The Rancher and the Bad Girl

by Kira Barcelo

Like any other mail order bride, Melanie Cranford is looking for a new life and adventure, hoping to find it with rancher Reeve Larson. She didn't expect the cowboy to be so good-looking--or so strict! Reeve is pleasantly surprised to find he got more than he bargained for with Melanie, though she's a beautiful woman who's often in need of being taken in hand.
But Reeve doesn't know that Melanie is harboring a secret about her past, one that threatens to shatter the life they are building together in that frontier Montana town. Further complicating matters is Melanie's proud older sister, Olivia, and the brooding, tough guy cattle rustler detective, Forest, who's smitten by her.


Will Reeve find out the truth about his bride and send her back East, or will he see her as she sees him--through the eyes of love?

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2014

Reviews

[Scarlet Fanning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melanie Cranford is tryng to escape her life back East by becoming a mail-order bride to a rancher in Montana. She decides to color her past by only telling the part where she came from a successful, wealthy family. She omits where her father ran through the money, then after his death, her step-mother sold her and her sister to a pimp in Maryland. They were 12 and 8 years old.

Reeve Larson was a child from the orphan train who worked hard to build his own ranch. Now, he is ready to find a lady to run his home and have his children. Once Melanie and Reeve met face to face the attraction is strong. Yet Reeve feels Melanie is keeping something from him.

Her sister Olivia arrives in a month, planning to find a rancher for herself. Olivia is 30 and Melanie has told everyone she is a schoolteacher. The town is building a school, and Reeve offers Olivia to teach.

Can Melanie hold her lies together? Are the nightmares becoming real?

A story you can't put down. Love and spanking.

[Mike J · Rating 2 out of 5]

A typical woman with a secret past hooks up with a stern man who takes her in hand. Nothing special but if you like spanking romance stories it is worth reading once.

[Marybeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melanie does not start her new life as a mail order bride very well. She lies to Reeve before she even sees him as to how old she is. She makes herself younger to seem more eligible. Reeve doesn’t like lies, so she is spanked. But, Melanie has another secret that is going to get her into trouble with Reeve. There is immediate attraction between Reeve and Melanie. Reeve spanks when he feels that she has made a poor decision. Now, eventually Melanie’s sister, Olivia, comes into town as well. She immediately picks the wrong person to be defiant to, so Olivia gets spanked on the back of the horse all the way to the ranch. I really enjoyed this book. It was a longer length and they had a different kind of main female character. Also, Melanie was friends with the prostitutes in town. Totally unrealistic, but very nice to imagine. There is a HEA and even an Epilogue. 5 stars

[Kathy Heare Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melanie Cranford becomes a mail order bride to escape the life forced upon after losing both parents and her stepmother placing her and her sister in a Bordello when they are just little girls. Then they are sold to a cruel man. Reeve Larson answered an ad for a mail order bride and sent the ticket to bring Melanie to Montana. He treats her like a lady, but he won't put up with lying. He also believes in correction by spanking. Melanie wind up over his lap multiple times. Cattle rustling has been going on at the Larson ranch and he hires Forest Parrish who has a reputation for dealing with such. Melanie's sister, Olivia, comes to visit and has a run in with Forest. He is also a man who believes in taking a woman in hand. This is a fun western, with feisty women and men who know how to use domestic discipline to keep them in line.

[Windsong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

Melanie has a secret...several secrets and being a mail order bride doesn't keep them from her new husband, Reeve, nor does it save her bottom from his discipline. Eventually she will learn...Eventually.