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Men of Raintree Ranch #2
The Rancher's Wife
COME HOME, COWGIRL
Logan Slade is bringing his wife home for the holidays—but can he convince her to stay for good? Despite a four-year separation and a devastating loss, the Georgia rancher refuses to give up on their marriage…even if he has been served divorce papers.
Amy misses Raintree Ranch and her beloved horses almost as much as she misses the man who was her best friend before he was anything else. But she's no longer a wild rebel determined to get her man at any cost. To win her back, the honor-bound cowboy will have to let go of the past and open his heart to a real future.
Logan Slade is bringing his wife home for the holidays—but can he convince her to stay for good? Despite a four-year separation and a devastating loss, the Georgia rancher refuses to give up on their marriage…even if he has been served divorce papers.
Amy misses Raintree Ranch and her beloved horses almost as much as she misses the man who was her best friend before he was anything else. But she's no longer a wild rebel determined to get her man at any cost. To win her back, the honor-bound cowboy will have to let go of the past and open his heart to a real future.
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 22, 2016
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324 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 29, 2018
This book is about Logan Slade, brother of Dominic Slade the hero of the previous book --the first one in the series Twins for the Bullrider-- and Amy, the wife from whom he's estranged for four years.
Amy had been eight and Logan twelve when her widowed mother, Betty took up the position as head chef at Logan's guest ranch, Raintree. Amy, Logan & Dominic grew up together and had been best friends. Amy & Dom shared a wild streak & got into trouble many a times. They treated each other as brother-sister. With Logan, she fell hard for him as she grew up & wanted marriage & family with him which is why she pushed for more than friendship with him, but Logan wanted her to know life outside of the ranch.
But, at her nineteenth birthday, unable to control his lust anymore, he succumbed to her seduction. Within few months she got pregnant & they immediately got married. Unfortunately, their baby was stillborn and the complications of a pregnancy had almost taken Amy's life. She was told she'd probably never be able to get pregnant again, which was proved in the barren months that followed.
Amy had purposefully lied and gotten pregnant knowing Logan's honor would demand he marry her, which is exactly what he did although he was angry at her betrayal. She felt guilty for stealing his freedom from him because she knew Logan had never loved her as she'd loved him and wouldn't have married her if she hadn't gotten pregnant.
Seized by guilt & depression she decides to go live at the city for a while. Logan too, thinking it would help her get out of her depression agrees. He was internally blaming himself for not keeping his lust in control and feels Amy almost died bec of his irresponsibility. Amy took up a job in the city and only went back to the ranch on the rare occasion she visited her mother and so the chasm between the two kept widening.
Now four years later Amy is supposed to go to the ranch for Thanksgiving and seeing how her mother was worried about her driving in bad weather, Logan promises to go fetch her. He also wants to see her about the divorce papers he'd recently received from her. When they meet, she tells him she's accepted a job in Michigan & they should bring closure to their marriage. Logan is upset that she's going so far away. He doesn't sign the paper & wants to see how things are between them for the few days she'd be on the ranch before she relocates.
At the ranch she finds out her favorite stallion Thunder had been in an accident and fear and anxiety had turned him wild. No matter what Logan did he was uncontrollable & had become a danger to himself and to everyone around him which was why Logan was contemplating putting the horse down, but Amy couldn't bear it. She somehow finds herself taking the responsibility of helping Thunder heal and with this decision she finds she has to deal with her feelings for her husband, whom she never stopped loving and who still wants her as his wife, offering her his loyalty, fidelity & protection but not love because he doesn't believe the kind of love she's seeking exists.
Logan's stopped believing in love since the age of ten when he saw his dad crumbling into a weak heap as Logan's mother drove away for good leaving them for another man and richer life. For a while thereafter his dad was not in a good place & Logan decided then that he'll never let any woman get that close to him. Amy made him weak & vulnerable, but he was too pig-headed to acknowledge it as love. And, Amy didn't want him to be bound to her because of her teenage lie. So they were at a stalemate. And, that was my only peeve with them. With him it was all about honour & wouldn't tell her he loved her even though he knew it was important to her and she didn't see anything past her guilt throughout the book, not the fact that he, like her, had been celibate and didn't date anyone else. And, as they dealt with Thunder and the two rambunctious twin boys --nephews of Dom's wife, Cissy, whom they adopted as their own-- and the pain over the loss of their daughter seeing Cissy heavly pregnant with twin girls they regain their lost friendship and fall back to being husband and wife despite the stalemate being on.
