Janice Maynard

Good second chance story and start to the new series. Quin and his father were involved in a car accident that killed his father and badly damaged Quin's leg. As a competitive skier, Quin pushed his recovery too fast and reinjured his leg, bringing an end to his skiing career. As Chief Operating Officer of the family business, Stone River Outdoors, Quin is stuck working from home as he recovers from knee replacement surgery. His brothers send Farrell's assistant to help him and keep him from show more aggravating his knee.

Katie isn't so sure about being cooped up in Quin's house with him for six weeks. Two years earlier, she and Quin had an under-the-radar affair. It ended when Katie walked away, unable to handle his extravagant lifestyle. She has successfully avoided Quin since then.

I enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Quin and Katie. It is obvious from the beginning that the attraction between them is still there. Quin has no idea why Katie broke things off and wants to start again. Katie doesn't think that Quin has changed and wants to protect her heart. During their prior relationship, Quin's actions were very superficial. Skiing was his life and dominated everything. He liked being with Katie but kept himself closed off emotionally. He also made no effort to get to know Katie as a person.

Forced together 24/7, I loved seeing the changes in the way Quin and Katie related. Without the distraction of competitions, Quin notices things about Katie that he hadn't paid attention to before. This is especially true during their trip to New York when he took the time to see what made her happy. I loved the hot dog scene, and how it showed him her down-to-earth side and made him remember her discomfort with his extravagance. At the same time, Katie saw a more open Quin, who shared his fears about his life without skiing.

Eventually, the sparks between them became too much to resist. As their physical intimacy grew, Katie worried about losing her heart again. Quin slowly realized that what he felt for Katie was different than he'd felt with other women. But just as he acknowledges the truth of his feelings, he finds something that makes him doubt her. I wanted to shake him for his bone-headed reaction and ached for Katie and her hurt over the things he said. I liked how Farrell and Zachary talked him off the ledge and Quin's realization of how badly he screwed up. I loved his heartfelt apology and how he showed her that he knows the real Katie. I look forward to seeing more of their future in the upcoming books.

There is a brief mention of some trouble the company has. It looks like there is some corporate espionage going on. Part of what Quin and Katie do is look for evidence in the records they go through. Quin's brothers also believe that the accident that killed their father may not have been an accident. I can't wait to read Farrell and Zachary's books to see how it turns out. show less

Good second chance romance. Two years earlier, Drake and Cammie had been together in a heated relationship. But when Cammie's desire for a family ran up against Drake's absolute refusal to become a father, she broke things off.

Two years later, Cammie is shocked to encounter Drake in the hospital parking lot as she leaves a meeting there. Drake, who returned from an extended trip to Australia to care for his stepsister, Ainsley, was equally surprised to see her. As he walks her to her car, show more both are stunned to discover an abandoned baby left on her car. After calling 911, Drake isn't surprised to find that Cammie wants to care for the infant herself. Because she isn't certified as a foster parent, and he is, he reluctantly volunteers himself as her helper.

Cammie is stunned but grateful and also wary. The years apart haven't diminished the attraction between them, and Drake makes no secret that he wants her back in his bed. One other thing hasn't changed - they are still miles apart on their parenthood opinions. When Drake was twenty-two, his father and Ainsley's mother were killed, leaving her an orphan. Drake left school and became her foster parent. It wasn't an easy task to parent a teenage girl who displayed her grief in inappropriate ways, and it put Drake off ever becoming a father himself. Meanwhile, Cammie still wants a child of her own and is pursuing ways to make that happen.

I loved watching Cammie and Drake deal with their unresolved feelings while caring for the baby. Cammie is all-in for the baby care but also a little overwhelmed at times. Though Drake had no intention of doing anything with the baby, he couldn't bear to see Cammie struggle. Over the next few days, baby "Pumpkin" wiggles his way into Cammie's heart, and Cammie wiggles her way back into Drake's. And neither of them can resist the attraction that still burns as hot as ever. But reality is never far away. Drake is supposed to return to Australia any day, and Pumpkin's parents could be found at any time. Can either Cammie or Drake give up their dreams for a chance to be together?

I liked the ending, as both Cammie and Drake took hard looks at their deeply held beliefs. Both had to decide what was more important to them. Drake had a bit of a wake-up call thanks to a doctor's appointment and an unexpected decision to make regarding his ranch. I liked how he involved Cammie and used the opportunity to have a serious talk with her. The scene on the ranch was very emotional, and I loved seeing how they came together.

The story ended with Pumpkin's fate still up in the air. I wonder if that is the story arc that will carry through the series. There is also some page time spent on the estrangement between Cammie's brother Rafe and their father, which may refer to the series subtitle of Fathers and Sons. I look forward to reading the rest of the books to see how everything turns out. show less

Very good start to the new series. Case has just been elected as the new president of the TCC and is feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything he has to do. He has a busy ranch, his investments to track, and now the TCC. Unfortunately, his house falls at the bottom of the list and it is beginning to show. He needs to hire a housekeeper to replace the one who retired.

Case is a very private person who has trust issues. Long ago he had fallen in love and married an employee, who turned out to be show more interested only in his money. Since then he has kept his liaisons superficial, and women are not invited to his home. Mellie's company comes highly recommended, so he decides to take a chance. He doesn't expect his new housekeeper to be a beautiful redhead who piques his interest.

