GRR Reviews Taking Charge by Ruth Cardello

NOTE: Book 4 of Lone Star Burn series 

Lucy and her brother left the family ranch to pursue their own dreams. They came back when their parents can't keep up with the ranch, but now both are gone, and her brother ran off, can't deal with the pressure anymore, as they can't balance the books. Lucy reluctantly accepted the bailout from Ted, who claimed to love her, in exchange of getting engaged. But she doesn't love Ted... So she had to break it off and save the ranch her own way... even if she had to secretly sell high-tech sex toys through online blogs. And Ted doesn't like this at all... Then David came to her rescue... Much to her chagrin... // David knows who he wants in his life: Lucy, but a cowboy doesn't go after someone else's woman. When Lucy broke it off with Ted, David wrote 250K check right there when Ted looked like he may do something. Lucy knows that David means her no harm, but she can't allow someone else to own her life... But Ted making trouble means keeping David, and her own ranchhand, Wyatt, around. The attraction between David and Lucy is undeniable, but she doesn't want to owe anyone or tolerate lies, and he will protect her any way he can, even if he had to lie to her... And Ted may be about to do something stupid... 

David is the warm and fuzzy alpha, and he knew Lucy liked him but something's holding her back, so he's willing to wait her out. My problem is with Ted, the antagonist, who just behaves like an a-hole, despite the build-up that made him sound like an evil messiah, only for Ted to dispel that image and behave like an a-hole again. And the resolution to that... well, felt like a deus ex machina, even though it really wasn't, as there was a mention earlier to that. Can't really say more without spoiling the plot. The generally weak antagonist here left me a bit wanting. 4/5

GRR Reviews To Hold a Rancher's Hand by Kadi James

Rafe is back from the Middle East, ready to settle back into civilian life. He took up the mantle of volunteer firefighter to protect his community and be the head of one of the guardian ranches of Coyote Valley. When a fire swept through the valley, and tore through Gail's community, Rafe and crew managed to stop the blaze, but cannot save Gail's place. Rafe offered Gail a place to stay, and it was accepted. But Gail wondered if this can be long-term, as there was a reason she prefers to live alone... 

Really not feeling much for this.  Nothing really memorable comes to mind. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews Wild for You by Cheyenne McCray

Jack lost his wife many years ago, and his daughter is all grown up now. Jack hadn't thought about another woman... and his daughter believed that Jack dating anyone else would be a betrayal. So he didn't... until he arrived at Dara's special needs ranch. Dara was his sister Bailey's best friend, and probably had a thing for him for a while, but it was platonic... Until he started noticing her in a very different way. But it's clear his daughter won't accept Dara without a fight... And Jack needs to reconcile the two...

Not bad, nothing about billionaires or expensive wooing, just blue-collar folks (well, well-to-do ones) making a living doing what they love, and falling in love. Good family conflict without overdoing it. 4/5

GRR Reviews Fractured by Lori Sjoberg

Carter was a good soldier, but when he felt he was losing his soul, he got out and returned to his family farm and equestrian center.  Meeting Amy, the new horse trainer, was a shock, but he sensed that she has a secret vulnerability that she was not ready to share... // Amy changed her name and looks and left everything behind after she was acquitted of her husband's murder. Her brother-in-law publicly announced there's a miscarriage of justice, with EVERYTHING left to her. The only thing she has left was her love of horses. And she doesn't need Carter... to mess things up. But when her past came back to haunt her, can Carter protect her?

Good mystery, a good twist on hidden identity and protector. The ending is also handled quite nicely. Although I don't see how the bad guy plans to get away with... whatever he was doing at the end. Of course, she still needs saving, but that's kinda beside the point. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Amazed By You by Cheyenne McCray

Celine, fashion designer, needs her product launch to go perfectly, and on budget, as she had put EVERYTHING on the line. She has no time to babysit a cowboy ranch owner who's miffed at city folks invading his domain. That is, until she met Jayson face to face... // Jayson lost a bet and ended up with city folks all over his ranch doing a commercial shoot, interrupting his ranching. Though secretly, he's impressed with Celine running the show. When the two finally meet, sparks flew (the good kind). But Jayson has a secret, and not even saving Celine's life may redeem him from that...

Not bad, good polish on opposites attract story. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Cowboy SEAL Homecoming by Nicole Helm

Alex left Montana behind a long time ago with his bad memories, and became a navy SEAL, an elite warrior. But when injuries forced him and two fellow teammates to retire, there is no place to go except back home... and meeting Becca who now lives there... a step-sister he never really knew. Becca will help Alex turned the family ranch into an equine therapy center to help wounded veterans, but will she also rope Alex's heart?

