Series: Wranglers of Wyoming (Book 1)
Brand Merrick is a take-charge cowboy who considers relax
a four-letter word. So when an injury lands him six weeks of physical therapy,
he intends to keep right on working-until his grandmother hires a therapist to
stay at their family ranch. He's not used to following orders, or slowing down,
but Avery Grant has a way of getting him to do things he'd never thought he'd
do . . .
Avery hates to admit it, but this super sexy rancher is
testing her patience...and her professionalism. She's a born-and-bred city
girl, yet she finds herself drawn to the rugged wilderness and the equally
rugged cowboy she's here to help. But when a threat from her past follows Avery
to Montana, it's Brand who rides to the rescue-if only she'll put her trust in
him, and the growing feelings in her heart.
Terrific start to the new series. It opens with an
introduction to the Merrick family and a tragic event that affects them all. A
house fire sweeps through the ranch house that Bo, his wife Leigh, and their
three sons had just moved into. The oldest son, Brand, succeeded in getting his
two little brothers out of the house, then woke his parents. Unfortunately, his
mother didn't make it. Bo and his boys moved back into the family home with his
father, mother, sister, and grandfather,
making four generations living together.
Fast forward twenty years. The Merrick boys, Brand, Casey,
and Jonah, have all grown up. All three work the ranch with the family, though
Casey and Jonah also have other professions. Brand recently was injured in a
fall and still suffers the aftereffects. As stubborn as the other men in his
family, he ended his physical therapy early, unconvinced of its effectiveness,
and determined to return to work. His grandmother, Meg, takes matters into her
own hands and hires a physical therapist to stay at the ranch for six weeks,
overriding Brand's protests that he doesn't have time.
Avery is a city girl from Michigan who took the job in
Wyoming with an agenda of her own. She looks forward to the different
surroundings, but she also wants to escape from an uncomfortable situation at
home. She has a stalker who has left several threats, but the local authorities
don't take it seriously.
I loved the first meeting between the Merricks and Avery.
Brand was blindsided that morning by his grandmother's announcement and isn't
at all happy with the thought of someone interfering with his day. Family
patriarch, Ham, is also against it, with the view that pain is something
ranchers learn to live with. They are all shocked to discover that, rather than
the muscular man they expected, the therapist is a slim, attractive woman.
Avery is a bit taken aback by the hostility from her patient and his
great-grandfather but is determined to change their minds and heal her patient.
I loved the development of the relationship between Brand
and Avery. Brand thinks that it won't be hard to send this city girl running.
All he has to do is drag her into ranch life and watch her flounder. Avery is tenacious
and sees his challenge and raises the stakes. I loved watching her dig right in
and embrace everything thrown at her. It doesn't take long for Brand to be
impressed and decide to give her a chance. With the time they spend together,
Avery sees past the grumpy Brand to the man who loves his family and his land. It
was great to see Brand go from trying to chase Avery away to wishing he could
find a way to make her stay.
The attraction that was there from the moment Brand and
Avery met continued to build. They tried to resist at first. Brand knew she
would leave after six weeks, and Avery wanted to keep things professional.
However, the connection was too strong to resist. There were some sweet scenes
as Brand showed Avery around the land that he loved. There were some funny
times, such as their trip to town, where Avery gets a taste of small-town life.
Then there were the times that showed the depth of the feelings that were
growing between them. I loved seeing Brand share his memories of the night of
the fire with Avery, something he hasn't even done with his family. When Avery
shared her trouble with Brand, it roused his protectiveness, further cementing
his feelings for her. With Avery's departure drawing closer, both ached to be
together, but neither was ready to confess their feelings. The end was emotional
as each longed for the other to say something that would keep them together
before it was too late. Brand's big moment was great, and I loved how he was oblivious
to the people around them.
Part of the book also dealt with the reason Avery left
Michigan. She thought she left the threats behind her, only to begin receiving creepy
and threatening texts after she arrived in Wyoming. Though Avery tried to
ignore them, remembering her treatment by the authorities in Michigan, the
threats started to weigh on her. I loved Brand's reaction when she told him,
with that cowboy code of protectiveness kicking in. I especially liked his
insistence on going to the local police chief. The difference in attitude was
night and day, which gave Avery a little bit of peace of mind. An unexpected
visitor brought along a twist to the situation. There were some very intense
moments as Avery found herself in a life-or-death situation. I loved her
determination to survive and her ability to think on her feet. The final confrontation
was a nail-biter and kept me glued to pages until it was over.
A big part of the book was the Merrick family's
relationships. The love and respect that they had for each other were evident,
and I enjoyed getting to know each one. Hammond, the family patriarch, was
quite a character. Gruff and obstinate, his opinions were pretty well set in
stone. I loved his pride in his family and their land, and how his stories wove
a spell around Avery. I also like watching her earn his respect and admiration.
Another family member I loved was Aunt Liz. She's a talented photographer, and
though she seems cold and aloof at first, that soon changes. There is a
fantastic scene between Liz and Avery that changes both their lives. I was also
intrigued by Chet, who obviously has a thing for Liz, though she doesn't see
it. I hope to see more of them in future books. However, my favorite family
members were Casey and Jonah. They are the typical younger brothers who know
just what buttons to push when it comes to Brand. They caught on quickly to the
attraction building between Brand and Avery and took multiple opportunities to
tease and interfere. It was fun to watch the actions and reactions among them.
I can't wait to read their stories.
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