When you start reading this you feel like you stepped into the story half way through. Need to have read other books in series first.

Characters had little development and motivation.

Writing had a humpty dumpty rhyme and lacked flow

dnf - 19%

I usually enjoy reading contemporary western romances, and perhaps my feelings about this one are due to my not having read the first two books in this series, but try as I might, I kept finding myself staring off into space and wondering why I was reading this disjointed novel, with characters I either didn't know or care about, who weren't well-developed, or the silly semi-paranormal plot about one young woman who is expected to turn around the entire town's fortunes by selling herbs and veggies on-line, fulfill and end a 3 generations-old curse on the women in her family by meeting her fated love interest, deal with her soothsayer grandmother, gain access to her boarded-up family home, and I'm sorry, but I found the entire plot and characters in this novel utterly ridiculous. I'd have given it a one-star rating because the story was so preposterous, but since the writing wasn't terrible, I gave it a 2-star rating, and I have no interest in reading the first two novels in this series.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Pepper and Jack make a dynamic duo! Lovely romance of controversy and trying to reclaim your life. I would love to ream more from this story twists.

Lone Star Defender, the third and final story in the Calamity Valley series, uses a touch of magic to add interest to a modern day small town romance. This story is light and entertaining and packed with optimism as Pepper Mackillop works to revive her home town of Reckless.
Faced with underhanded dealings from ruthless developers and the curse of the great grandfathers, which has plagued her and her two cousins, Pepper made me smile. She thinks on her feet and improvises time and again to build the confidence of townspeople who have all but given up on ever making a success of their businesses. At the same time she’s fearless in the face of the theatrics the great grandfathers throw her way.
I loved Jack, Pepper’s love interest if only she knew it. Jack has loved Pepper for years while she has always regarded him as just a friend. The interaction between the two was entertaining and engaging, and I loved the way that Jack stepped up to the plate to help Pepper.
This story is a nice conclusion top the series and works well in conjunction with the first two, though it has been a while since I read them and frankly I was able to thoroughly enjoy this book as a stand alone. It makes for good relaxing weekend reading.

Pepper and Jack’s love story in Lone Star Defender by Jennie Jones, book three in her Calamity Valley series, is a story of family, expectations, and fate. Pepper Mackillop returned home to help rebuild her rundown town, Reckless. She ends up fighting many problems, including the return of Jack Shepard; Pepper broke his heart years back. All of the Mackillop women are soothsayers; having a curse on them. All of the females will remain, husbandless, man-less and homeless. To fight off this curse they need to fight off their great-grandfathers, known as the GG's , whom created the curse, by marrying their true love. Jack finds himself returning to his family ranch since that his uncle has decided to retire. He plans on being in town for a short time, needing to close down the ranch and pay a debt to Pepper’s grandmother; a debt that forces him to keep Pepper safe. As these two spend time together fixing up the town, they unexpectedly work together to break the curse and hope for a future together.

Ms. Jones wrote an enjoyable story that it would have been better if I read the first two books in the series. There is a light element of paranormal throughout the story.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Light fun romance!

Lone Star Defender is a fun, second chance novel. Pepper doesn’t want believe or want her “gift”. But she is determined to rejuvenate her town. Jack left their town shortly after Pepper left. These two are destined to be together, but the great grandfathers are determined they should not be together. This book is a wonderful mix of romance, intrigue, a bit of paranormal and a lot of heart. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun romance.

I received an ARC copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing it. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

Pepper Mackillop has returned home help rebuild her rundown town, Reckless. She fights many problems, including the return of Jack Shepard. Pepper broke his heart years back. The Mackillop women are soothslayers and they have a curse on them. All females will remain, husbandless, man less and homeless. To fight off this curse they need to fight off their great grandfathers, known as the GG's , whom created the curse. Now that Pepper and Jack have reunited, they will work together to break the curse for their HEA.

This was an enjoyable read, it would have been better if I read the first two books in the series. There is a light element of paranormal through out the story.

