Loved it, the characters were enjoyable and realistic. ( )

Oh wow. Where do I start? I've read so many books about cowboys and ranchers, but this book really does sound more realistic than most books out there. Nate is a former serviceman, back in the States after serving in combat overseas. He is home, but his adjustment period is anything but normal. While he appears fine physically, he battles his PTSD on a daily basis--flashbacks, insomnia, and other symptoms crop up throughout this book. (The author did her research very well!) Jenna is a woman with battle scars of her own resulting from a divorce. She has a beautiful two-year-old boy who is light and love of her life. The only joy in the darkest time of her life.

Nate and Jenna have known each other since childhood-. Now adults, both are scarred by the events of their life and yet attracted to one another. After so much time apart, they finally confess a long-held torch for one another. You'll find that each one is a pillar of strength for the other. It's a beautiful story. ( )

This is a heartwarming romance that you will enjoy reading. The characters are genuine and their struggles are believable. Gillenwater's writing draws you into the town and the lives of the people who live there. Listed as a christian inspirational romance this book does not really quote scriptures or preach to you.

Can you ever get a second chance at your first love?

Jenna Callahan Colby thought she was content. A partner on her father's successful ranch, she is surrounded by family and friends. But she never expected to see Nate Langley back in town--the first guy she ever noticed, the one her father sent away all those years ago.

And she never thought the attraction they felt would be as strong as ever.

Jenna's cowboy has some healing of his own to do, though, after two tours of duty in the armed forces. With the help of good friends, strong faith, and a loving family, he hopes to put the horrors of the past behind him--and become the man Jenna deserves. ( )

It is plain to see in reading this story that Sharon Gillenwater is good at her research and explains things very well. I know nothing about ranching or farming, but I felt from the explanations and pictures drawn by her imagery were great. I thoroughly enjoyed the romance of the story and the cover is perfect for the character of Nate. While reading this book I was thinking about the different things that I was going to say in the review about how much I enjoyed the characters and the visualizations as well as their witty banter. Easily I could say that I enjoy this author and look forward to reading her books in the future. However, I felt that the last three chapters were such a lurch from the rest of the story. Perhaps I am on my own in that opinion, but I felt that it went in rather abruptly and then the story just ended. I know why "it" happened and understand that, but I feel that the "big event" could have had more closure. It felt to me that the story was going along great, and then just amidst the action it ended and did not wrap down. It leaves me feeling like I missed something and I think could have ended better. Overall great writing though and enjoyable. ( )

This was a generally enjoyable read. It is a fairly gentle story, it made me think of some of the Mills and Boon books and Lucy Walker titles that I've read in the past - this was almost just a longer version.

The plot follows the return home of Nate, a cowboy who enlisted after 9/11. He hopes to reunite with the girl he loved as a teen but he's coming home with a pretty hefty case of PTSD. This means that the plot is pretty patriotically American which was interesting to read.

One thing I hadn't noticed when I picked the book up was that it's classified as Christian fiction. As a result there are a lot of Christian themes running through it, for example characters frequently pray. This was quite a surprise and did take some getting used to. ( )