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McCall Adventure Ranch #2
Rancher's High-Stakes Rescue
Stranded in the Colorado wilderness, a cowboy and a beautiful reporter are sitting ducks for mysterious attackers in this suspenseful Western romance.Cowboy turned adventure guide Josh McCall is taking travel photographer Kate Carrington on the range when they become the victims of vicious sabotage. Now he’s stuck in the wilderness with no one but a beautiful city slicker to watch after. The rough-and-tumble rancher must use all his skills to survive, his determination to protect Kate, and his willpower to resist their mutual attraction. Until Josh makes one fateful decision that could jeopardize their bliss . . . and their lives.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2018
42 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Beth Cornelison
184 books59 followersBeth Cornelison started writing stories as a child when she penned a tale about the adventures of her cat, Ajax. She received her bachelor's degree in Public Relations from the University of Georgia and after working in public relations for a little more than a year, she moved with her husband from Tennessee to Louisiana, where she decided to pursue her love of writing fiction.
Since that time, she has written many more stories of adventure and romantic suspense and has won numerous honors for her work including the coveted Golden Heart prize for unpublished authors awarded by Romance Writers of America.
Beth is active on the board of directors for the North Louisiana Storytellers and Authors of Romance (NOLA STARS) in Shreveport, LA and stays involved with her sons Boy Scout pack and her church. For fun, she loves reading, traveling, playing Pokeno once a month with friends and spending down-time with her family.
She writes from her home in Louisiana, where she lives with her husband, one son, and three cats who think they are people. Beth loves to hear from her readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 52505, Shreveport, LA 71135-2505 or visit her website at www.bethcornelison.com"
Since that time, she has written many more stories of adventure and romantic suspense and has won numerous honors for her work including the coveted Golden Heart prize for unpublished authors awarded by Romance Writers of America.
Beth is active on the board of directors for the North Louisiana Storytellers and Authors of Romance (NOLA STARS) in Shreveport, LA and stays involved with her sons Boy Scout pack and her church. For fun, she loves reading, traveling, playing Pokeno once a month with friends and spending down-time with her family.
She writes from her home in Louisiana, where she lives with her husband, one son, and three cats who think they are people. Beth loves to hear from her readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 52505, Shreveport, LA 71135-2505 or visit her website at www.bethcornelison.com"
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 17, 2022
Kate Carrington's marketing firm is assessing Josh McCall's Adventure Ranch, so she and a colleague head there to experience it for themselves. Unfortunately, the McCall ranch has been the subject of some sabotage, and now the adventure package is too. A zipline is tampered with and Kate nearly plunges to her death. Josh saves her, and convinces her that they should continue with the tour, leaving out the fact that they can be picked up early the next day. But Josh's fragile male ego can't handle the idea of the adventure ranch not working out, and decides for himself that Kate should face her childhood fears, and puts them both into a shit-ton of danger, completely unnecessarily.
Kate needs to find a better "hero" and a better friend. Seriously, her friend, Dawn and hero, Josh, were just awful! Dawn keeps pushing Kate into pursuing a fling with Josh, despite Kate not wanting to. Then, when Kate doesn't want to go first on the zipline, Dawn bullies her into it, and even starts chanting her name, and getting others to chant her name as well! That's out-right bullying! Kate never once calls Dawn out on it, and it got on my nerves. I wanted Dawn to fall off a cliff!
I felt the same way about Josh, the "hero" of this tale. Although Josh is ordered to stop the tour (rightly) because of insurance concerns, which would enable him and Kate to be picked up, safe and sound, the next day, Josh refuses to do so. He actually takes off with Kate early so that they can't be found! Josh wants his adventure ranch to succeed and figures the best way to show this is to complete the tour. This makes zero sense to me. Just how fragile is his ego? He also reasons that Kate needs to overcome her childhood fears, and he just couldn't bear it if she didn't have that chance.
Kate is 28, Josh. She has plenty of time!
We then have a sequence in which Josh is pushing Kate into making a 25 metre jump into a water pool. Maybe encouragement is one thing, but Josh's behaviour far more resembled goading her into doing it. Plus, is he forgetting that just the previous day, Kate nearly fell to her death??? Goading her into jumping a great height into a pool is really gross and manipulative.
Kate is injured, gets attacked by a bear, has to cross a raging river, nearly gets hypothermia, has to climb a cliff....all because Josh can't handle possible failure and also because he thinks he knows what's best for her.
It was gross and nauseating, and as such, I just couldn't get into the romance. None of what happens to Kate needed to happen. She faces near death simply because of a man's fragile ego and toxic masculinity in thinking he knows what's best for everybody. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
To add insult to injury, the plot involving the sabotage to the adventure ranch remains completely unsolved. (I read the next book in the series a couple of years ago, where it gets resolved, but reading my review of it, it doesn't sound like it was worth the cliffhanger wait.)
