The Reluctant Rancher

The Badlands #2

by J.D. Faver

E.J. Kincaid has one thing on his mind. He wants to get the hell out of Dodge, or in this case, Langston, Texas. He sees nothing but miles and miles of Texas panhandle, even though his daddy does seem to own most of it. He wouldn’t be here at all, except that his father committed a heinous crime, for which he is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison. E.J. feels obligated to stay and try to hang onto the land and cattle empire his father built for him. He has also infuriated the local veterinarian, Jenna Lewis, who thinks he’s a complete jackass.
In spite of their thorny relationship, a prank of E.J.’s turns the tables on the lovely red-head who proves to be both a worthy adversary as well as a fiercely loyal ally. As his world starts to fall apart, it’s always Jenna who stands by his side. When murder, cattle rustling and kidnapping occur right in his big back yard, E.J. turns to one of the local ranchers who hates everything about him, especially his name. Will E.J. be able to rescue the woman he loves, or will his efforts result in forfeiting both their lives?
Cowboys, murder and romance. Oh, my! Grab your copy and read a spell...

Genres: Westerns, Romance, Contemporary Romance

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2013

About the author

Writer of sexy and humorous contemporary romance and writer of sensual, dark romantic suspense. Can you say split personality?

Novels by June Faver
DO OR DIE COWBOY-08/2018
HOT TARGET COWBOY-01/2019
FULL THROTTLE COWBOY

Novels by J.D. Faver:
Bad Medicine-The Edge of Texas: Book 1
Bad Karma-The Edge of Texas: Book 2
Bad Vibes-The Edge of Texas: Book 3
Bad Dreams-The Edge of Texas: Book 4
A Sandcastle Christmas-The Edge of Texas: Book 5
On Ice (Romantic Thriller)
Bad Girl! (Romantic Thriller)
Kill Shot (Romantic Suspense)
A Twist of Fate (Contemporary Romance)
Bad Habit (Romantic Suspense)
The Doctor's Choice~Badlands:Book 1
The Reluctant Rancher~Badlands: Book 2
Art of Deception (Contemporary Romance)
Girls' Night (Short, humorous murderous adventure)
Girls' Night~New Orleans
Girls' Night~Singles Cruise

YA-Fantasy written as Calista Anastasia:
Legacy~The Young Witch's Chronicles~I
Lexicon~The Young Witch's Chronicles~II

Cookbooks: A Texan in the Kitchen series:
Autumn Recipes (56 family & friends recipes)
Soup's On! (45 chili and soup recipes)
(Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and other premium distributors)

Reviews

[Wareeze Woodson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner by JD Faver. EJ, is a playboy city type from the top of his gorgeous head to the bottom of his feet plucked down to run his father's huge ranch. The beautiful vet, country from her tight fitting jeans to her boots has always lived in the small community. Will he stay or run from the drug smuggling, cattle rustling, human trafficking and murder? Can Jenna count on him? Adventure, mystery, thriller and romance all rolled into one.

[Jenny Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

entertaining, but I always enjoy Ms. Faver's books. They're easy to read & have just enough action/suspense (not to mention sweet characters) to make the book a fast read.

[Melanie P. Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and fun Western Romance...

I purchased this book not knowing it was the second in the series but I was able to follow along just fine. There was enough backstory that I wasn’t confused at all. It works well as a stand-alone novel.

EJ has reluctantly returned to this small town to ensure the success of his father’s ranch. It is clear from the beginning that he doesn’t want to be there and the town doesn’t really want him there. He is judged by his father’s bad deeds by almost everyone, including the sexy town vet. After an awkward night on the town both Jenna and EJ realize they have misjudged each other. Soon afterwards a relationship slowly begins to develop. Suddenly returning to the big city and his shallow friends doesn’t hold much appeal for EJ. The quiet beauty of his father’s ranch and the irresistible vet are much more appealing. But when trouble develops, will they both survive? I don’t like spoilers so you’ll have to read for yourself to find out.

This book has it all, romance, murder, suspense, cattle rustling and kidnapping. The characters are well developed and likeable in spite of their flaws. It was a fun, quick summer read and I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a western romance with a suspenseful twist.

Melanie P. Smith

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

E.J. Kincaid finds himself The Reluctant Rancher when he is summoned take over the family ranch by his father when the father is arrested and convicted for murder. E.J. had been raised in Dallas by his mother, gone to private schools and had no interest in the family land in the Panhandle of Texas.

Then he plays a trick on the pretty vet Jenna Lewis and the romance starts for these two and he finds that ranch life in a small town is looking better and better.

Cattle rustlers, murders, drugs add to the plot as not only E.J. and Jenna find romance so do Beck and Cami and the young widow and her ranch hand Frank. If you like happy endings The Reluctant Rancher offers three of them.

[S.E. Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked on the author's work the first time I read "Bad Medicine" which I loved. This one was equally enjoyable. Eldon was a very complex character which made for a good mystery. I liked the three couples especially Cami and Breck. EJ's personal growth was good to read. The author was masterful in the way she unraveled the secrets at the end of the story. I wanted to know more about the new clinic where Cami was ordered to work, but maybe the author left it for the sequel. Overall I enjoyed this story and would recommend it.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reluctant Rancher had one main romance and two other romances between supporting couples. It offered a murder mystery, cattle rustling, drug running and human trafficking to add mystery to the plot. The authored offered a good sense of humor in parts of the story and a happy ending for all three couples in a small town setting in Texas. Great story plot with lots of twists!