!

Dare is my favorite of the Regulators and I so wanted him and Glynna to have a happily ever after. I also wanted to see her heal and grow from the scars of her previous idiot husbands. I wasn't sure if Paul would ever find it possible to see past all of the anger that had been building since his father had died and then his stepfather's mistreatment of his mother.

I did find Dare's unease in calling himself a doctor without the proper education to be a bit tedious at times, but to be fair, it wasn't that hard not to understand where he was coming from.

I can't wait to read Tina's, Jonas's spitfire of a sister, story!

[OnceUponABlonde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading about Dare and Glynnas story.

Can't wait to read about Vince and Tina's!


Romance?: Embraces, kisses and almost kisses. Very clean.

Violence?: Stabbings, talks of murders, gun shots, some blood, stiching people up, guns, fights. Nothing gory.

Profanity?: None.

Extra content?: Talks of a birthing (minimal to no detail), mentions of people having drinking problems, a salon is mentioned, mentions of a woman being abused, and I believe a prostitute was mentioned once. Over all very clean, would definitely recommend.👌🏻

Age?: 12+

[Jennie Pendergast · Rating 5 out of 5]

A doctor falls in love with a widowed cafe owner.

Enjoyed being back with this author and this series. Dare and Glyanna store was exciting from the start. Someone was out to get Dare. Paul Glyanna son didn't like Dare or any man. But they finally came to an understanding.So that Dare and Fly an a could get married. Dare had great friends in Jonas, Vince and Luke. So happy for Luke and Ruth and the new little one coming. Now on to Vince and Tina story. I was hoping Jonas had a love story too.

[Patricia Hagge · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok

I found the book a little confusing at times. It didn’t feel like everything followed in order. There was lots going on, lots of turmoil, back stabbing( literally, come on 3x in one book to the same person?), craziness, near death experiences. One woman has more bad luck with men than anyone I’ve ever heard of.
It was not a page turner. All these random people filled the book and didn’t really add much to it. It was an ok book.

[Linda McDaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining. I love Mary Connealy's humor. I.have read several of her books and would not hesitate to recommend any of them. It is good, clean entertainment. Excellent Choice. Choice

Very entertaining. I love Mary Connealy's humor. I.have read several of her books and would not hesitate to recommend any of them. It is good, clean entertainment.

[Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fired Up--Trouble in Texas #2

Mary Connealy fires-up the reader's imagination, grabbing and keeping their interest from first sentence to the very last. Couldn't put it down. Like the other books in this series, this story will lasso and keep you hog-tied. Well worth reading. Buy it. You won't be sorry. Now to download the next book in this series.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did NOT like Glynna. 😐 I guess her personality just clashed with mine. Dare was easy to like and he had me rolling my eyes alot 😊. The story itself was good and the characters (even the bad guys) were Great BUT the sarcasm & humor were what attracted me the MOST! 😁 By the way I just LOVE Tina and how she drives Vince crazy 😵 😊!

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this one, but not as much as the first one. I just wasn't a fan of Glynna, she was okay but not very interesting. I was 50/50 split with Dare, he was great one minute then frustrating the next. I had the villian figured out quick. Now Tina and Vince's story is going to be so much fun. That's assuming those two end up together in another book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fired Up (Trouble in Texas Book #2) by Mary Connealy – This series is on kindle unlimited. If they can keep Dare from getting killed, they still have to convince him to keep being a doctor. There is far too much sickness and chaos in the back end of Texas for him to become a rancher! Lol! Another wild adventure with the Regulators that will keep you eager for more! Happy Reading!

[Mary Garbarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It deals with some real life problems in a realistic manner. This is one of my favorite authors. Her characters are real and believable. I am currently reading the final in this series. It is just as good.

[Kathy Brickert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story!

Loved the book! It's got the right blend of mystery and romance with wonderful realistic characters and a great setting! Can't wait to read the last of this series! Great read!

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful book from this author and also sequel to the first book! This book continues with Doctor Dare and Glynna from the first book. The journey and trials they face together from rock slides to finding someone is after the doc. Enjoy this clean adventurous book!

[Shannon - wildflowerbookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just LOVE Mary Connealy’s books! The action, romance, humor, brotherhood, and COWBOYS! 😍😍🔥😍 so so good! I think Sophie’s Daughters will always be my favorite of her series, but this one (Trouble in Texas) is heading towards second place! Can’t wait to read book three!

[Leigh Carter Pace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance and Suspense

This is an excellent book filled with romance and a bit of suspense. I love the fact that it written by a Christian author. No unsavory language and no immoral love scenes. The characters are so well developed, you want to be a part of their friend group.

[Carolyn Lockwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this author for her humor. However, I wish she'd get a good proofreader. At least twice she wrongly named the characters, which messes with the flow of my reading.

[Molly Springer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The nice thing about this series, is even though I read them out of order (oopsies) it still made sense!

[Ralynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story I liked it.