Out of Control: The Kincaid Bride Series, Vol. 1

I loved reading this first book in The Kincaid series about, Julia, Rafe, Ethan, Audra, Seth & Wendell Gililand in Rawhide Colorado. Wendell is Julia's father and since she was ten he's been leaving her alone to live far from any town during the week and on weekends he would go and see her where ever they lived at the time. They moved around an awful lot after her mother died, so she was used to being alone and fending for herself, getting her self to school and making sure she learned about a lot of things including fossils and geology which she loved including going in caves and making discoveries. Her father had purchased her several geology books and progressive magazines along with paper and pens, and she often wrote articles and submitted them to various journals on things she discovered in the many caves she found throughout the west. One night her father brought home Audra and a little while after that her tummy started to get round, they lived in a nice house outside of town and one day a little baby girl was born named Maggie. A short time after the baby was born maybe three months, Audra again was carrying another baby, even Julia new it was too soon, since the first birth was very hard. When Audra started getting a belly, her father came home and said pack we're leaving, so Julia packed everything quickly and in the middle of the night they left Houston Texas and headed for Rawhide Colorado, where her father found a shack about a half hour outside of town and deposited his family and left. Julia and Audra made the best of it, it was very hard and the wind would blow right through all the cracks in the little cabin and freeze them even with the fire going it was not warm. They had little provisions and Audra was extremely weak but she continued to nurse Maggie, she worried their wouldn't be any milk when the new baby came, but she had to feed Maggie something, since Julia and her had very little food themselves. Julia would go on long walks during the afternoon when Maggie and Audra would nap and on one such day she was in a cave she found while exploring. Wile she was down in the cave after several hours she heard foot steps and realizes she was no longer alone, so she ran and put out her lantern and then hit her head and knocked herself out. When she came to it was pitch black and she tried to get out, but the rope she left herself was gone and she tried to climb the rock wall but kept falling down, she wondered in the dark aimlessly for a while and then she started screaming and screaming. Out of the dark she heard a voice say hold on I'm coming to get you, after a while something large grabbed her, and she started screaming again. Rafe Kincaid didn't know what to do with a screaming women so he just kissed her to shut her up, when she shut up he lifted his lips off of hers and said, are you an old lady in your sixties, and Julia was so taken back she shut up and started fuming, Rafe didn't think she was old because just by feel he could tell she was a young girl, so he wasn't upset that he kissed her, but he wanted to get a good look at her in the light. So he told her to place her hands up on the rock and grab hold, and showed her how, then he told her to put her foot on the rung of the chained ladder, and one foot at a time they climbed out of the cavern. When they reached the top she was so grateful to be standing on solid soil she reached up and kissed him. Then he picked her up and put her on his horse and took her back to his ranch which was quite a ride away. When they reached his ranch a guy jumped off the porch and ran at Rafe, it was his long lost brother Ethan, who he hadn't seen for several years. So Rafe, Ethan and Julia went into the ranch house, where he washed her hands and face and then gave her water to drink and a large slab of bread to eat. While in the house she told them she had to get to her family, she explained several times where her family lived but Rafe didn't believe her, finally she got his attention and they rode back to the cave and then she gave directions to her house. They followed and couldn't believe the trek she took to get to her cabin, and when they saw the cabin they couldn't believe anybody lived in that tiny basically a shack with a couple of lean-to's attached. .Read this book because it will make you laugh and cry. It's about family and the invisible ties you have to each individual in your family. It's about feelings for those people who help, no matter what the circumstances, and its about the kindness of strangers who feel duty bound to help even if you don't want them to. It's about past tragedies that help shape our thoughts and feelings and tie us into knots unbeknownst to other people or out own kin, and how to try and keep yourself and everybody you care about safe. I'm looking forward to reading the other two books in the series.

