One Last Sunset

The Long Ranch #1

by Michel Prince

Sunshine Parker didn’t walk away from Tender Root, he ran. Joining the rodeo let his body be beaten by broncos for money, instead of his father for free. After an injury forces him to return to his hometown, he heads to the Long Ranch, the one place that's always accepted him.

Melody Long is Long Ranch’s first cowgirl in a hundred years. With brothers and cousins always looming in the background, Melody had given up on dating long ago. Now back from college, she uncovers something even the Long name can’t protect her from.

Men who want to survive keep Melody at arms length. But Melody isn’t the bookworm Sunshine remembers growing up, and it’s hard to hide his new found lust. Will his desire cost him the only place he’s ever considered home?

Genres: Contemporary Romance

262 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2015

About the author

Michel Prince is an author who graduated with a bachelor degree in History and Political Science. Michel writes young adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.

With characters yelling "It's my turn damn it!!!" She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.

When Michel can suppress the voices in her head she can be found at a scouting event or cheering for her son in a variety of sports. She would like to thank her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.

Michel is a member of RWA Pro and Midwest Fiction Writers. In 2013 she was awarded Elite Status with Rebel Ink Press. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, and cat.

Reviews

[John W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE LAST SUNSET is a story dealing with relationships, family, romance and tradition. For more than one hundred years the Long Family have worked the range in Tender Root, NM. Michel Prince introduces her female protagonist, Melody Long, the youngest member the Long family. Prince gives her readers Melody’s backstory, helping her readers see Melody’s point of view working to find her niche in the family business. Readers, inside Melody’s head, come to understand her need to win acceptance from her family regarding her life choices not just her career as a veterinarian in Tender Root, but her need to have the freedom to develop a romantic relationship.

Melody’s family still sees her as their nerdy young relative still in high school. Now the family has to accept she grown up to be a young, headstrong, professional woman. Prince introduces her male protagonist, Sunshine Parker, providing readers with his history at the Long’s Ranch. She shows Sunshine needing to recover for a rodeo injury returning to TenderFoot, Texas, hoping to find work. The author shares the backstories of key support characters and their roles in the story as the story progresses. Prince describes Melody’s efforts to convince her family that she can take care of herself. The author helps readers understand Melody’s frustration with her family’s overprotective attitude. Even though they accept Sunshine as a trustworthy worker, Sunshine is sure they wouldn’t approve of him developing a relationship with Melody.

Prince’s ONE LAST SUNSET plot takes twists and turns as events unfold. The author subplots keep her storyline moving forward. She creates issues involving Melody’s testing for land and water contamination and the issue of Melody’s cousin JT’s secret. The author keeps her readers guessing regarding how each event will unfold. Prince gives her readers adventure, mystery, and willing participants, all the elements of a good romance story. ONE LAST SUNSET is a good read earning a 5-star ranking.

[Wynonna White · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great story of love danger and a little mystery. Could have used a little more back story on who was who but overall good read.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about a prominent African-American Family in New Mexico in the business of cattles and land (akin to the Ewings of Dallas) for the past 150 years. This is a Family Saga and I don't like Family Sagas where family members are all up in the business of a 26 year old woman. There are gaps in the story where situations happen -- we aren't shown, we're told it happened -- after the fact.

The background story of the heroine's cousin played in the background when he actually should have had his own book. Her cousin was keeping a major secret from the rest of the family, but we never find out how the confrontation played out and there would have definitely been a BIG family confrontation. Also, I didn't like the HFN ending or the mystery that didn't conclude at the end of the book. This mystery plays across (in the background) three additional books involving the remaining single Long Family brothers finding love.

This story ends at 88 percent.
A Chapter One preview of Book 2: The Last One to Know is included.

[Cassie Brooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Last Sunset (book 1 The Long Ranch Series) By Michel Prince
I received an ARC for an honest review

This is a quick read and I give it 5 stars.

I liked that there were cowboys and rodeos which I have never been too but the family aspect really grabs me.

Sunny gets hurt at a rodeo and heads home to heal. While there, he stays with his mom and drunk dad but also goes to the bar. Saying hello to the owner who knows him and he just wants to play pool.

He sees a beautiful bottom that belongs to a lady who is getting called ugly names, when the guys try to take her outside in steps Sunshine aka Sunny to help rescue Melody. After realizing who it is they talk and he sees if there is any work on her family ranch.

Well after a drunk father demands money, Sunny starts to make planters for one of the Longs and then fixes up a cabin.

Before all this the chemistry between Melody and Sunny is super charged and they can’t keep there hands off each other, not in the cabin, the truck or anywhere else for that matter. They make a trip to Minnesota to deliver JT his 2 horses and there is where crap hits the fan! It’s great when I read that part in the book, men always protecting the woman in family no matter what.

Well Melody goes right back to work and to figure out why animals are not reproducing and is caught in a bunch of things that lead to people hitting people with tools and trying to kill people for rights to a land and a gas company drilling.

The book ends a lot differently than I expected it too which I was ok with the ending but I think there should have been more, a fight with the father about Sunny dating her plus he never asked for permission and I think that is a key part! I think this may have improved the book a little more.