Lone Star Defender is an inspiring story to never give up on your dreams! Jack Shepperd is exactly what you’d expect from a man who’s had his heart broken before, especially by the one person he’s forced to spend time in order to pay a debt. Pepper Mackillop lives up to her name, feisty and stubborn, but she’ll have you rooting for her from the first page. This is the 3rd book in the Calamity Valley series, and the perfect addition.

Jennie Jones delivers in the third book of The Calamity Valley Trilogy - Pepper comes home to help the Valley comeback and Jack comes back to help when his Uncle retires, their second chance at love has to be better than what happened when they were younger.
Enjoy the ride such a great book.

The last book in the Calamity Valley series sees the third sister Pepper have her chance at finding Mr Right and breaking the family curse for good. Except Pepper isn't interested in finding Mr Right. Along with Mr Right and breaking a curse, Pepper has to save her town from completely dying out.

I enjoyed this final book in the trilogy, it can be read alone, I've only read books two and three, book one is still waiting quietly in the Kindle vault and I was able to grasp what was going on, I think it would flow better if you did read the series as it is written though and it's such an enjoyable series, romance with a touch of Paranormal, that why wouldn't you want to read them all.

Pepper is a headstrong character who doesn't always think before she speaks, with so many things placed on her shoulders, she seems to do it a lot, getting herself into strife more than once.

Her old friend Jack, and the person who has been tasked with keeping her safe, is a lovely guy, who has mixed emotions about Pepper.

Both are in denial of the things they really want, there's some unspoken secrets and conversations from the past that should have been worked out years ago, but are now continuing to cause issues for Pepper, Jack and some family members.

Once again the bad developer guys are back and causing plenty of trouble for Pepper and the townsfolk.

There was plenty of humour in this novel and I enjoyed once again the paranormal tilt to the story.

It seems a shame to say goodbye to Calamity Valley, but at least all three towns are in good hands.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for a digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

LONE STAR DEFENDER is the third and final story (perhaps, I’ve learned to never say the end to any series) in the Calamity Valley series. The ladies of the Mackillop family are a unique group with an unusual talent or “gift” and a family curse following them around.

Pepper may be the stubbornest of all of them since she’s working overtime denying that her “gift” or the curse even exist. She’s so focused on avoiding meeting “the man who will change everything” that she’s blind to what is truly happening right in front of her eyes. Pepper wants to get into her inherited house, start her new business, and help the town become successful – without relying on the oddity that is the Mackillop family curse. Trouble is, it’s the curse and her gifts that will help her hometown the most, she simply wants no part of that foolishness.

In LONE STAR DEFENDER, my heart really went out to Jack. Long ago he did something for the right reasons, it should have been a good thing but because he was prevented from explaining, and because he was really played by another person it all backfired into something really bad that still stands between Jack and Pepper to the present day. Add to that some assuming (and we all know the other meaning of assume) on his part, some misunderstandings, and Pepper up and leaving town. Well, all those good intentions, as well as his younger man’s feelings for Pepper, went straight to the regrets pile.

The thing is, I “got” both sides of the history of Pepper and Jack. Both are/were right, and both are still wrong in their thinking. Watching them not only deal with their past but try to solve Pepper’s curse predictions was an intriguing journey full of laughter, angst, and waiting for the other shoe to fall. I enjoyed myself back in Calamity Valley once again.

If you haven’t read both previous books then there are enough bits and pieces along the way that fill you in on the basic details of what you need to know. I’d still recommend the entire series for they are good, enjoyable adventures that you shouldn’t miss. If you love a romance with touches of Paranormal, lots of misunderstandings to clear up, a small town that is pinning all of its hopes on two people, and a love that has always been there between Jack and Pepper then you’ll enjoy LONE STAR DEFENDER.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

I have been anticipating Pepper’s story since I started reading the Calamity Valley series. The Mackillop women are all soothsayers and they have a curse on them. Every MacKillop female would forever remain, husbandless, man-less and homeless. To overcome the curse when they find true love, they have to fight off their great-grandfathers, known as the GGs, the ones who created the curse.

