Customer Reviews

All Jacked Up: Rough Riders, Book 8

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I started out reading the Rough Riders series, I didn't know what I was getting into. All of the McKay boys are strong, resilient, sexy, vibrant men. Keely would have to be the same. That being said, through the series, Keely seemed to be extremely precocious and just a wee bit spoiled and stubborn and a WHOLE LOTTA SASSY. Being that she's the only girl in 123 years to grace the McKay family, you may think that this spoiled "Wild Child" would grow up with a type A personality. What we get is the opposite. Keely grows up to be a warm, devoted and giving woman who just happens to have feelings she doesn't know quite what to do with or how to decipher, even, for Jack, a man she's known for a long time and who happens to be the best friend to one of her "older" brothers. So, in true Keely form, she throws on her Wild Child persona and "Hates" Jack for all she's worth. The relationship between Jack and Keely is very mercurial and, at times, extreme. When they hate each other, they HATE each other, but when they find out the feelings they really have are not at the hate end of the spectrum, sparks fly. What I loved most about this book was the way Keely stopped being what was expected of her, and started doing what she expected of herself. She is a cowgirl, through and through, and never lets anyone misunderstand who she is, especially Jack. The sex is yummy in this book, like all of the others, but the storyline is real.

Ms. Lorelei James, you are, by far, my favorite author.

All Jacked Up continues my love affair with the Lorelei James's McKay family. What can I say I am a cowboy romance hero convert thanks to her Rough Rider series. This review is going to be rather short, but sweet because I LOVED absolutely everything about this story.

I loved Jack. I love his drive for success despite his ill conceived intentions. He is like so many Americans who live to work and the concept of "more" is never enough. Yet despite this flaw, and even though he's a little bit Dom, he's a whole lot sweet underneath all of his tough GQ exterior. Love him!

And Keely...she's who I would like to be when I grow up. Even if I am already waaaay older than she is supposed to be. She is who she is and does not make apologies for her life or how she chooses to lead it. And lead it she has. We have had glimpses of her character in most of the Rough Rider books. She's fun, and caring, and no one does more for her family than she does. She's the exact opposite to Jack. She works to live and her work is her passion.

I loved that the sparks flew, despite the obvious attraction because both had fallen into a pattern of baiting bad behavior from each other. And unlike a lot of contemporary romances where the heat level is high, the evolution of their relationship is not based solely on sex. The reader isn't left wondering how they went from barely tolerating each others presence....to realizing they love each other just because of a few tussles between the sheets so to speak. You get to experience how they transform from enemies, to partners in crime, to lovers, and finally to being "in love" with each other. It's one of the things I loved most about this story.

For me, this was a perfect romance read. It had everything that I love about a romance no matter the genre. There is not one thing that I wish were different....except for this: I hated for it to end. I was left basking in the glow of a reader high...a romance euphoria if you will. I hated to start another book. I knew I was going to loose that joy of just having completed reading a fantastic story. It would be inevitable that the next book couldn't possibly live up to my experiences while reading All Jacked Up. So what was my solution to this dilemma you might ask? I read a different book by Lorelei James that I had not read yet :) Sadly, I've now read her backlist and will have to patiently wait until next year for her new book, Corralled: A Blacktop Cowboys Novel, which I happen to already have on pre-order at Amazon because I am just that impatient to get my booklover hands on it! To summarize...All Jacked Up is one of my favorite reads of the year.

Ratings: 5.0 stars (if I could give it more I would!)


p.s. if you haven't read any of the previous Rough Riders series, I highly recommend them, but unlike some of the others I DO think you can read this one as a stand alone and not feel lost amidst all of the secondary characters that comprise the McKay and West families.