While this is technically a step-sibling romance, the two are so estranged they may as well be strangers. Romance is slow simmer. This is a series starter, and the setup is good. 4/5

GRR Reviews Liam's Invented I-Do by Liz Isaacson

Callie was almost too stubborn to call for help. She tried to run her family ranch, but she's late on every payment that she has only days to prevent a foreclosure. The ONLY way out is to accept help from Liam, the neighboring and VERY RICH rancher that always wanted to help her (but her pride was too much). Not this time... She accepted the tech wiz's proposal of marriage... and swallowed her pride. But can she ever accept his love?

You have to start with book 1, as the series is about seven brothers finding seven brides... one book at a time. I have a little problem with self-destructive pride, and Callie really doesn't make sense that way. Maybe she felt she had to be the mother and do-it-all, but numbers don't balance themselves. The book was basically Callie eating humble pie and still trying to sass. And the book meandered a bit trying to resolve some bits from previous books while trying to set up the next one. 3/5

GRR Reviews The Cowboy's Imperfect Plan by Hayley Wescott

Tyler used to be a rodeo champ, but he got married, had a kid, then the marriage turned sour, he went off the deep end, became a drunkard, and lost custody. But he is a foreman for a rancher who regarded him as the son he never had. And he's been years sober. When the rancher had a stroke, he found out about the will giving him the ranch... with a caveat... // Adaline just found out that her mother had lied to her all her life... Her father was not dead, and in fact, left her a ranch... with a caveat... She has to marry Tyler for a year. Adaline was a recovering addict herself, but less than a year sober. Would a marriage help or hurt Tyler's custody battle, when Adaline kept her struggles secret?

Baby custody battle and marriage of convenience is nothing new. But having it in the same novel with weird will, sudden family, and hidden past? That's at least an interesting combination. 4/5

GRR Reviews A Blind Date with Her Cowboy Billionaire Boss by Hanna Hart

Shelby lost her infant son to SIDS. When she found her husband had been cheating, she left it all and went home to Carrin, TX, but without any workable skills, she felt lucky to find a job to be a nanny to a local single father, Colt and help raise his two kids. She then found Colt is a local billionaire and owner of a luxury ranch... and still grieving over the loss of his wife 8 months ago. Being set up by a friend to meet Colt for a blind date is even more awkward... but is falling for her handsome such a bad thing, when he feels the same way?

Good feels, and getting over past wounds. Shelby seems to be one of those people who feel responsible even though SIDS is unexplained and not her fault. 4/5

GRR Reviews Her Billionaire Cowboy's Fake Marriage by Hope Moore

Wade found that his grandpa's will requires him to marry someone within 90 days, for at least 90 days, to keep the family ranch, else he and his brothers can kiss their inheritance goodbye.  And with only a few days left, he did not expect to find any one good enough... Until he ran into a waitress named Allie... // Allie is down and out, working multiple jobs to keep her mother's care funded, but she can't abandon her mom after death of her dad. Accepting his outrageous proposal may solve all her problems... but is this a con? or just the miracle she had been hoping for?

Typical fish out of water, different worlds, but with a good polish on the tale. 4/5

GRR Reviews Her Kismet Cowboy by Kimberly Krey

Payton vowed to keep her family together. Her father is the famous plastic surgeon, but her brother refused to follow in his footsteps and left Stanford to be a ho-hum ranch hand for the Branson Ranch. The semester is about to start, and she must bring him back... She did not expect to like Luke, the ranch boss, even though their initial meeting was outright hostile. But Payton, who also found that her fiancee is cheating on her IN PUBLIC, found that ranch life actually agreed with her far more than the glamour and glitz of LA. She wondered whether she really made the right choice about her life and her family, just as her brother made a different choice. Then her mother showed up...

Nice, a little rom-com, a little self-discovery, and a whole lot of sass, as well as good pacing. 5/5

GRR Reviews Buck Wild by Lauren Landish

Bull rider James is the wanderer of the family, spending most of his time on the road on the back of a bull, living for the excitement 8 seconds at a time. He never saw himself settling down, unlike his ranch brother, and his horse breeder brother. That is, until he ran into Sophie, veterinarian-in-training. // Sophie was accidentally enrolled in animal science one semester and was hooked. Now she's training as a veterinarian and getting some practical experience as a vet's assistant in a small town. Meeting the three brothers are nice, as they are very handsome cowboys. And James... well, he's rude, but she has plenty of sass to give. And it'd be the perfect summer fling... she's going back to school, and he's going back to the bullriding circuit... But when it comes time to part, can either give up what they have?

