Series:
Texas Cattleman's Club: Ranchers and Rivals (Book
9)
One New Year's Eve kiss is all it takes…
To tame a handsome beast.
Thanks to a bogus inheritance, rancher Heath Thurston has
a score to settle. Seducing his sexy land surveyor, Ruby Bennet, is not part of
his revenge plan…nor is the snowstorm that leaves them stranded with nothing
but a connection they can't deny. As the clock strikes midnight on New Year's
Eve, will Heath's icy heart finally melt, or will he remain a vengeful beast
for good?
Terrific conclusion to this part of the Texas Cattleman's
Club series. Heath has been the bad guy at the center of an oil rights dispute
since the beginning of the series. Furious at discovering his deceased mother
and sister were deprived of what they were promised, Heath has been determined
to claim it for them. His attitude has been cold, antagonistic, and vengeful,
making him impossible to like. There is a small light in the darkness in
On Opposite Sides when his brother Nolan returns to Royal, and in their
reconciliation, we learn a little of Heath's motivation. Unfortunately, even
Nolan can't get Heath to back off.
As this book opens, Heath has received the surveyor's
report about oil on the contested land. He's unhappy with the conclusion and
rushes to the surveyor's home to complain. She's not what he expected, nor is
his reaction to her when they are stranded in her house during a snowstorm. I
enjoyed seeing him stick his foot in his mouth a couple of times and face
Ruby's wrath.
Ruby is a feisty, intelligent, and beautiful woman accustomed
to dealing with troublesome men. It doesn't take her long to straighten out
Heath's attitude, but she doesn't expect the feelings he stirs in her. After
her fiancé's death, she's worked hard to keep moving forward and leave the past
in the past.
Their time snowed in together opens the door to a
fast-moving relationship. They connect over their shared experiences with loss,
augmented by their sizzling chemistry. Ruby brings out a different side of
Heath, showing a caring and thoughtful man. I loved seeing her influence show
him how to see things from a different perspective and encourage him to let go
of his bitterness. As their relationship progresses, there is a marked change
in Heath, and we see the feelings between them grow. There are some fantastic
moments where those changes are evident, giving hope that Heath can finally be
happy.
But a shoot-from-the-hip action by an angry Heath at the
beginning of the book, unsurprisingly, is about to come back and bite him.
Though he had already taken steps to stop the action, it was too late, and the
results were devastating. I ached for Ruby, who only saw it as a betrayal of
everything she believed about him. The effect on Heath is eye-opening as he
realizes the truth of everything Ruby tries to tell him. I loved the ending. Watching
Heath's actions to make things right shows a changed and vulnerable man, and I
loved what he did.
The epilogue was terrific, and seeing the changes in all
those involved was the icing on the cake.
No comments:
Post a Comment