Kate Pearce

The Rancher’s Redemption by Kate Pearce
Book #2: The Millers of Morgan Valley Series
Source: NetGalley and Zebra Books
Rating: 4/5 stars

For all intents and purposes, Adam Miller died ten years ago, the day he buried his beloved wife. In just his early twenties when his wife succumbed to cancer, Adam has spent the past ten years living in the past and refusing to come out of the anger, sadness, and deep depression left behind when his wife died.

For the better part of a decade, Adam’s family show more has been there to support and love him, but they have never been able to bring him out of his self-imposed prison. Each day, Adam’s brothers, his father, and his sister watch him work their family ranch from sunup to sundown, eat dinner, sleep, and repeat. There is no variety in Adam’s life, no real happiness, and certainly no need for looking towards a bright and fulfilling future. As far as everyone, including Adam is concerned, his life is what it is always going to be, an endless cycle of work that he endures alone.

Lizzie Taylor’s life has one bright, shining spot, her tow-headed little boy whose presence is nothing but pure joy! As a single mother, Lizzie works hard to provide for her son, especially with his biological father so very, very absent. Though she has friends in town, Lizzie’s life would be far easier if her one-time best-friend, Adam Miller would stop ignoring her and come back into her life. To be completely fair, Lizzie would love more than friendship from Adam, but given his history, she would be satisfied with just having him back as her friend.

As both Adam and Lizzie are well aware, life can often be cruel and devastatingly difficult. As if they haven’t both suffered enough, each has now found themselves drawn together over the imminent loss of an old, dear friend. As their friend’s life is coming to a close, both Lizzie and Adam are forced to revisit their own pasts, deal with the issues wrought by the past, and try to work through their current issues to manage some sort of future that is both happy and fulfilling. With so much hurt, uncertainty, and despair between them, it is going to take a miracle to overcome the past and move towards the future.

The Bottom Line: Aaaaaaand, Kate Pearce is BACK!! This is exactly the type of book I have come to expect from both Kate Pearce and the Morgan Valley series. The Rancher’s Redemption is everything I have come to love about the original series and was hoping to find again in this spin off series. Lizzie and Adam are both such sympathetic characters and I wanted nothing but the best for them. Each has such difficulty and sadness in their past that it has hampered their present and future and it seems the only way to get through the mess is to do it together, something they haven’t been in ten years. This book is something of an emotional roller coaster and I enjoyed every peak and valley. It doesn’t hurt that there are a few surprises along the way and frequent visits from old friends and family in the area. This book and this spin-off series are exactly why I love to read series, some characters and some places are just too good to let go! show less

The delightful Miss Morton (Lady Caroline) and her energetic, inquisitive employer, Mrs. Frogerton, lead us through another mystery filled with red herrings, multiple suspects, and a shocking villain. Mrs. Frogerton’s daughter, Dotty, has finally married her Viscount, and Mrs. Frogerton is suffering from the let-down after all of the excitement. So, when the lawyer shows up with information about a potential heir to Caroline’s father’s title, Mrs. Frogerton immediately offers to host show more them in her home.

Things quickly go awry for everyone. Both Mrs. Frogerton and Caroline suspect something might be amiss with Mr. Scutton’s claim to the title, but since the lawyers and the College of Arms were investigating the claim, they decided to leave it alone. The Scutton family proves to be a disagreeable lot, which cements Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton’s suspicions. With the death (accidental?) of the Scutton’s servant and then the murder of Mary, the potential heir’s sister, things get very tense.

I loved all of the character updates and cannot wait to see what happens in future books. I’m happy that neither Susan nor Dotty made an appearance, as I don’t care for either of them. Also, I strongly dislike love triangles, and I’m ready to see the one between Caroline, Inspector Ross, and Dr. Harris resolved – since this is the 4th book in the series, it is time for resolution. I vote for Inspector Ross with Dr. Harris relegated to friend status. I can hardly wait for the next book to see what happens!

I recommend this interesting, fun book and the entire series. The writing is excellent with a well-plotted, well-paced mystery with characters that you will either love or hate – no indifference here.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

Death Comes to the Village may not be quite as delightfully diverting as Georgette Heyer's Regency Romances, but the dialog (particularly that between Major Robert Kurland and Miss Lucy Harrington) definitely had me amused.

Major Robert Kurland had both legs broken when his horse fell on him at the Battle of Waterloo. He's still not walking, but at least he's no longer raving with fever. Aside from his doctor, Foley the butler, and Bookman (Robert's batman in the army and now his valet), show more Robert gets to see Lucy, the eldest daughter of the local rector. They've known each other since childhood and Lucy nursed him during the worst of his illness, so she hardly acts like a shrinking violet around the crabby invalid.

