I received a copy of The Rancher’s Secret Love for review and I enjoyed it so much that I’m going to be on the look out for other books in Paula Altenburg’s series – The Montana McGregor Brothers. This is Book # 2 in the series.

The Rancher’s Secret Love

Could home be ‘on the range’?

After teaching at a prestigious university, Luke McGregor is headed home to his family’s ranch in Grand, Montana, to help his brothers raise their baby niece and nephews and to help save the struggling ranch. His long-time girlfriend wants no part of playing cowgirl and dumps him fast. Luke commits himself to being home for at least a year and throws himself into family and ranch life. A chance meeting with a beautiful and free-spirited woman and a promising first date makes him wonder if his place is necessarily in a big city.

Plucky Mara Ramos has lived much of her life on the road as a performer, but a dance injury, that permanently sidelines her professional career and ends her fling with a famous pop star, strands her in the middle of Montana. She likes the friendly small town and soon opens a dance studio intent on building a new life for herself. She enjoys inspiring her young students, but she can’t help but feel she needs more. A casual date with an enigmatic, flirty stranger, who is so much more than a cowboy, teases Mara with the possibility of putting down roots and finding a happy every after.

When Luke’s former girlfriend announces she’s pregnant, he’s faced with the decision of a lifetime. If he’s all about family, can he make a decision that will keep Mara in his life?

My review – 4/5

Luke and Mara have both had life changing situations. Mara, a dancer, whose injury causes her to have to change tracks. This is compounded by her heart being broken by her former love – a famous pop star. Luke deciding to leave behind his college professorship to move home to share the responsibility with his brothers of the family ranch and their sister’s children. His choice makes his former girlfriend give up on him.

How these two broken hearts get together, keep resisting each other and then are drawn into a relationship that is tested by another twist in the tale, makes a very good read. I liked both the characters and the choices they made.

I voluntarily read an advanced reader’s copy of this book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion.