Author: Linda Lael Miller
Publication: HQN Books; Original edition (June 28, 2011)
Description: Rough-and-tumble rodeo cowboy Brody Creed likes life on the move. Until a chance encounter with his long-estranged twin brother brings him "home" for the first time in years. Suddenly Brody is in Creed territory—at thirty-three, he's a restless bad boy among family with deep ties to the land and each other. And a secret past haunts him as he tries to make plans for his future.
Carolyn Simmons is looking for Mr. Right in Lonesome Bend, as the ticktock of her biological clock gets ever louder. Then she falls for gorgeous Brody Creed, the opposite of everything she wants. Until lassoing his wild heart becomes everything both of them need.
My Thoughts: This third in Linda Lael Miller's stories about the Creed boys was a deeply satisfying romance. Brody Creed is the bad-boy of the family. He left home to follow the rodeo circuit after a fight over a girl with his twin Conner. He was estranged from his family for years. Now he is ready to come home and become part of his loving family again.
Caroline Simmons doesn't have a family. She was abandoned by her mother, never knew her father, and grew up in a series of fourteen foster homes. Her business of house sitting made her feel even more rootless and lonely. She also feels a deep sense of insecurity and has a fear of abandonment. After all, everyone she ever loved managed to walk away from her. Even Brody...
She and Brody met a number of years ago when she was house sitting at his uncle's house. They fell in love and had a whirlwind romance until Brody left her with no explanation. We learn that he had gotten a call from a former lover telling him she was pregnant. Brody leaves to do the right thing. He marries her and they have a child. Unfortunately, his wife and child are killed in a car accident when the child was less than two. This throws Brody into a period of hard living as he tries to handle grief and guilt on his own.
When Brody returns to Lonesome Bend, he realizes that his love of Carolyn had never faded. She, however, was deeply hurt by his abandonment and is not at all eager to trust him again. But she knows she is lonely and wants to have a life and a family of her own. In fact, she registers with an online dating service. She corresponds with lots of men but soon realizes that none of them are Brody.
What I like most about this series is that none of the characters are perfect or larger-than-life. The heroes are working cowboys; the heroines are modern women with a variety of strengths and weaknesses. But both are lonely and ultimately willing to take the risk of falling in love. I also liked seeing the relationships between the other couples. While we didn't get a chance to see Steven and Melissa in this one, we did see Davis and Kim and Conner and Tricia.
I recommend this series to readers who want to get lost in feel-good romances. They would make great beach reads.
Catch the trailer here:
Favorite Quote:Kim punched him. "You're just like your uncle," she said.I received this eARC from Harlequin via NetGalley. You can get the paperback or Kindle version at Amazon.
Whatever that meant.
That he was a stubborn cuss, probably.
That quality came free with the Creed name, one to a customer but guaranteed for life.
Linda writes great books, so glad you liked this one! Will have to check out the Creed boys, as who doesn't love a cowboy? :)
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