Series:
Texas Cattleman's Club: Ranchers and Rivals (Book
6)
He always wanted a second chance with her…
All it took was a little amnesia.
Temptation. That's what made rancher Vic Grandin ask his
former flame Aubrey Collins to go home with him. But when Aubrey loses her
memory the very next day, she thinks Vic is her current boyfriend -- not her ex
-- complete with the same explosive chemistry they've always shared. Not ready
to confess the truth of their breakup, he plays along. But will Aubrey go her
own way again once she remembers the truth?
Terrific second chance love story. Vic and Aubrey were high
school and college sweethearts whose relationship ended with a bang ten years
ago due to their differing outlooks on their future together. They have barely
spoken in the decade since then. In the fourth book of the series,
On Opposite Sides, we see Vic as Chelsea's brother and rival for their family ranch. As the
only boy in the family, he has been the designated heir since birth. In that
book, Vic comes across as rich, entitled, arrogant, selfish, and very
unlikeable. I was waiting for someone to come along and adjust his attitude. As
this book opens, Vic is thinking about his contentious relationship with
Chelsea when a blast from the past appears.
Aubrey went on to get her teaching degree and become a
high school teacher. As Teacher of the Year, she was given a year's membership
in the Texas Cattleman's Club, where she knows she'll regularly see Vic. After
ten years of giving him the cold shoulder, she's realized that it doesn't help
her move past what happened. When she runs into him at The Silver Saddle, she
decides it's time to call a truce and accepts his invitation for a drink. That
drink turns into a one-off, get you out of my system night together.
Two days later, Aubrey wakes in the hospital after an
accident at the TCC results in a head injury. Partial amnesia caused her to
forget that she and Vic are no longer together, and she thinks they are still a
couple. Her doctor worries that forcing Aubrey to remember could cause a
relapse, so she suggests that Vic play along. Though he suspects the decision
could come back to bite him, Vic agrees. He hopes to use the time to rekindle
their relationship and earn a second chance with her.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Vic and Aubrey
develop. Without the memory of their breakup and what caused it, Aubrey's love
for Vic is clear to see. She is determined to spend as much time as possible
with him while she recovers. Vic is more than happy to do so but also cautious.
Because she doesn't remember their past, he is reluctant to take anything too
far, but Aubrey's advances are hard to resist. I loved their time together as
they got to know each other. I especially liked Aubrey's influence on Vic
regarding his relationship with his sisters.
But as Vic and Aubrey's relationship deepens, he feels
more guilt about the deception. His love for her has grown, but he won't do
anything about it until she knows the truth. The revelation was as painful as
he expected, and he fears Aubrey will never get over her feelings of betrayal. I
ached for Vic as he gave her the time to process what she had learned, and I
loved that he refused to give up. The depth of emotion at the end, with Vic's confession
and Aubrey's realization that they had both changed and grown, was the perfect
ending.
There is a little progress on the series arc involving
the Thurston family's oil rights claim against the Grandin and Lattimore
ranches. The stresses on both families are evident, but there is hope that new
information will resolve the issue.
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