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Carson Hill Ranch #1

Learning to Love

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For Miranda, Newark has nothing to offer except a dead-end job, a crummy apartment, and an abusive boyfriend. But when her younger sister signs her up for an online dating website to prove to her the kinds of guys who would be interested in her, she starts an online connection with the perfect guy. He's handsome, he's a real-life cowboy, and...he's in his seventies!

Miranda steps off the bus to find the man of her dreams waiting for her, only he doesn't know it. His elderly father, concerned that his six sons are isolated on their highly prosperous 800,000-acre ranch signed up one of his oldest boys and did a little matchmaking behind their backs.

Now Miranda and Casey have a choice to make, but will they be willing to put aside their mistrust and give this a shot, or go their separate ways?

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2013

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About the author

Amelia Rose

101 books170 followers
I am a shameless romance addict with no intentions of ever kicking the habit. Growing up I dreamed of entertaining people and taking them on fantastical journeys with my acting abilities, until I came to the realization as a college sophomore that I had none to speak of. Another ten years would pass before I discovered a different means to accomplishing the same dream: writing stories of love and passion for addicts just like me.I have always loved romance stories and I try to tie all the elements I like about them into my writing.

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5 stars
357 (36%)
4 stars
285 (29%)
3 stars
221 (22%)
2 stars
72 (7%)
1 star
33 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
Profile Image for Rebecca.
47 reviews1 follower
January 13, 2018
Ok so I was given this book by a friend since I am interested in learning to write romance, and boy is there a lot to learn from this book. Here are my complaints:

1) There is basically no description of anything. I have no idea what anything, including the people, look like at all. I don't even know what color hair they have! The two leads are both described in pretty general terms as being good looking, but that tells me nothing.

2) Characters have little to no personality. The male lead has 5 brothers. They are basically interchangeable except ONE of them is described as being too small and sickly to work outside on the ranch. He is the best described character in the entire book.

3) There are a lot of plot threads that build to nothing and the structure of this book is a disaster. We hear hints of interesting things happen and then they resolve with no work from the main characters. For example, what you think will be the main conflict of the story is wrapped up almost entirely off screen. Other similar conflicts that seem like they should be huge plot points also fizzle out.

4) The author does not seem to have a good grasp of time and distance. Some of the timelines seem a little inconsistent and characters travel at weird rates. The ranch is huge and in the middle of nowhere, right? Well two characters walk there from wherever the nearest town is in the span of a few hours.

5) The chemistry between the characters goes from zero to let's get married. They have a bad first meeting and then after their first conversation, they're in love. Great.

6) Side characters show up and do whatever is convenient for the plot. They don't seem to have any real motivations.

7) The female lead, Miranda, is awfully comfortable having everyone tell her she is a stranger's future wife and that she is there to have lots of kids. Like, she isn't put off AT ALL? And even the male lead, Casey, who isn't originally into this idea at all also accepts this language and refers to her as his wife before they even get along. Hate it.

In summary, I do not recommend it.
Profile Image for Cheesecake.
2,800 reviews532 followers
September 27, 2016
Casey and Miranda. A nice low angst short love story.
3.5 stars
I received this for free in exchange for a fair review from Audio Boom.
Valerie Gilbert is the reader and does a fine job.

Casey's dad is getting on in years and wants grand babies. SO he puts his older son's profiles onto an online dating website. Miranda has been struggling with her abusive boyfriend and her parents death and taking in her little sister. Her sister signs her up for the same website dating service and when things become too dangerous to stay with her boyfriend, they run to Casey as much for the promise of love as of safety. Casey doesn't learn about Miranda til she and her sister are already on their way and does his best to be an unlovable asshat when they arrive. Things happen though and they decide to treat each other with respect as they gradually get to know each other.
The story had an odd feel, as though it was historical, if not for the satellite phones and emails. It's pretty PG (fade to black and without much detail) although neither is a virgin and he isn't a manho. No OW stuff and OM stuff isn't much either. Action/danger isn't OTT, but just enough to spice up the story a bit. The setting is believable so the author isn't writing off the top of her head.
I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author!
Profile Image for Lorca Damon.
Author 12 books40 followers
December 4, 2013
I LOVED this book. Sure, it's escapist, never-gonna-happen romance, but isn't that the point of reading it? If it was completely true to life, it wouldn't be a book!

