Christine Rimmer

Terrific start to the new series. There is a new town and new characters, with cameos by some old friends. Hayes left town when he graduated from high school after butting heads with his father for years. Though he swore he'd never go back, he went when his mom called, needing help. He didn't expect to come face-to-face with his high school girlfriend minutes after arriving in town. Chrissy was just as shocked to see him. Each plans to keep their distance from the other, but Fate has other show more plans.

When Chrissy's condo gets flooded, she needs somewhere to stay while it is repaired. She could move back in with her parents, but Chrissy doesn't want to deal with her mom's controlling nature. She's surprised when Hayes offers her a place at the ranch. She's hesitant because of their history, but Hayes swears it's only as friends.

I enjoyed seeing the rekindling of their relationship. They find it just as easy to talk now as back then, but that also brings back memories of their deep feelings for each other. Every time one of them starts feeling stirrings of attraction or closeness, they pull back, afraid of being hurt again. But those feelings become harder to resist the more time they spend together. When they finally give in to the attraction, each tries to convince themselves that it is just "friends with benefits" instead of acknowledging the truth.

I ached for both Hayes and Chrissy as they fought their feelings. I especially wanted to shake Hayes as he continued to deny the truth even after Chrissy dared to speak up. He earned every bit of the misery he felt after they parted. I loved the ending and seeing Hayes face the fears that kept him from accepting Chrissy's love. The epilogue was terrific, and I look forward to seeing more of them in later books. show less

Terrific start to the new series, Montana Mavericks: What Happened to Beatrix? Melanie Driscoll had a plan for her life. She had a great job and a handsome fiancé that she loved. Everything turned upside down when she came home one day and found him in bed with another woman. Betrayed, hurt, and angry, she called off the engagement, packed her car and left. During a brief stopover in her hometown of Rust Creek Falls, Mel attends the wedding of a friend. She was blindsided by catching the show more bouquet, something that she doesn't want, being done with men. Instead, she gives it to the flower girl, who insists that she take an old diary in exchange. That diary is the beginning of a puzzle, involving the Abernathy family.

Mel heads for Bronco and her new job managing one of DJ Traub's restaurants. On the way she stops along the road for a picnic, not knowing that she is trespassing on the Abernathy ranch. There she meets Gabe Abernathy and the sparks fly between them. Gabe is immediately smitten and wants to get to know Mel better. Mel is resistant on two levels. One, she is done with men for the foreseeable future. Two, she will only be in Bronco until the first of the year, after which she is going to Austin for a new job and fresh start.

I loved Gabe. He is a nice guy. He has a loving relationship with his family, even though he and his dad butt heads frequently over their visions for the ranch's future. He is also very close to his great-grandfather who has dementia and visits him frequently.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Mel and Gabe. He knows that he has his work cut out for him if he wants a relationship with Mel. I enjoyed his persistence as he showed up at the restaurant night after night, sitting at the bar until convincing Mel to stop and talk to him. He wasn't creepy about it, he was just there until Mel finally gave him a chance. The more time they spent together, the closer they became, though Mel still insists she is leaving. There were times I wanted to shake Mel because she knew she was falling for Gabe but was too afraid to take a chance. Some good advice from her friends helps Mel face her fears and realize what she has to do. Her scene with Gabe at the creek was fantastic.

Mel also has that mysterious diary. Seventy years earlier, the writer of the diary, Josiah, and his girlfriend, "W", were torn apart after she gave birth to his baby. She was told the baby died, while his parents took the child and gave her to another family to raise. The question is, what happened to the baby? The only person who might know is the author of the diary. Is that Josiah Abernathy Gabe's great-grandfather? There are some heartwrenching scenes as Gabe has to face the idea that his beloved Gramps had a secret like that. It is also hard to watch his pain at Gramps' mental decline. There are quite a few twists and turns as Mel and Gabe try to find the truth, culminating with a surprise on the last page.

I loved seeing characters from earlier books. Winona plays an important part in this book, and I suspect will continue to do so in the rest of the series. I liked seeing Homer again and hearing Mel tell the story of Homer's moonshine in the wedding punch (Montana Mavericks: What Happened at the Wedding). I had to laugh at Mel naming her new kitten after him. Mel's job with DJ Traub was a great throwback to the Thunder Canyon books. I also liked that DJ knew Mel well enough to see that something was bothering her and give her some advice. He also provided a little extra incentive for sticking around! show less

Captivating and emotional story. What do you do when you discover that everything you believed about yourself is a lie? Five years earlier, Aislinn had briefly worked as a ranch hand for Martin Durand, where she developed a huge crush on the man's adoptive son, Jaxon. Now she's been called to attend the reading of Durand's will. She is shocked and horrified to be told that she was switched at birth with his daughter, meaning that she doesn't have a drop of Bravo blood in her. To top it all show more off, Durand made it a condition of his will that Aislinn and Jax must marry or Jax will lose his inheritance.