Mellie has devoted all her time and energy to her business, with big plans for eventual expansion. Having a client like Case would be an excellent advertisement. The last thing she needs to do is fall for a man who is way out of her league, but she can't deny that he tempts her.

I loved the relationship that developed between Case and Mellie. There were sparks from the beginning, but not all of them were good. Case was kind of obnoxious with his attitude about his privacy, and sort of put his foot in it when he asked his friend the sheriff about her. I loved seeing her stand up to him and let him know exactly how she felt. It also added to the sparks of attraction he felt for her. They came to a cautious truce over the next few days, though Case had a disconcerting way of flirting with Mellie that left her off balance.

Things got really interesting when she arrived one day to discover Case down with a bad case of flu. It was pretty amusing to see her try to help him while attempting to maintain her distance from him. A feverish Case was pretty funny, as was his conversation with his doctor friend when he started to recover. Mellie had some pretty interesting conversations with herself as she was caring for him. It really broke the ice between them, and as he was recovering they spent a lot of time together. Case really started laying on the flirtatiousness, determined to get her into bed with him, and Mellie was finding it harder to resist him. The night of his TCC party finally brought them together, but not without some later doubts on her part. She's afraid that she's falling in love with him and that she'll end up with a broken heart. The night's problems are capped by the appearance of Mellie's father.

Mellie's father is an alcoholic, a gambler and a man who takes advantage of Mellie's love for him. We see several instances of the way he treats her, and it isn't pretty. There's definitely a feeling that he is going to find a way to ruin anything she might have with Case, and that feeling turns out to be accurate. His actions that night are really terrible and leave Mellie caught in the middle. But it gets even worse after he sobers up.

In the prequel, Reclaimed by the Rancher (reviewed at the end), there is an oil company that is buying up land all around Royal. In this book, Mellie's father, whose company owns properties around Royal (including the land on which the TCC stands) suddenly uses his position to threaten Case and the TCC. He also claims that Mellie knows and approves of what he is doing. This plays into Case's fears about being used, and he makes a real ass out of himself, saying some really terrible things to Mellie. Though devastated and heartbroken by his attitude, I loved that she doesn't just fall apart. Mellie takes action, and I loved what she did. It was really satisfying to see Case, once he got over his own feelings of betrayal, to realize what he had done. Then "all" he has to do is find a way to apologize and see if he has succeeded in ruining everything. I loved his big moment and seeing him properly grovel in front of her. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series and finding out what the story behind the land grab is. show less

Excellent book. I've been reading this series out of order, so I was happy to finally read the first book. It opens with the funeral of Layla's grandfather, a man she adored despite his old-fashioned views. During the reception, Layla is approached by her father and one of his friends, who manipulate her into accepting a date with one of the man's sons. It is especially embarrassing because Layla used to have a massive crush on Jordan. Layla hung out frequently with Jordan and his twin show more brother, Joshua, when they were kids, but they'd grown apart as adults. She reluctantly accepts the date.

Segue to Jordan, who was also manipulated into the date. He's not happy about it because he already had plans for that night. So he asks his brother, Joshua, to take his place. Josh has recently returned to the ranch after leaving his job in Dallas and divorcing his wife. He agrees but feels guilty about the deception.

I loved that scene of Josh arriving to pick up Layla and pretending to be Jordan. Layla hasn't spent time with Jordan in at least four years, so she is initially confused about her first reaction to him. Josh is uncomfortable pretending to be Jordan, and his awkward responses to Layla's conversation muddle things further. It doesn't take long for Layla to realize that she is with Josh, not Jordan, and wonder why the deception. She doesn't call him out on it right away but plays along. Once Josh relaxes a little, he and Layla get along great. Also immediately apparent is the intense attraction both feel, though they don't act on it. Going against "the plan," Josh makes another date with Layla, determined to come clean and be himself.

That second date was terrific. I loved seeing Josh stumble a bit over his confession, then be surprised that Layla had already figured it out. With that out of the way, they were free to explore what was between them. With both coming off failed relationships, neither expresses any interest in anything more than enjoying each other's company. But neither can they stop thinking about each other and wanting to be together. I loved seeing Josh's support of Layla as she dealt with her grandmother's illness and the other family turmoil. It isn't long before both realize they want more than a friends-with-benefits relationship.

However, both Josh and Layla have insecurities that throw up obstacles to the future. Josh has been waffling about what he wants to do now that he's back in Royal. Josh makes the mistake of keeping his plans secret until he feels everything is perfect. Layla's trust issues cause her to react badly to something she hears. I ached for Josh in the ensuing confrontation and wanted to shake Layla for not asking for the truth. It takes some time, but I loved seeing him confront Layla about what she said and why. Once the lines of communication are open, it doesn't take long for each to see their mistakes. I loved seeing them come together and realize that they belong together. The epilogue was great too.

During Layla's grandfather's funeral reception, the family is served with papers claiming that the oil rights to their land and that of the Lattimores had been given to a woman and her daughter. This is the first time anyone from either family is aware of such a promise, and no one wants to believe it. Oil drilling on their land would destroy what they have, and both families are determined to prove the claim false. We briefly meet the claimants, who do not make a good impression. Some secrets are revealed, but the truth of the claim is under investigation. It will be interesting to see how the pieces come together as the series continues. show less