Robert thought he saw something strange one night. He can't get around to investigate, so he wants Lucy to look around for him. The case becomes personal for that practical and intelligent young woman when she learns that one of the rectory maids has vanished -- taking all her possessions, but not the wages owed her.

Did Mary Smith run off with her young man? Did she move to London? Did something more sinister happen to her?

We readers are introduced to several inhabitants of Kurland St. Mary. I found the glimpses of village life and personalities as interesting as the case itself.

If Robert's problem is being a bedridden man of action, Lucy's problem is her selfish widowed father and their insolent cook who is probably his mistress. Her father isn't at all worried that his older daughter has spent the years since her mother's death caring for her father and siblings instead of getting a husband and life of her own. He expects her to go on caring for his household. If she were to marry his underpaid curate (who does almost all of the rector's work), so much the better -- then his life could go on just as it is now. Gah!

Thanks to Lucy's badgering, Robert is taking an interest in his life and surroundings again. I loved the way the major dealt with his penny-pinching land agent!

On the other hand, Lucy is investigating a little too well. How infuriating that the injuries she suffers from an attack are being treated as a mere accident!

My one regret about Death Comes to the Village is that it is the first book. I loved reading it so much that I would have checked out the entire series, if one had been available. As it is, book two isn't due out for another two months.

If you enjoy Heyer and mysteries set during Regency England, I heartily recommend this novel. show less

The Rancher by Kate Pearce
Book #6: Morgan Ranch Series
Source: NetGalley
My Rating: 4½/5 stars

Rachel Morgan is a Morgan and with that comes a hefty family with a huge history and a bright future. Trouble is, Rachel didn’t grow up with the hefty family and the huge history. Rachel spent her first two decades with a cold and rather distant mother who made it perfectly clear she wasn’t much interested in being a mother. Coming home to the Morgan Ranch is a bit like being a duck out of water, show more but with her stepdad remarrying and selling the home she grew up in, Rachel doesn’t have a lot of choices remaining.

Though Rachel enjoys life at Morgan Ranch, she doesn’t always feel like she quite belongs. With an extended break and time to really get to know her family, Rachel is hoping she’ll finally feel like a real Morgan. If her brothers, father, and grandmother have any say in the matter, Rachel is going so much a Morgan she’ll never want to leave. Nothing makes a Morgan feel more at home than having chores to do around the ranch so Rachel dives right in with an examination of the old mine. Just as she’s beginning her examination, Rachel has a run in with the most disagreeable Cauy Lymond.

Cauy Lymond grew up with two certainties, his father didn’t like him, and the Morgan’s were not to be trusted or tolerated. Upon his father’s death, Cauy was shocked to learn his father left him the family ranch. After 15+ years away, Cauy returns to the ranch to find two certainties, the ranch is a mess and his father may have been wrong about the Morgans. Within a day of his arrival, Cauy meets damn-near the entire Morgan clan and all come bearing gifts and/or proposals. The proposals are going to need some consideration, being pleasant to the Morgans is going to take some thinking on, and lusting after Rachel is going to have to come to a quick halt.

As it happens, Rachel and Cauy have more in common than either realize, but that makes for some uncomfortable situations, some incredible miscommunications, and some steamy hot moments. Both are trying to find their place in the world, within their own heads, and with one another. The feeling out process isn’t easy, and the prospect of the future is a terrifying proposition for both. Each has so much baggage and so many issues to work through and they can’t seem to get past all the noise until fate intervenes and puts them into a position that brings everything into sharp, clear focus. Some HEAs are harder to get to than others and when there’s a Morgan involved, there’s also going to be a high level of stubbornness.

The Bottom Line: It’s finally happened, the last of the Morgan siblings has a mate and what a ride is this story! Rachel may be young, but she has a ton of emotional baggage. Cauy is a bit older with more life experience, but some of that experience has physically and emotionally scarred him. What I loved most about this book is Cauy and his bumbles and stumbles. He may be older and have more experience, but his personal demons are big and bad and that made his story so much more interesting and satisfying for me. Finally, there is a great deal of history and backstory dealt with in this book and loads of appearances by all the Morgan family and their significant others. I always worry about the freshness of a series when it continues on, but Pearce has done a wonderful job of blending the old with the new and keeping the Morgan Ranch series fresh and exciting. show less