Luke, by R.C. Ryan

4 Contemporary Cowboy Stars!

I was in the mood for a good country contemporary romance and this fit the bill perfectly.  The cover was not my favorite of all romance covers, maybe because I know farms and horses I’m a little pickier.  That saddle he is so gallantly carrying… would fit a small child.  So he better be carrying it for a pony. Anyways! on to the review…

Lets start with Ingrid, first off super strong name for a super strong lady.  I was impressed with how hard Ingrid worked.  Nothing was glossed over in this book, the sweating while mucking out stalls, checking on the cattle etc.  Ingrid is just trying to take it day by day.  She is struggling to hold the ranch together long enough to pay off her mom Nadine for it.  She doesn’t have time for anything in her life right now except the ranch and her little sister Lily.  Matter of fact Ingrid doesn’t think anything of Luke except that he’s a nuisance that she now has to add to her to-do list.  Ingrid’s romantic burn with Luke was a slow starter which I enjoyed.  She knew what she wanted and wasn’t going to let him get in her way.  I know I’ve said it a million times but I love strong female characters, women who don’t necessarily need men.  I really liked for every action that Ingrid took you could see what happened in her past to make her think that way.  She may act like she doesn’t care but you can tell her heart is on her sleeve.

Luke while lead to as being the wild child throughout the whole book definitely isn’t. I really enjoyed his proper manners.  He was so sly after he felt better about helping Ingrid out without her thinking he was helping her out.  The mutual love of the land definitely was a bonus. I mean it’s nice to see a city gal fall for a country guy romance story, but this was so much more because they both lived and breathed the land. His politeness and patience with Ingrid and Lily said a lot about how he was raised.  Sure everyone in his family is a character but who’s family doesn’t have characters in it? Luke is the guy who instinctively sticks up for the little person.  He doesn’t mind playing go fish with Lily for hours.  He doesn’t mind riding up into the mountains to watch the herd either.

One of my favorite parts was the girls day that happened with Ingrid and some new friends. I felt the love of Luke’s mom in that part.  I also really enjoyed Yancey and Mick’s characters I feel like they will become fast friends. All in all this was a very enjoyable read, I would highly recommend it to any romance readers our there.

Thank you to Forever Romance and R. C. Ryan for my advance copy in lieu of my honest review!

Goodreads link here.

book blurb…

Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages

Expected publication: November 29th 2016 by Forever

ISBN 1455591637 (ISBN13: 9781455591633)

Wild. Reckless. Stubborn. That’s Luke Malloy in a nutshell. The solitary life of a rancher and the untamed Montana wilderness make him feel alive-and nothing will ever change that. Not even being thrown from his horse and forced to accept a stranger’s help. The fact that this stranger is a beautiful blonde with a passion for ranching that rivals his own doesn’t hurt. But there’s a secret she’s hiding, and Luke won’t rest until he uncovers it…

Ingrid Larsen doesn’t need anyone’s help. Not with managing her family’s ranch. Not with raising her little sister. And certainly not with the mysterious incidents occurring on her property. When this too-sexy-for-his-own-good cowboy needs a place to recover, she hopes he’ll be in and out in no time flat. But just as she’s beginning to trust Luke’s promise of protection, Ingrid’s secret threatens to tear them apart.