Pepper didn’t think she had any mystical powers like the rest of her family had and she didn’t care about the curse. She didn’t plan on ever getting married or having a family. That was until Jack Shepperd turned up in town and turned her world upside down. The things Pepper didn’t think she wanted in life were soon changing. She was given a job of rejuvenating Reckless and Jack was put in charge of protecting Pepper. Working so closely, Pepper and Jack soon realized they were meant to be together. That’s when the GGs finally showed up. Pepper and Jack had to work hard to fight off and get rid of the curse so they could get their happily ever after.

This book was an exciting read. I was drawn in right away and it kept my full attention until the very end. It was a perfect addition to the series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, but I would still recommend reading them in order. The author does a good job of refreshing the background in each book, but there might be a few small details that get overlooked and can be found by reading in order.

This is the most unique and unusual cowboy series around today. Lone Star Defender by Jennie Jones once again proves why. The last story of the Mackillop women, the GG prophesy and the Calamity Valley in Texas is one of second chances. Piper sure does need one, so does her town Reckless and even returning Jack does, though he would never believe it.

The revitalization of Reckless is still an iffy outcome but Pepper is going to give it all she has. This is in spite of those land developers who remind you more of the old west rustlers than they do honest real estate developers. Then the past blows into town. Amusing story of confusions, misunderstandings, colorful characters and how they pulled together in the end.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book in a series and I didn’t read the other 2. The author did a good job at telling us a little about the other family members I imagine are in the first 2 books. This book seemed to have paranormal and magic aspects to it. I am not a fan of that at all. I couldn’t tell by the description there was magic or I might not have read it.

Outside of this paranormal family trait, there is a nice love story between Jack and Pepper. Both have recently returned to their small town. According to the book, Jack was Pepper’s intended. However the witches of Pepper’s family didn’t make it easy on them to figure it out. Pepper denies she has this special power but we learn she does. The interactions between the townspeople are enjoyable to read if you ignore all the references to the special powers. If you like this type of genre, you will really like the book. I gave it 3 stars. It was in the end a HEA, return to Home romance that I always enjoy.

A delightful second chance at love story with intriguing, real characters and great humor. Jennie Jones delivers great entertainment!

This is a sweet, fun and all around highly entertaining second chance romance!! Pepper and Jack are great together and it was so easy to get drawn into their story. I really enjoyed it and wish it was not a series conclusion.

Thank you to Netgalley ant the Publisher for this ARC.

First off, I have to say that I have loved the entire Calamity Valley series. Each story was so clever with some complex guessing going on and each had its own tangled knots to unravel.
Lone Star Defender was terrific! I love second chance romances with lots of “what if’s” and “maybe’s” in them. Plus, Jack and Pepper play so well against each other.
It is a great book and a great series!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lone Star Defender is an entertaining second chance love story. Jack & Pepper had a chance when they were younger but misunderstandings caused Pepper to leave town & Jack couldn’t stay without her. Now, Pepper has come back home to help the valley & Jack’s been called home to help his uncle retire. Pepper is fighting her “gift” & the idea of her one true love & Jack is fighting his feelings for her. Can they find their way to each other?

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in this story. They were all well thought out & lifelike. I could see parts of them all in the small town I grew up in! The interactions between them all were a joy to read & laugh about. The grumpy old men. The interfering old women. The jealous self-centered young women. The energetic young men. The conniving out of town developers. The tangled webs of lies & deceit didn’t tear the town apart, instead it brought them all together to support Pepper & the town they all loved. I didn’t realize this was the third story but it was a fitting end to the series.

I liked the story, the setting and the anticipated romance. I do think there were redundancies and could maybe have been a shorter read. The back and forth between Pepper Jack (sorry, I just kept thinking cheese lol) took forever with the same ol history. Get over it and move on or not, but Pepper just couldn't make up her mind and did more damage talking to herself all the time, instead of really talking with Jack.
It all worked out with a happily ever after and I always enjoy that. I haven't read the 1st two books, not sure it would have made a difference to the way I didn't connect to this one as they are all stand alone.
I received an advance reader's copy thru Netgalley and am freely giving my honest review.

Lone Star Defender is one of those books that puts you under a spell and won’t let go until the very end. Jennie Jones is an amazing storyteller and if you love, drama, passion, fun, a feisty heroine and a gorgeous hero then Lone Star Defender will definitely satisfy you even when you have finished reading this amazing book. Happy reading!!