Contemporary Western Romance published by HQN Books 24 May 22
This is a wonderful, feel-good story that is quintessentially what one expects from a Harlequinn romance. The last thing Sawyer Garret wants to do is emulate his father, but when circumstances cause him to become a father himself to a child unwanted by her mother, he is determined to change the way his daughter his brought up. With fond memories of being raised by his grandmother, who was a mail-order bride, he adopts the modern equivalent of such a bride. Enter Evelyn Moore, who has visions of oat milk and modern conveniences within walking distance of her New York city apartment to this remote corner of Oregon. Can these two people, who are deeply scarred by their upbringing, find a common path to love and parenting?
Evelyn might not be sure of Sawyer Garret or living in this Oregon remoteness, but it’s love at first sight with June Bug, the tiny baby whom she’s here to be mother to. Despite walking away from her marriage at the 11th hour, the chemistry with Sawyer is also off the charts. Why won’t Sawyer scratch that itch? Soon she finds herself going to pick fresh produce at one of the ranches at Four Corners and making friends in unexpected places, as she learns how to prepare the meatloaf she swore never to make and rediscovers her love for dance.
Sawyer, on the other hand, is a much tougher nut to crack. He’s determined to resist the chemistry and make it all about being a good parent to June Bug, giving her the type of family he never had for himself or could create for his brother and sister. As it turns out, he’s a marshmallow beneath that tough-as-nails exterior, and love and patience will finally lance the poison to free him to be the husband and father he can be.
I love the ah-ha moments when Evelyn has a meaningful conversation with her mother to find how easy it is to be a dysfunctional parent, as well as how easy it is to forgive and forget and forge forward. The rest of the cowboys and cowgirls at Four Corners make for a great supporting cast. I can’t wait to see them all finally succumb to love and change the destiny in their part of the world.
Grade: B
Summary:
Welcome to Four Corners Ranch, where the West is still wild…and when a cowboy needs a wife, he decides to find her the old-fashioned way.
Cowboy Sawyer Garrett has no intention of settling down. But when he becomes a single dad to tiny baby June, stepping up to the responsibility is nonnegotiable. And so is finding a woman to be a mother to his infant daughter. So he decides to do it the way the pioneers did: by putting out an ad for a mail-order bride.
Evelyn Moore can’t believe she’s agreed to uproot her city life to marry a stranger in Oregon. But having escaped one near-disastrous marriage, she’s desperate for change. Her love for baby June is instant. Her feelings for Sawyer are…more complicated. Her gruff cowboy husband ignites thrilling desire in her, but Sawyer is determined to keep their marriage all about the baby. But what happens if Evelyn wants it all?
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