Lisa R. (alterlisa) -
Miller never fails to leave me satisfied after reading one of her western romances and always has me checking to see when the next book in a series is being released. As always, I'm never disappointed in the characters or the storyline. I love how each book I pick up is always a fresh read and a new take on a cowboy. I never feel that I've read this story before and she is simple amazing at intertwining suspense with romance. Miller's books continue to be on my auto buy list as I've yet to read one that didn't leave me sighing and wishing I'd grown up in the west.
LaVonne W. (Grnemae) -
Slater Carson is the oldest of three brothers who own a large ranch in Wyoming. In addition to helping on the ranch Slater makes documentary films about the west.
Grace Emery has moved to Mustang Creek to manage a new resort and spa. She is divorced and has her step-son Ryder living with her as his dad is in the military and never around to care for Ryder. Ryder steals some items from the documentary film trucks and Grace marches him into see Slater and apologize.
Slater realizes that Ryder needs a male influence in his life and gives his a job at the ranch. This brings Grace and Slater into contact on many occasions. Grace tells Slater about a large number of artifacts and pictures from the original resort and she offers to let him use them for his next documentary. As Grace and Slater work together on this items the romance starts.
Grace has to fire an employee for theft and soon he is stalking her and threatening not only her life by that of Ryder and others that she cares about. Slater comes to her rescue and helps her track down this stalker and have him jailed.
A nice romance with a side of suspense.
Grace Emery has moved to Mustang Creek to manage a new resort and spa. She is divorced and has her step-son Ryder living with her as his dad is in the military and never around to care for Ryder. Ryder steals some items from the documentary film trucks and Grace marches him into see Slater and apologize.
Slater realizes that Ryder needs a male influence in his life and gives his a job at the ranch. This brings Grace and Slater into contact on many occasions. Grace tells Slater about a large number of artifacts and pictures from the original resort and she offers to let him use them for his next documentary. As Grace and Slater work together on this items the romance starts.
Grace has to fire an employee for theft and soon he is stalking her and threatening not only her life by that of Ryder and others that she cares about. Slater comes to her rescue and helps her track down this stalker and have him jailed.
A nice romance with a side of suspense.
Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good start to the new series. Slater is the oldest of the three Carson sons, and the one known as "Showbiz" to his brothers. Besides being an honest-to-goodness cowboy, he is also a producer of well respected documentaries. He's just wrapped one up and is ready to start thinking about another one, when his evening is interrupted by Grace and her teenage stepson.
Grace is a former Seattle cop who is now working as a resort manager. Ryder is her ex-husband's son who she is caring for while he is deployed. Ryder is a bit of a challenge right now, as he's not real happy about moving to the middle of nowhere. When she discovers that he has stolen a sign off one of the production company's trucks, she marches him to Slater's office to apologize.
Sparks fly between Grace and Slater from the beginning. Slater definitely wants to pursue it, but Grace is a bit more wary. Her last relationship din't work out so well, and she isn't sure that she can trust her judgment. Slater is a force of nature, however, and won't be deterred from his pursuit. While she fights it at first, she gives in pretty fast. They do spend a fair amount of time getting to know each other. Slater is pretty forceful in his wants, but he's also sensitive to what she needs. I liked the times when she called him on his actions and he would, sometimes unwillingly, back off. Grace's independence often gets in the way of her willingness to accept his help, but eventually she learns that doing so doesn't make her weak. I really enjoyed the give and take between them as both learned the art of compromise. The ending was sweet, with a rather unusual wedding.
Both Slater and Grace are single parents, and I enjoyed seeing how both handle it. Slater and his daughter's mother are good friends and have an excellent parenting relationship. You can tell that Slater and his daughter have a terrific relationship. I liked seeing him extend the same kind of relationship to Ryder. Grace's relationship with her ex isn't as good. She's pretty much disgusted with the way he has treated Ryder, putting his work way ahead of his family. It was great to see how she is there for Ryder, providing the stability he needs. She still struggles with him, and I enjoyed seeing how Slater stepped in and became a great role model. The help allows Grace to relax just a bit, and not be quite so tough on him.
There's a bit of suspense in the story, as Grace deals with a disgruntled former employee. This man had been fired for stealing and doesn't take it well. He turns into a rather nasty stalker, committing various acts of vandalism before setting fire to her house. As a former cop, Grace doesn't panic over it, but turns it over to the local police. I liked seeing her try to rein in Slater, as his protectiveness comes to the surface. The resolution of the problem is well done.