Good polish, lots of good family action. Each can provide what they other crave, if they can admit to themselves what they're craving. No competing lovers, no danger, just two people who THOUGHT they knew what they wanted, then learned there is so much more to life... and love. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Second Chance Cowboy by Joanne Rock

Larissa left Cheyenne Wyoming a long time ago, leaving everything she loved behind, spurred by her dying mother to chase her own dreams (and not be like her, settling for a farm/ranch life and love). Years later, not really having gone anywhere in Broadway, she's heading for Las Vegas for an audition, with a stop in Cheyenne to settle her past... and the one man she left behind, Matt. // Matt had broken away from his family and started his own ranch, but death of his father means he's now running TWO ranches, not just one, esp. when his sister is getting married. When Larissa came back, he's confused... He thought he was over her, but he wanted her to stay... for a dance, for a week, or for a life with him? Will he let her get away again?

Good slow escalation, and it's clear Larissa wasn't really sure what she wanted, and may have let her mother's spurring and ambitions cloud her own judgment. Reluctant western with slow simmer, but the climax didn't feel that high. 4/5

GRR Reviews The Cowboy Takes a Bride by Kristi Rose

Meredith had enough of her life. Her father had completely changed after her mother's death. She was forbidden to have any male friends. She was told to "spy" at the social functions. Even her education was on hold. Her father refused to acknowledge her migraine headache and forced her to get out of bed to attend yet another function was the last straw. She had to escape, and becoming a modern mail-order bride wasn't quite what she expected, but she's desperate enough to trust a stranger... // Jace just got an ultimatum from his ailing father... Get married or get cut from the will. But all the women he knew can't handle ranch life, being hours from shopping and stuff. With not much time left to his father, suffering from ALS, Jace trusted a matchmaker to find him a temporary bride... and he got Meredith... who needed to get away. Everyone comes out ahead. So why does this marriage feels so real?

Good touches here and there. Father's treatment "sorta" makes sense, all under the guise of "protection and love". And it took a special encounter with a bear and appearances in the news for her father to finally locate her. But this darkest hour was kinda... meh? Of course, it took a sibling to point that out. At least the grand gesture was good. 4/5

GRR Reviews Help Me, Hold Me by Barbara Gee

Vince was thankful for the rehab he had received at the Full Heart Ranch that he had achieved his best hockey season ever. So when it's time to go back, he didn't hesitate. Sand and surf have can't compete with friendly people and horses. // Callie's grandpa Jeremiah is dying of cancer, and it's terminal. While Callie's happy about having a pro-hockey player in town (at least temporarily),  her mood is still somber... Vince met Callie, and wanted to protect her and help her, and Jeremiah, intending to matchmake the pair, revealed a secret to Vince... to be revealed to Callie only AFTER Jeremiah's death... But they didn't know that Callie's life is already in danger...

The plot sorta made sense, and sort of didn't. The problem I have is with the age, which means I have to spoil the plot.

SPOILER

AHEAD

I WARNED

YOU!

Okay, turns out Callie's actually a kidnapped heiress, and it was her brother that got the nanny (whom he's bonking) to "get rid of her", but nanny can't do it, so nanny ran off and pretended to be her mom, while making everybody else believe she drowned. Even if she didn't have much memory, she was, what? 4 or 6? And her brother, bonking the nanny is like what? More than eighteen? And it's now, what? Almost twenty years later, and he wants to finish the job? Motivation for cover-up here is really lame. She didn't know anything, and even with she around she wouldn't divide up the fortune THAT much, could she? By attempting to kill her, he had actually caused the very thing he tried to avoid. Really made no sense at all. There's a lot of tell not show, as a lot of background was revealed through a private investigator. And that barely made sense. Furthermore, the suspense didn't mix well with the romance. It's as if we are reading two different books spliced together. 3/5

GRR Reviews Mountain Cowboy by Jill Haymaker

Tex just arrived at the isolated Walker Horse Ranch in Peakview, Colorado. He prefers the wandering life, having left Texas a long time ago, and had worked for a while in Montana before moving to Colorado to take up a horse trainer job. He even brought his horse along. And yes, to avoid a cling-y cheating ex too. // Mary is going home whether she likes it or not. As a travel blogger, she traveled all over the world, but a climbing accident cut her trip in South America short, and she had to go home to recuperate... to Walker's ranch (Walker's her step-dad). It's just temporary. // Tex and Mary found themselves drawn together. They have virtually nothing in common, and they have a 12 year age gap between them. But they are both afraid of falling in love, yet that's exactly what happened. But she's leaving soon, right?

A bit of opposites attract, some jealousy, and an offer of a lifetime. All the tropes had been done before, but it's a good combination. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews All Roads Lead to You by Jennifer Probst

Harper is single and likes it that way; her life's busy enough running her rescue farm of various animals, including a rescued thoroughbred racehorse Phoenix. When a handsome stranger living at the B&B adjoining the farm found Phoenix, he revealed himself to be renowned horse trainer Aidan, who left Ireland under a scandalous cloud (probably involving a racehorse). Harper understands that Phoenix has the potential to be a race winner, maybe not the Triple Crown, but even one or two of them would provide a ton of money and recognition for her rescue farm. And Aidan saw a way to redeem himself... And as they get closer to the big race days, they also developed feelings for each other. But they have to keep their eyes on the ultimate goal... and if necessary... say goodbye...

The horse-racing scenes are good, as is the slow simmer romance, the "scandalous cloud", and so on. However, there are a couple things that made no sense. I know the way I explain it won't make sense unless you read the book, so it could sort of serve as a spoiler, so be warned.

SPOILERS

AHEAD

Anyway, Aidan threatened to blow the whistle on the horse owner for doping the racehorse. So they turned it around and not only threaten to frame Aidan for the doping, but also threaten to never let the horse race again, to force him to stay silent and leave the operation. This really made no sense, except maybe to a horse lover. Owner wants to make money on the horse, so the threat to never race it was an obviously empty one. And the frame job would not likely stand up to deep scrutiny, as an unethical operation that resorted to cheating would likely have a lot of OTHER shady details in the dark (see "cockroach theory"), so that should be an empty threat as well. Yet Aidan just packed up and left for America "to find himself". Phooey.

And the darkest hour was basically Aidan getting offers left and right to go back to Ireland, and he needs to decide whether to stay or go. Meh. 4/5

GRR Reviews Taken by Love by Melissa Foster

Daisy fled Trusty TX and its rumor-mongers, due to her good looks and smart brains. Now a family doctor, she had to return to her hometown when she found her father was injured and can no longer run the family hay farm. She was running the urgent care clinic in town (previous doctor had retired... two years ago) while deciding what to do with her career... She knew many of the patients, the rumormongers that ran her out of town, now parents visiting her with their children... Then the boy she could never forget walked back into town... // Luke was a restless youth, with a reputation for fighting. Now he breeds gypsy horses. He protected Daisy way back when. But he can never love anyone... Until he met Daisy again. It's clear they share a connection, but Daisy may not be staying, and Luke needed to know his own past... before he can have a future.

Okay, much deeper than first suspected, for we get into Luke's "origin story" and what made him into the guy he is today. And small town feel came through quite nicely. All in all, excellent read. 5/5

GRR Reviews Cowboys Don't Marry Their Best Friend by Jessie Gussman

Ames and Palmer are best platonic friends. She was an ex-winter Olympian. He's just a rancher in North Dakota. Yet they grew up together in Sweet Water ND, and had always played together, and knew each other extremely well, just not... that way. But Palmer's family farm is barely hanging on, not enough to pay the mounting medical bills. And Ames is just vacationing, as she has interviewed for sportscaster positions in Los Angeles. When Palmer got a chance to receive 1 billion dollars from an eccentric billionaire with a couple conditions, including "getting married" and "stay in North Dakota forever", Ames wants to set him up with her female friends. Palmer already has one candidate in mind... But can he justify asking her to give up her own dreams?

Very nice... VERY nice. Channels a bit of "indecent proposal", a bit of "gift of the Magi", and a great twist at the end (let's just say, the story doesn't quite go where you expect it to). 5/5

GRR Reviews Love Letters & Home by Danni Roan

Philomena "Phil" is a creative marketer... and a bit stifled in her job. When she suddenly found herself inheriting Broken J Ranch in Wyoming, she decided to move to Wyoming and turn the ancestral ranch into a dude ranch... with help of her cousin, and the handsome cowboy Chase bringing his own stable of horses. // Chase never planned to return to Wyoming... to stay away from his (evil) father. He has horses (directly willed to him by grandpa), but no ranch to house them. He had worked all over just to pay boarding fees for his horses. Now that an opportunity came along that can house his horses AND give him a job? He had to take it. He didn't count on meeting Phil, his boss... being a woman...

While the slow simmer romance is fine, the problem is that there really is no problem. Chase's evil father barely made a peep (tried to claim the old stud horse despite having ZERO legal standing). And problem to the romance? Meh. Didn't feel much tension at all.  2.5/5