Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Snowbound in Sweetwater Ranch - RaeAnne Thayne (HSR - Jan 2017)

Series: Logan's Legacy (Book 8)

After an unbelievable makeover gave her the confidence to strut her stuff at a charity ball, Kate Crosby went from harmless flirt to bedroom vixen. But she wasn't about to let a single night of oh-so-sultry passion with archenemy Peter Logan become anything more. Of course, she didn't count on seeing their lip-lock featured in the local paper!

Finally able to track the mysterious beauty down to a remote cabin, Peter learned the truth about her identity -- and that she was going to have his baby. Unable to stop thinking about Kate since the moment she walked into his life, he needed to convince her that their one-night stand should become a one-life stand.

Good book. This is an enemies to lovers/Cinderella story. Katie has always been the quiet, bookish one in the family, and very intelligent. She runs the research and development section of the family company. Thanks to a witch of a mother and a neglectful father, her teen years were pretty miserable, leading her to feel like an ugly duckling. After years of being overweight, she has turned her life around. A friend gave Katie a makeover just in time for a local charity ball, and she had never felt more beautiful. She didn't expect to draw the attention of hot bachelor Peter Logan, her family's archenemy, and her teenage crush. Katie avoids telling him her real name to spend time with him, and the attraction they feel leads to kisses and more. The next morning Katie sneaks off, not realizing that one of their kisses had been caught by a photographer.

Three months later Katie gets a couple of shocks. First, the photographer has finally identified the people in the photograph. Katie dreads what will happen when her family discovers she's been consorting with the enemy. Second, Katie discovers that she is pregnant with Peter's baby. This is the icing on the cake of disasters in her opinion. Needing time away from the firestorm that is sure to erupt, Katie flees to the family ranch for some peace and quiet to decide what to do. The last thing she expects is to have a very angry Peter show up on her doorstep.

Peter has been looking for the mysterious beauty ever since that night. He is horrified and angry to discover that she is a member of the hated Crosby family. Convinced that she seduced him to steal company secrets, he flies to Sweetwater to confront her. But the woman he finds there is very different than what he expected to find.

Their reunion is passionate, but not in a positive way. Peter is angry and spouts off with a lot of unsubstantiated accusations and slurs against Katie's character. She is stunned and equally angry about being accused of something so unlike her. She wants nothing more than to get him to leave her alone, but the weather doesn't cooperate. A spring blizzard strands them together.

I liked Katie a lot. She is super intelligent, but also a bit socially awkward. Though her makeover had given her a boost of confidence the night of the ball, it doesn't roll over into her everyday life. I ached for her and her belief in her undesirability. Though shocked at her unexpected pregnancy, she is determined to give the baby a better childhood than she had.

I liked Peter, too, once I got past his ranting and raving. As his past and insecurities are revealed, I understood his anger over what he believed had happened. In spite of knowing that he is loved by the parents who adopted him, he still feels that he has to earn his place. His fears over his family's reaction cause him to lash out at Katie.

I enjoyed the development of their relationship. Forced into close proximity by the blizzard, Katie and Peter have to call a truce to their battles. With the questions of motivation put on the back burner, Peter quickly realizes that the Katie he thought he knew is far different than the one who is with him now. I loved seeing him get to know the real Katie and discover that he likes her. I loved that he saw her for the beautiful and talented woman that she was. Over the next few days, as they work together, a deeper bond is formed. There are some fun and sweet scenes of them together, and also some places where their fears and tempers get the better of them.

As Peter and Katie discover that their feelings for each other have begun to grow and change they will have to find a way to overcome their fears before they can make a life together. A crisis with Katie's pregnancy shows just how much Peter has come to care for her and he starts to push for a future together. An unexpected appearance by Katie's mom shows Katie the truth of his feelings and enables her to believe in her own desirability. I loved how Peter called out her mom on her attitude toward Katie and the impact his words had on Katie. I liked the epilogue and how it showed the changes to the relationships between the families.


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