The premise had me a little confused at first, because there were six brothers...so why was the dad harping on ONE of them to get married? Then it clicked...this is a series, duh. It didn't take a crystal ball to figure out that the brothers will find true love one by one.

As a self-proclaimed treehugger, I LOVED the concept that the dad runs this 800,000 acre ranch in Texas (which even for Texas seemed really, really big until I Googled it), but still runs these old fashioned cattle drives and makes his ranch hands ride horses when they're working with the herd, all because it makes for healthier, happier cows. It was an interesting way for the author to get the "old fashioned cowboy" motif in place, but again, it was just fun.

I usually like my romance with a little more...um...heat? But this book basically leaves the sexy parts to the imagination rather than throwing them out there in your face.

Fun, quick read, can't wait to see what happens to the rest of the brothers!
Profile Image for Carrie.
3,686 reviews1,714 followers
October 18, 2015
Bernard Carson lost his wife years ago and is now running his ranch with his six grown sons. Thinking that the ranch is missing a feminine touch he sets up his boys on an internet dating site with an ad to find them a wives. Miranda answers the ad to meet Casey Carson because she's in an abusive relationship and trying to get herself and her younger sister away.

I really did't care for this novella too much. It at times felt more like a historical story but then they would mention the internet or wifi etc. I can somewhat understand the boys on the ranch being raised out there alone that they may be a bit old fashioned but everything in the story just seemed a bit beyond old fashioned. I was fully expecting Miranda to come in and be a more modern character but even when she arrived she seemed to not feel quite right to me either. Just wasn't one that worked for me.

Overall, didn't enjoy the characters or romance, wouldn't really recommend it.
Profile Image for Shannon, ☺☻CFM☺☻.
73 reviews
June 24, 2014
Just finished Learning To Love Learning To Love (Carson Hill Ranch, #1) by Amelia Rose I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The h's little sister signs her up for online dating with a cowboy. And the H father signs his son up. So the sister and father decide they should leave NJ and travel to TX to marry.

The h is in a bad relationship where her boyfriend tries to rape the little sister and she beats him with a bat and runs to TX.

It has a HEA and now I am going to read the next brothers story.
Profile Image for Melissa.
1,269 reviews12 followers
January 26, 2014
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet novella. In the few short pages you live the life of a rancher that still holds the ideals of an older generation somewhat to a woman who was emotionally and physically abused. The characters were endearing and you were pulling for them from the start. WARNING: Once started you will not put it down until you have finished the entire novella. Looking forward to the next installment!!
Profile Image for Cynthia.
2,096 reviews24 followers
December 11, 2016
The author touches on abuse, getting out of it and starting over. Casey’s father is ready for his boys to settle down but none of them seem to be in a hurry. He isn’t going to live forever, he has worked so hard to make a good living on this piece of dirt he calls home. He wants grandkids why he is still young enough to enjoy them plus he wants to see he name to live on. His father decides to place an ad for a mail order bride on a dating site hoping it works out as good as it did years ago. What you end of with is one surprised groom to be and one lady that feels all alone.

I loved the humor this story brings with it and a few twists. I would have liked to have known what happen to her ex. Miranda isn’t your normal abusive women she may have been meek and mild at one time but with leaving her ex she grow a backbone. The last straw for her gave her the strength to stand tall and move her sister right out of that life style.

I have slowly but surely fell in love with this narrator she gives so much of herself to her performance with such passion and emotion. This audio isn’t one of her best performances but it is right up there at the top. The only problem I have when she does Mr. Carson voice it doesn’t flow as natural as it should. Beside that this is a top of the line audio with a powerful performance of real emotion giving the listen a totally delightful listen. You can hear the fear in her voice, along with the caring, happy and sad that comes along with life. If any breaks where taken I could not tell, there are not any background noises or any places where the audio volume changes. I enjoyed her different character voices with strong sexy male to her sassy women who won’t back down. I did not have any trouble picturing the scenes in my minds that way laid out before me by the author and narrator. This is a clear, clean audio that hooks you from the start.

Miranda thought she had been getting to know her groom to be but finds out it was his father. The son isn’t too happy about all that has been done behind his back. Having listened to book 3 first and getting to know Mr. Carson I can easily picture him doing what he did. My heart really went out to Miranda and all she has gone through. The author touches on this but doesn’t go into a lot of detail just enough to give you the true meaning of it. Her little sister plays a big role in her taking the steps she needs to walk away from the bad relationship. On meeting Casey doesn’t show his best side he thinks if he is mean maybe she will leave. His father isn’t willing to give up that easy and makes her a deal that will insure she stays at least for a little while. Slowly the story builds up it is a case of I don’t want her but I don’t want anyone else to have her. This makes for some very interesting read.

I thought this was a very cute read not one of the best of this author but very good. I think I enjoyed the audio more than reading it but still both are fun reads. I loved the baiting between the brothers and the slow build up of the relationship between these two. Once it took off there was not stopping them it moved pretty fast. The author gives you a great build up for the books to follow with some wonderful characters I can’t wait to get to know better. This was a very enjoyable list. I can’t wait to start the next one.
864 reviews7 followers
June 14, 2014
This one is real short and quick, I got it free on iTunes and it was so funny.
Bernard is in his 70's and he wants to see his sons married and with children; he married late and his wife died about 10 years ago [in the story timeline], but since his sons have no inclination to marry he decides to meddle. How does a 70 year old meddle, he creates an online profile on a dating site for his sons [don't allow your parents near a computer] so he can move things along.

Miranda is a bad relationship and her little sister Gracie decides to intervene by creating her an online profile, eventually she finds out and she continues the conversations with Casey [Bernard actually pretending to be him]; when things get really bad in her relationship, she flees with her little sister Gracie and since they had nowhere to go, so she decides to accept Casey's [Bernard] invitation to come to the ranch.

Casey is very irritated with his father's idea, especially when he is sent to pick up a city girl who he believe will be very high maintenance and annoying. Miranda and Casey butt heads immediately but after suffering an accident caused by Jack one of the two bad guys in the book and Miranda nurses him, Casey tries to stop being such a jerk. Well, after they can both store their attitudes, they eventually have sparks fly left and right.

Miranda's ex Mike comes along with thoughts of revenge for Miranda's leaving him and well, they deal with him the old west style.

The only reason this story lost points with me is that they skip a lot of details, like how where the bad guys fully dealt with, maybe a date or two for Miranda and Casey, just saying.
Profile Image for Christine .
1,161 reviews65 followers
February 12, 2016
Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars...
Wow! What do I say? I was glad for the happy ending, however, I didn't like this book too much. This book was a novella so for that reason alone I don't expect a lot of detail and backstory. But there was really not enough detail to help me connect to characters and scenery. For example, I didn't even know the H had light brown hair until 67% and THAT was all that was said about his appearance (except of course that he was gorgeous). I have no clue what the h looked like or even their ages for that matter. I know as readers we're supposed to use our imagination but I wasn't given enough to form imagery. I think if I was at least able to make better connections, visual or otherwise, I might have enjoyed this more. I'm glad this was a free download. That being said, I will read the next two in the series because I already downloaded them. (Damn I should have waited instead of buying 3 books at once). Since I'm not comfortable writing bad reviews, the next two books will be rated by stars only. Bottom line??? I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either.
Profile Image for Jo-Anne.
1,782 reviews38 followers
September 23, 2014
I loved this story! Miranda's younger sister signs her up for on-line dating and Casey's elderly father does the same for him. Miranda is in a bad relationship so when she finds her boyfriend trying to rape her little sister, she beats him with a bat and takes off for Texas to her online connection.