ENJOYED another book by Mary Connealy. I had a hard time putting it down. Rafe didn't know what he was getting into when he went to the cavern on his ranch he was in for a suprise. It to his life comes Julia after he rescues her from the cavern. He falls for her the first time he sees her. Even though she's screaming at him and is somewhat out of it. In also comes his brother Ethan who he hasn't seen in awhile. Ethan and Rafe put themselves in the position of taking Julia home. Both Rafe and Julia are kind of bossy so they fit together really well. When they get Julia home they find out that Julia dad is really sick. Rafe and Ethan don't think much of the home Julia lives in it's very rundown. Julia father is a guy who has been up to no good. Rafe feels he needs to stay and take care of Julia her stepmother Audra and Julia baby sister Maggie. He ropes Ethan into staying too. He gives Ethan to be in charge of Audra and Maggie. Ethan doesn't like it at first but it's starts to grow on him. Julia wants to get back to her beloved caverns but taking care of her sick father comes first she wants Rafe to take her back there. But Rafe and Ethan are afraid of the caverns because an awful accident had happned there that they were apart of. In order to shut Julia up when she got to bossy Rafe would kiss her. At first she didn't like it but then she got use to it. Ethan and Rafe and also Julia went to tracking the man who had left Julia in the hole of the cavern. Ethan found his trail and chased him for awhile. Then he lost him so they gave up the search and went back to the cabin. By this time Julia father had died. Also Audra was expecting another baby as well so Julia, Rafe and Ethan were trying to keep her comfortable. After Julia dad died she wanted Rafe to take her to the cavern. But he wouldn't do it until they found the person who left her in the hole at the cavern. They tracked him to this crevice in a moutain which came into a beautiful valley that was in a caldera. They went into another cave to locate him but this was to much for Rafe because of his experience before. So he told Julia that they needed to get back to the cabin and that they would explore another day. Rafe and Julia love for each other continued to grow. But Julia didn't really know whether Rafe really loved her because of how her father treated her. Ethan love for Audra and little Maggie was growing somewhat. Maggie even called Ethan papa. Rafe, Julia, Ethan, Audra and little Maggie went back to the caldera to explore some more. Ethan was left in charge of Audra and Maggie well Rafe and Julia went exploring. They went into another cave once again this time they found the man Julia had thought had left her in the cavern. But instead the man ended up being Ethan and Rafe youngest brother Seth who runaway not long after the bad accident. Julia was afraid of a Seth and thought he would do them harm. But Ethan and Rafe knew how he was and what had made him the way he was. Now that Seth was in the picture Rafe didn't think he could marry Julia and take care of Seth because of her animosity toward him. So this caused a slight rift between them. During the end of their time in the caldera Audra started having birth pains. She didn't tell anybody until they reached the cabin. Julia turned the men out of the cabin and she helped in the birthing of her baby sister Lily Sarah. Julia still had misgivings about Seth until he told her that he would go explore the caverns with her. So she Seth and Rafe went once a gain to explore the caldera this was where they found the actual bad person who left Julia in the cavern. He almost killed them all. But Seth, Rafe and Julia came out of it and captured the bad guy. When they got home the parson was there Rafe had expected him earlier because he wanted to marry Julia. He had also bought the valley in the caldera he had given his ranch to Ethan. So being dirty and all after being in the cavern Julia and Rafe were married they went back to the CALDERA for their honeymoon. Audra had alot of grite to stand up to her husband in the end and to live the way she had after what her father forced her to do by marrying Julia father. Looking forward to hearing more Ethan and Audra in the next book and also the on going story of Rafe and Julia. Seth story will be an interesting story as well. Western christian romance is one of my favorites.

This book is about loss of control in several ways. Put together a man who is used to being in charge, and a woman who has got used to taking charge, a brother who doesn't like being told what to do, a step-mother who is beginning to assert herself and you have kindling ready for a match. Things don't actually combust however but there is a fair bit of confrontation. That isn't necessarily a good thing when there is an unknown adversary who has already tried to kill (they think) the young woman. He certainly trapped her in an underground cavern and left her there. Her rescuer thinks that the blow to her head has unhinged her and is therefore disbelieving of much of what she says for some time. Eventually all concerned recognise the danger the women are in and the men attempt to protect them despite the women's determination that they can manage. When the first hint of danger comes, the supposed attacker is recognised as yet another brother but his sanity is in question. Despite the fact that the man in charge has said no, he eventually finds himself involved in another trip underground, but is everything as it should be? A cat and mouse scenario ensues, but the mice are not sure if there even is a cat, and the cat is waiting and biding his time . . .We know that there is someone waiting and planning, we know what he is thinking, and the suspense grows, from time to time I had to put the book down and take a little break from the tension I could feel building.At first I thought this might be just a light, easy going bedtime read, but before long it began to get a hold on me.

I really enjoyed reading this book. A good storyline. Good characters too. I'm looking forward to reading her next book

i found the book very slow to start with it only sped up in the last few chapters also i wouldnt have said it was a western it was mainly set under ground caves and was a geological story

Easy to read, but not at all exciting. A bit too mild for me. Two nice guys rescue two nice girls, that's about it - oh and a few caves and a brother who appears like a madman.

Not sure of this book. My attention failed as it was not really going anywhere in a hurry. Made it to chapter 3 may try again if I find I have nothing left to read.