The Cowboy's Targeted Bride - Carla Cassidy (HRS #2113 - Nov 2020)

Series: Cowboys of Holiday Ranch (Book 11)

Love's not part of the deal.

But neither are threats against their lives…

In return for getting the family he's always wanted, cowboy Jerod Steen will save a single mom's failing ranch. That's why he agrees to a marriage of convenience with Lily Kidwell. Neither is looking for love, but when someone begins to terrorize Lily, danger draws her and her brand-new husband closer. Now they must survive to save their ranch -- and their family.

Good mix of romance and suspense. Jerrod is one of the original twelve "lost boys" who came to work at Holiday Ranch when they were troubled teens. Over the last several years, most of them have found love and started their own families. At the beginning of the book, Jerrod feels pretty down in the dumps. He, too, wants a wife and family, but finding a woman to love hasn't worked out. He's just about given up when he gets a wild idea. After overhearing Lily's troubles at the bank, Jerrod considers offering her a marriage of convenience. He'll catch up with the mortgage payments and help make the ranch profitable if she will marry him and eventually have his baby.

Lily is a single mother who gave up on love. She loved her son's father, but he took off after learning she was pregnant, taking her savings with him. Since then, Lily has struggled to keep her ranch afloat, working as a teacher to earn some of what she needs. She wants to keep her ranch going and have something to leave her son, but she's reached the end of her rope. The bank threatens foreclosure, and she's out of options. That is until Jerrod shows up on her doorstep with the most outlandish idea. Lily is stunned by the request, but after considering it, she accepts his proposal.

I loved Jerrod. He is kind, honorable, and fair. He understands that this is an unusual situation and is happy to let Lily set the pace for their relationship. He knows her son, Caleb, from his work at the community center and has infinite patience with the boy's attitude. I liked Lily, too, but had a few problems with her. Thanks to her past, she has some trust issues, and early in their marriage is quick to jump to conclusions about Jerrod's faithfulness. Though hurt by her accusations, Jerrod shows her the truth through his actions. As Lily and Jerrod settle into their marriage, an attraction begins to build between them, as do unexpected emotions. Life-threatening danger finally opens their eyes and hearts, and their own happily ever after.

The suspense of the story was intense. Someone is not happy about Lily's marriage to Jerrod. It starts with annoying and creepy events, like a bloodied bride doll left on the porch and a lie about Jerrod's faithfulness. Those quickly intensify to physical attempts on Lily's life. There are several possible suspects and a shocking final confrontation. I was on the edge of my seat until it was all over, hoping that Jerrod would find Lily in time.

I enjoyed seeing characters from earlier books. Dillon and Cassie have prominent roles in this book. I especially loved how Cassie offered to help Jerrod give Lily a real wedding. Several of the other ranch hands also made appearances. Mac is the lone bachelor left of the original twelve, and I can't wait for his book.

The Best Man Plan - Jaci Burton (Berkley - July 2020)

Series: Boots and Bouquets (Book 1)

Three days before Erin Bellini's wedding, her fiancé breaks up with her--in an email! Hurt and embarrassed, she decides to have a fling with veterinarian Jason Callum, who's both the best man and the hottest guy she knows. But Jason wants a lot more than just a one-night stand with the woman he's cared about for years. So he's taking things slow. And hot. And showing Erin what real love can look like.

Suddenly Erin finds herself spending a lot more time with Jason than she intended. Feelings she never planned on having again are wrapping around her heart, refusing to let go. Erin isn't sure she can trust her instincts, though. After all, she made a terrible choice with her ex-fiancé. But Jason intends to convince her that he's the best man for her, and that what they have together is a real love that will last forever.

This was a fun friends to lovers story. When I read the prequel novella The Matchmaker's Mistletoe Mission, I got the feeling that things were a little off in Erin and Owen's engagement. As this book opens, the wedding is two days away, Erin is up to her neck in last-minute details, and she gets a break-up email from Owen. Shock doesn't begin to cover her reaction and angry would be an understatement. But she refuses to look pitiful in front of their friends, so she insists on holding the reception anyway.  It's there that she decides the best revenge would be a fling with her best friend, Jason, who was also Owen's best man.

Unfortunately for Erin, Jason is not cooperative. It's not that he doesn't want to sleep with her. He does. But he wants more than that. Jason has been in love with Erin for years but lost out to Owen because he didn't want to risk their friendship. Now he has a second chance, but he wants to be careful about it. Rather than take Erin up on her offer while she is vulnerable, Jason goes the friendship route first.

I loved watching the relationship between Erin and Jason develop. Erin is hot to carry out her revenge right away and isn't too pleased when Jason resists. Instead, Jason finds ways for them to spend time together doing other things until he can be sure she isn't quite so vulnerable. Because they have been friends for so long, they are very comfortable with each other. Jason didn't hold out very long against Erin's advances, just long enough for her to convince him that she knew what she was doing. I ached for Jason because he knew that he was risking heartbreak giving in to her, but he loves her too much not to help her. Erin goes into the whole thing only wanting a short fling, then going back to friends as usual. But the more time they spend together, the more her feelings start to change. This freaks her out, and she does everything she can to resist admitting to those feelings. She also has trouble believing that what she feels is real. After all, she thought she had loved Owen, and look where that ended up.

Lingering in the background is Erin's knowledge that she is going to have to face Owen sooner or later. Something that comes up time and again is that Owen's actions were completely out of character for him. More than one person wonders what was going through his mind. When he came back and contacted Erin, I wasn't terribly surprised at the reasons he gave. He handled it badly, causing more heartache than there would have been if he'd been honest to start with. I was frustrated by Erin's actions afterward because she wasn't thinking of the effect on Jason, who was left wondering where he stood. Her kick in the pants came from an unexpected source. I liked that she saw the error of her ways and took immediate steps to fix it. The ending was sweet.