Series: Sterling's Montana (Book 1)He's hoping to bury the past. She's ready to settle the score.
The Sterling Ranch's season opening isn't going so
smoothly. With the ranch's lodge full of guests and a Montana blizzard
threatening, Will Sterling needs help -- and he needs it fast. So when his
childhood friend Poppy Carmichael agrees to lend a hand, he's grateful for a
second chance…and more enticed by the woman she's become than he cares to
admit.
For Poppy, it was supposed to be a retreat full of horse
rides and hoedowns -- with a side of showing Will what he's been missing all
these years. But as the snow deepens outside, the guests' suspicion and
mistrust turn sinister inside, catching Will and Poppy in the crosshairs.
Weathering the storm in each other's arms is all too easy
for Will and Poppy, but will a confrontation with a killer mean their reunion
is short-lived?
Good combination of second chance romance and romantic
suspense. Will is the oldest of the Sterling brothers and the one who has taken
on the running of the family guest ranch since their father's death. He has
been waiting for his chance, as he and his father used to butt heads over the
differences in their visions. When an old family friends contacts Will and asks
him to open the ranch early for a business retreat, Will is reluctant but
agrees to do so. Family housekeeper Dorothea predicts trouble and is soon
proved right. When the ranch cook breaks his leg, Will reluctantly asks
childhood friend, Poppy, to lend a hand. Though friends as kids, they didn't
part well twenty years earlier, and Will still feels the bite of guilt because
of it.
Poppy had a massive crush on Will when she was twelve and
he was fifteen. Being a typical teenage boy, Will was fine with hanging out
with Poppy when there weren't girls his own age around but ignored her when
there were. Will's attitude when Poppy and her dad moved away broke her heart,
and she often dreamed of finding a way to avenge the girl she'd been. The call
to help at the ranch gave her that chance. Poppy arrived at the ranch with one primary
goal - seduce Will with her cooking, make him fall for her, and then leave him
in the dust.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between
Will and Poppy. Will was bowled over by Poppy's beauty, so different from the
freckled faced tomboy he remembered. He's drawn to her more than he's been to
any other woman, but he doesn't do commitments. Will believes that he's not
capable of long-lasting relationships, and the last thing he wants to do is
hurt her again. Poppy is just as surprised by the changes in Will. He's no
longer the cocky, too good-looking for his own good cowboy she remembered.
Instead, he's an incredibly handsome, kind, and thoughtful man, and one that
she can see herself falling for all over again. Both Will and Poppy try to
resist their attraction at first, but it's a losing battle. I loved the
horseback riding scene when Will makes his heartfelt apology to Poppy, which
put a crimp her desire for revenge. As the book progressed, it became harder
for both of them to deny their growing feelings for each other. With everything
that was going on, Will began to question everything he believed about himself
and his future, and wonder if there was a chance for him and Poppy. It took
some advice from an unexpected source for him to take action. I loved his big
moment at the end. He was adorably awkward but determined. I liked that Poppy
didn't make him suffer too long.
The suspense of the story was terrific. Big Jack had
arranged the retreat for his two sons and several employees. It was clear from
the beginning that none of them wanted to be there. I ached for the oldest son,
Lamar, who was trying to save the company from his father's poor business decisions
and instead had to contend with Jack's intransigence. The other son, Mick, spent
more time flirting with the women than doing anything to help. Each of the
other employees had secrets, fears, and generally bad attitudes about being
there. Will was stuck trying to keep everything on an even keel, something that
became much more difficult when one of the guests was murdered. Complicating
matters, a blizzard trapped everyone on the ranch and cut off communications
with the outside world. The tension increased as everyone looked at each other
with suspicion. There were multiple twists and turns as first one guest then
another would move to the top of my suspect list. Though some of my suspicions
were confirmed, there were still a couple of things that came as a surprise.
The final confrontations were intense and had me on the edge of my seat until
they were all over. Will and Poppy were great, but the one who really surprised
me was Dorothea.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Fortunately,
I already have them, so I can dive right
in!
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