McKettrick's Luck

McKettricks #6

by Linda Lael Miller

A classic tale of a new generation of cowboys staking claims to their land-and the women they love…Like his celebrated ancestors, who tamed the wilds of Arizona, Jesse McKettrick's Indian Rock ties run deep. The Triple M Ranch is in his blood, along with the thrill of risk. But with his land at stake, this world-class poker player won't be dealt into Cheyenne Bridges's gamble-despite the temptation she brings.Cheyenne grew up in Indian Rock and left its painful memories behind to become a self-made woman. Now her job is to convince Jesse to sell his property. Jesse's not the kind of man Cheyenne could ever forget, but he's too wild and dangerous for a woman committed to playing it safe. Yet sparks of attraction fly, tempting Cheyenne to lay it all on the line for the passion she sees in Jesse's eyes.

Genres: Romance, Westerns, Contemporary Romance, Western Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Historical Romance

381 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2007

About the author

The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a spacious property outside Spokane.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.

Reviews

[Miss Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Linda Lael Miller book, and I was pleasantly surprised. Cheyenne has come back to her home town on a mission to get Jesse McKettrick to sell a portion of his land to develop condos. He is against it, but is attracted to her. How they try to work with their attraction, and also make a deal makes for a nice romance. I love Jesse McKettrick. How could you not? It took me a while to warm up to Cheyenne, though. She's quite uptight and snappish most of the time. I'm always happy to find a new author, especially with hot cowboys in the series!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great romance!

[Alicia (AtlantiaReads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

“McKettrick’s Luck”, is the first in one of Linda Lael Miller’s series about the continuation of the McKettrick family. I haven’t read the previous books, and you don’t need to read the previous books. I mean there is really nothing that continues from those books into this book.

This was my first Linda Lael Miller book, and to be honest I didn’t really see what everyone likes so much about her books. I mean there is a possibility that it was just over exaggerated, but I still didn’t feel that usual connection I get when I read some of my favorite authors. I do plan to read more of Linda Lael Miller’s books, because I can recognize that I maybe just didn’t like this particular book.

It starts out with Cheyenne coming back to her childhood town of Indian Rock, where she plans to buy part of the McKettricks land. She brings her mother and her younger disabled brother with her. Jesse is the gambler; he is also the wild boy in the family. He doesn’t see the point in getting a job, because he makes so much money playing poker. “McKettrick’s Luck” was pretty much just sex, lies, and then comes love. In that order, and with very little character development.

This book was kind of slow, and it seemed like the author didn’t feel much of a connection to the characters. I couldn’t feel the passion that I usually feel when reading a romance book, the passion that is there when the author truly enjoys writing the book. I did like the relationship between Cheyenne and her mother, and the relationship between Jesse and Mitch. But that was pretty much it.

Some of the other reviews I have seen were of people who have read all of the McKettricks books before this one, and they stated that “McKettrick’s Luck” was not one of their favorites. I think that if you want to read this book than you should, but if you were wondering if it was good, than maybe you should just pass…, because it just wasn’t worth it for me.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell in love with Jesse McKettrick. I wish I can meet a passionate and free-spirited man in my life. Well, Cheyenne Bridges, you're a very lucky girl indeed. As for me, I think I should start learning poker. :D

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

Her boss wants his land
She's supposed to convince him
Falls for him instead

Good Western romance
Deep characters, well done plot
I rooted for them

[L Cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesse and Cheyenne knew each other as children, but now they are grown up and have sparks flying as soon as they reconnect.
The story has great elements and wonderful characters. This is a great book if you are looking for a more modern ranch/cowboy read. It builds from the earlier generations of McKettricks. I love the continued mentions of the ancestors of the ranch.
Great series!!

[Kathrynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The entire series:

9. The McKettrick Way 2007
8. McKettrick's Heart 2007
7. McKettrick's Pride 2007
6. McKettrick's Luck 2007
5. Sierra's Homecoming 2006
4. McKettrick's Choice 2006
3. Secondhand Bride 2004
2. Shotgun Bride 2003
1. High Country Bride 2002

But, #'s 6, 7 and 8 can be read alone as a trilogy!!!! I'm not sure about #9 because I have not read it. But, I did read Luck, Pride and Heart in 2007 and then went back to read some of the earlier. There are slight references to the earlier book as they are their relatives, but I found that I didn't miss anything. FYI

This is a modern day romantic western.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently I have read this book before (I made notations in the book and dated it) but don't remember a thing about it or nor did anything seem familiar. But anyway, I enjoyed it and thought the author did a great job with the development of the characters. There were some "deep" thoughts/expressions throughout that made me want to hover and sit and process. She truly has a way with words and I love that about a book.

This book is about love and truth and coming to know who you are and what your capable of despite everything that is thrown at you.

