Montana Rancher's Kiss

Brooks Cole has been in love with one woman his entire life. Even long after she married his best friend and moved away. I should say his ex-best friend and moved away. Now she is back in Marietta, divorced, and looking for a job. So of course Brooks and his brothers have hired her to be the cook at their Dude Ranch. Brooks thinks she will fall on her face. His brothers think otherwise. Daisy is bound and determined to show Brooks and the town of Marietta she is made of stronger stuff than they all think she is. This book is a wonderful second chance love story that is based in my favorite fictional hometown of Marietta, Montana. Author, Kaylie Newell makes sure to bring in all my favorite characters in this family as well as the beautiful landscape as well.

Perfect timing in more ways than one. I just finished a book in a series of books I’ve been reading when I was offered the chance to read an early release of Kaylie Newell’s latest book, Montana Rancher’s Kiss. I decided to take a break from the series to read her latest offering and I was not disappointed. Montana Rancher’s Kiss is a coming home story where those at home not only moved on but one has passed on. Having lost my mother suddenly and reconnecting with my siblings, I felt like the book and the characters were calling to me. The imagery brought me to Montana. The similes gave me context and brought depth to the story. The characters were likable, relatable and progressively grew throughout the story into those I want to be friends with and those I want to read more about. The chapter titles are clever and, oddly, I felt like the book was a slight mix of two of my favorite TV channels – Hallmark and Food Network. I was glad to avoid the usual angst you get with some books or TV shows where there is a misunderstanding about who likes whom or when another potential love interest (aka exes) enter the picture. This book is a second chance scenario between only those that can truly be awakened to what is needed to make things right – both romantically and with family. Character connections are important in this book. You cannot change the past and you may even lose an opportunity to make things right with someone you felt you never fully understood – but the relationships composed in this book help build a bridge between the past and the future. It’s also a book that I could share with my daughter without feeling a bit pink in the cheeks. Romance can be expressed in many ways and is sometimes best left to the imagination.

We are back in Montana with the Cole brothers. Siblings whose feelings of abandonment both by their mother and rock star father, have deeply affected the men they are today. One of these men is Brook Cole. Nowadays he and his brother run a dude ranch. Ten years ago his HS sweetheart broke his heart when she left town for the lights of Boston and married his best friend. Daisy Hudson is that girl. Life in Boston nor the marriage were what she hoped them to be, and she’s back in town after her mother’s death, to spend time and reconnect with the younger she also left behind. In search of a job, she finds herself face to face with the boy, now man, she’s never stopped loving. But the past is full of hurt, feelings of abandonment and not being good enough. Will these two be able to overcome the past and doubts and get a second chance at love? This was a touching story that reminds us that the experiences of our childhood and youth will in fact affect the adults we become. A quote that is mentioned in the story is one we should all take into consideration. “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure”, Julia Child . I was entrusted a copy of this book by Tule Publishing. The opinions expressed are solely my own.