Leann Harris

This is a sweet little family, the girl is adorable and it was cute that the boys were the ones who hired Joel, but this just felt a bit too much like the family falling in love with Joel and Joel falling in love with the family and less a romance between the two adults.

For me, there weren’t enough conversations between April and Joel that didn’t involve minding the kids, conversations that were just them getting to know each other. I guess their lack of personal conversations made it pretty easy to throw a certain conflict in there towards the end since the two had barely discussed anything despite the sudden escalation of their relationship, but the lack of personal conversations between them also made it challenging for me to feel chemistry or love develop.

When I read a single parent story, I definitely want to see the newcomer to the family genuinely care for the kids, that’s essential to buying into the happy ever after, this was successful at that, however, when it’s a romance novel, it’s also essential to see the couple falling in love instead of just being told they’re in love and feeling like, well, did I miss something here?

This didn’t quite get the balance of romance mixed in with the family stuff that I was looking for, but if you are in the mood for something that’s mostly a gentle family story, this might work better for you than it did for me.… (mais)

Former soldier and rodeo rider Zachary McClure's war injuries are far deeper than physical. Skeptical that anyone can reach the dark place in his soul, he visits an Albuquerque equine therapy ranch with no expectations. How can horses possibly mend his physical and emotional injuries when nothing—and no one—else has? He finds the answer when he meets Sophie Powell, an ex-army medic with a sunny smile, gentle touch and a determination to help others through horse therapy. But behind her big hopes and cheerful attitude lurks pain—and Zachary is just the man to change that. He can make Sophie's dreams a reality…and she may be the woman to heal this wounded hero's heart.… (mais)

Two books, both dealing with therapeutic rehab. In "Cowboy for Keeps" the injury is from a small plane accident and the therapy is physical therapy. In "Second Chance Ranch" the injury is a lost leg from an IED explosion in the Middle East and the therapy is equine therapy. In both cases, the injured man falls in love with the person overseeing his therapy.

In "Second Chance Ranch" there is also a subplot about the ranch owner having a stroke and her son wanting to sell the ranch--without knowing that his mother had an agreement in place with Sophie Powell.

Both powerful stories--my main concern is that the romance in both moves very quickly from meeting to getting married.… (mais)

The good: The suspense/mystery part is well done. There are several possible suspects who who is breaking into the antique shop and they all have potential motives. I liked the two main characters (Daniel and Elena) and Daniel's daughter April. Elena's personal history has shaped her to be able to help April with an understanding that others might not have.

I didn't guess whodunit or why until it was revealed though I did guess someone from nearby the antique shop was at least involved in some way.

There's humor in the book.

The bad: As with most of the books in this series, it bothers me that the two main characters go from meeting each other to getting married in a short period of time. I'm just not convinced that that scenario works well in the real world. I'd probably have given it an extra half to full star if the book had ended with engagement instead of them getting married.… (mais)