Reviewed for Seductive Musings blog

This is the latest installment in Lorelei James' Rough Riders Series and I have to say that it's one of my favorites. If you have been following the series, this is the long awaited story of Keely McKay, the only daughter in a family full of alpha males. Keely has been loved and adored all her life, but maybe not taken seriously by her male relatives. Now Keely is trying to find her own place in her family and her town, but she needs help from Jack, the surly best friend of her brother, Carter. Keely and Jack have history, not much of it good, but suddenly they need each other. It only takes being in the same room to ignite a flame that neither can deny. Will they find love or burn out? The journey to find the answer to this question is a joy to experience. You will laugh out loud and maybe even cry a bit, but the story is so worth it. I highly recommend All Jacked Up, but if you haven't read the previous books in the series, I suggest that you do: one) because, even though this book can be read as a stand alone, the story has much more depth when read in order with the other books in the series... and two) the other books are fantastic and you simply don't want to miss them. I loved All Jacked Up. The characters are real, the story is riveting, and don't forget the sex is scorching. This is a five star book all the way. Thanks, Lorelei!!!!!!

Keely Mckay hated not being in control. Her professional future was in the hands of someone she didn't even know. Keely thought it had been a stroke of genius to invest in the history of the area by buying a historic building to restore. When she found out she had to answer to the Wyoming Historical Western Preservation Committee and follow the all mandates by the certified architectural restoration specialist, she was no longer sure of her decision. When that specialist turned out to be the bane of her existence, Jack Donohue, she thought about the irony fate had. She and Jack could barely utter civilized words to each other. Keely had no idea how they would be able to work together. She saw her dreams of opening a rehab clinic go up in smoke until Jack made her a proposition she couldn't refuse.

Jack was in fierce competition with his former partner for a huge project in Utah. He knew BDM Incorporated had the edge because the conservative committee in charge of the project knew Jack was unmarried. His proposition to Keely that they pretend to be engaged to give him a better position for this project, floored her. She didn't know how they could make it work. He lived in Colorado, and she lived in Wyoming. They had always been at each others throats, but when he told her as repayment for her cooperation, he would oversee the restoration of her rehab clinic, she couldn't refuse. There was too much at stake.

I have been waiting for Keely's story for a very long time, and the wait was well worth it! She is such a complex character, and was really written well. We have seen the brash and sassy girl in all the other books in this series with only hints of the selfless compassionate women that she has grown into. Her family still saw only the wild child she used to be, and it took her engagement and the restoration project for them to see her in a new light. The wars that raged between Jack and Keely were filled with so much combustible sexual tension that it dripped off the pages. One thing I absolutely love about this series is the closeness of this loud, nosy, and complex family. While this is Keely's story, we get to catch up on all the characters we have grown to love and care about. Great addition to this superb series!

STORY BRIEF:
Keely grew up on a ranch in Wyoming. She wears cowboy clothes, spends time with her horse, drives a pick-up truck, drinks beer, and is in a dart throwing league. She is a physical therapist who recently bought a building. She wants to rehab it and open a medical center. Because it's a historic landmark, she is required to hire an architect specializing in restoration. Jack is the only one available in the area. She hates Jack.

Jack wants the job overseeing a large restoration project in Utah, but the owners have rigid morality issues. They won't hire a bachelor. When Keely asks him to oversee her project, he agrees only if she'll pretend to be his fiancé to help him get the Utah job. She reluctantly agrees. Now they have to act like they love each other and learn about each other.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
I loved their banter as they were getting to know each other. For example when Keely is guessing what Jack's favorite movies are, she says "Jackass" and "The Jerk." She's a ranch girl and sees Jack as the metrosexual type. She calls him GQ. It was entertaining. I was pleased when the author used a good reason to separate them later instead of inaccurate assumptions (which are too frequently used). In general I'd say it's a pretty good story. The main purpose of course is sex, and those scenes are hot and frequent. They are explicit and include rear door activity. If that's what you're looking for, go for it.

If I might suggest: it would have been nice to see some revenge against Martine, she was despicable.

DATA:
Story length: 265 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 15. Approximate number of sex scene pages: 30. Setting: current day Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. Copyright: 2010. Genre: erotic contemporary western romance.

