Branded
4 Stars

After the death of their father, Deacon Cavanaugh and his brothers return home to the Triple C ranch with one goal - to destroy the ranch and their father's legacy. But Deacon's determination is tested when the ranch foreman, Mackenzie Byrd, challenges him at every turn, and soon he will have to choose between his obsession for revenge and a future with the woman he cannot live without.

While Deacon and Mac have strong chemistry, their backstory is underdeveloped, and their romance has little going for it other than insta-lust. Aside from mentioning Mac's girlish crush and Deacon's annoyance at her friendship with his sister, Cass, there are few details of their past acquaintance. Moreover, the transition of their relationship from opponents to soulmates is sudden and unrealistic, as is Deacon's decision with regard to the ranch at the end.

That said, the rest of the plot elements are much more intriguing. In addition to the kernels of a murder mystery, there are also snippets focusing on the lives of Deacon's brothers, all of whom have problems and secrets of their own. It will be interesting to see where the author takes these characters.

In sum, despite the shortcomings of the romance, Branded is a well-written and entertaining read and the mystery has definite possibilities.

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Mackenzie Byrd has been foreman at the Triple C ranch for years, but now that Everett Cavanaugh has died, her position and her life seem less certain. Deacon Cavanaugh harbors a hatred for his father which has fueled his desire to destroy the ranch that is the root of the pain that has infected himself and his brothers since their sister, Cass, was abducted and killed. Now that his father is dead, Deacon has the chance to bulldoze the ranch and his torment along with it. Mac mourned the loss of her best friend, Cass, but has managed to move on with her life. Mac's crush on Deacon eased when he left, and she remained on the land and with the people that she cared about. Now Mac and Deacon are at odds and battling over the fate of the ranch, while at the same time, they battle the attraction that they have for one another.
Branded is a well-written western romance with a depth of emotion charged by revelations from both the past and present. However, a story line involving a business takeover, reminiscent of Pretty Woman, seems to have a fairly weak resolution. Also, the romance between Mac and Deacon intensifies almost too quickly but can be explained by their history and feelings they shared from their past. The mystery of Cass's death seems to be a thread that will run through the entire series as a few clues including entries from her diary are revealed throughout this book. Overall, this is a good story with likable characters, lots of conflict, and profound emotion, making it an enjoyable read and hard to put down. ( )

Tall, dark, handsome and a cowboy....OMG my fantasy come true. Flawed but still able to love his brothers and let himself find love Deacon comes back to his hometown to settle the score once and for all after his father passes away. His plan to destroy, literally, the ranch where he grew up (and not in the best frames of mind) starts to fall apart when he reconnects with Mac...his murdered sister's best friend and now ranch forewoman.
Mac, she's adored Deac since she was a small girl trying to capture her best friend's oldest brother's attention. She stayed after tragedy hit and has grown into a strong willed, opinionated, fierce woman. Willing to fight, dirty if she has to, to save those she loves and the ranch she calls home.
Along the road to their HEA more family skeletons are revealed, arguments threaten to tear folks apart, and an old man's fading memories stir up old wounds.
The heat and chemistry between Mac and Deac extends past the bedroom and into their day to day dealings giving us some great one liners and a few tears shed. They declare their love midway through the story but that doesn't mean one is going to lay down and roll over for the other. No it just means each is going to fight for what they believe to be right even harder to save themselves and those they love. Sometimes misguided but love is never in doubt.
We also get a glimpse of the other brothers. James and Cole. Both with their own issues but cole hurting most of all....after all it was his twin, Cass, who was murdered and the killer never brought to justice. Will they heal, will they find a woman to help them want to live again, can the ranch be saved? Oh, and will Sam ever not have an opinion on the shenanigans these youngins get themselves into?
i shed a few tears during the book but then again picked up the book to escape some emotional goings on in my world so guess the book help me escape and connect so that I could find a release of my own. Isn't that what books are supposed to do, carry us away and make us feel for the characters. This one did it for me and can't wait to read the next one....James' story....the horse whisperer.
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~ 5 Branded Stars ~

Branded is book one in The Cavanaugh Brothers series by Laura Wright. I’ve been a fan of Laura’s since I picked up my first book the Bayou Heat series and have been wanting to try her other works for some time. I’m not a contemporary reader by heart, but WOW baby, Laura Wright blew me away with Branded and I am most defiantly going to be picking up the rest of the books in this series. I feel in love with the Cavanugh Brothers and really, who can resist a sexy hot cowboy?

Branded is filled with emotion, conflict, drama, suspense and scorching romance, the plot is captivating. I was captured and could not put the book down. I really enjoyed how Ms. Wright put the diary passages of Cassandra Cavanaugh into the story. The emotional suffering everyone went through and are still going through after the loss of Cass, and then to learn about secrets the Cavanugh’s father has kept as well, as the Sheriff who investigated Cass’s death. It’s all so well written and hooks the reader. The characters are fabulous, they have such intense emotional connections. The chemistry between Mac and Deacon scorches the pages and the sex scenes are hot and steamy. I love how there relationship is portrayed along with the snarky dialogue. Mac is amazing. I love how strong and tuff she is. Deacon was also amazing, with his tortured past and hard headed attitude.

The author has created a delightful heartfelt romance with sexy cowboys. We are kept on our toes with some twists and surprises that add spice and depth to the story. I am hooked and can’t wait to read the next book.

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The Cavanaugh’s have had their fair share of tragedy and secrets. This series revolves around the death of the only Cavanaugh daughter, Cass, over 10 years ago whose kidnapping and murder was never solved and resulted in the family imploding and the three remaining brothers leaving the Triple C Ranch and never looking back.

Deacon Cavanaugh is the oldest and also the holding the most anger and resentment over what happened after his sister died. He hates his father and wants nothing more than to destroy the Triple C Ranch. He gets that chance when his father dies.

Mackenzie Byrd was best friends with Cass all through their childhood. She was also part of the family and had always had a crush on Deacon until Cass’s death. She never understood what went down between the parents and Cavanaugh children to make them leave but even though Cass was gone she still loved the Triple C Ranch and grew up to becoming the ranch’s forewoman. She willing to go head to head with Deacon over saving the ranch even though her feelings that she had all through her childhood are still alive and well for the tall hunky cowboy turned billionaire businessman.

Throughout the story we meet the other two Cavanaugh brothers along with a surprise sibling those shows there were lots of secrets the adults kept from the children. There are also bits and pieces given of the mystery about what happened to Cass via her journal and also from the daughter of the man who was the Sheriff back then. The mystery of what happened is not solved in this book and looks to be something that will be a part of all the future books. The dysfunction of the family and the mystery of what happened to the sister defiantly grabs your attention and keeps you turning the pages. Even though there is a HEA for Mac and Deacon your really left with more questions than answers by the end of the book.
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