Then, Amy gets pregnant, knowing Logan would want them to remain married because of the baby, she wants to leave. So, they go through another pain of separation before Logan realizes he loves Amy.
Loved all the characters of the books some from the previous book. The twin terrors like in the previous book were as adorable and even more mischievous. They take to Amy instantly. Loved their banter with Amy's teenage sister, Traci, who also lives on the ranch. It was amusing how they could never say bonafide cowboy no matter how hard Traci tried with them & ended up saying bone a fine cowboy. I loved that scene when they discover Logan & Amy fast asleep in each other's arms in the barn & think they're dead and also the one where to everyone's astonishment they douse the fireplace with a pail of water and couldn't help laugh at the hilarious reasoning behind it. Loved the sweet epilogue in the end.
Overall, like the first book in the series, it was a fun as well as emotional book. Readers who love small town, cowboy and family oriented books like me will enjoy it. I'm also glad to have discovered April Arrington. She writes the kind of heartwarming cowboy books I like.
Amy had been eight and Logan twelve when her widowed mother, Betty took up the position as head chef at Logan's guest ranch, Raintree. Amy, Logan & Dominic grew up together and had been best friends. Amy & Dom shared a wild streak & got into trouble many a times. They treated each other as brother-sister. With Logan, she fell hard for him as she grew up & wanted marriage & family with him which is why she pushed for more than friendship with him, but Logan wanted her to know life outside of the ranch.
But, at her nineteenth birthday, unable to control his lust anymore, he succumbed to her seduction. Within few months she got pregnant & they immediately got married. Unfortunately, their baby was stillborn and the complications of a pregnancy had almost taken Amy's life. She was told she'd probably never be able to get pregnant again, which was proved in the barren months that followed.
Amy had purposefully lied and gotten pregnant knowing Logan's honor would demand he marry her, which is exactly what he did although he was angry at her betrayal. She felt guilty for stealing his freedom from him because she knew Logan had never loved her as she'd loved him and wouldn't have married her if she hadn't gotten pregnant.
Seized by guilt & depression she decides to go live at the city for a while. Logan too, thinking it would help her get out of her depression agrees. He was internally blaming himself for not keeping his lust in control and feels Amy almost died bec of his irresponsibility. Amy took up a job in the city and only went back to the ranch on the rare occasion she visited her mother and so the chasm between the two kept widening.
Now four years later Amy is supposed to go to the ranch for Thanksgiving and seeing how her mother was worried about her driving in bad weather, Logan promises to go fetch her. He also wants to see her about the divorce papers he'd recently received from her. When they meet, she tells him she's accepted a job in Michigan & they should bring closure to their marriage. Logan is upset that she's going so far away. He doesn't sign the paper & wants to see how things are between them for the few days she'd be on the ranch before she relocates.
At the ranch she finds out her favorite stallion Thunder had been in an accident and fear and anxiety had turned him wild. No matter what Logan did he was uncontrollable & had become a danger to himself and to everyone around him which was why Logan was contemplating putting the horse down, but Amy couldn't bear it. She somehow finds herself taking the responsibility of helping Thunder heal and with this decision she finds she has to deal with her feelings for her husband, whom she never stopped loving and who still wants her as his wife, offering her his loyalty, fidelity & protection but not love because he doesn't believe the kind of love she's seeking exists.
Logan's stopped believing in love since the age of ten when he saw his dad crumbling into a weak heap as Logan's mother drove away for good leaving them for another man and richer life. For a while thereafter his dad was not in a good place & Logan decided then that he'll never let any woman get that close to him. Amy made him weak & vulnerable, but he was too pig-headed to acknowledge it as love. And, Amy didn't want him to be bound to her because of her teenage lie. So they were at a stalemate. And, that was my only peeve with them. With him it was all about honour & wouldn't tell her he loved her even though he knew it was important to her and she didn't see anything past her guilt throughout the book, not the fact that he, like her, had been celibate and didn't date anyone else. And, as they dealt with Thunder and the two rambunctious twin boys --nephews of Dom's wife, Cissy, whom they adopted as their own-- and the pain over the loss of their daughter seeing Cissy heavly pregnant with twin girls they regain their lost friendship and fall back to being husband and wife despite the stalemate being on.
