Review: A good read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 9, 2012
The Rancher Takes A Bride is your standard romance. I don't usually enjoy historical novels - historical romance even less - but I'm not going to penalise the book because of my preferences.The storyline in a few words is this: Eugenia Burnett meets a young lady whom she considers perfect wife material for her stubborn son, Travis. Only problem is that the youngsters don't see eye to eye. So, like every good old interfering mother, she decides to matchmake by whatever means possible, believing that some time together is all they need in order to discover and admit to their feelings for each other.The plot was well developed up to a point. After a while, things felt like they were on a loop. I waited and waited for the two protagonists to get together, and they did right on the last page. The same story could have been told in half to two-thirds of the words. Having said that, I found the dialogue was funny, and the retorts witty. The book only dipped in its second half, when stronger, more serious emotions overruled and attempt at funny.The descriptions were good, just rich enough to form a picture in my mind. The characters were distinct, with their own voices and personalities. I liked them right away. I did find the presumption that Travis would not be able to notice his own mother's scheming a little hard to swallow, as there would have been many opportunities for a switched-on cowboy to smell a rat, but that is fiction for you. There wasn't much of a back story, or secondary plots, and no secondary characters worth a mention.Did I enjoy the read? Yes, I did. It was entertaining. I chuckled in places, and that is always good in a lighthearted romance. I wonder if the author rushed the end, or maybe ran out of ideas. The beginning shows talent, but the end doesn't match up. I would award this book 3.5 to 4 stars, mostly for the fact that I can see potential there, and I'm hoping future books would show improvement.