I liked the book overall and the family aspect of it also made me want more family time. I like when a family stands together no matter what craziness comes about, it just grabs me and pulls me in and give it 5 stars, I recommend this to anyone who loves cowboys.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Last Sunset by Michel Prince is a nice read. It’s kind of a cornucopia of different tropes; the brother’s best friend, the mysterious bad guy or guys, damaged hero, and the whole she’s always been in love with him but she was the daughter of his boss so he stayed away. However, they are executed fairly well and don’t go too far into the unbelievable drama realm. It’s got some steam to it too.

My only issue with it is the writing is rough in places, especially the transitions. Several times I had to go back and figure out how we got from point A to point B because there was no physical break in the story or an indicator in the writing that we were moving on. It made it slightly confusing and frustrating at times and threw me out of the story. I still would say if you’re looking for a nice, small amounts of angst and mystery type story this is one to choose.

*I was provided an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with Sunny when he stood up to a mother for being mean to her children. Taking on several knife-wielding thugs to protect his love interest was total icing. Sunny grew up in a trailer park with an abusive father and complacent mother. His best friend happened to be a member of the most influential family in town as did Mel. Mel tried to forget Sunny and Sunny tried to remain in denial and then tried to respect his brothers from another mother and forget Mel. They men appeared to run the business but the women ruled the roost. I love strong women and men who respect them. This book had both. Family and love are the most important things and it took center stage.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Sunshine Parker injures himself at a rodeo, he goes back home unsure of what his future holds. When he defends a childhood friends cousin, Smelly Mellie in a bar, he quickly realizes how this young kid has turned into a beautiful woman.
When Melody sees her childhood crush, all feelings come rushing back after trying to tamper them down for years.
As Sunshine works on Melodys family ranch, their relationship grows and this story blooms into a beautiful romance with a bit of suspense.
It has been a long while since I have read a Cowboy romance and this one was great! A must read.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was the first book ive read by this author. i really liked sunny and i sometimes liked melody and sometimes didnt. sunny comes home to heal up and is meet with a grownup version of melody at the bar. they play well together and my heart breaks for sunny cause his dad is a mess and his [ppor mom takes it. sunny doesnt do right by melody but it all works out. wish there was a little bit more conflict and a little bit more heat but ok overall

[Romance Novels in Color · Rating 3 out of 5]

 

One Last Sunset is a contemporary country romance.   It begins with an exciting rodeo scene.  The cowboy hero, Sunny is seriously injured after being bucked off a bull.   His injuries force him off the rodeo scene and back home to Tender Root.  Sunny is broke and broken, but his integrity is intact.  Sunny is the typical cowboy gentleman.  
Sunny had left Tender Root at an early age to escape his alcoholic abusive father and the poor “trailer park life” his grew up in.  The only good memories come from his relationship with the Long family—especially his childhood rush, Melody.  Sunny is good friends with Melody’s brothers, who are her fierce protectors. 

Melody Long comes from a wealthy African-American family that settled in Tender Root after the Civil War.  Melody is not a typical country princess; she is a driven veterinarian who isn’t afraid to get dirty on her ranch.   The Long Ranch is a major employer of the Tender Root.

Sparks fly when Sunny sees Melody at the local bar.  He can’t believe that his childhood friend is now a sexy woman.  However, there are several problems.  Sunny is financially broke, best friends with her brothers, and his alcoholic father was recently fired from the Long Ranch and bitter about it.   

Melody tries her best to fight her attraction to Sunny, but it doesn’t work and the two become secret lovers.  Sunny gets a job at the Long Ranch helping with the horses.  The two solve a mystery involving sick animals on the ranch.   Sunny is leery of coming out as lovers to the community because he is poor and has nothing to offer Melody, a rich  girl from a respectable family.  Both of them are scared of what her brothers and father will do.  

Overall, I enjoyed the country themes in the book; however, some aspects were bothersome.  For instance, the kooky grandma described the dog humping the table.  Why?  If I didn’t have to review this book, I may have stopped right there.   I don’t understand the purpose of needless characters that bring nothing to the story.   The grandmother was the one unnecessary character either.   There were a few grammatical errors here and there.  Some parts of the book skipped around.  I didn’t understand the ending.  However, I enjoyed the bar fighting, rodeo action, and sex scenes.


 ~Reviewed by Pamela

 
 This review was originally posted on Romance Novels in Color

[Leah Keys · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in the Long Ranch Series introduces the Long family, a prominent black family who own and operate a ranch. (Yes, black cowboys!!) Melody Long is trying to make a career for herself while finding her place on the ranch. Her mom just wants her to find a husband, dad just wants her to be happy and her brothers just want her to stay single and untouched. When old ranch hand, Sunshine (Sunny) Parker comes back home to heal from the rodeo circuit he discovers a much grown up version of Melody that has his heart racing and his d*ck hard. Sunny struggles with his growing feelings for Melody while trying to respect the family that treats him better than his own. One Last Sunset is a well written story by the awesome Michel Prince that left me wanting to learn more about the rest of the Long family.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from Goodreads hoping I would review it.