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Contemporary, Romance, Sports
To say that Fiona Harper hated Montana was an understatement. The state, the town of Big Timber, and more specifically the Lazy D Dude Ranch induced terror, panic and fury. Only a deep and powerful bond of love for her sister, Brianna Rose, could bring Fiona back to Montana. Knowing that Briana needs her, Fiona agrees to return to the Lazy D Ranch in Montana, in spite of her desperate terror that her sanity and life hang in the balance.
Austin Green wanted the simple things in life… a quiet life with his horses and a family with the woman he loved. When his fiancée, Cassie, is killed in an accident on Christmas Eve, Austin’s life takes a sharp detour into a special misery where his anger rules him… consumes him. Five months after losing Cassie, Austin’s twin, Adam, finally pushes Austin too far. Fueled by his fury at Cassie, at Adam and at life in general, Austin decides to simply leave it all behind and taking a job as the head wrangler at a dude ranch in Montana seems to be the perfect place to learn to live with his loss and anger.
When Fiona arrives at the Lazy D Dude Ranch, she discovers that not only does she have a roommate, but he’s got his own demons that haunt him. During the day, Fiona and Austin tolerate each other, but at night, when Fiona’s nightmares overwhelm her, Austin becomes the only light in her dark existence. Slowly, their relationship becomes a friendship laced with a passion that Austin craves and Fiona doesn’t understand. But as the summer season nears its end, Fiona’s nightmares crash in on her and Austin can’t reach her. Can Austin and Fiona find their way back to each other before they give up?
4 out of 5 (very good)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I have to be honest here, brutally. The cover did NOTHING for me, and did not give me much hope. But the blurb intrigued me, and I was curious. To say I was surprised is an understatement. A MASSIVE understatement! I'm not gonna rehash the blurb, and am jumping straight in. Its immediately obvious what Austin's trauma is, we are told in the first few pages. What we are NOT told, is Fiona's trauma. I had an idea, and the hints and snippets and awful dreams gave that idea weight. I was correct, it just was worse than I was thinking. Austin and the way he dealt with Fiona's "issues" (the book's words, not mine) made me want an Austin all to myself. His patience and understanding, even when he didn't know what happened to Fiona on her 18th birthday at the ranch, was amazing. Fiona's dealing with Austin's issues was equally amazing, and for the two of them to actually be together, after eveything, was brilliant. I have to commend Ms Pratt on her research. (without giving too much away!) . The research done into post-trauma stress and recovery shows, and shows well. It shows, in the way Fiona reacts to many, many things, to sounds, smells, touch. Her reaction is powerful, and could well have been deadly, but for Austin. The only reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is for one reason only: this is part of a trilogy. I didn't actually know that going in. I do now, and have book two to read as soon as it comes round on my list. While Austin and Fiona get a sort-of-happy-ending, their story is not finished. I look forward to catching up with them, just as soon as I can. oh, and one more thing, this is 325 pages long. It did not feel like it, I read it in one sitting! Thank you, again, Ms Pratt, for my copy. 4.5 Stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
I'm a native Montanan living in Washington state and the youngest of seven children. I moved to Washington in 1998 and have lived there since. I'm the mom of three profoundly gifted children who challenge me and frustrate me in equal measure.
I began writing in high school, completing my first novel on a Commodore 64, saved on a whole lot of floppy disks. I stopped writing to pursue my education but quickly realized I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up... I still don't know. In the pursuit of a "real job", I tried everything from a barista, to a restaurant manager, to a purchasing agent, and an administrative assistant to the owner of a fire truck construction company, plus a few things in between. I finally got serious about writing a few years ago. By the time I worked up the nerve to attempt self-publishing, I'd amassed a stack of rejection letters and seven complete manuscripts.
I prefer to write steamy contemporary romance with a heavy emphasis on psychology and the emotional side of my characters. I feel that if my reader can feel what the character feels and can identify with it, I've done my job.