Necessities is the fourth book in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series and I sure hope the author is writing another instalment. I liked all four books in this series and thought this one was quite brilliant. Check out my review and enter the giveaway to win a copy of Necessities.


Book Details:

Category: Adult Fiction, 225 pages
Genre: Suspense Crime Fiction
Publisher: Katherine Brown Press
Release date: December 5, 2017
Format available for review: print & ebook (mobi, ePub, PDF or gifted Kindle copy)
Will send print books to: USA
Tour dates: Jan 3 to Feb 28, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There is a murder and elusions to sex. Some mild cursing.)

Book Description:

Donnie Ray Cuinn returns to Austin to defend a war hero accused of murder. David Lewis lost both legs in Iraq, but he has overcome his nightmares and his disabilities by sheer willpower. He has learned to run and to box and is a successful newspaperman with a beautiful wife and son. Now the nightmares have returned and he must stand trial for murder. With twists that never seem to end, this gripping legal thriller is filled with suspense and indelibly drawn characters dealing with love and betrayal.


Necessities is the fourth book in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series, and I sure hope the author is writing another instalment. I liked all four books in this series and thought this one was quite brilliant.  It's a stand-alone novel and can be read without having read the first three books, but as with the previous books I liked that I had background knowledge of Donnie and his family.
Regarding content, there are f-words and religious profanity but fewer than his first three books. The sex scenes are not explicit.

The Monkey House is the third book in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series. I liked it just as much as the first two books and have now become familiar with the cast of characters. Check out my review and enter the giveaway to win a copy of Necessities, the fourth book in the series.

Book Details:

Category: Adult Fiction, 212 pages
Genre: Political Suspense
Publisher: Katherine Brown Press
Release date: May 29, 2015
Tour dates: Jan 3 to Feb 28, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (Some adult language and elusion to sex.)

Book Description:

This, the third Donnie Ray Cuinn book, pits Donnie against the old friends and new enemies guilty of land fraud and corporate greed. Donnie returns to Austin from his law practice in the Texas Panhandle to confront All-American football player Wesley Bird, his former best friend. In the company of beautiful, athletic Anna Kaye Nordstrom, Donnie experiences the "new" Austin of glitzy condos, trendy restaurants and social media. He also revisits the "old" Austin of barbecue, power politics and greens versus developers. Donnie finds that not much has changed.


The Monkey House is the third book in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series. I liked it just as much as the first two books and have now become familiar with the cast of characters. It's a stand-alone novel and can be read without having read the first two books, but I liked that I had background knowledge of Donnie and his family, especially since this instalment takes place mostly back in Austin where it all started and includes characters prevalent in the first book Hero.

Time has passed since the end of the last book, and Donnie Ray Cuinn has now bought the law practice from his former law partner. He is no longer the inexperienced lawyer, but is still struggling with the death of his wife years ago and continues to blame himself, not permitting himself to move forward in a permanent relationship.

His former best friend Wesley starts a project in real estate and Donnie's family is involved, forcing Donnie to face his old enemy. The law issues are therefore more personal and we see Donnie as a grown man trying to take care of his family. Donnie is such a likable character. He is less cynical in this story and has accumulated "street smarts" in his law practice. Again, as is this author's trademark, the story takes unexpected twists and turns, has a good dose of humor and leads us to a satisfying ending. Regarding content, there are f-words and religious profanity, that I've become good at skipping over these because I'm enjoying this series too much.

We are introduced to Dave Lewis who is one of the main characters in Necessities, the fourth book in this series that I will begin reading shortly. I feel like this book would make a great TV series, and I am eager to start the next book and get back into the world of Donnie Ray Cuinn with its setting in Texas, a cast of memorable characters and intelligent plots that keep me turning the pages.

If you like to read books in a series, this one is worth starting. If you especially like crime fiction with good humor and great courtroom drama, then this one is definitely a good choice. And the book covers and titles. Spot on!

To read reviews, please visit Boyd Taylor's page on iRead Book Tours.


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The Antelope Play is the second book in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series. I liked it just as much as Hero, the first book and maybe even more. Check out my review and enter the giveaway to win a copy of Necessities, the fourth book in the series.

Book Details:

Category: Adult Fiction, 260 pages
Genre: Political Suspense
Publisher: Katherine Brown Press
Release date: July 25, 2015
Tour dates: Jan 3 to Feb 28, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (Some minor cursing.)

Book Description:

When Austin native Donnie Cuinn accepts a job as an associate in a Texas Panhandle law firm, his boredom and disdain for Velda, a sleepy Texas town, is forgotten when he gets caught up in a struggle over water rights, possible radioactive contamination of the nation's largest underground fresh water supply, and the violence of an invading Mexican drug cartel. Along the way, Donnie learns to respect the local rancher, whose brother is at the center of the troubles, and to come to terms with the violent death of his young Mexican wife.