Jesse Mckettrick and Cheyenne Bridges

Rating: R+ (some sex scenes and language)
Language: use of deity and other profanity -but nothing crazy and not overbearing
Recommend: Yes

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read without any anxiety producing events. I didn't care for the poker parts. Gambling ranks right up there with drugs and alcohol in my view. I did enjoy the arguments for keeping the land as it is. I also enjoyed how Jesse processes his environment and Cheyenne's honesty. Ayanna and Mitch really tugged at my heart, and I hope future books will treat them well. They deserve a break.

[Erica Chaillot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great addition to the McKettricks series.

[IzamaRi H. Fabela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Es tan malo que es divertido ver lo malo que es.

[Maartje Van · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 stars

[Annalyse Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise.

I had never read a modern-day cowboy romance. Back in the day--like twenty years ago--I read historical romance and historical romance only, so I'd read a few westerns and wasn't all that impressed.

Linda Lael Miller changed my mind on cowboys. *rawr* This was my first jaunt into this genre and I have to say that I was thoroughly sucked in. So much so that I bought several other cowboy romances, though I haven't been as impressed with Miller's stories(but that's another review).

Jesse McKettrick is the bad boy we all want to reform. He gambles, has a long line of women and doesn't care about the family business. However, there's a soft spot in him that cares about the environment, he's a perfect gentleman, he wants to prove that he's something without the family name, and he does kind acts of service for Cheyenne and her family even though she's trying to get something out of him that he doesn't want to give up. You can't help but fall in love with him.

Then there's Cheyenne. She has a horrid boss that manipulates her to get what he wants, but through it all she's an extremely strong heroine with difficult decisions she needs to make and she figures out that sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest.

The chemistry between these two was electric and sizzling and you can't help but fall in love with Rance and Keegan (the other two McKettrick men) that encourage their relationship and even push some buttons to make Jesse get off his duff and realize a few things.

Overall, I enjoyed the story very much and if you're looking for some sexy cowboys this is the series for you. The other two books were equally engaging.

[Harlequin Books]

"I haven't read this series in order, but have enjoyed every one I have read. Jesse's a good man, who refuses to see that he needs a family to love. Cheyenne has been in love with Jesse ever since she was a pre-teen. Watching them move through falling in love is joyous!" from an eHarlequin.com community member review, read more HERE!

[Stacie]

This was about a man who does not work because he is a rich man from family money. He plays poker and works around his ranch house with horses. The woman he falls in love with is someone who grew up with her father squandering the family cash on gambling. However, the book never deals with this couples glaring issues.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Felt like the descriptions were very slim I felt more frustrated as the story line continued. This could have been a good book in my opinion but just lacked the detail that makes a person become fully engrossed in a book.

To add a note to the audio version. Mispronunciations are very annoying! Was it a Escalad? (Don't know what type of car that is) or an Escalade?

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The "sex" scenes were a "little much" for me; but I loved the characterizations and the way she referenced previous characters and stories.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheyenne Bridges is back in Indian Rock and must convince Jesse McKettrick to sell 500 acres of land.

Cheyenne managed to get out of Indian Rock and leave her troubled past behind. Her father was a compulsive gambler who died in prison. Her mom is a sweet woman but has bad taste in men. Her younger brother Mitch is still recovering from a four-wheeler accident that left him a paraplegic and Cheyenne to cover the bills for the uninsured family.

Cheyenne's boss is property developer Nigel Meerland. He's offered a bonus that will set the family up if Cheyenne can convince Jesse to sell the land. He wants her to do whatever it takes to bring the deal home.

Jesse McKettrick is a scion of those McKettricks but he doesn't work in any of the family businesses. He's a world class poker player having won tournaments. In fact, it was one of his wins that gave him the extra money that let him buy the piece of land that Meerland wants for his condo development. Jesse is content to raise his horses, play some poker, and just live his life. He is lonely, though, and tired of rattling around alone in the big house his parents gave him.

Cheyenne had a monstrous crush on Jesse when she was a teen. They even dated a couple of times. But now that they are both grown up, the attraction between them is all grown up too. I enjoyed their sparring over the land. I liked that Jesse pushed Cheyenne to try things she hadn't done before and how helpful he was with her brother.

I liked that she got a new job doing Human Relations for the McKettricks which was good for her and for the community. I felt bad for Cheyenne that she was under so much pressure from her boss who wanted her to spy on the McKettricks in order to get some sort of advantage over them. I also liked getting to know some of the other McKettricks who are stars of other books in this series.

