Don't Mess with Texas

Loved it!!

i loved this book. From all of Christie Graig's books, this is my favourite. Such a great page turner that leaves you wanting more.

9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

This is a fun Texas investigative romance

Her manta being "It's the right thing" to persuade her not to bolt, Nikki Hunt meets her former husband Brian and Sterns lawyer Jack Leon for dinner at expensive Venny's Restaurant after he pleaded with her that he made some mistakes. The gallery owner knows she is short paying bills like her Nana's cable and her BFF assistant Ellen's salary. This is why she is unhappy when Jack leaves her with the exorbitant tab. Mumbling she will kill him, Nikki goes to her car to find Jack dead in her trunk.

The police suspect Nikki killed her spouse. Former cop Dallas O'Conner empathizes with the beleaguered Nikki as he worked at Glencoe PD before being accused unjustly of a crime; now he works as a private investigator. He bet against her innocence until he saw her dinner is now the puke on the victim's suit. . Since he was once falsely convicted of a crime, he tends to be very sympathetic to those who find themselves in the same position. While his homicide detective brother Tony works to solve the murder while dealing with his broken marriage to LeAnn, Dallas also looks into the killing and that of a related injured victim while dealing with his attraction to the prime suspect.

This is a fun Texas investigative romance that in some ways feels like a throwback to the madcap comedies of the 1930s. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the heroine vomits and never slows down as her knight in shining armor tries to prove her innocence while falling in love with "Leon's leftover". Fans will appreciate this terrific Texas two-step.

Harriet Klausner

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Are you willing to take a chance and bet that our love will lead to everlasting?

When you are standing in front of the most gorgeous man, you have ever seen the last thing you want to do is puke on him, twice. However, Nikki Hunt is not your ordinary girl and having just found her ex-husband in the trunk of her car murdered her throwing up on anyone is the least of her worries.

Dallas O'Connor is the kind of man that knows better than to judge a case by its obvious evidence and he sees allot of things in Nikki but murderer is not one of them. He and his two best friends were falsely accused and imprisoned due to quick decisions to close a case. Now they fight for the underdog and find a way to free the innocent while tracking down the person that wrongly sent them to prison. Right now, he sees Nikki and while getting her off on the charges is his first priority he does think freeing her of her clothing might be his second, but he can keep business and pleasure separate right?

Nikki and Dallas discover that someone believes she knows a secret they do not want revealed at any cost. The mysterious person has no issue using violence against anyone that is going to stop him or her from the search for what Nikki has. While Nikki had no on-going relationship with her ex-husband, apparently she has something of his that is so important she needs to die over it. Whatever this mysterious something is Dallas is going to figure it out, immediately and keep Nikki safe in his arms. The only obstacle to his solving the case is his brother the police officer trying to convict her and Dallas himself if he cannot concentrate on solving the problem and stop thinking about the delightful time he wants to have with Nikki sans clothing of course.

With a slow burning relationship brewing between them, family surrounding them with unasked for opinions, and a murderer lurking behind them what is to stop Dallas and Nikki from falling in love?

This book hits on every level of a romance reader wish list. You have a great set of main characters, secondary characters with their own stories that add so much to the book, and a mystery to solve. Read this book and remember what it is like to let go of past pain and say hello to a future of love and happiness. Big sigh goes here!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Christie Craig is a MUST buy!

Don't Mess with Texas is the first book in Christie Craig's new trilogy about a PI firm lead by three former cops who were convicted of murder and later exonerated.

We first meet Nikki Hunt when she is on her way to meet her ex-husband for dinner. The dinner is a disaster and Nikki is left with the tab for a $200. She mutters all the way to the grocery store that she is going to kill him! Unfortunately someone beat her to it and she finds her ex dead in her trunk, where she promptly pukes all over his expense suit.

The cops on the scene, led by Dallas' brother Tony immediately assume Nikki is guilty, because of her muttering. Dallas is convinced of her innocence after one look in her eyes. He quickly takes up her case and starts trying to prove her innocent.

I loved the secondary storyline of Dallas's brother Tony and his wife LeAnn. Neither of the O'Connor brother's can lie for crap. I cracked up when they both tried using bedbugs to get closer to their women.

I also loved Nana and her Ol' Timer friends. They cracked me up!

