Christyne Butler

Very good book. Katie is one of those people who always seems to be unlucky in love. She is recovering from her latest disaster when she attends a Halloween costume party. There she meets a sexy pirate, and after a little too much grog the attraction that flared between them becomes irresistible. The next morning they are both horrified to realize what they've done. They decide to try to forget what happened and go on as usual, but that proves to be harder than they think.

I liked Katie a lot. She is a really sweet person with so much love to give. She was abandoned by her mother when she was three and grew up in the foster care system. She craves the love of a family of her own. She has worked for the Murphy family for five years and has been in love with Nolan for almost as long. But he's her boss, and even after their slip up, she knows that there's no future with him. She makes the decision to skip looking for a man and have a baby on her own. She knows it will be hard, but is confident that she can do it. Nolan isn't so sure, being a single parent himself, and tries to talk her out of it. When he has to go out of town on business, she offers to care for his teenagers while he's gone.

I liked Nolan too, but he did frustrate me at times. He became a single dad when his marriage didn't work out. His ex isn't much of a parent, leaving him with all the tough stuff such as discipline, dealing with teen hormones and so on. He seemed determined to emphasize the downside of being a single parent. He didn't appear to have much confidence in her ability to handle his kids while he was away, but didn't really have any other options. He was also adamant that he was done with relationships, having been burned once and not willing to risk it again. I also thought he was a bit smug about his parenting, even though he was having so many problems with Abby. I rather enjoyed seeing Katie show him up a bit when she had the care of them for two weeks.

I really enjoyed the development of their relationship. They had been friends for as long as she worked for the company. After their night together, both become constantly aware of each other,, and both fought it hard. It was a little easier when he was away, as they could ignore the sparks. But when Nolan returned things got a bit more complicated. Katie's apartment had become uninhabitable thanks to Nolan's daughter Abby. Katie ended up staying with Nolan and his kids after his return. This put the two of them in constant contact. It was fun to see Nolan get used to having Katie there, and how his mind kept drifting towards a relationship. This would freak him out and he'd pull back, but that wouldn't last long. I loved how his brothers could see what was happening and tried to help him, but he refused to listen. Katie could see herself getting more deeply involved and knew she was setting herself up for heartbreak, but she couldn't help it. There were several times when they unexpectedly found themselves opening up about their pasts. Then Katie gets some unexpected news that really throws her into turmoil. She's about to share that news with Nolan when he confronts her about something that happened with Abby that she hadn't told him. He doesn't handle it well and says some really awful things to Katie. A crisis makes him realize that he doesn't want to lose her, but it takes the combined efforts of his brothers to make him see just why he feels that way. I loved his big moment at the end, it was so sweet and romantic.

I loved the three teenagers. They all behave pretty realistically for their ages. Abby had made an appearance in an earlier book and didn't make a great impression. She had been pretty nasty to a new cousin, and came across as pretty spoiled and selfish. There is still some of that in this book, as she does some rather stupid things. The boys are pretty good and seem to really appreciate what Katie does for them. All of them really came through at the end, with their wonderfully thought out gifts for her.

There is also an interesting twist at the end, involving Katie and a new neighbor. I really liked him and would love to see him get his own story.… (más)

Artist Vanessa Brent is recently new to Rust Creek Falls, Montana. Almost a year ago her best friend, Adele, died of cancer. Before she died, Adele made Vanessa promise to continue on with the bucket list that the two of them created and started on together. Since one of the items on the list was "move out west" this is how Vanessa currently finds herself in Montana. Vanessa hasn't painted anything since she lost her friend, and now that she has currently been hired to paint a mural for a resort in Rust Creek Falls, she hopes that she will be able to find her muse again.

Architect Jonah Dalton grew up in Rust Creek Falls but couldn't wait to leave and never look back. When he is offered the opportunity to head-up the renovations on the resort that he always loved while growing up, he can't resist the opportunity and comes back home again, though he doesn't plan on staying. Vanessa and Jonah start spending time together, and through each other, Vanessa finds the joy in life again, and Jonah starts to realize that coming home again, and possibly staying, doesn't seem so bad after all.

This was a very engaging story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Vanessa and Jonah were both such wonderful characters, who through each other, were able to get past the barriers that they thought were insurmountable in their lives. A beautifully written, emotional story, at times tearjerking, at others lighthearted and fun, and all the while holding my interest and rooting for a happily-ever-after for Vanessa and Jonah.… (más)

Very good second chance story. Liam got the surprise of his life during a rodeo when he saved a fifteen year old girl from the unwelcome advances of a couple of young cowboys, only to discover that she is his daughter. His old girlfriend is close behind, hopefully with some answers.