I was impressed the way the author wove old time ranch running with modern problems of managing a ranch. The characters were well developed and very likable. The father was pretty old to be involved with the ranch but his sons loved and admired him so did whatever it took to make him happy. Even agreeing to marry a woman he found for one of them. I had to feel sorry for Casey. He rarely left the ranch so didn't date but he was attracted to Miranda immediately and fought it. Poor guy. He could handle cows but not women.
Profile Image for Carrie Garza.
805 reviews2 followers
January 26, 2015
A little romance on the prairie. Hard to get a real good feel for when this story took place, or maybe I just can't grasp the concept of anyone being so far off the beaten path these days.

Brought to the ranch via internet dating site, the heroine wins the reluctant groom and they all live happily ever after.



This is a fairly short story, about a hundred pages. The story could/would have been more fully developed if it had been a full on novel. That is the downside. Upside is that it is a good story, very sweet. And pretty tame for those who like their romance rated G.
Profile Image for Joan.
2,209 reviews
May 8, 2019
I gave up at the end of Chapter 2. I cannot cope with stories where the facts or details don't add up.

Bernard is nearly 70. His wife died ten years ago shortly after the difficult birth of the last child to follow Seamus and Jacob

BUT we then learn that he has six very eligible sons living on the ranch. Apart from the younger twins, there were a set of older twins as well, with two single brothers in between.

So what happened to the last child? (and I spent WAY too long trying to work out ages and dates. Somehow the timeline never seemed 'right' to me.)

Anyway, the next thing is the mention of a cattle drive to Wyoming with ten thousand cattle. WTF??

The 'ranch' aspect was poorly researched and had it not bee for the mention of the internet etc I might have thought this was a historical western with a 'mail order bride' plot line.

Meh
Profile Image for Peni.
4,922 reviews1 follower
November 9, 2019
A good story overall. The characters are likeable if not relatable as well. I had a problem with feeling torn between it being a contemporary western vs. historical. I mean who takes a train then a bus to get somewhere? It is not cost effective overall and there are not many buses that go to remote areas like this one. The way the letter was worded was awkward for today. After the way Casey treated Miranda to begin with the couple's turn around was so sudden with nothing supporting the change. After the turn around, the story evened out and became more plausible.

Valerie Gilbert did fabulous job narrating.

I recieved a free Audible copy of this story in exchange for a honest review.
Profile Image for Reader_for_LifeTLG.
3,218 reviews21 followers
January 16, 2022
Good start to the series

I really enjoyed Casey and Miranda's story. He wasn't thrilled about his dad's meddling and didn't hide it. He was quite the lout at times. She couldn't believe the online sweet-talker was a wily old man. Basically, she was catfished! But what a great story to tell their kids. A sweetly romantic story with enough Wild West drama to keep the pages turning, though the editing could have been better.

And I love the hogtie scene with Miranda's ex. I wish she had had a bat at the ready though. Down and out and still flapping his gums. Casey should have at least popped him one.
143 reviews1 follower
July 5, 2026
Learning to Love Teaches Great Lessons

New Jersey woman Miranda was a dutiful big sister to her younger sister Gracie, and a punching bag for her cruel boyfriend Mike. When Miranda catches Mike trying to sexually assault her younger sister, she beats him with a bat, then hides out with Gracie. Upon discovering that Gracie had put a profile on a dating site for cowboys, Miranda begins to correspond with one of the cowboys, then decides to go to Texas to meet him, with Gracie in tow.
What happens after that will amuse you as well as touch you deeply. Will Miranda get her happily ever after? Read this book to find out!
747 reviews4 followers
May 8, 2017
What happens when your younger sister signs you up for cowboy dating site without your knowledge. Then something happens in New Jersey that forces you to flee with your sister and end up on a ranch with a husband to be you've never met, who doesn't want you. His father signed you up on the same site as your prospective bride. What happens when the man you fled in Jersey traced you through a credit card purchase of a train/bus ticket and shows up, but you were warned he was in town and all the cowboys on the ranch take him down??

































