Series: Fatherhood
This Cowboy's Off-Limits...
Single father
Blake Granger-Doc Blake to his young patients-knows trouble when he sees
it. But he needs a fill-in assistant pronto, and gorgeous Maggie
Daniels is his only option. The big-city girl surprises him, though,
when she takes to life in Briggs, Idaho, quicker than expected. And-more
important-she's taken to him and his adorable tomboy daughter.
Or Is He?
Maggie
never pictured herself living in close proximity to cows. But her
weak-kneed attraction to the heartthrob of every female within wooing
distance is wreaking havoc with her future plans...especially with a
dream job waiting back home in California. Is her destiny really to move
to a small ranching town? Could she really be falling for the cowboy?
Good book. Maggie is in Briggs while she looks for a new job and to take care of her sister who is pregnant with twins. She ends up working for Blake who needs someone to help in his dentist's office. He doesn't know if Maggie will work out. She is obviously a big city go getter and he can't see her sticking around for long. He is also very attracted to her. Maggie has no intention of staying in Briggs any longer than necessary. But she needs a job while she waits to hear about her job applications. She is also attracted to Blake. She also finds herself getting involved in the small town and with Blake and his young daughter. I really liked both Maggie and Blake. I thought Blake was terrific with all the kids who were his patients. He was also a terrific dad and I liked the way he was there for his daughter when she needed him. His ex-wife had been a city girl who never wanted the small town life. When he looked at Maggie he saw the same thing, but his attraction to her was even stronger than he'd had with his ex. I really enjoyed the way he challenged Maggie to get involved with various aspects of the town. I also loved the way he was there for Maggie when her sister ended up in the hospital. That event also showed the benefits of living in a small town. I could easily see how much he was coming to care for Maggie and how much he was hoping she would want to stay. He also wanted to protect himself, so he never actually came out and asked her to stay. I really liked the way that Maggie came to Briggs to help her sister. She considered herself a city girl and couldn't see herself actually enjoying her time in Briggs. As soon as she saw Blake she was attracted to him, but didn't want to pursue it. She also was certain that children didn't like her, but quickly found that she related well to them and had a great time with Blake's little girl. I also enjoyed seeing her get involved with town activities like the fair. The tug of war scene was absolutely hysterical. The more things she did, the more she discovered she really enjoyed the small town life, but she also didn't want to give up her dream job. When she accepted that job and left for LA, it was a real eye opener for her. I loved the way her sister made her think about what she really wanted, and the ending to the book was fantastic.
Series: Fatherhood
Is Love Enough To Keep Them Together?
When a fall from a horse ends her show-riding career, Jolyn Sutherland
comes home to Blue Ridge, Arizona, to heal and rebuild her life. But the
onetime star performer has jumped from the frying pan into the
fire... smack in the middle of a brewing domestic storm that could
sabotage her blossoming relationship with Chase Raintree, her first
love.
Jolyn's homecoming is a complication the vet and devoted single father
doesn't need. Especially with her family questioning whether Chase is
the biological father of his eight-year-old daughter. Mandy is
everything to Chase, and Jolyn could help him complete his little
family. But now that family is in danger of being split apart. Chase
won't let anyone take his child away from him, even if it means losing
his second chance with Jolyn....
Very good book. Now that Jolyn's riding career is over, she has come home to start her business as a contractor. Her first big job is for Chase, the guy she loved as a teenager, but who had married someone else. He's divorced now, but not looking for any more complications in his life. His ex-wife had had a short affair with Jolyn's brother, and her mother is claiming that Mandy could be Steven's child not Chase's. Jolyn doesn't believe it, and Steven claims he isn't, but Jolyn feels caught in the middle. When Mandy's mother comes back to town threatening to make trouble, she nearly causes a tragedy. Out of the chaos, Jolyn and Chase are able to come together and everything works out the way it should. My favorite thing about this book was the fact that Jolyn had such a nontraditional job. She obviously was very good at what she did, and I loved the way that Chase supported her at it. Jolyn's mom really ticked me off. Even though everyone told her that Chase is Mandy's father, she just wouldn't let it go. The ex-wife was the top of the "love to hate" list though - I just couldn't understand her attitude. It was definitely a book I enjoyed.