The opening scene sets the pace for this book. It is edgy and full of anticipation and then anger and hostility. The emotions continue to fly as Keely and Jack continue to butt heads. The explosive chemistry between them quickly turns to something highly sexual once the engagement is in place. Even though the engagement is not intended to last, they begin to develop feelings for each other that do not revolve around anger and unfriendliness. This is one sexually explosive adventure you don't want to miss. For those of us that love our McKay men, you won't be disappointed with Jack. He fits right in with the bunch. He's just as domineering and heavy-handed as Keely's brothers and cousins that we've come to enjoy in this series. Though Keely claims that she doesn't want a man as strong as the McKay men she is surrounded by, she knows deep down that she would squash a lesser man. She is such a strong woman and her character is flawless. While at times the plot seemed a little too convenient to me, it was easy to overlook and I still very much enjoyed the story. Jack and Keely's story is another great addition to this series and one that I will continue to re-read as more of the Rough Riders books are released. - Jacquelyn R. Ward

The very wild and wicked Keely McKay grew up the lone female in a brood of extremely macho males. As a result, Keely knows every trick in the book when it comes to wrapping a man around her little finger. The only man who seems to be impervious to Keely's feminine wiles is Jack Donohue. Jack is a good friend of Keely's brother, but in Keely's opinion, he is nothing but a superficial, stuck-up city boy. Too bad the sexual chemistry between them is red-hot.

Jack Donohue grew up a country boy, but he couldn't wait until he was old enough to shake the dust off his boots and move to the big city. Now, a very successful architectural specialist, Jack is competing with his ex-business partner for a very prestigious project. The only thing holding him back is that the ultra-conservative consortium in charge of the Milford project expects to be dealing with a family man, which Jack definitely is not. What Jack needs is a fake fiancée...someone who will play along and not expect too much in return. Fortunately, Jack happens to know someone perfectly suited for the role.

Finally, after years of hard work and saving her money, Keely has the opportunity to realize her dream of opening a physical therapy clinic, and she is ecstatic. Unfortunately, her dreams are soon bogged down in miles of red tape and the only person who seems to be able to help happens to be Jack Donohue. Keely doesn't expect Jack to be of any assistance, and she is surprised when he offers her a deal in exchange for his expertise. Pretending to be engaged seems to be the solution to both of their problems, but when their casual attraction to one another turns into something so much deeper, it creates a whole new set of problems for Jack and Keely from which there is no easy way out.

ALL JACKED UP, the eighth story in the ROUGH RIDERS series, is yet another fun and sexy read written by the very talented and prolific Lorelei James. The long and complicated history between Keely and Jack translates into some very hot and heavy chemistry when the two are forced to spend time together. Besides the extra steamy love scenes, ALL JACKED UP is filled with snappy dialogue and lots of tenderness and emotion. This was definitely a book to read through in one night, because it was just too good to put down.

Cheryl McInnis~ courtesy of Romance Junkies

The eighth Rough Riders book is worth the wait. Wild child Keely, who has been mischievously represented in the earlier books, definitely comes into her own as a mature, caring and really lovely woman. Jack doesn't start off as likable as Keely in this story, but his growth into a strong man who can appreciate Keely for her gifts and strengths makes this the best Rough Riders so far. The love scenes are smokin', the character's growth immense and the update on other members of the McKay family is worth a read and then a reread. Check out this book, you won't be disappointed.

I have waited so long for Keely to get her own book and what a great book it is. Over the first seven books we have watched Keely grow from a wild 18 year old to a mature women. It was great to see how the dislike that Jack and Keely had for each other was just a reaction to the bottled up attraction that they had for each other. The sex scenes are smokin' hot. Jack and Keely are extremely well written and it is great to see their own point of view when problems arise in their relationship as it happens. Keely's family is great and very protective on their "little girl".

Can't wait for the next book in the series.

I really love the Rough Riders series. Lorelei James is fun and naughty to read.

This book is about Keely McKay's story. When comparing it to the rest of the McKay stories it was a little bit disappointing. Keely has always been billed as the wild child, but I found her story pretty tame. I did wonder if it was intentional as Keely not being as wild as the reputation she's received.

All said Keely's story is very good just not Cowgirl Up And Ride good. It is also fun to get updates on the other McKays/Wests. However, I am losing track of what kid belongs to what McKay and how many they have, etc. Would love a family tree in the next book.

Would also like more info on Chassie's baby. Who's the daddy?