Christie did again! She's written a book that is a great mix of humor, suspense, sex and great characters. I can't wait to read Tyler's book Blame it on Texas!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

cyte...

Reviewed by Ellen H. for Readers Favorite

Nikki Hunt agrees to meet her ex-husband, Jack, for lunch. She has a feeling that he is going to ask her to get back together. As soon as she sees him, Nikki knows that there is no way that is going to happen, even though Nikki is in dire need of money that Jack could supply. While they are eating, Jack gets a phone call, leaves the restaurant and doesn't return. Nikki is furious that he stiffed her with the check and mutters that she wants to kill him. Not feeling well, Nikki stops at a store to get something for her stomach and finds that Jack is dead in the trunk of her car. Dallas O'Connor is a P.I. When Nikki loses her lunch on first his shoes and then his shirt, he decides that maybe she isn't guilty of Jack's murder and vows to take her case. His brother Tony, the detective on the case, is trying to reconcile with his wife.

I loved this very cute book. Nikki is kind of kooky but sweet. She wants to take care of herself but finds that she needs help in this instance. Dallas is a take control kind of guy who went to jail for a crime he did not commit. His mission in life is to see that no one who is innocent suffers what he did. I liked the sub story of Tony and LeAnn as well as all the quirky friends of Nikki's grandmother. This was a very easy reading book, and I love the cover for it. I highly recommend this one.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

PERFECT Contemporary Romance!

My Review:
This book had absolutely everything that I love in contemporary romance! It was fun. It was entertaining. It was suspenseful. It had a wonderful story line. It had wonderful characters. It even had an amazing sub-story that moved me to tears. Wow! I loved this book!!!

This book is the first book in a trilogy about three former cops: Dallas, Tyler, and Austin, who started a PI business after they were framed for murder and spent 16 months in prison, unjustly accused before the facts came out. Their goal with the business is to eventually get revenge on the drug dealer that framed them, but also to help others find justice when they are unjustly accused. One of those unjustly accused just happens to be Nikki, who is being accused of killing her ex-husband, who was found dead in her trunk. The cop investigating the murder is Tony, Dallas' brother. They were eating dinner together when the call came in and just happened to be eating at a restaurant next door to the store where Nikki discovered Jack in her trunk.

The story line in this book builds and twists and bends, but at the heart of it, is a fabulous romance. I loved both Nikki and Dallas. These are two divorcee's who have been burned by love and neither one of them want to ever go through that again, so they both have big-time commitment issues. BUT they can't resist when their sexual chemistry becomes combustible, especially since they are living together for Nikki's safety.

This book is one full of characters that make it charming and irresistable:

*Dallas, Tyler, and Austin- these guys went to jail for 16 months. Can you imagine that as cops? OMG, and they are more than a little bitter about it, but it has created a bond between the three of them that is unshakable, no matter how much hell they give each other.

*Nikki- Nikki is scarred after being abandoned by her parents to a grandmother that wasn't even related to her and by a husband who couldn't keep his dick in his pants. She's an artist and owns a gallery, but is barely keeping her head above water financially.

*Tony- Dallas' brother and the detective on Nikki's case. He's a hard-nosed cop trying to get to the truth, but all the evidence is pointing at Nikki as the killer. He is also dealing with the loss of his wife who he has been estranged from for 9 months, LeAnn. Their story was emotional and heart-rending. OMG, I bawled at the end of their story.

*Nikki's grandmother and her crew- This elderly group is doing a play of Annie Oakly. Nikki's grandmother is Annie and she is a character. So funny and so sweet. She was an amazing addition to the story.

*Ellen- Nikki's employee and best friend who is also stabbed the night Jack is murdered. I LOVED her esp. when she was doped up on morphine...OMG, so freaking funny!

*Bud- Dallas' gassy dog who likes to sleep in the coffin that was left behind in their offices. He was always great to provide a bit of a silly funny into the story.

Really, this was just an amazingly fun story. I laughed. I definitely cried. I had no idea who the bad guy was. It kept me guessing and it most definitely kept me entertained. I love that it is set in Texas and that the three guys are named after Texas towns. My ONLY complaint that I have about this book is that the next one isn't out for another year, Blame It On Texas, out Sept, 2012. *whining*

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best one yet!