Series: Fatherhood
Former rodeo star Amanda Markette is prepared to deal with anything
her new job as a family law attorney can dish up. Until she learns her
childhood sweetheart, Mitch Goodwin, is her client's ex-husband and
opposing counsel.
Mitch wants nothing more than to win full
custody of the daughter he's been raising on his own for the past four
years. Until Amanda rides back into his life…
Amanda and Mitch
know they shouldn't give in to the connection that still sparks between
them after fifteen years, but can they resist? And will Mitch ever
forgive her once he learns the secret she's been keeping—a secret that
could change his life forever?
Very good book, and very emotional. Amanda took the job with Mitch's ex-wife not knowing that's who she was. She had a hard time believing that Mitch was the person that Karen described, but her job was to watch out for the welfare of the child. Mitch was stunned and furious when Amanda's efforts gave Karen visitation, then an accident gone wrong gave Karen temporary full custody, with supervised visitation for Mitch. Amanda ended up being the one to do the supervising. During these visitations, Amanda and Mitch got to know each other and came to care for each other. But because of their roles, they couldn't do anything about it. I really didn't like Karen at the beginning. She was a selfish person, only out to get what she could from Mitch, but she changed for the better thanks to Amanda's and Mitch's influence. Mitch had to learn to create more balance in his life to give his daughter what she needed. Amanda needed to realize that not everyone was as self-centered as her father, and judge people on their own merits. I was happy to see the way things worked out at the end, but it was a close thing.
Series: Fatherhood
She once loved a cowboy...
When Tate Walker was killed in a barroom brawl, he left his widow with a
small run-down ranch in south Texas and a daughter he falsely claimed
wasn't his. Willow had accepted Tate's proposal because Cooper Drummond,
the love of her life, refused to put aside his rodeo plans, despite her
fears for his safety.
A year later, a cowboy appears out of nowhere, looking for work. He'd
heard about a widow who could use some help. To Willow's shock, it's
Cooper Drummond. And to Coop's shock, the widow is his onetime fiancee,
now the mother of a little girl who's been diagnosed with a troubling
condition.
She still loves that cowboy...
And that cowboy's never forgotten her. Can the two of them -- the three
of them -- become a family? Can Coop love her daughter as his own?
Good book. Cooper stays to help Willow, in spite of their past. He finds he still has feelings for her, in spite of the way that she married a man he hated. I liked the realism in the way that he admitted his feelings, but also that he had real issues with what had happened between them. It wasn't an immediate forgive and forget. Willow was very independent - she'd had to be to survive being married to Tate, and take care of her autistic daughter. She didn't want to accept what she felt was charity from Cooper, but she was desperate for help. I loved the way that Cooper did what needed to be done and tried not to let the past interfere too much. I also loved the way he treated Willow's daughter Lilly, and how he was determined to learn everything he could to help her. I also liked the way that he was able to go back to his own ranch and make up with his brother.
Series: Fatherhood, Flagman's Folly
When Caleb Cantrell left home as a dirt-poor teenager, he never thought he'd return as a wealthy rodeo star.
As a matter of fact, he didn't think he'd return at all. The accident
changed all that. It ended his career, nearly ended his life and
rekindled a bitterness he thought he'd left in the dust long ago.
To rebuild, Caleb has to go back to where it all began -- back to
Flagman's Folly, New Mexico, and back to his high-school sweetheart,
Tess LaSalle. But a ten-year-old secret stands between them, one that
could hurt everyone Tess loves, especially her daughter...their
daughter...the one Caleb never knew existed.
No rodeo ever required the courage Caleb needs now -- to forgive, to
forget and to start over again...if it's not already too late.
Good book. I spent some time at the beginning not liking Caleb at all. His desire to come back and rub his success in peoples' faces just didn't sit right with me. But after I got to know him, and see what was behind his feelings, it wasn't too bad. It was interesting watching him trying to process the fact that people hadn't looked down on him the way he thought they had. Meanwhile, Tess was trying to cope with his return and the feelings that it brought back. Her hurt at the way he had treated her ten years earlier was still with her, and now she was afraid of what would happen when he found out about their daughter. Seeing these two as they tried to cope with their pasts and present was painful at times.
