As a huge fan of the romance genre, I rarely see new ideas. "There is nothing new under the sun." A great author (and there are so many!) can take any plot and make it her (or his) own. That's what London has done with Homecoming Ranch. Fans of Nora Roberts will have flashbacks to her trilogy about three sisters who inherit a ranch. I loved that series, but I'm thrilled to report that London's series is nothing like it.

First of all, London absolutely hit the jackpot with Leo. I'm completely in love with this guy, and he's not even supposed to be the star of the show. He sweeps in and steals the whole thing, though. Aside from his personality, choosing to have Leo narrate parts of the book was a unique and original idea that sets this one apart from other romance novels. (Did I mention I've read a few thousand?)

Madeline's mother drove me crazy, but Madeline handles her like a pro. Over her mother's harping, and aside from her relationship with Luke, Madeline has to decide if having a relationship with her sisters is more important than having complete control over every aspect of her life.

There is plenty of humor in this book, too. Along with Leo's narration, Madeline's new experiences with animals are pretty entertaining. Definitely a book you don't want to miss.

I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review. ( )

I have never read a novel by Julia London prior to this novel and I think I am going to pass on the other two novels in this series. Though I was initially intrigued by the plot of this novel there were way too many cardboard characters floating around in this novel. I am sure Ms. London will flesh them out further in the subsequent novels, but I found myself growing bored and then impatient with the entire storyline.

This novel has two main protagonists and also an omnipotent narrator which is also a character in the story. I don't know if Ms. Londo plans on keeping that in place for the next novel (omnipotent narrator) but I hope not since it took me out of the story everytime she re-introduced him that way.

One of the main protagonists is Madeline Pruett. Growing up poor and raised by a selfish single mother she has grown up cautious of men and wanting to make sure everything in her world stays fixed. Contacted by her father's estate lawyer and told she has inherted a ranch in Colorado with two other half sisters sets her perfectly ordered world askew. The second protagnist is Luke Kendrick. Luke has dealt for years with his families troubles and only now has managed to get his life back on track. Madeline and Luke meet cute on a mountain pass as she travels to Colorado.

The omnipotent narrator is actually Luke's younger brother, Leo.

I think that if the novel had focused on these two main characters and all of the background characters who are going to come into play in the next two novels I would have liked it more than I did. For example, Leo has his own backstory which I was interested in but felt as if he took up way too much of the main storyline's focus. Also having his occasional narrations on other characters in the novel just kept throwing me out of the story.

Another issue I have is how Ms. London portrayed the other two sisters in this trilogy. We get introduced to Madeline's half sisters, Libby and Emma. Since I already know that Ms. London has written this series as a trilogy I am assuming the next two books will deal with them. I can then somewhat understand why she didn't want them the main focus of this novel. However, the little bit we get about Libby and Emma was just not enough. Frankly I was getting so annoyed with how Libby and Emma were written and thought one was just way too mysterious for my liking and the other a jerk. They rarely interacted with Madeline and there were barely any scenes with the three women together. I of course was not expecting any 'we are family' moments in the first book in the series (it would have been unrealistic) but there should have been some bare minimum scenes together in order to flesh out the characters.

Ms. London can write and I liked the action taking place in this small town in Colorado. I just felt that the above and how certain loose strings were never really tied up somewhat aggravating.

Please note that I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program. ( )

Julia London does an amazing job with wounded characters in this first book in her Pine River series. I don’t know which character is the most wounded and weary but both Luke and Madeline bring a truck-load of baggage into their relationship.
Luke has always been the support for his family – emotionally, physically and financially. Madeline has been more of the parent in her relationship with her mother, never knowing anything about her “sperm donor” until she hears the news that she has inherited a property with 2 sisters that she never knew she had.
From their first meeting we see that Luke is a helper, he sees someone who is in need and jumps in – whether to fix a flat tire or making repairs on his father’s rental. Madeline is lost without her lists and highlighters – she need s order to hold back the chaos of the world.
Even as the 2 come together, they cannot fully trust that the other will not leave. The both have issues with being left behind and cannot fully commit without worrying that they are alone in the relationship. Ms London has created a wonderful world of characters who surround these two – including Luke’s brother Leo who’s neuromuscular disease has him tied to a wheelchair watching TV and playing video games – yet he has such a sunny disposition it’s hard to not love him. Madeline’s sister Libby is a smaller character but she challenges the sisters to grab hold of their inheritance and make their lives better. These two, provide a balance to the hesitation of Luke and Madeline.
Because they have to overcome so much to get there, their Happily Ever After is so much better. I look forward to reading the remaining books in this series.
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A new contemporary romance series, "Pine River Trilogy", from author Julia London, begins with "Homecoming Ranch". Grant Tyler was literally larger than life, living his life as he chose, and making up his own rules when the rules of others didn't suit. Married five times, fathering three children by three different women, his personal relationships were a muddled mess. In his dying days, he felt a small touch of remorse and advised his business manager that he wanted his children to inherit all that he had left. The trouble was, there wasn't much left, and his three daughters didn't know much about him and nothing about each other. What was left for them to inherit was a rundown property in Pine River, Colorado. "Homecoming Ranch" was obtained by Grant Tyler when an old friend, Bob Kendrick, is having financial difficulties. Grant "buys" the ranch, promising Bob that he can buy it back later for the same amount for which it was sold. Bob and his younger son, Leo, who is wheelchair bound by a debilitating neuromuscular disease, move to a small house and try to make the best of things. Bob's older son, Luke, is living in Denver working as a builder, hoping for a successful career in construction. When Luke's aunt calls him, worried about his father and brother, Luke heads to Pine River. On the way he stops to help a pretty young woman change a flat tire on her rental car. Madeline Pruett has come to Colorado to claim her share of the ranch left to her by a father she never knew. Raised by a mother who moved from man to man, and house to house, Madeline grew into a young woman obsessed with keeping control and order in her life. A real estate agent with a growing career, Madeline sees the potential in the acreage of the ranch property. What she didn't foresee was the emotional tangle of getting to know her two half-sisters, Emma and Libby, and the ownership issues with the Kendricks. Most of all she never expected her roadside rescuer to be Luke Kendrick--and the sparks of passion and need that would flare between them. "Homecoming Ranch" is a compelling contemporary romance, given a boost of humor from the frank, funny on-and-off narration from Leo Kendrick and his rascally, wry observations of people and their problems.
Book Copy Gratis Amazon Vine ( )

Madeline Pruett, lived a nice organized life as a promising realtor in Florida. That was till the day she found out her absent father had died and left her and her two half sisters, that she didn't know existed a ranch in Colorado. She is tempted to refuse her inheritance, from this father who she only knew in name. Pushed by her mother and friend Trudi, she rents a car and treks to Homecoming Ranch with every intention of selling her interest.Luke Kendrick has given his all to his family and sacrificed so much over the years. He gave up a career to return home to care for his dying mother. His brother Leo, (a scene stealer) developed a neurological illness that is slowly draining his life away. He struggled to get himself educated and was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The ranch had been in is family for generations till his dad was forced to sell it to help pay medical costs. A legal stab in the back, left a recovery clause worthless and left Luke and his dream of owning the ranch in the dust.
Luke and Madeline both have different plans then what karma has planed for them. Everything gets very complicated. Her big break is back in Florida. The sisters don't agree. He has no legal standing. He does have the right to have a run-on on the property. She gets caught up in the planning and extends her stay. They start looking at each other differently. I love a good romance about good people, and Ms. London gave it to me. Madeline, was the funny, sweet, sometimes wimpy, mostly strong, somewhat insecure, controlling, trying to make it in the world woman. Luke was a hard working, never give up, standup guy with a heart of gold. I couldn't help but cheer for their happiness. I swooned over the budding romance, cried when things went sour, basically I think I felt every emotion. I loved the side characters and can't wait for the sisters stories. There is a lot going on there. I felt good when I finished, satisfied.Romance readers do not miss this one. ( )