Teresa Southwick

Sweet story with just enough sparks to heat it up. Brendan is a former Marine who has come to Rust Creek Falls to make some decisions about his life. He had a career he loved with the Marines, but he went home to Texas to take care of his dying father. After his father's death, Brendan was at a crossroads - should he re-enlist in the Corps, and go back where he felt a part of something, or stay out and find something else to do? Offered a place at Sunshine Farm, Brendan has found a purpose show more providing repair services for the town, but is it enough to keep him there?

Fiona is the oldest of her sisters and the only one still not married. She thought she was well on the way to her own happy-ever-after until her boyfriend left town and got another woman pregnant. While her pride was more damaged than her heart, she was resigned to being the spinster aunt. Having grown up in Rust Creek Falls, most of the single men are more like brothers than potential mates.

I liked the development of the relationship between Fiona and Brendan. From the moment they met, there were sparks between them, but they were wary. Brendan was sure he was going back to the Marines as soon as he was back in shape, so getting involved with Fiona would not be fair to her. He's also cynical about the whole idea of love, having seen what happened to his father when Brendan's mother left them. Fiona doesn't want to risk her heart on another man who will leave. In spite of their reasons to avoid each other, neither Brendan nor Fiona can stay away. I liked seeing the two of them get to know each other, first developing a good friendship. It was sweet to see Brendan's reaction when she told him about her ex, and I loved Fiona's efforts to show Brendan that he wasn't responsible for his mother's leaving. I liked seeing them try to keep their growing relationship "under the radar" which was impossible in the small town. As they continued to grow closer, Fiona realized that she had fallen in love with Brendan, and hoped that he would decide to stay, but was afraid to tell him so. I ached for Brendan, who realized that his feelings for Fiona had grown, but panicked because he equated love with pain and loss. I loved how both received advice that helped them face their fears and go after what they wanted. The epilogue was terrific.

One of the things I liked best about the book was Luke Stockton's ideas for Sunshine Farm. It was terrific to see how he found Brendan's strengths and used them to draw him into life in Rust Creek Falls. I especially enjoyed all of Luke's little nudges meant to make Brendan see that he had a place there. I loved seeing the support that all the veterans showed each other, and was especially moved by Brendan's encounter with Vietnam vet JT Halstead. I look forward to seeing more from Luke and Brendan in the future. show less

Very good book. Olivia has had enough of waiting for Brady to notice her as a woman, submits her resignation, and prepares to move away. She's tried twice before and he has always managed to talk her into staying, so this time she invents a boyfriend to help show him she's serious. Brady can't believe she's actually going to leave this time. He tries everything he can think of to get her to stay, but has no luck. When he discovers that the boyfriend doesn't exist he decides to try romance show more and gets more than he bargained for.

I really liked both Olivia and Brady. Olivia has been in love with Brady for years and living on the hope that he would eventually notice her as a woman, not just a friend. After five years she's ready to give up. She wants a home and family of her own and she realizes that she'll never get it with Brady. She has little confidence in her ability to stand up to him on her own, so she invents "Leonard", a man she met on a business trip to help make her point that she's leaving. She feels guilty about lying, but she's desperate to get away. She thinks she's finally got him convinced until he kisses her during one of their discussions. She finally got one of her dreams fulfilled, but there's still no indication that he wants something lasting. I loved the way that Olivia was so good at standing up to Brady in most things. She was aware enough of her own weaknesses where he was concerned that she knew she needed some kind of backup plan to resist his efforts to keep her there. It was fun to see her try to make things up as she went along, forgetting that Brady knew her well enough to suspect that there was something weird going on. I loved seeing her take what she wanted after the employee celebration and ached for her as she gave up on her dream.

Brady has kept a lid on his emotions for years, equating love with loss. He lost his father to a massive heart attack his last year in college and his best friend soon after that. He and Olivia have known each other all their lives and she has been the best assistant he could ever have. He hates change, and when she has tried to quit before he has always been able to talk her into staying. He is stunned when she insists that this time she will leave whether he likes it or not. I loved seeing him try to delay her departure by refusing to hire a replacement and seeing her thwart him at every turn. He's really surprised by her claim of a boyfriend since he's never heard her talk about Leonard before and is a bit suspicious of her refusal to tell him anything. I loved how he got caught snooping. Brady doesn't understand why he's suddenly so irritated by the thought of Olivia with a boyfriend or looking at her as something other than a friend. I loved seeing his pride push him into kissing her to prove a point and totally losing control of himself. Discovering that Leonard doesn't exist made him decide to try to seduce her into staying, thinking if they could sleep together and get it out of their systems everything could go back to normal. He's blown away by what happens between them and retreats in fear of the strength of his emotions. I loved seeing his confusion as he tried to deal with it all. I loved seeing his sister try to explain things to him and had to smile when he finally got it. The ending was pretty sweet. show less

Very good story. Sydney is frustrated by her father's insistence that she be settled, or at least in a good relationship before he will propose to the woman he loves. She was burned in love several years earlier, and hasn't found anyone worth risking her heart over. So in order to move her father along in his relationship, she asks a stranger to pretend to be her boyfriend.

