Debra Ullrick

Shelby Davis trains search and rescue dogs, and she’s a bestselling suspense author who lives in the beautiful mountain town of Grand Lake, Colorado. But sadly, her life isn't all together, because 18 months ago, her fiance called and cancelled their wedding 3 months before the big day, without an explanation and then left town. When Shelby receives a call to bring her dog Max and her snowmobile to help rescue a man who is lost in a blizzard up on Gravel Mountain, she was never expecting the man to be rescued is her former fiancee, Ryker.

Meanwhile, Ryker has come back to Grand Lake, with the desire to win back Shelby, the woman he has always loved, and explain to her why he went away. But being rescued and near death was not the way he wanted to meet Shelby again. Will he be able to convince Shelby that she can trust him with her heart again even though he broke it before?

A good story, doesn't take that long to read, and I must admit I was kind of surprised by how quickly these two were back in each other's arms, and also by the situation that helped Shelby finally understand why Ryker left her. Surprised, but only in a good way. Enjoy.… (más)

Good book. Michael is twenty-seven and ready to settle down with a wife of his own. He admires his sister-in-law Rainee and wants a wife like her - sweet, genteel, educated. He corresponds with a woman back East who seems to fulfill his every dream and marries her by proxy. But when she arrives, Selina is far from what he expected.

Selina is a woman from the hills of Kentucky. She was ten when her mother died and left her father sunk in grief. She took it upon herself to care for the family, learning to hunt, fish, cook, clean, and do many other things. This left her with no time to go to school herself, though she made sure that her brothers went. Because she can't read, she depends on her friend to read Michael's letters to her and respond to them for her. Selina falls hard for the man who wrote such wonderful letters and can't wait to join him. Their first meeting is quite a shock for both Michael and Selina. Michael is stunned that she is the complete opposite of everything he wanted and doesn't hide his disappointment and anger. Selina is hurt that the man she has come to love so obviously doesn't want her. Michael is an honorable man, however, and will abide by his vows.

I have to say that I did not care for Michael at first. I thought he was judgmental and snobby and had no consideration for Selina's feelings. He won back a few points when he stood by her to introduce her to his friends and family. But he still has his vision of the perfect wife stuck in his mind and spent a fair amount of time and energy trying to get Selina to change to meet his expectations.

I liked Selina from the start. She is a strong and capable woman who has adapted to all the curveballs life has thrown at her. She is comfortable with who she is and refuses to be bullied into making changes just to please a man. She is kindhearted and sweet most of the time, but she can be stubborn when the situation calls for it.

I enjoyed the development of Michael and Selina's relationship. They are determined to make their marriage work; they just have to figure out how to deal with each other. I loved seeing Selina make a place for herself in her new world. It didn't take long for everyone else to accept her just as she was. It was great fun to see Selina refuse to change who she is inside. At the same time, she wanted Michael to come to love her. I liked the ways that she found to adapt to his ideals without losing her own. Her vivacity and uniqueness slowly began to work past Michael's tunnel vision, and he began to appreciate her. There were several sweet scenes where he does something that shows he's beginning to understand her, but he doesn't see that his feelings for her are growing and changing. It takes an unexpected visitor to show him that he has had what he wanted all along if he had just opened his eyes and heart to see it. The epilogue was a terrific update on their lives a few months later..… (más)

I read this description of the story from Amazon, and thought they did a good job of describing this book so here it is: "After a near fatal accident in the Colorado wilderness, Jasmine Moore can no longer endure the harsh Steamboat Springs winters. Unable to get out much because of pain, she goes online in hopes of finding some new friends to fill the void the long, lonely winters bring. A budding friendship develops, and soon, Jasmine finds herself in danger. Jack Warren is in love with Jasmine and has been for years. When he discovers she’s talking to strangers on the Internet, a pit fills his stomach, signaling something’s not right about one particular person. Can he convince her to give up her budding friendship before it’s too late? Will she ever come to love him as more than just a friend?" (retrieved from Amazon)

The love Jack has for Jasmine is so precious and the friendship they both have feels very real as I read this story. It was filled with suspense and dangers and at times I got very irritated at Jasmine and her whole thinking process, but she did finally come around and realize what a great find she had in Jack, and also come to realize how much she was loved by her sisters. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this story.… (más)