Missy had been an exchange student their senior year in high school and their relationship had become serious by the end of the school year. Liam had his eye on a rodeo career in addition to going to college and had hoped that Missy would stay around. But he made the mistake of not telling her of his plans, or of his feelings. Missy had been searching for a way to stay in America and close to Liam, but without any kind of commitment, she was afraid to risk it. So she went home to England, and in trying to forget Liam, got back together with her old boyfriend. When she realized she was pregnant, she didn't know whose baby it was. Telling her parents was a disaster, as they didn't approve of her relationship with Liam. When the baby was born, they lied about the DNA results, causing Missy to marry the other man. When her father died, Missy discovered the truth and had plans to visit Liam to tell him. She didn't know that Casey had found out and beat her to the punch.

I loved Liam's reaction. He was stunned, but had no problem accepting the idea that he was Casey's father. He was determined to get to know her, and talked Missy into staying in Destiny for a month so he could do so. It was really sweet seeing the way that he tried so hard to connect with her. I especially loved the scene with the guitars. There was also a great scene a little later where he definitely had the "dad attitude" going on. The longer Casey was there, the more he wanted her to stay. That goes even more for Missy. He can't believe that after all these years he's still attracted to her, but he can't deny it. Having her back in Destiny will give him a chance to see if the attraction will lead to something more.

Finding out about her parents' deception had thrown Missy's life into turmoil. She had wished from the beginning that Casey had been Liam's and now that she knows the truth, she has to face him. Seeing him again brings back the memories, both good and bad. She remembers how much she had loved him, and how much it had hurt when she left and he never tried to contact her. In spite of the attraction she still feels, she is determined to resist it. She's happy to do whatever she can to help Casey and Liam bond, but she doesn't want to risk her heart.

I loved seeing the relationship between Missy and Liam grow. It was tentative at first, with both of them wary of trusting the other. But their shared history made it easier for them to reconnect, and it wasn't long before those feelings were growing again. But they still have the issue of living on two different continents to deal with, and when Liam repeats past mistakes, it looks bad for their chance of happiness. I loved the way that he finally realized what he had done, and his "go big" moment was wonderfully done.

I also loved the other characters. Casey was wonderful with the strong relationship she had with her mother, one that gave her the confidence to search out Liam. I loved seeing her try to find her way with Liam and all her new relatives. The only one she had a problem with was Abby, the one who was the same age. It was pretty amusing to see them go at it, like many girls of that age do. I have to say that Abby really deserved what she got at the end. I also loved her way of expressing herself. As always, the Murphy family was fun to be around. I loved the way they wholeheartedly embraced Casey and Missy. I ached for Missy when she compared them to her own family. There was a brief period of tension between Liam and his brother Bryant, but even that didn't last too long.… (más)

Excellent and emotional story of two wounded souls. Jonah has returned to Rust Creek Falls for an extended stay after eight years away. He left because of the bad memories caused by the end of his marriage and has made only short visits home since then. He has made quite a name for himself as an architect and has the job of designing the new resort being built in town. Now that it's almost done, he is here to take care of any last minute problems that come up. He's not real happy to discover that not only has Vanessa been hired to paint a mural in the new resort, she is also living in his cabin. He's ready to kick her out, but something about her makes him change his mind.

Vanessa came to Rust Creek Falls to try to recover from a devastating loss that has affected her ability to paint. She is spending her time teaching art to children and working her way through her bucket list, a list she shared with her best friend. When she meets Jonah there is a spark that she hasn't felt for a long time.

I loved the chemistry between Jonah and Vanessa. It's obvious right from the beginning that there is something special between them, but both are holding back. It was great fun to see Vanessa pull Jonah out of the shell he had been in since his divorce. I especially liked their first date when she sucked him into trying zip-lining. The more time they spent together the better they started to understand each other. I loved seeing Jonah help Vanessa see that her art wasn't gone, it was simply changing. His way of helping her was so sweet and romantic, and just added to the connection that was building between them.

One if their problems was that they had started their relationship as a temporary thing. Jonah has every intention of returning to Denver and Vanessa isn't planning to leave Rust Creek Falls. They are also trying to protect their hearts. Jonah feels that he had his one chance at love and blew it, and doesn't deserve another shot. Vanessa is suffering from survivor's guilt. She is torn up over the fact that she is still alive and doing all the things that her friend wanted to do. She is afraid to take a chance on the future because she knows that it can end so easily. Both of them have to let go of the past before they can see their future together. The scene at the end was so emotional for Vanessa, but also freeing. I was so happy to see Jonah share it with her.… (más)