The secondary characters all add depth to the story. I loved Ryder, who was a pretty typical teen who is dealing with family upheaval, While he exhibits some bad attitude at times, he is a good kid. I liked seeing the effect that the entire Carson family had on him. Slater's younger brothers, Drake and Mace are also great. Each one has their strengths, which I'm sure we'll see more of in later books. I enjoyed the sibling rivalry among the three brothers. They could be snarky but the love and support underlies it all. Their mom, Blythe, was awesome. Though the guys all live at home, she is able to treat them as adults - except, of course, when they are acting like teenagers and she gives them "the look". I liked the way that she took Ryder under her wing. The brief appearance of Grace's ex, Hank, showed just why she divorced him and had the issues she did. I was disgusted with his disregard of Ryder and Grace's feelings. It was fun to see his reaction to Slater. There were also brief appearances by previous characters, such as the police chief, Hadleigh, Melody and Becca from the Brides of Bliss County series.
Grace is a former Seattle cop who is now working as a resort manager. Ryder is her ex-husband's son who she is caring for while he is deployed. Ryder is a bit of a challenge right now, as he's not real happy about moving to the middle of nowhere. When she discovers that he has stolen a sign off one of the production company's trucks, she marches him to Slater's office to apologize.
Sparks fly between Grace and Slater from the beginning. Slater definitely wants to pursue it, but Grace is a bit more wary. Her last relationship din't work out so well, and she isn't sure that she can trust her judgment. Slater is a force of nature, however, and won't be deterred from his pursuit. While she fights it at first, she gives in pretty fast. They do spend a fair amount of time getting to know each other. Slater is pretty forceful in his wants, but he's also sensitive to what she needs. I liked the times when she called him on his actions and he would, sometimes unwillingly, back off. Grace's independence often gets in the way of her willingness to accept his help, but eventually she learns that doing so doesn't make her weak. I really enjoyed the give and take between them as both learned the art of compromise. The ending was sweet, with a rather unusual wedding.
Both Slater and Grace are single parents, and I enjoyed seeing how both handle it. Slater and his daughter's mother are good friends and have an excellent parenting relationship. You can tell that Slater and his daughter have a terrific relationship. I liked seeing him extend the same kind of relationship to Ryder. Grace's relationship with her ex isn't as good. She's pretty much disgusted with the way he has treated Ryder, putting his work way ahead of his family. It was great to see how she is there for Ryder, providing the stability he needs. She still struggles with him, and I enjoyed seeing how Slater stepped in and became a great role model. The help allows Grace to relax just a bit, and not be quite so tough on him.
There's a bit of suspense in the story, as Grace deals with a disgruntled former employee. This man had been fired for stealing and doesn't take it well. He turns into a rather nasty stalker, committing various acts of vandalism before setting fire to her house. As a former cop, Grace doesn't panic over it, but turns it over to the local police. I liked seeing her try to rein in Slater, as his protectiveness comes to the surface. The resolution of the problem is well done.
The secondary characters all add depth to the story. I loved Ryder, who was a pretty typical teen who is dealing with family upheaval, While he exhibits some bad attitude at times, he is a good kid. I liked seeing the effect that the entire Carson family had on him. Slater's younger brothers, Drake and Mace are also great. Each one has their strengths, which I'm sure we'll see more of in later books. I enjoyed the sibling rivalry among the three brothers. They could be snarky but the love and support underlies it all. Their mom, Blythe, was awesome. Though the guys all live at home, she is able to treat them as adults - except, of course, when they are acting like teenagers and she gives them "the look". I liked the way that she took Ryder under her wing. The brief appearance of Grace's ex, Hank, showed just why she divorced him and had the issues she did. I was disgusted with his disregard of Ryder and Grace's feelings. It was fun to see his reaction to Slater. There were also brief appearances by previous characters, such as the police chief, Hadleigh, Melody and Becca from the Brides of Bliss County series.
Charlotte L. (charannlyn) -
I love Linda Lael Miller, and I have read every book she has written.
This is one I will have to say is VERY SLOW getting going, I almost put it down and walked a way a few times, but I kept reading and it does turn out to be a very good book.
This is one I will have to say is VERY SLOW getting going, I almost put it down and walked a way a few times, but I kept reading and it does turn out to be a very good book.
Debbie B. (bassfishin) reviewed Once a Rancher (Carsons of Mustang Creek, Bk 1) on + 157 more book reviews
very good book love this author
