Montana Mavericks (Book 132)
An enchanted evening with a stranger leaves him wanting more…
A gift money can't buy…
Super-rich rancher Jordan Taylor has it all -- except someone to share his life with. What he really wants for Christmas is to win the heart of Camilla Sanchez, the hardworking waitress he met at a charity ball. Camilla thinks they are too different to make it work, but Jordan is determined to prove her wrong. She grants him his wish: three weeks to convince her he is worthy of her love. Perhaps this will be the holiday that changes everything…
I loved this book so much! I loved Jordan in The Cowboy's Promise when he came through with a job for Erica. I hoped to see more of him, and this book delivered in a big way. Jordan is Bronco royalty, a member of one of the town's most prestigious families. One nickname is "The Crown Prince of Bronco Heights," while another, "He Who Will Not Be Tamed," alludes to his reputation as a ladies' man. His sister calls him a serial dater, but Jordan can't see sticking with someone who isn't right for him. All of that comes to an end the night of the family's charity ball.
Camilla is a hardworking waitress with big plans for her future. She's almost finished with her MBA and ready to move ahead with opening her own restaurant. She accompanies her employer, DJ Traub, and his wife to the charity ball intending to find investors. Though confident about her plans, she feels like a fish out of water at the grand event.
I loved the first meeting between Jordan and Camilla. As in any good Cinderella story, he spots her from across the room and is immediately intrigued. Thanks to his father's poor eyesight, Jordan thinks Camilla is someone else, but they never bother to exchange names. Instead, they spend the evening dancing and talking and enjoying each other's company. The evening comes to an abrupt end when one of the attendees (Erica) goes into labor, and Jordan takes control of the situation. Things get a little awkward when Jordan says goodbye to Camilla but calls her by the name he thought was hers. Stunned, Camilla makes her escape without setting him straight.
The next morning, Jordan wants to call her to ask for a date and is confused when he discovers that she wasn't who he thought she was. I loved seeing his determination to find her and the lengths he went to to do so. Camilla was shocked when he showed up at her workplace, and more so when she found out what he wanted. Though she also felt the connection between them, she is firmly convinced that they are too different to make a relationship work. Jordan isn't a successful businessman for nothing, and he negotiates a deal to get to know her - three weeks, six dates to make her believe.
I absolutely loved the development of the relationship between Jordan and Camilla. Jordan is a genius at coming up with dates that don't meet their criteria of a date but still allows him to spend time with her. There were Sunday dinners with her family, volunteering around the community, and the occasional real "date." It's easy to see that Jordan falls fast and hard for Camilla, but his reputation works against him. Though she enjoys their time together, Camilla is sure that he'll come to his senses soon. They manage to keep their relationship under the radar, but the reactions are brutal when they are outed. I ached for both Jordan and Camilla. He is ready to take on the world for her, but Camilla has reservations and asks for space. I hurt for Jordan, who wanted to DO something to convince her they belonged together. He got advice from multiple sources, all telling him the same thing. It was a rather eye-opening experience for him, and I loved that he learned from it. Meanwhile, Camilla has to face her fear of risking her heart. Her conversation with her dad was beautiful and gave her much to think about. I loved Jordan's big moment at the end, including his comments to his father.
The secondary characters are well done, with enough relevance to the story without taking it over. Jordan's assistant, Mac, was one of my favorites. She gives excellent advice, is a big influence on kids of all ages, and provides a fun twist at the end. I also loved Camilla's family and their noisy, exuberant love for each other. I liked how they accepted Jordan so readily, though Camilla tried to keep who he was quiet. The scene at Thanksgiving dinner was priceless. My least favorite character was Jordan's father. I don't like the way he treated Camilla and his daughter, Daphne.
There were a few mentions of the search for Beatrix and the difficulties of tracking her down. The epilogue is a terrific lead-in to the final book in the series and, hopefully, some answers.
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