Ann Roth (1)

Good book. Gina has come back to Montana to sell the ranch she just inherited from her uncle. She has no interest in staying there, she wants to get back to her marketing job in Chicago. She's not happy when she gets snowed in by a blizzard. Plus, the ranch foreman promised her uncle he'd try to get her to stay.

I had a hard time with Gina for most of the book. I understood her desire to get back to her job, that wasn't the problem. What I didn't like was the way she was looking down on Zach show more because he was a ranch foreman and didn't seem to have the ambition to do anything else. She realized she was attracted to him right away but since she'd only be there a week she didn't plan to get involved with him. Plus she figured he wasn't her "type". She also didn't really appreciate the way he kept trying to talk her into keeping the ranch. After getting snowed in together she realized that they had more in common than she thought and the attraction between them was growing. She sensed that he was keeping some secret from her since he wouldn't talk about his past. This frustrated her but since she was keeping her own secrets I didn't have much sympathy for her. I did like the way that she started to think more about keeping the ranch. I thought the solution she eventually came up with was great.

Zach had promised Gina's uncle that he would try to convince her to keep the ranch and stay in Montana. He and Zach had come up with an idea for a dude ranch that would make it possible. But Gina was so determined to go back that Zach could barely get her to listen. He understood her attitude since he used to be the same way. When one of his deals had unintended consequences he sold his business and looked for a new direction. Eventually he ended up getting hired on the ranch and found that he really enjoyed it. He gets a lot of grief from his family about his decision which just adds to his reluctance to talk about his past. His attraction to Gina is getting stronger the longer she stays but he doesn't want to get involved with someone who doesn't accept him for who he is. I thought he was a really nice guy and loved his non-judgmental reaction to her secret. I liked the way they finally got together and his part in the ranch solution.

I liked seeing some of the characters from previous books. I also loved the portrayals of Gina's relatives, especially her aunts. The two of them with their bickering were so realistic I could practically hear them. I also loved their obvious attempts at matchmaking. show less

Good book. Lara is recovering from the news that her ex-husband and his new wife are expecting a baby. He had divorced her because she had been unable to have children. She met Sly while she and her friend were at a local bar. They had an instant connection but as neither wants a relationship they agreed to one night only, then part the next morning.

Lana hasn't been able to forget him, but she has other things on her mind too. She is trying to adopt a baby and a fling just isn't practical. show more She's surprised when he seeks her out, even though he has said that he doesn't do relationships. They begin a tentative relationship that is leaning a little more on the friendship side as she discovers Sly is very supportive of her plans to adopt. Things get a little complicated when she discovers that he is involved in a lawsuit with his next door neighbor, who is also her cousin. She is torn between her growing feelings for Sly and her need to support her family member. Family is very important to her and she is nervous about telling them who she is involved with. It gets even more complicated when she discovers she is pregnant. Sly has made it clear that he doesn't intend to have children and she worries about how he will react. She wants him to be involved but she's willing to do it alone. I liked seeing her patience with his fears and how she kept him involved without showing any expectations. I got a bit frustrated with Lana's constant worry about pleasing her family. At thirty-two she should be at the stage where she can stand up to them in regards to her own wants and needs. She didn't cave in to their wishes at least, but she didn't speak up either. In the end, Lana had to decide what was more important to her, her love for Sly or the approval of her family. I really liked what she did with her decision.

Sly has never been good with relationships. He keeps things very superficial which drives women away after awhile. Sly doesn't like to risk his heart because every time he does, things go wrong. His parents died while he was young. His uncle took custody of him and his younger brother but not his little sister, who went into foster care. The uncle wasn't good to them, so Sly tried to do his best for his younger brother. Unfortunately, Seth went down a bad road no matter what Sly did and ended up dropping out of school and disappearing. Sly blames himself and swears he will never inflict his poor parenting skills on a child of his own. He also had a bad relationship in college that soured him on love. His night with Lara was incredible and he hasn't been able to get her off his mind. He wants to get to know her better, in spite of his misgivings. Even though he tells himself to stay away, he finds himself getting involved in her life. He supports her through her nerves about adopting and helps her assemble furniture for the nursery. He likes talking to her and discovers they have a lot in common. When she tells him about the baby he is stunned and not real happy, but he promises her his support. He can't stay away from her and finds himself growing closer to her and more comfortable with the idea of the baby. I loved the scene in the doctor's office. He also starts thinking about what it would be like to have her in his life permanently which really scares him. He doesn't want to risk getting his heart broken again and when something happens regarding the lawsuit it looks bad for the two of them. I loved seeing Lara's influence on what he does at the end to help resolve it, and how he finally is able to open up his heart. show less

