Only in Texas

Hotter in Texas, Book 1

By: Christie Craig

Narrated by: Barbara McCulloh

Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Nikki Hunt thought her night couldn't get any worse when her no-good, cheating ex ditched her at dinner, sticking her with the bill. Then she found his body stuffed in the trunk of her car and lost her two-hundred-dollar meal all over his three-thousand-dollar suit. Now, not only is Nikki nearly broke, she's a murder suspect. Former cop turned PI, Dallas O'Connor, knows what it's like to be unjustly accused. But one look at the sexy - though skittish - suspect tells him she couldn't hurt anyone. The lead detective, Dallas's own brother, has the wrong woman and Dallas hopes a little late-night "undercover" work will help him prove it . . .

Previously published as Don't Mess with Texas.

©2011 Christie Craig (P)2013 Recorded Books

Funny & Interesting Story

I was instantly engrossed by Nikki, the female main character, who is accused of killing her Ex after public argument at a restaurant. Nikki gets help from Dallas, a PI & former police officer who understands how it feels to be unfairly accused of a crime.

While the murder mystery and romantic parts were above average, what made this story exceptional to me were the relationships between Dallas & his partners, Nikki & her outrageous grandmother (plus the humorous residents of her senior citizen home) and a fun supporting cast of friends, family, pets and co-workers.

This was my first time listening to a book by Christie Craig and it won't be my last. I still chuckle when I remember the dog who liked to sleep in a coffin and the hot pink couch...

Enjoyable book

Ok I was really enjoying this book, then suddenly it ended!. Why do authors do that, I find it very unsatisfactory. Anyway, I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline by Ms. Craig and the narrator was also good right up until the very end of the book then it seemed like the author decided she was suddenly bored with writing this book, wrote a final chapter to solve the mystery, let the main characters make up in the last couple of minutes of the book, boom, over! I felt cheated out of my happily ever after epilogue so, that's why you lost a star from me Ms. Craig! Five more minutes would have made this reader happier for sure, but overall it was a fun book.

Good story - terrible narrator!

Loved the storyline. Just enough mystery/romance. I liked the several story lines at once, but honestly this narrator ruined this book! The big bad PI/ex cop came off sounding like a whining child! Will not read another story ever with this narrator!

Laugh Out Loud Book

This book had it all for me. I laughed out loud. Got to play detective due to the mystery. Shed a tear or two. And held my breath at the suspense and surprise at the conclusion. The out spoken Grandma and her senior acting group, was a kick and a half. I hope they are in some of the other book's. If not I feel sure there will be something else to tickle the funny bone. Also the dog Bud and his gas. I am so looking forward to the next book and do hope it has the same narrator.

Beware: Soap Opera Pace

Would you try another book from Christie Craig and/or Barbara McCulloh?

I really gave this story a try, 3 hrs worth, but had to stop. This had so much potential for a 3 book series, but the readers slow pace just made the dialogue so much like a day time soap opera. Nothing wrong with those, but when listening to this slow pace, it got annoying and I kept wanting to speed up my I pod. This author is not for me. I purchased as the reviewers said this was a LOL book. Good humor is hard to find. The humor seemed dead pan or the reader's timing was off.

What did you like best about this story?

this had a good outline, but the editor should have done a better job of cutting out so much of the fluff that made it seem like a soap opera. The other 2 stories have no reviewers, so that says a lot about this author. If this series is so good, then other listeners who purchased this book would have scooped them up.

What didn’t you like about Barbara McCulloh’s performance?

I try to check out new readers for my library and this reader had lots of books recorded. However, her pace was too slow and it made the humor disappear and the book drag on and on. She had no real male voice, and I so wanted to try book 2 and 3. The partners seemed so fun. I will not give this reader another op, unless the reviews say she has improved.

What character would you cut from Only in Texas?

the characters were Ok, just cut out more fluff that does not add to the story. 12 to 13 hr books need a really great writing to make them that long, this author is not it. The author was too wordy and it did not add to the story. The length may have been due to readers' too slow pace. Reader Karen White may have saved this book, maybe.

Any additional comments?

Jill Shalvis or Julie James are good humor authors and reader Karen White makes them come to life. Check them out