Her Rancher Rescuer by Donna Alward

So remember last week when I told you what I was reading? I didn’t finish any of them. Instead I wandered off and read a romance novel. Shocker, I know. I grabbed Her Rancher Rescuer on NetGalley because of a good review I read, and the other night when all my paper books were out of reach I fired it up. I read it in about 24 hours and I have to say it was worth it. This one was really worth your purchase.

 

 

Amy has always lived in the same small town, and always had a reputation as someone who can’t keep a man. She’s prone to diving in heart first and then getting hurt when things don’t turn out. Having grown up under the shadow of her father’s abandonment, she’s finally ready to break away from the town and become more than what people expect. After yet another humiliation at a wedding Amy hides in the ladies room, only to be rescued by handsome millionaire Jack Shephard. Jack was an Olympic skiing hopeful, who had his dreams shattered after a crash, and now owns a successful sporting goods chain and ranch/retreat center. He is in a bit of a bind as his resort manager has fallen and broken her hip, and Amy sees her chance to get out of town with an offer to help him. Of course they are crazy attracted to each other, so what’s gonna happen when they are cooped up in a house together?

 

 

Here’s why this was great, despite the millionaire premise- both main characters are flawed. Both have made mistakes. The growth that they both do thru the course of the story is real and believable. Amy has to learn to see herself as worthy in and of herself and not just as half of a relationship. She’s always been on the search for a man to bring her happiness after seeing her mother so devastated by her father’s desertion. Amy realizes after the wedding that she has to get out of town and make a success of herself or she’s going to always be the same old predictable, lonely Amy. Once she realizes that she’s fallen for Jack, she’s still willing to walk away and not throw herself after him (so long as she believes he isn’t in love with her too, anyway.)

 

 

Jack himself has an incredibly scandalous past. His skiing career ended on a terribly after he tried too hard to rescue someone who didn’t want rescued. He is terrified to open up again, because of way the old relationship ended. He has to learn that he can trust a woman with his heart, and he has to learn to risk himself for happiness. Jack may be a millionaire hotshot, but he really felt like an ordinary guy. He is successful in business, but has this big glaring hole in his life. He tries to do the right thing by Amy, but there are so many little moments where it’s obvious that he is scared and clueless on what he should do. He messes up in the end, of course, but never comes off as a heartless jerk.

 

 

The story itself is just really well written. There is a ton of tension, despite being PG in nature. Amy and Jack are both vulnerable but not stupid, and you can see the affection and respect between them. The ranch setting is there, but doesn’t play a huge role in the story, beyond a reason to get her out of town. If you are a fan of Harlequin romances, this is one I would highly recommend. If you are on the fence about them, this would be a good one to test out. I ended the book with a smile on my face and the desire to find more books by Alward.

(Sorry about the weird bolding- Blogsy apparently doesn't believe in paragraph breaks today!)

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