Susan Crosby

Good book, though the blurb isn't entirely accurate. Vaughn is divorced from his wife who is the mother of his little girl. His wife never took to being a mother and has left Vaughn with custody, even though he's not Cassidy's biological father. He wants to adopt Cassidy and can't find his ex-wife, so he goes looking to see if he can find the father. One possibility is Karyn's twin brother, but he died in the war. Vaughn gets a DNA sample from Karyn to see if there's a match.

Karyn is excited show more by the idea that Cassidy may be her brother's child. She shows up in Red Valley, planning to be there when the results come back. She plans to stay in a hotel and do some sketching while she waits. Instead, Vaughn invites her to stay at his home, telling his family that she's going to be doing Cassidy's portrait.

I really liked Vaughn. Even though Cassidy isn't his by blood, he has loved her as his own since she was born. He is a wonderful father. I loved the way he changed his entire life around so that he could take care of her. He was trying to do the right thing when he went looking for Cassidy's biological father. He didn't expect to find himself so attracted to Karyn. Vaughn is very cautious about getting involved with Karyn. His ex had been a city girl who did not adapt well when they moved to the ranch. Karyn is a personal shopper with big name clients in LA and Hollywood. He doesn't know if he wants to risk his heart again on someone who might not stay.

Karyn is a really busy personal shopper, but lately has been feeling a bit less enthusiastic about her job. It's coming up on Christmas which is a hard time for her since her brother died. When Vaughn arrives with news that her brother might be the father of Vaughn's little girl, she is thrilled with the idea. Her enthusiasm gets the best of her and she ends up staying with Vaughn while they wait for the results. She is incredibly attracted to him but feels getting involved would be a bad idea, complicating an already complicated relationship. Though his family has no idea of her possible connection to Cassidy, they draw her in to their warmth. It was terrific to see Karyn fit in so quickly. I also loved seeing how much fun she and Cassidy had together. Karyn finds herself wondering what it would be like to stay in Red Valley and get to know Vaughn even better.

I loved the relationship between Vaughn and Karyn. Both of them wanted what was best for Cassidy and were very careful not to say anything about the test around her. I really enjoyed seeing the way that the two of them teased each other. The growing feelings were easy to see and I was really rooting for them to find a way to be together. The ending had quite an interesting twist. show less

For anyone who wishes a movie star would sweep into town, take one look at a cowboy who just happens to look like her teenage crush, John Wayne, and decide he'd be perfect for her marriage-just-for-the-cameras.

It's incredibly cheesy and unbelievable, but if you're looking for a light, romantic, fast-read, check it out.

Good book. Mitch is back in Red Valley after three years away. He's not really ready to return to his family's ranch, so when his truck breaks down in front of Annie's place he goes along with her assumption that he's a handyman. He's attracted to her, but with him hiding his identity from her he knows it's a bad idea to get involved. But his heart isn't getting the message.

I liked both Mitch and Annie. Annie got the farm in the divorce settlement with her ex-husband. She loves having a show more settled home for herself and her son after years of a vagabond existence. She is determined to make a success of her fledgling organic farm and is counting on Mitch's help for some of the physically intense repairs. Mitch's presence is a bit of a problem for her. She needs his help but the attraction she feels for him worries her. She knows he's hiding more than just his name but she doesn't seem to care. Besides doing everything she needs him to do on the farm, he's giving her son a male role model he really needs. I really loved her farming efforts and how she is so determined to make it succeed. I enjoyed seeing the things she did to improve the business. I also liked the way that she accepted Mitch's desire to stay away from people he might know but also realized that it may cause trouble in the long run. I loved seeing her stand up to the people who are trying to buy her land. When she finds out who Mitch is she is angry and also hurt because she feels like she's been used. I liked seeing her accept Mitch's help at the end and how it enabled her to really get to know him.

Mitch left his family's ranch three years earlier after his grandfather's death. Besides dealing with the loss of the man he felt really understood him, he was furious with his father's refusal to listen to any of his ideas for their ranch. Now he's back but he's still not ready to face his family. Being mistaken for Annie's handyman seems like the answer to a prayer. He doesn't expect the intense attraction to her or how much he enjoys being around her son. I liked Mitch. Other than his lie about who he was, he is a pretty awesome man. I loved seeing how patient he was with Austin and how much he enjoyed working with the boy. I also loved the way that he was so impressed with Annie's intent to make a go of her farm and how hard she was working at it. I liked the way that he refused to be the snake that his father suggested. Even though Mitch wasn't sure that Annie would succeed I loved the way that he wanted to help her make the best effort she could. I loved seeing him refuse to give up on Annie at the end and how he just kept coming back. It was great how his persistence paid off.

I admit that I was not impressed by Mitch's dad. I didn't like what he wanted Mitch to do and I didn't like the way that he refused to listen to Mitch. I sure hope he improves over the rest of the series. I did like his brothers and how they all supported each other. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. show less

Very good book. Michael had come to Red Rock to try to talk his cousins into coming back to Atlanta and the family business. He met Felicity the first day he was there and felt an immediate connection to her. It really threw him because he'd never felt anything like it before. But he doesn't believe in romantic love and thinks it is a myth. He believes successful relationships are built on respect and friendship and having things in common. All his family members told him to leave her alone, show more that he was the type to break her heart. He hates being told he can't do something so he ignores them. Michael finds himself thinking about her constantly and wanting to do things for her. At first he does things like he would in Atlanta, but soon finds that those are not the type of things that appeal to Felicity. I loved seeing Michael as he starts thinking more about her than himself. Felicity is a successful businesswoman who knows what she wants. She is also a great believer in love. She felt the connection with Michael right away also and was convinced she had met "the one". She couldn't understand why everyone was warning her against him because she saw a caring thoughtful man. Both she and Michael end up with some issues they have to face before they can reach their happy ending. I really liked the way that Felicity stood up for herself and her needs. I also enjoyed seeing Michael as he came to realize that his cousins had no intention of returning to Atlanta and how he applied their feelings to his own life. I'm looking forward to finding out more about the reason that sent them all running. show less