Everyone has bad days -- your car breaks down, your hair won't behave, the dog uses your favorite shoes as a chew toy. The usual. For Nikki Hunt, her bad day starts with an overdrawn bank account, followed by her lying, cheating ex sticking her with the dinner tab at an expensive restaurant she can't afford, and ends with finding said lying, cheating ex stuffed in the truck of her car - dead. As in not living. And to top off the absolutely craptastic day, while being questioned by the police who now suspect her of murder, poor Nikki tosses her cookies all over the only man who can help clear her name: hunky PI Dallas O'Connor of the Don't Mess With Texas detective agency.

Dallas O'Connor suffers from a bad case of bad timing. Merely tagging along with his cop brother, Dallas takes one look at Nikki and knows she is innocent. A former cop with first hand knowledge of being wrongly accused, Dallas vows not to let the same happen to this cute, sexy suspect. Unfortunately, no one told the real killer who is still on the loose and still gunning for Nikki.

Don't Mess With Texas is Christie Craig's latest contemporary romance though let's be honest. Craig needs a category all her own: Contemporary, steamy, laugh-your-butt-off-romance that leaves you with tears in your eyes and an ache in your belly.

The multi-dimensional characters leap from the page. Even the hilarious band of supporting characters are rich with humor and emotion. The dialogue is sharp and full of wit. Think Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers or Cary Grant & Katherine Hepburn. And in typical Christie Craig style, there's more heat between the characters than in Texas itself.

The first in a new series, Don't Mess With Texas is a perfect weave of comedy, romance, action and suspense, with heartfelt emotion and tears of joy. That's no small feat, but something that comes naturally to master author Christie Craig.

This book with leave your spirit higher and your heart fuller.

Don't Mess With Texas.
Don't say I didn't warn you.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Texas sized fun!

Ms. Craig has a highly developed talent for writing sassy, fun romances. Her romantic comedies are wonderfully entertaining, but this is absolutely her best one yet. The longer format allowed her to more fully develop the plot as well as the characters, and what characters they are! The crowd scene at the hospital, where the heroine lies bleeding as no fewer than seven people press in to see about her is not to be missed. But get your copy quick! The Texas Department of Transportation is suing her over the title and you don't want to miss out on your copy!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Love these books and this author! I just bought all of her nook

Love these books and this author! I just bought all of her nook books and I read all of the Shadow Falls series before I realized that she also writes under the C.C. Hunter name

Highly recommended !! Love Christie Craig!!

This book has it all. Romance, mystery and very funny. I'm from TX and I recognize the names ;)

Fun and Predicable

I enjoy reading Christie Craig's books. Kind of predictable but always enjoyable. Who doesn't love a little murder mystery and a love story?

Recommend it, you must check it out

I have read this author before and she never disapoints.

Crime suspense romance

“Don’t Mess With Texas” is the name of a PI agency in a small town in Texas. Their main focus is to aid those they feel are innocent of the crimes they are accused of. The story combined humor with serious issues. Predictable romance, but likeable characters. This is the 1st in what will probably be a trilogy. I enjoyed the story. I’ve read several of Craig’s books.

Enjoyable story

There are a few times where the dialogue is painful to read (it doesn't flow like natural conversation), but the overall story is great. Christie Craig has a way to keep the action and dialogue moving.

If you are wanting a story for the beach, trip, or a few hours of escape... I would suggest Christie Craig. I am hooked and am making my way through all her other books.

Cute

This is a cute story and it had me laughing at various parts throughout. It's not my favorite from Craig, but this one kept me entertained. The story was good but I thought the actual dialogue in certain spots felt cheesy and a little over the top. Other than that, I liked this book and will keep reading more from this author.

Funny book

I love waking up every morning and reading her books. It's a great mood booster. This one has funny characters...i love the tale of ice cream lickers...food and sex makes a great pair ;)

Recommended

This book is funny and very fast paced. Im looking forward to her follow up of this book that's previewed at the end of this.

Great read

Romantic mystery with a touch of humor. Love the characters. Great begging for a series. I act wait for the rest of the series

one of her best!!

I love all of christies books. cant pick the best they are all very good stories.sex,funny a real story line. cant wait for her next book. she is my favorite author.

Highly Recommend!!

Laugh out loud fun and a great read! I fell in love with the characters, Nikki and Dallas,and found myself having a hard time putting the book down. I am hooked fan of Christie Craig's.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.