Burke is surprised by Syd's request. He's in Blackwater Lake because his company is building a new resort on the show more outskirts of town. He's intrigued, not just by her proposition but also by the woman herself. He wouldn't mind getting to know her better, but he's not the type to get involved. He was married once before, and it didn't end well, leaving him as a single father, and one that doesn't have much confidence in his ability to do it right.

I loved the romance between Syd and Burke. It starts out as a pretend relationship, but there is an undeniable attraction between them. Syd is cautious because her heart has already been broken once, but she can't deny her attraction to Burke. She knows a true relationship isn't possible, since he has said that he will never marry again, and he won't be staying in town for long anyway. But the more time she spends with him, the more she actually likes him. When he has to bring his eight year old son to stay with him, she discovers a whole new side to him, one that she could easily fall in love with. Burke starts out simply willing to give this intriguing woman the help she has asked for. But the attraction he feels for her is something different, and he wants to pursue it. It isn't long before he's feeling more than just attraction, but past experience has him convinced that he's not marriage material. I loved the buildup of their feelings. Both try really hard to convince themselves that their hearts are not involved, and that they can keep their relationship on the light side. Burke especially runs scared of letting himself feel more than just friendship and attraction. It takes a surprising conversation with his father for him to be able to overcome his past. I loved his big moment at the end - sweet and so emotional.

I loved Burke's son Liam. He was such a big part of who Burke was and why Burke has the issues he has. I loved seeing how their relationship changed because of Sydney's influence on Burke. The dynamics between Burke and his father were good too. He was determined to be a better father to his son than his dad had been to him. I liked seeing how his father owned up to his mistakes and wanted to help keep Burke from following in his footsteps. show less

Very good book. Erica came home to Bronco to regroup after ending a relationship, deciding to have a baby on her own, and losing her job. She left home twelve years ago for college and has only returned a few times for visits. Her return was a little rough as her parents were not as supportive as she had hoped. To escape the tension at home, Erica visited a local restaurant where she met Morgan Dalton.

Morgan and his family are relatively new arrivals in Bronco. He and his brothers agreed to show more work the ranch with their father to support their mother. There are hard feelings between father and sons because he cheated on their mother. They also feel like outsiders in Bronco because the local "old-timer" ranching families have not been particularly welcoming.

I liked the first meeting between Erica and Morgan. Morgan was drawn to Erica as soon as he saw her. I loved how easily they could talk to each other, even after he realized she was pregnant. After being away for so long, Erica also feels somewhat like an outsider, so it is easy for them to band together. I loved seeing how their relationship progressed from friendship to love. I especially enjoyed Morgan's support of Erica, from taking her to doctor's appointments to offering to be her labor coach. I loved so many of the scenes of them together. There are also sparks of attraction that both try to ignore, but they grow along with their deepening feelings for each other. I ached for them both when a moment of intimacy ended in a misunderstanding. I wanted to shake Erica for allowing her insecurities to send her running without letting Morgan explain. I hurt for Morgan, who realized the depth of his love for Erica and didn't know what to do. Thanks to advice from an unexpected source, his big moment at the end was fantastic. I loved the epilogue with their next steps into a future together.

A big theme of this book was family and expectations. Erica arrived home feeling that she was a disappointment to her parents. This was apparent to her in their reactions to her pregnancy. I ached for her and her reluctance to share the truth with them. I liked the eventual repair of those relationships, especially the one with her mother. Her brother, Gabe, irritated me at times with his attitude toward Morgan. I expected better of him, having read his story in In Search of the Long-Lost Maverick. Morgan had his own family issues. His problems with his father were a result of his love for his mother and anger at his father's actions. It was easy to see how Morgan held on to his anger and was hesitant to trust Neal again. I liked how Erica's influence helped Morgan work past his anger and alter his relationship with his father.

Also part of this book is the ongoing search for Josiah's daughter, Beatrix. At the end of the previous book, the investigation had stalled as they ran into dead-ends. However, hope returns thanks to an unusual clue. I look forward to seeing how it works out. show less