GRR Reviews The One (The Wilde Brothers Book 1) by Lorhainne Eckhart

The One is a novel that combined a lot of tropes, The plot twists were good, but the characters don't make sense when considered together. When you take it altogether, it averaged out to mediocre.

Magaret lost her mojo as a top surgeon when one of her operations ended up with her patient having lost major brain functions. She ran back home to her grandpa's house and lived the life of a recluse... without even a phone line. Until one day, a rough cowboy and his son came to visit... the boy has a horse called Storm that is violent. And Margaret has gained a bit of reputation as the Horse Whisperer in the area. Joe Wilde is a widower trying to raise his son, but it's clear his methods are not working, for the kid's alternately defiant and cowed. But Joe and Margaret both came from this small town and she had secretly desired him back in school. But Joe has a girlfriend who seems to only tolerate his son... When his son along with the temperamental horse disappeared into the wild, can the Margaret and Joe unite to save the kid? Can they recognize they are "the one" to each other?

For less than 200 pages, there sure are a lot of plot. However, the characters could have been introduced a bit better or a bit earlier, IMHO (like Joe's brother) and some of the motivations are a little vague. There are also some vague plot elements. How did Margaret get to be the local horse whisperer if she left home for medical school and rose to a top surgeon position? How did she get a reputation if she's a recluse? How much patience did Joe really have with a horse that wouldn't follow directions? Can't he just buy another one? What's with Joe and his kid? What's the point of keeping the GF that doesn't like his son if the idea is to find him a mother? Some of these decisions make no sense. Yet some work well. Overall, it just left me hoping it's better edited/written.

Category: Contemporary / Western

Primary Plot: Can a disgraced surgeon redeem herself by training an untrainable horse, and wrangle a cowboy's heart?

Tropes: cowboy, scars, recluse, pets, widower, single parent, forced proximity, search and rescue

Overall Rating:  3/5