Then, Amy gets pregnant, knowing Logan would want them to remain married because of the baby, she wants to leave. So, they go through another pain of separation before Logan realizes he loves Amy.
Loved all the characters of the books some from the previous book. The twin terrors like in the previous book were as adorable and even more mischievous. They take to Amy instantly. Loved their banter with Amy's teenage sister, Traci, who also lives on the ranch. It was amusing how they could never say bonafide cowboy no matter how hard Traci tried with them & ended up saying bone a fine cowboy. I loved that scene when they discover Logan & Amy fast asleep in each other's arms in the barn & think they're dead and also the one where to everyone's astonishment they douse the fireplace with a pail of water and couldn't help laugh at the hilarious reasoning behind it. Loved the sweet epilogue in the end.
Overall, like the first book in the series, it was a fun as well as emotional book. Readers who love small town, cowboy and family oriented books like me will enjoy it. I'm also glad to have discovered April Arrington. She writes the kind of heartwarming cowboy books I like.
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November 24, 2016DNF at 42%
Neither the romance nor the horsey bits are working for me. Amy hasn't seemed to have matured much during her four years away, and Logan has a terrible inability of just saying what he means, leading to a bunch of needless conflict. And the whole horse was gravely injured after being hit by a truck sub-plot - it didn't work for me in The Horse Whisperer. It's not working for me here.
Neither the romance nor the horsey bits are working for me. Amy hasn't seemed to have matured much during her four years away, and Logan has a terrible inability of just saying what he means, leading to a bunch of needless conflict. And the whole horse was gravely injured after being hit by a truck sub-plot - it didn't work for me in The Horse Whisperer. It's not working for me here.
September 9, 2016
This book pulled at my heartstrings in the best way.
Logan and Amy's relationship fell apart after a devastating event in their life. When she serves him with divorce papers, Logan's determined to bring Amy back to Raintree Ranch, to her family and the life she loves.
I love Logan. He feels real to me. He's in touch with his emotions but can't quite make himself follow his heart. Amy is ruled by guilt from her past and can't see her worth. Both still struggle with events they've gone through as a couple.
But don't be fooled. Besides the emotional aspects of the story, this book has plenty of fun-- including swoony romance, family holiday drama, stubborn horses, and a cast of characters that will make you smile (topped with a set of wicked twin boys and a surly teenager).
April Arrington is one of my favorite romance writers. Her words flow beautifully and I find myself engrossed in her characters and setting. THE RANCHER'S WIFE and TWINS FOR THE BULL RIDER are a must read for any lover of small town, American cowboy romance.
Logan and Amy's relationship fell apart after a devastating event in their life. When she serves him with divorce papers, Logan's determined to bring Amy back to Raintree Ranch, to her family and the life she loves.
I love Logan. He feels real to me. He's in touch with his emotions but can't quite make himself follow his heart. Amy is ruled by guilt from her past and can't see her worth. Both still struggle with events they've gone through as a couple.
But don't be fooled. Besides the emotional aspects of the story, this book has plenty of fun-- including swoony romance, family holiday drama, stubborn horses, and a cast of characters that will make you smile (topped with a set of wicked twin boys and a surly teenager).
April Arrington is one of my favorite romance writers. Her words flow beautifully and I find myself engrossed in her characters and setting. THE RANCHER'S WIFE and TWINS FOR THE BULL RIDER are a must read for any lover of small town, American cowboy romance.
October 26, 2016
She did it again. April's first book I savored and took my time with it, because it was packed with punch and detail and I just wanted to go slow with it. I actually didn't want it to end honestly. When I got this one, I quickly finished the first one and was willing to let go. But then I started reading this one and I finished it in two days. I couldn't help it. I knew the other characters well and I kept wanting to see what would happen next.
April's writing is amazing. She makes you feel the characters inside and out. If you love emotion and a good read, get her books. You really won't be sorry.
April's writing is amazing. She makes you feel the characters inside and out. If you love emotion and a good read, get her books. You really won't be sorry.
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October 12, 2016"April Arrington has become one of my fave authors from twins for the bull rider to this book I loved reading all about the slade brothers love story. Highly recommend" (5 starred review @ Harlequin.com). HERE> http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.ht...
