Review: Wonderful debut contemporary romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 18, 2013
It is wonderful to have good friends to turn to when you need them, too bad they are sometimes a little unpredictable. Mallory Thompson is a good friend of Luke Carson and when she needs help, he was the one person she can turn to. She is married to Michael, a doctor who is not only controlling but also emotionally and recently physically abusive and she is ready to get out.Luke lives in DC and works as a bartender and although he is a good friend he is never satisfied to stay in one place and was always thinking of his next move or his next project. He grew up on a Kentucky horse ranch and although his family still lives there and works the ranch, when he visits he can only stay for a short time.Luke's brother Keith works the family ranch called the Wild Rose along with their sister and dad, trying to keep it from going bankrupt. Keith was married three years ago however she died tragically and he has had a hard time moving on. He is a veterinarian but stopped working with the local vet when his wife died; the vet has been hounding him to come back so he can retire.Luke takes Mal to his family while she decides what to do about the rest of her life and her soon to be ex-husband. Luke makes up a fake engagement telling her it will help his family embrace her. She hates lying but will do it for Luke because he is helping her but after being there only one day Luke takes off for places unknown, leaving only a note, and here she is, a little embarrassed, stunned and now has to face the family while lying, oh she is in trouble.His family is very welcoming and they see nothing wrong with what Luke did, they just explain that Luke is like that, he never stays in one spot for too long. Keith on the other hand is reliable and stable, although a little hard to get to know as he is a very gruff and at times she thinks he may be a little like her soon to be ex, however she quickly realizes he is nothing like Michael and that he is hurting too much to give himself completely.A touching debut romance that makes me look forward to more from this author. Mal was a wonderful character, I loved her humor and the way she handled herself for most of the time, at least until she talked to her husband, then it took a while for her to come out of her shell, she said he just took the words away from her when he spoke to her. Yet I loved how she grew at the ranch surrounded by the family that embraced her from the start. Even after they found out that she and Luke lied, they were OK with the explanation. Luke was a little frustrating and I will be interested in seeing if he gets his own story someday, I would like to see the woman that gets him to settle down, or maybe they will just go off together. He was a wonderful friend however not much as boyfriend material.Keith was also a great character, gruff in the beginning as he did not want to like Mal, however such a deep emotional man as he dealt with his grief, trying to let love back into his life, they make a great couple. Libby was wonderful as the glue that held the family together as she fussed and made sure everyone had what they needed. She was hilarious when she slipped the condoms in the picnic basket for Keith and Mal when they go off together one afternoon. The ending was a little surprising as I did not see the danger coming and I am not sure it needed to be there, however it all ended well, come on - it is a romance. All in all a wonderful story about second chances in life and love that comes unexpectantly.Review also posted at Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind