Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good combination of second chance romance and romantic suspense. Will is the oldest of the Sterling brothers and the one who has taken on the running of the family guest ranch since their father's death. He has been waiting for his chance, as he and his father used to butt heads over the differences in their visions. When an old family friends contacts Will and asks him to open the ranch early for a business retreat, Will is reluctant but agrees to do so. Family housekeeper Dorothea predicts trouble and is soon proved right. When the ranch cook breaks his leg, Will reluctantly asks childhood friend, Poppy, to lend a hand. Though friends as kids, they didn't part well twenty years earlier, and Will still feels the bite of guilt because of it.
Poppy had a massive crush on Will when she was twelve and he was fifteen. Being a typical teenage boy, Will was fine with hanging out with Poppy when there weren't girls his own age around but ignored her when there were. Will's attitude when Poppy and her dad moved away broke her heart, and she often dreamed of finding a way to avenge the girl she'd been. The call to help at the ranch gave her that chance. Poppy arrived at the ranch with one primary goal - seduce Will with her cooking, make him fall for her, and then leave him in the dust.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Will and Poppy. Will was bowled over by Poppy's beauty, so different from the freckled faced tomboy he remembered. He's drawn to her more than he's been to any other woman, but he doesn't do commitments. Will believes that he's not capable of long-lasting relationships, and the last thing he wants to do is hurt her again. Poppy is just as surprised by the changes in Will. He's no longer the cocky, too good-looking for his own good cowboy she remembered. Instead, he's an incredibly handsome, kind, and thoughtful man, and one that she can see herself falling for all over again. Both Will and Poppy try to resist their attraction at first, but it's a losing battle. I loved the horseback riding scene when Will makes his heartfelt apology to Poppy, which put a crimp her desire for revenge. As the book progressed, it became harder for both of them to deny their growing feelings for each other. With everything that was going on, Will began to question everything he believed about himself and his future, and wonder if there was a chance for him and Poppy. It took some advice from an unexpected source for him to take action. I loved his big moment at the end. He was adorably awkward but determined. I liked that Poppy didn't make him suffer too long.
The suspense of the story was terrific. Big Jack had arranged the retreat for his two sons and several employees. It was clear from the beginning that none of them wanted to be there. I ached for the oldest son, Lamar, who was trying to save the company from his father's poor business decisions and instead had to contend with Jack's intransigence. The other son, Mick, spent more time flirting with the women than doing anything to help. Each of the other employees had secrets, fears, and generally bad attitudes about being there. Will was stuck trying to keep everything on an even keel, something that became much more difficult when one of the guests was murdered. Complicating matters, a blizzard trapped everyone on the ranch and cut off communications with the outside world. The tension increased as everyone looked at each other with suspicion. There were multiple twists and turns as first one guest then another would move to the top of my suspect list. Though some of my suspicions were confirmed, there were still a couple of things that came as a surprise. The final confrontations were intense and had me on the edge of my seat until they were all over. Will and Poppy were great, but the one who really surprised me was Dorothea.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Fortunately, I already have them, so I can dive right in!
Poppy had a massive crush on Will when she was twelve and he was fifteen. Being a typical teenage boy, Will was fine with hanging out with Poppy when there weren't girls his own age around but ignored her when there were. Will's attitude when Poppy and her dad moved away broke her heart, and she often dreamed of finding a way to avenge the girl she'd been. The call to help at the ranch gave her that chance. Poppy arrived at the ranch with one primary goal - seduce Will with her cooking, make him fall for her, and then leave him in the dust.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Will and Poppy. Will was bowled over by Poppy's beauty, so different from the freckled faced tomboy he remembered. He's drawn to her more than he's been to any other woman, but he doesn't do commitments. Will believes that he's not capable of long-lasting relationships, and the last thing he wants to do is hurt her again. Poppy is just as surprised by the changes in Will. He's no longer the cocky, too good-looking for his own good cowboy she remembered. Instead, he's an incredibly handsome, kind, and thoughtful man, and one that she can see herself falling for all over again. Both Will and Poppy try to resist their attraction at first, but it's a losing battle. I loved the horseback riding scene when Will makes his heartfelt apology to Poppy, which put a crimp her desire for revenge. As the book progressed, it became harder for both of them to deny their growing feelings for each other. With everything that was going on, Will began to question everything he believed about himself and his future, and wonder if there was a chance for him and Poppy. It took some advice from an unexpected source for him to take action. I loved his big moment at the end. He was adorably awkward but determined. I liked that Poppy didn't make him suffer too long.
The suspense of the story was terrific. Big Jack had arranged the retreat for his two sons and several employees. It was clear from the beginning that none of them wanted to be there. I ached for the oldest son, Lamar, who was trying to save the company from his father's poor business decisions and instead had to contend with Jack's intransigence. The other son, Mick, spent more time flirting with the women than doing anything to help. Each of the other employees had secrets, fears, and generally bad attitudes about being there. Will was stuck trying to keep everything on an even keel, something that became much more difficult when one of the guests was murdered. Complicating matters, a blizzard trapped everyone on the ranch and cut off communications with the outside world. The tension increased as everyone looked at each other with suspicion. There were multiple twists and turns as first one guest then another would move to the top of my suspect list. Though some of my suspicions were confirmed, there were still a couple of things that came as a surprise. The final confrontations were intense and had me on the edge of my seat until they were all over. Will and Poppy were great, but the one who really surprised me was Dorothea.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Fortunately, I already have them, so I can dive right in!