Profile Image for Kimberly Howe.
1,275 reviews37 followers
November 17, 2019
I really liked the start to this series!! Casey did come as an ass at first but who wouldn’t when your dad did that to you! Miranda had to have a lot of courage to one cross the country to start fresh in a new place and two to stick out with Casey being such a jerk. It was hilarious when they first met and he made her sit in the back. I thought she was going to punch him right there. The dad was so awesome! I just loved him! I am looking forward to seeing how each of the brothers get paired up and who Bernard pairs them up with.
Profile Image for James a Schmidt.
305 reviews2 followers
May 21, 2020
Learning to Love(Carson Hill Ranch Book)a good book

I must admit ,this book started off a little slow but finally picked up and turned out to be a good book.
A modern day mail order bride by email meets one of several sons the father is determined to marry off! At first she didn’t realize the son had no idea what the father was up to,but soon,after looking at her beauty and her grace,he was all twitterpated as well!
So do yourself a favor and read this book,I think you’ll like it as I did.
Profile Image for Veronica (Honey Roselea Reads).
797 reviews209 followers
December 9, 2020
What did I just read?

When I first got this, it was free on Amazon so I thought I’d take the plunge and get it. I never expected it to be this bad. The plot was absolutely wack and when it was starting to get interesting either the situation in the middle, it died out too fast. That plot point could have made this book so much interesting. Instead what happened throughout the book ultimately made it worst.
Profile Image for Rose Baker.
435 reviews2 followers
October 5, 2021
Not at all what I expected

The blurb for this book made it sound like a modern romance, but the characters talked like they were from the 1800's. The father referred to his sons as "my sons" when he was talking to them when most fathers would say "my boys". It was also hard to read because it rambled and jumped around. One minute the scene is set on the ranch and the next was outside the local whorehouse. Nor a good read. Will not read this author again.
Author 23 books18 followers
October 7, 2021
The writing style is sophomoric, the characters were cardboard cut outs, there is zero passion and absolutely nothing happens in the bedroom. Most of the characters are interchangeable and only pop in when needed to move the plot along. The blurb sounds much better than the book, but for the most part, I blame the amateurish writing style and not the plot for it being a boring and stilted read. I will not be reading anymore by this author.
Profile Image for Ferbooks.
1,786 reviews13 followers
June 14, 2022
A good series starter.

This story is my first read from this author. I have recently started reading Cowboy story and liking them. This first book is good, there are surprises, suspense, danger and of course romance. What's not to love?
I love my sex scenes steamy and this is missing, but that is my preference, it still an enjoyable read and I recommend it.

I received audio copies of books 2 to 12 free and I am going to enjoy listening to them all.
401 reviews2 followers
October 12, 2021
Sweet Story but…

I felt like I was reading the Cliff Notes on this book. The original premise was interesting and there were several unexpected twists which could have made for a good story. Unfortunately, every time an interesting bit began it was resolved so quickly it had very little impact on the story.
Profile Image for Stacey.
110 reviews
February 13, 2024
With more substance I would have given this a higher rating. I feel everything happened so fast. Stranger's to married in a month. In this same month a few prostitutes were saved a murder happened and the case was solved. This would have been an amazing read as a 300-400 page book with more depth.
Profile Image for Katheryn Bargas.
415 reviews
January 1, 2026
Excellent!

This was a really great Book! I enjoyed Casey falling Hard for Miranda. He was the epitome of Cowboy through and through!
He just knew his Dads idea of an email order bride was a crazy one!
It turned out to be the best thing in his life!Crazy chemistry, drama, suspense and HEA!
Profile Image for Diane West.
430 reviews1 follower
January 9, 2018
Learning To Love(Contemporary Cowboy Romance)

A sweet and heart warning book,it show what length a sister will go to to protect her younger sister and in the process find love for herself, PS I was happy the ex boyfriend got his from the cowhands.
Profile Image for Amy.
305 reviews1 follower
February 5, 2018
This book reads like it was intended to be set in the old west, but then takes a contemporary turn. Not like a time travel book; like the author changed her mind a few chapters in. Slow start and never really gains momentum.
Profile Image for Nicole.
2,983 reviews11 followers
February 15, 2019
Lost my faith in the book when the male protagonist acted poorly to the arrival of the deputy sheriff . Why should he be surprised when she had already told him about bashing her ex with a bat after he had tried to rape her sister.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews