Review: Return to Chance Creek! And indulge.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 23, 2014
Originally reviewed for Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy.Cora Seton returns us to Chance Creek, MT. But this time from a different direction. In the past we have dealt with a group of friends and their ever widening circle but this time, we see Chance Creek from a totally different perspective.While there is an occasional reference to previous books (Fila's restaurant) this series, The Heroes of Chance Creek Series, is about four brothers raised on the family ranch. Until their father died, their uncle took over and they were left homeless. Since they were all in their teens, they remembered home but never even dreamed of getting it back. It's been over a decade since their mother transplanted them to Florida and each has chosen a career in the military. Each has a successful career but news from home changes everything.Their Uncle has died and the ranch has been left to the last of that generation, their aunt. She doesn't want it and wants to leave it to the side of the family that deserves it most. The Hall brothers or their cousin. None of them currently live on the ranch but their cousin has one up on them, he's married and has children. So here's the deal. If they want the ranch all FOUR of them must get married and one of them MUST have a child. They have one year....Mason Hall was almost eighteen when his father died. He saw what a true marriage consisted of. He saw how his parents worked together, loved each other, their children and their ranch and he dreams of the same thing. Only it looks like his life is going to be different. He isn't sure how he will be able to accomplish the same thing but he knows he wants his home back. So he writes an add, sets up email accounts for each of his brothers and himself and starts looking for a bride. Wading through the emails is a chore, figuring out the crazies, the ones who are in it for the money (because ranching is such a profitable career) , the desperate ones and the sincere ones is hard. But one day he gets an email that totally blows his mind and he knows, this might actually be the one.Regan Anderson is ready to start her family. She sold her apartment, rents a studio apartment, quit her job and plans to start a consulting type company. Now all she has to do is wait for her invetro appt. The essays who needs a man? Having a "I'm not going to be able to drink fir the next few years moment" Regan indulges in a glass or ten of wine...(and some tequila) and starts surfing the net. Finding Mason's add made her giggle and just for fun she responds, in a total and complete tongue in cheek manner. When Mason responds in the same way, they fall into a flirting relationship. But Regan isn't interested in marriage, she has her own plans. Now it's up to Mason to change her mind.Taking a trip to Chance Creek, giving them a trial period, Reagon learns a lot about herself and what she really wants. How her dreams might be reached by following a different path.Mason on the other hand has his dreams all but shattered, his uncle has left the ranch in ruins. Fences are down, barns are falling apart and the house has been completely stripped. Generations of family heirlooms are gone. To top that off, the man left debts all over town. And here's where things in Chance Creek are different. It seems that some of the people can be quite the ass'. They want their money repaid and they want it now...who cares that Mason did not run up the debts, who cares that he's there to restore the family property? First he must restore the family name. And it's harder than one would think.Mason is devastated and all but ready to give up, can Reagan make him believe in the impossible?A very good book! I am looking forward to Austin's book! And then on to the rest.ShauniThis review is based on the ARC of The Navy SEAL's E-Mail Order Bride, provided by netgalley.