Review: Deeply satisfying and emotionally charged
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 6, 2014
Reviewed by Angie Just Read...for TheRomanceReviews.comHe was the not-so-secret crush she'd placed on a youthful pedestal. She was like the little sister he never had and he'd long ago vowed to protect her. Some feelings never change, no matter how much you want them to, and some feelings, with time and epiphany, grow into something more precious and completely unanticipated.When tragedy struck Cecelia Gamble's ranching family, the loss of one brother, the guilt of another, and the crippling of her father left the veterinary student reeling in a terrible cesspool of isolation and pain. A half-hearted attempt to resume her studies almost left Celia vulnerable to the attentions of an older man, but being threatened over an affair that never actually happened put Celia, her new veterinary practice, and her slowly mending family at even further risk. Celia thought she was doing a good job shielding her family from her personal torment, but family attorney and friend Jonah Clarke had always read his best friend Zach's little sister CeeCee better than anyone.With a touch of yearning and envy, Jonah Clarke had watched as each of his old friends settled down after having their hearts won by a worthy woman. But, despite the occasional date and his busybody paralegal's persistent machinations, Jonah found every woman in rural Lutherton, Montana lacked whatever it was that his jaded soul needed to feel complete. That was, until a certain petite and newly minted doctor of veterinary medicine named Cecelia Gamble returned to Lutherton to set up practice on her family's cattle ranch. But CeeCee, no matter how much she'd grown up, would always be his friend Zach's baby sister and, therefore, strictly off limits.Knowing they can never be more than friends, Jonah fights his attraction to Celia even as he vows to keep her secrets and help her protect the family she loves from more anguish. But Celia won't stop pushing for more until the heartache is more than she can handle...Adding to her wonderful Three River Ranch series, Roxanne Snopek once again immerses her devoted series readers into the lives and loves of the families inhabiting the rural ranching community of Lutherton, Montana with the touching romance between Cecelia Gamble and series staple Jonah Clarke. Celia and Jonah are both attempting to guard themselves from more emotional upheaval and that means fighting the attraction they feel. It's a losing battle that adds another layer of worries, but each must open their hearts and work together to alter long-held beliefs in order to find the happiness that once seemed so elusive and unobtainable.As usual, Ms. Snopek delivers a deeply satisfying and emotionally charged read that consistently earns her a devoted and growing fan base that eagerly await to each new release in the Three River Ranch series. And, happily, RESISTING THE RANCHER has everything Ms. Snopek's readers have come to expect from such a delightfully talented storyteller.