Good book. Emily desperately needs a vet for her animal shelter and Seth Pettit will do nicely. What she doesn't need is an inconvenient attraction to him. The last thing she wants is to risk losing him as a vet, thereby putting her animals and the shelter in danger. Seth doesn't have time for a relationship either. He's busy trying to get his practice set up and taking care of his ward. But staying away from her is getting harder every day.

I really liked both Emily and Seth. Emily has a show more passion for rescuing dogs that takes up most of her life. Someday she'd like to have a family of her own, but she's still recovering from her last relationship. She tries to convince herself that what she's feeling for Seth is simple attraction and appreciation for what he's doing to help her. But the more she sees of him and what he's trying to accomplish with his family and with Taylor, the deeper her feelings grow. She's just not sure if she can trust enough to open herself up to the possibilities. I really liked the way that she understood Taylor and tried to help her adjust to Prosperity. I also liked seeing her try to help Seth and Taylor come together as a family.

Seth has returned to Prosperity after seventeen years away. He and his siblings had lost their parents early, with Seth and his brother being sent to stay with their uncle. His uncle was abusive and Seth learned to wall off his feelings in order to survive. After his uncle's death, Seth's older brother tried to take over as the one in charge, but Seth rebelled and left home. It was only after a friend urged him to make peace with his family that Seth decided to return. He had also become the guardian of an old girlfriend's teenage daughter, and needed a stable life for her. He traded his services as a vet with Emily in exchange for her help with a website and a volunteer opportunity for Taylor. He's incredibly busy with his life and feels that he has no time for a relationship, but he can't seem to stay away from Emily. He's impressed with everything she does, and her care for the dogs seems to extend to him and to Taylor. I really felt for him with his struggle to connect with Taylor, and his attempts to make peace with his brother. It was a slow process for him to learn to express his feelings, but he survived the struggle. I loved the ending and seeing how both Seth and Emily were able to love again.

I liked Taylor also. She was pretty surly at the beginning, but as the story went on we learn why she has the attitude she has. I really ached for her and her feelings of guilt and abandonment. It was very nice to see how the love of the dogs started to change her outlook. I also enjoyed seeing that she also had typical teenage behavior. It was great to see how Seth's and Emily's influence helped her overcome her problems. show less

By: Ann Roth
Published By: Harlequin American Romance
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Book Blog For: NOR
Review:

"A Rancher's Christmas" by Ann Roth was a wonderful well written western romantic contemporary read. This author's writing style was very smoothly done. The descriptions of the surrounding of 'Saddler's Prairie, Montana were drawn out beautifully with the snow and animals. The characters were all well developed and so very colorful...especially those cousins. show more This was a sweet love story and how Gina and Zach would finally be drawn together. When the story opens we find that Gina's uncle has died and she leaves her high paying corporate job from Chicago to come back to her hometown to say her final goodbyes and to 'sell the family ranch she has inherited.' However, Zach had promised Gina's uncle that he wanted Gina to have it. Will this ranch foreman be able to change Gina's mind about selling the ranch? Will Gina and Zach develop feelings for each other? Now, this is the time that I will say you must pick up the wonderful read "A Rancher's Christmas" to see where and how this author will take the reader. Also, you will find out what Gina will do in the end and even more surprised of what Zach will do. What a Merry Christmas for all. I thought this was a good novel with a good plot and some wonderful characters that helped make this read a good novel to read. Would I recommend? YES! show less