The romance was well done and the suspense added just enough extra interest to the story to keep it fast-paced. I liked the cast of characters and look forward to reading about more of them.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Linda Lael Miller book is always a treat to read, and this series looks to be another one. The current generation of McKettricks (though this book is from 2007, so there might be a newer one), consists of 3 male cousins and their sisters. This book is about Jesse, who lived alone on the old homestead house, after his parents retired to Palm Springs, takes care of the Triple M, riding, occasionally entering a rodeo, but mostly playing poker and living on his dividend checks, while cousin Keegan runs the family conglomerate, McKettrick Co and cousin Rance travels the world making deals for the company. Keegan is divorced, Rance a widow and Jesse thinking of a family maybe some time in the future, because it is lonesome in that big ranch house. Cheyenne Bridges never planned to come back to Indian Rock, where she had grown up on the other side of the tracks from the McKettricks, had a crush on Jesse and had even dated hom a few times. But she had gone to college and worked hard to her current position in an investment company that wants a property owned by Jesse, adjacent to the family spread. He has no intention in selling, but she needs the bonus to pay off medical debts from an accident that her younger brother, Mitch had, which left him permanently in a wheelchair. Her boss refuses to take no and has other plans up his sleeve, but Jesse while being quite clear that he will not sell the land, does have plans to help out Cheyanne and her small family. The chemistry between them is strong, but they are both also hiding pesky secrets, which if course will be exposed at the worst time. Strong characters, easy banter provocative story.

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite series — until now. The early books in the series are historical fiction, outlining the lives of four rancher brothers in the 1880s, and are very well done. With this offering, we jump ahead about four generations, to a modern-day multimillionaire “rancher” who doesn’t ranch. Other than feeding his few hobby horses, he does nothing but play poker and strut around, mainly annoying other people.

This book reads like a “relay novel” — meaning that it may have been written by a number of different ghost writers taking up the pen (or the keyboard, as the case may have been) when the previous writer ran out of ideas. The main characters seem to have changed personae several times before finally becoming aware of what was really important in their lives. The plot was a zigzag, with the story stumbling around trying to find its centre. The ending was so trite that it was laughable — but I don’t think it was meant to be funny.

Anyway, although I really enjoyed spending time with the McKettrick clan of the 1880s, I don’t intend to follow the modern McKettrick men. So long, Jesse!

[Donna (Currently Busy) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish this book at the 50% point. The author saying Jeb was Jesse's Great Great Great Grandfather didn't seem accurate. (One too many "Greats".) In book #3, Jeb is said to be 28 years old in 1885-86 and he makes an appearance in 1919 in book #5. But then, I've already complained about the author not providing a family tree in the beginning of the last book (Sierra's Homecoming). I'm sure Ms. Miller has her reasons, but I think it's a disservice to the readers who have completed the original McKettrick brothers' historical fiction stories not to provide a lineage tree.

I will continue to recommend the first four McKettrick books, but I can't bring myself to finish reading the contemporary sequels.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesse McKettrick has too much money. His family has even more. He plays poker for a living. He won 5 million in a poker game and bought a huge piece of land. He's a playboy/rancher/card shark. Cheyenne Bridges wants the land for her boss to develop for condos. If she can get him to sell it to her she will get a big bonus. There are so many twists and turns on their romance it is a fun read. I'm reading this series of books and they are great. can't wait to read the next one. Great series.

[Sandy Frediani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that I have a 'soft spot' for multi-generational family sagas. Even though I haven't read all the books in this family saga, I'm thoroughly enjoying reading them. I love seeing the origins and then how the family grows with each generation. This is no exception. Jesse and Cheyenne are fascinating characters and the situation they find themselves in are multi-faceted and complex, despite appearing simple on the surface. The story line flows nicely.
Excellent.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok. So yes this was cheesy. Yes it was predictable. No it’s not winning any literature awards and no the diverse representation (several Native American characters and a disabled character) probably wasn’t the best ever. But I don’t care. It gave me all the feels, it made me cry and restored my faith that smutty romance novels can actually be good and non-problematic.

[Chad McCauley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t tend to go for the romance genre and only picked up this book as it was included in a box from a yard sale.

That being said, it’s an easy read. Starts out pretty slow and is pretty predictable. I did, however, rather enjoy the bond between Jesse and Cheyenne’s physically disabled brother, Mitch.

[TinaMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman returns to her home town, to try and persuade the man she crushed on to sell some of his land. It's fun to watch these two play with each other but I'm a bit tired of the withholding vital info storylines

[Maria Ines Alvarez · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm done w series. and it sucks because i used my remaining hoopla borrows on the rest of the books 😭😭

I think the transition to a new period was good i just don't like the fact that MFCs need help and they're just too stubborn to accept it. Sierra and now Cheyenne yeah no.

[Pauline Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start. Jesse is the family bad boy and poker player but luck has been with him for sometime. Cheyenne comes back to Indian Rock to make a deal but it doesn't turn out as she expected.

[Jeanne Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. Great author.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was happy to discover that the McKettrick family is continuing. I have been following this family from the beginning and have loved every book.