Miniseries: Men of Raintree Ranch
Miniseries: Men of Raintree Ranch
August 11, 2017
This was my first read from April Arrington and she has now become my favorite romance writer! Why? Because I LOVE books that don't have OM/OW trope! I don't even care that the romance/chemistry between the couple was lukewarm & confusing!
Logan & Amy grew up on his family ranch and were childhood best friends. She fell in love with him and when she was 18 she seduced him into sleeping with her and then lied to him that she was protected when she was not so that she could get pregnant and they could get married. She gets pregnant of course and out of obligation, Logan proposes and they get married, however, their baby girl is stillborn and dies and both are heartbroken - especially when they find out she may not be able to get pregnant again.
So they separate for four long years and they are both dealing with feelings of guilt & hurt for past mistakes. In all the time they are separated, they both stay true to one another. That is a rarity in fictional romances that I enjoyed so much which was easy then to overlook the fact that the chemistry & "love" between the couple was a bit more of a BF type then a romantic one of "can't- keep-my-hands-of-you" type. Logan even states at one point that he regretted starting a sexual relationship with Amy as he would have preferred that they had remained friends and for her to turn her attentions to his brother!
All in all though, it was truly a sweet read and I absolutely fell in love with the twin boys! I want me some little cowpokes right now!
Logan & Amy grew up on his family ranch and were childhood best friends. She fell in love with him and when she was 18 she seduced him into sleeping with her and then lied to him that she was protected when she was not so that she could get pregnant and they could get married. She gets pregnant of course and out of obligation, Logan proposes and they get married, however, their baby girl is stillborn and dies and both are heartbroken - especially when they find out she may not be able to get pregnant again.
So they separate for four long years and they are both dealing with feelings of guilt & hurt for past mistakes. In all the time they are separated, they both stay true to one another. That is a rarity in fictional romances that I enjoyed so much which was easy then to overlook the fact that the chemistry & "love" between the couple was a bit more of a BF type then a romantic one of "can't- keep-my-hands-of-you" type. Logan even states at one point that he regretted starting a sexual relationship with Amy as he would have preferred that they had remained friends and for her to turn her attentions to his brother!
All in all though, it was truly a sweet read and I absolutely fell in love with the twin boys! I want me some little cowpokes right now!
September 12, 2016
I received The Rancher's Wife as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
Logan Slade sets out to bring his estranged wife Amy home for the holidays. Their young marriage was borne out of lies and manipulation and torn about by an incredible loss. Now, four years later, Amy returns to their childhood home, Raintree Ranch, on the brink of starting a new life for herself. Logan, however, will try everything in his power to get her to stay.
I guess I wasn't understanding their relationship. They made it clear over and over again that Amy manipulated Logan into sleeping with her and got pregnant on purpose, and that he married her out of a sense of obligation. Throughout the book, they stick to this story and his reasoning doesn't seem to evolve much beyond "you're my wife and I have a duty to you." While clearly fond of her, I didn't get the sense that he loved her in a romantic sense. Basically, the author told instead of showed. And when the romance doesn't deliver in a romance novel, it's not the most compelling read. The twins are also annoyingly precocious. That said, it's a serviceable if unremarkable romance novel, one that fans of contemporary westerns might enjoy if for the descriptions of place.
Logan Slade sets out to bring his estranged wife Amy home for the holidays. Their young marriage was borne out of lies and manipulation and torn about by an incredible loss. Now, four years later, Amy returns to their childhood home, Raintree Ranch, on the brink of starting a new life for herself. Logan, however, will try everything in his power to get her to stay.
I guess I wasn't understanding their relationship. They made it clear over and over again that Amy manipulated Logan into sleeping with her and got pregnant on purpose, and that he married her out of a sense of obligation. Throughout the book, they stick to this story and his reasoning doesn't seem to evolve much beyond "you're my wife and I have a duty to you." While clearly fond of her, I didn't get the sense that he loved her in a romantic sense. Basically, the author told instead of showed. And when the romance doesn't deliver in a romance novel, it's not the most compelling read. The twins are also annoyingly precocious. That said, it's a serviceable if unremarkable romance novel, one that fans of contemporary westerns might enjoy if for the descriptions of place.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews