Review: Sugarwater Ranch
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 11, 2013
My Thoughts:Sugarwater Ranch was an amazingly sweet story about a man spiraling out of control and the woman who brought him from the brink. Together they find themselves and a soul-deep love.What I liked...This story reads very much like a Harlequin Romance. The passion between the characters is not steamy or explosive but it is sweet and romantic in a way that is missing from so many romance novels. The relationship between Sean and Catherine develops over time and isn't one of those insta-love situations that we often find in romances.About the characters...Sean O'Connell was a mans-man. A rough and tumble cowboy who had a core of sweet sensitivity. Life had dealt Sean some serious blows and he responded by turning to alcohol...a lot...which caused his life to sink lower and lower. After the death of his father, Sean lost any relationship with his remaining family -- his mother and younger sister. When his mother died, leaving him a settlement of money, he lost the trickle of relationship that existed between he and his sister when she refused to give him his money. His sister, Frannie, gave Sean a clear directive on how he could get the money due to him -- STOP DRINKING. What did Sean do in response? Drink more! The relationship was sad because Sean was a virtual pariah to his family. Frannie's husband didn't want him around his wife or their little baby girl, Rose. On a bender, Sean decided to go to Frannie's house and confront her. Well, the little "confrontation" didn't really happen because Frannie's husband busted Sean down and beat his hide. Licking his wounds, Sean went searching for comfort in a bottle which lands him at Sugarwater Bar, bringing him into Catherine's life.Catherine has her own hangups in life. The daughter of an abusive drunk, Catherine abhors alcoholics and is irritated at the sight of Sean passed out drunk in front her bar. After being unresponsive to her at first, she discovers that he's alive and not dead. She manages to cajole him out of his truck and into hers. She gets him to her house and cares for him by dumping him into her bed and sleeping on the sofa. The next morning sheds light on the situation. Catherine recognizes Sean as the boy who saved her from a group of bullies when she was younger but she also recognizes him as the drunk that he is. She is isn't interested! ...... At first. But Sean slowly works his way into her life and her heart.Sean and Catherine are surrounded by secondary characters Billy (Sean's friend), Old man Aguirre (Sean's employer), Uncle Ray (Catherine's uncle), and Junior (her cousin). These characters are woven into the story and create welcome additions that are warm and engaging. I absolutely loved Junior's role in the story. He was an unsung hero and I appreciated the uniqueness of his character.I absolutely hated...and I mean...hated Elmer. He was as mean as a rattlesnake. I couldn't figure out his motivations as to why he connived to do the things that he did until the end. It was amazing how Junior picked up on his character flaw when no one else did. Although Catherine didn't originally trust him, Elmer ingratiated himself into her life so she grew to trust him, losing her initial hesitancy about him. Junior, however, never liked the man. Somebody really should have listened to that boy. It could have saved them a lot of heartache in the end.But that would have made for a dull story.The Elmer situation kept the story interesting. You knew there was something shady about him and you just had to keep reading to figure out what it was.What I sort of didn't like...I like stories that are fast paced but this story moved more leisurely. That wasn't a bad thing because the slow building trust between Catherine and Sean and his gradual change was absolutely essential to this story. The reader needed feel the connection grow between the characters and see Sean change over time. Neither would have been believable if it happened instantly. Ms. Berget did an excellent job taking the reader on a romantic journey of finding love. So yes, although it was slow...and I don't particularly like slow...the pace was allowed the story to beautifully unfold.In a few words...Sugarwater Ranch was a wonderful and heartwarming story of unanticipated love bringing two broken souls together, making them whole in each other.