The opening scene in the lawyer's office sucked me into the story and grabbed me by the heart. Aislinn's disbelief and pain at hearing the story of her birth was heart-wrenching. Her meltdown was understandable and believable. Getting the news that she also had to marry Jax was one more blow. Though she claimed that her crush was long over, it was obvious that something was still there. And as much as she hated the circumstances, she still likes and respects Jax and doesn't want to be the cause of him losing the ranch. She struggled over what to do, but the outcome was really never in question. Jax is just as stunned over the will's conditions. To lose the home that has been in his family for generations is unthinkable, and he'll do whatever he must to keep it. After all, it's only for three months.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Jax and Aislinn. The sparks between them were undeniable right from the start. Jax was a bit wary at the beginning, slightly suspicious that Aislinn had found a way to get to Martin and manipulate him. Those feelings didn't last long, as he got to know and like her. I loved the way that he did everything he could to make her feel welcome on the ranch. He's also a pretty straightforward man, and as his attraction to Aislinn grew he made it clear that he wanted her. Aislinn has a harder time of it. Spending time with Jax deepens her feelings for him. Giving in to the desire isn't hard, but believing in a future together is another matter. I ached for Aislinn and the panic attacks she would have each night, and for Jax, who tried to understand but was hurt by the way she pulled away. It was pretty clear that she was fighting against the feeling that she had no control over her life, but she didn't know how to fix it. When the three months are up, both Jax and Aislinn know that they are in love, but Aislinn is still fighting for identity. I loved Jax's patience with her fears and that he never gave up hope. I admit to being somewhat frustrated with her at the end, but I also could feel her pain. Her conversation with Percy and Daffy at the end finally helped her put her fears to rest. I loved seeing Aislinn and Jax come together at the end. There was a sweet little twist involving Martin, also.

I loved the importance of family. The love and care that Jax had received from Claudia and Martin made a great foundation for the love he had for Aislinn. For all the love he had for Martin, Jax was also well aware of Martin's faults, and tried hard to help Aislinn see the good side of the man. The closeness of the Bravo family is a huge part of Aislinn's identity, and the news about her birth threw her into a tailspin. She wasn't sure what the news would do to her relationship with her siblings, and that added to her stress. I loved the unquestioning support she received from all of them, especially as she tried to come to terms with her marriage. I really enjoyed seeing her sisters Haley and Harper playing devil's advocate, to get Aislinn to see the truth. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when the family finally gets in contact with Madison. show less

Very good book. It had me hooked from the first page to the last, and has me hoping to see more of Travis and Brenna in later books. Travis is determined to win a spot on The Great Roundup reality show. The winner gets a million dollars and he has plans for that money. But he runs into a snag when the producers want to know if he has a girlfriend. So he stretches the truth and says yes, not expecting them to insist on meeting her. Not only that, they turn said girlfriend into a fiancée. show more Desperate to make the final cut, Travis goes to Brenna and proposes a deal: she pretends to be his fiancée and he'll split the money with her if they win.

Brenna has loved Travis since she was six years old, but he always considered her too young for him. Helping him out with this will do two things for her: earn the money to make her future plans happen, and give her the chance to show Travis that she's a grown woman.

I loved the development of their relationship. From their appearance at the Ace in the Hole and Brenna's "audition" for the show, to the very end, their chemistry is fantastic. Spending as much time together as they do, thanks to the show, just confirms to Brenna that she loves Travis and nothing is going to change that. For Travis, his attraction to Brenna comes as a surprise and he does his best at the beginning to fight it. It's a losing battle, and I loved watching him fall. There is some drama provided by a rodeo queen who has set her sights on Travis, and some terrific scenes of Brenna staking her claim. There's a sweet scene involving Travis, a bottle of whiskey, and some alcohol induced confessions, that brings hope to Brenna that they may have a future together, even though he is still fighting his feelings. I loved seeing them give in to their attraction as it deepened their connection. Their night back at the Lodge was steamy and funny too, and I loved their appropriation of some of the room's "amenities". The end of the filming, including the agreed upon special event, brought everything to a thrilling conclusion. I loved their big moment at the end, with Travis finally realizing his feelings. His sensitivity to her fears opened the door for them to really talk. I loved what they decided and would love to be a fly on the wall when they are finally able to talk about it.

I really enjoyed the reality show setting. It was fun to see Travis's preparations and how he dealt with the audition process. Once the filming started, I loved the various challenges and seeing how they were handled. The diverse personalities made things even more interesting. I loved the friendships that were made, especially with Steve and Roberta. I even enjoyed the rodeo queen, Summer, because her actions helped show what a great guy Travis was. I'd love to see reactions when the show airs.

*copy received in exchange for honest review show less