Series: Rancher's Heirs (Book 1)
This wealthy rancher is about to meet his match…and her
two little secrets!
Colt Elliott is as handsome as he is cunning. And he
wants his neighbor's ranch. So when the owner's beautiful daughter begs him to
save her family's home, he gives her a job so she can pay off her debt…and he
becomes consumed with a new goal: seduce the fiery virgin.
But Annabelle is the guardian of her infant twin nieces
and all three ladies begin to pull at his heartstrings. Colt will go to any
lengths to get what he wants -- but will his hidden agenda cost him Annabelle?
Emotional start to the new series, full of passion,
betrayal and love of family. Annabelle has returned home with her heart
battered and bruised. She recently lost both her sister in a car accident -
after discovering that her fiancé had been cheating on her with her sister.
Annabelle is now the guardian of her sister's twin daughters and is determined
to give them the best home possible. Then she finds out that her father has
gambled away his life savings and his home, the same home that she has dreams
of turning into a B & B. She blames his rich neighbor for taking advantage
of her father's weakness.
Colt has wanted the ranch next door for years. His
father's dream was to turn it into the best dude ranch in Texas and Colt plans
to make that dream come true. He has an ironclad plan to make his dream come
true, but he doesn't count on his neighbor's daughter and her desire to save
her family home.
I really liked Annabelle. She has had the rug pulled out
from under her in so many ways, but she refuses to let it break her. She is
passionate about her dream and about her family. Finding out that her father
has borrowed money from their rich neighbor infuriates her and has her racing
to his ranch to give him a piece of her mind. I loved her determination to save
her home, and her willingness to work for the enemy to do it.
I had a harder time liking Colt. I really felt that he
had been terribly underhanded in his methods of acquiring the ranch. Then to
agree to Annabelle working for him to pay off the debt, knowing that he would
still own the ranch at the end, was even sneakier, all because he wanted to
sleep with her. His extreme confidence that he could have her in his bed for as
long as he wanted her, then just walk away when the secret was out just made me
mad. He did start to grow on me as his attitude changed.
The development of their relationship was fiery to say
the least. There is no doubt that they are attracted to each other from the
moment they meet. Colt is determined to get her into his bed and makes no
secret of it. Annabelle is equally determined to resist him. There is some
fantastic banter between them as Colt pushes and she resists. What Colt doesn't
expect is to be impressed and moved by Annabelle's care for her father and her
girls. There are some really sweet scenes where his growing feelings for her
and the girls are evident. The more time he spends with her, the guiltier he
feels about what he is doing, but he suppresses that guilt to continue with his
plan. As Annabelle spends more time with Colt, she begins to see a different
side to him than the ruthless businessman she first encountered. She's moved by
his obvious love for his family, and her heart melts seeing him with her girls.
She knows she's falling for him and hopes that he feels the same. But when bad
timing reveals the truth of the fate of her home, his betrayal cuts deep. I
ached for her and her pain, and loved seeing her tear into him for what he did.
Only when it was too late did Colt realize what he had thrown away. It was
really satisfying to see his brother point out what an idiot he was and give
him some good advice. Colt's big moment was pretty sweet as he laid out his
heart for her in hopes of her forgiveness.
I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series.
Though all the brothers are different, there still seems to be a solid core of
love among them. We only hear a little bit about Colt's twin, Beau, and the
military brother, Hayes, but the oldest brother Nolan is fully present. I liked
his attempts to talk sense into Colt, giving him the benefit of his own
experience. I ached for his loneliness and regrets over the mistakes of his
past, and am looking forward to his story.
I will say I was a little confused by the title and blurb. There was nothing secret about the two little girls. The only real secret was that which Colt was keeping from Annabelle.
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