The Antelope Play is the second book in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series. I liked it just as much as Hero, the first book and maybe even more. It's a stand-alone novel and can be read without having read the first book, but I liked that I had background knowledge of Donnie and his family.

In this second instalment, several years have passed from where the first book left off and Donnie is not the happy-go-lucky young university graduate. Instead he is grieving the loss of his murdered wife, has left his career as a historian and on a whim has pursued a law degree from an obscure law school. He is a broken man who has settled in the Texas Panhandle as an associate in a law firm.

Once again, he is the underdog lawyer who takes on a case that becomes more complicated when it involves water rights, a government secret and Mexican drug smuggling. Along the way, Donnie begins the healing process and meets a woman who makes him feel he might be able to love again.

As in the first book, the author's experience as a lawyer and knowledge of Texas history, government and politics make this series an intelligent read. I am simply loving this series. I like the author's writing style, the cast of characters, the comical elements even as it tackles serious issues, and the twist at the end of the story. Regarding content, there are a few f-words and religious profanity, but not as much as the first book.

If you like John Grisham novels, smart plots and a memorable cast of character then you will definitely like this series. I'm currently reading the third book which I will review on Jan 15. You can also check out my review of Hero.
To read reviews, please visit Boyd Taylor's page on iRead Book Tours.


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Hero is the first book in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series. And it's a great debut because it's got me hooked on the series! Check out my review and enter the giveaway to win a copy of Necessities, the fourth book in the series.

Book Details:

Category: Adult Fiction, 180 pages
Genre: Political Suspense
Publisher: Katherine Brown Press
Release date: November 9, 2015
Tour dates: Jan 3 to Feb 28, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (Some slight cursing.)

Book Description:

When budding historian Donnie Ray Cuinn stumbles upon an old letter in the musty bowels of the Texas State Archives, he believes he has uncovered the true story of Sam Payne's valiant, or perhaps not so valiant, capture of Mexican leader Santa Anna during the Battle of San Jacinto. Cuinn's findings are published in a local magazine. But the article eventually becomes fodder in the gubernatorial race between Democratic upstart Bob Braeswood and Republican favorite Sam Eben Payne V, the great-great-grandson of the Texas hero. Braeswood is intent on exploiting the past, while Payne will do anything to suppress it. In the ensuing battle, Donnie finds his beliefs, not to mention his relationships, stretched to the limit in the first novel of the Donnie Ray Cuinn series.

Hero is the first book in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series. And it's a great debut because it's got me hooked on the series. Taylor's books remind me of John Grisham novels with their flawed, broken but likable main character and courtroom drama pitting the underdog against powerful opponents. And let's not forget the twisted ending no one saw coming.

In this first novel, Donnie is a History major and he writes an article based on an old letter he found in the Texas State Archives. His article defames the heroic ancestor of a politician and it snowballs into a political mess with influential people trying to either silence Donnie or use him to their advantage. What eventually happens is something Donnie never saw coming and it changed the course of his life.

Taylor successfully builds believable characters with depth. At under 200 pages, this book packs a punch with a great cast of characters, a serious yet comical basis for a plot, and a style of writing that hooked me in and didn't let go until the last page. Regarding content, there are several drinking and sex scenes, with crude language, f-bombs and religious profanity, which I didn't care for. Although, it depicted the university social life and the arc of character growth in Donnie. I liked the portrayal of strong female characters in Lena and Cecilia.

The author's experience as a lawyer and knowledge of Texas history, government and politics make this series an intelligent read. I'm already half-way through the second novel, with my review scheduled on Jan 10. I'm planning on reading the third and fourth book and hope that the author has a fifth one in the making.

If you like John Grisham novels, smart plots and a memorable cast of character then you will definitely like this series.

To read reviews, please visit Boyd Taylor's page on iRead Book Tours.


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Book Details:

Category: Adult Fiction, 225 pages
Genre: Suspense Crime Fiction
Publisher: Katherine Brown Press
Release date: December 5, 2017
Format available for review: print & ebook (mobi, ePub, PDF or gifted Kindle copy)
Will send print books to: USA
Tour dates: Jan 3 to Feb 28, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There is a murder and elusions to sex. Some mild cursing.)

Book Description:

Donnie Ray Cuinn returns to Austin to defend a war hero accused of murder. David Lewis lost both legs in Iraq, but he has overcome his nightmares and his disabilities by sheer willpower. He has learned to run and to box and is a successful newspaperman with a beautiful wife and son. Now the nightmares have returned and he must stand trial for murder. With twists that never seem to end, this gripping legal thriller is filled with suspense and indelibly drawn characters dealing with love and betrayal.
To read reviews, please visit Boyd Taylor's page on iRead Book Tours.


a Rafflecopter giveaway