Cornelison has some skill in describing action scenes, and I enjoyed reading how Kate could take charge and look after herself in scary, dangerous situations, but I couldn't help but feel she needs far better people in her life than the ones she's got.
Kate needs to find a better "hero" and a better friend. Seriously, her friend, Dawn and hero, Josh, were just awful! Dawn keeps pushing Kate into pursuing a fling with Josh, despite Kate not wanting to. Then, when Kate doesn't want to go first on the zipline, Dawn bullies her into it, and even starts chanting her name, and getting others to chant her name as well! That's out-right bullying! Kate never once calls Dawn out on it, and it got on my nerves. I wanted Dawn to fall off a cliff!
I felt the same way about Josh, the "hero" of this tale. Although Josh is ordered to stop the tour (rightly) because of insurance concerns, which would enable him and Kate to be picked up, safe and sound, the next day, Josh refuses to do so. He actually takes off with Kate early so that they can't be found! Josh wants his adventure ranch to succeed and figures the best way to show this is to complete the tour. This makes zero sense to me. Just how fragile is his ego? He also reasons that Kate needs to overcome her childhood fears, and he just couldn't bear it if she didn't have that chance.
Kate is 28, Josh. She has plenty of time!
We then have a sequence in which Josh is pushing Kate into making a 25 metre jump into a water pool. Maybe encouragement is one thing, but Josh's behaviour far more resembled goading her into doing it. Plus, is he forgetting that just the previous day, Kate nearly fell to her death??? Goading her into jumping a great height into a pool is really gross and manipulative.
Kate is injured, gets attacked by a bear, has to cross a raging river, nearly gets hypothermia, has to climb a cliff....all because Josh can't handle possible failure and also because he thinks he knows what's best for her.
It was gross and nauseating, and as such, I just couldn't get into the romance. None of what happens to Kate needed to happen. She faces near death simply because of a man's fragile ego and toxic masculinity in thinking he knows what's best for everybody. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
To add insult to injury, the plot involving the sabotage to the adventure ranch remains completely unsolved. (I read the next book in the series a couple of years ago, where it gets resolved, but reading my review of it, it doesn't sound like it was worth the cliffhanger wait.)
Cornelison has some skill in describing action scenes, and I enjoyed reading how Kate could take charge and look after herself in scary, dangerous situations, but I couldn't help but feel she needs far better people in her life than the ones she's got.
January 30, 2019
This was a good continuation of the mystery of why the McCall ranch is being targeted as well as the romance between Josh and Kate. This book picks up a few months after Rancher's Deadly Reunion. The McCalls and Brady have been working hard to get their high adventure business ready to go. They invited reporters from various travel and adventure magazines to participate in an adventure weekend. The participants included Kate, a photographer for a travel magazine. Kate was there reluctantly, as a childhood trauma caused her to be afraid to take risks.
There were sparks between Josh and Kate from the moment they met, but both tried to ignore them. Josh wanted to concentrate on the business, plus siblings Zane and Piper reminded him that getting involved with guests was a bad idea. Kate just wants to get through the weekend and being distracted by a good-looking cowboy was not part of her plan. She did not take into account her friend's determination to see Kate get over her fears. Behind her back, Dawn told Josh that Kate needed his help to move past her fears. This gave Josh an additional reason to ignore that part of him that told him to keep his distance.
The adventure trip started with high hopes and enthusiasm from everyone (except Kate). I liked how Josh paid extra attention to Kate on the trail ride. Things took a turn for the worse when the group reached their first adventure point, the zip line. When Josh went first, he discovered that the line had been sabotaged, making it unsafe for the group to use. Unfortunately, thanks to a garbled transmission on the radio, warning Zane not to send anyone down, Kate was on the way before the danger was known. I ached for Kate and her very real fears as she rode the zip line down, unaware of what waited for her at the end. The intensity of this part had me on the edge of my seat as I wondered how it would turn out. I loved how calm and cool-headed Josh was, and also how well Kate handled the emergency.
This is where it got a bit tricky for Josh. Zane wanted to end the trip then and there, but Josh was determined to carry on. First, because he refused to give up on the dream, and wanted to show that it was possible. Second, he was afraid that if they stopped, Kate's fears would still have control of her life. He wanted to show her that she could have the adventures she wanted. He wasn't exactly honest with her about their options, but he was confident that he was doing the right thing. Kate was reluctant at first, but the longer she was with Josh, the more her confidence grew. I loved the scene with her and the bear! I liked how their growing closeness enabled them to share their fears and troubles. Josh's understanding about the root of her fears went a long way toward helping Kate face them. The attraction between them also continued to grow. The scene at the river was pretty intense and also created a bigger problem for them. I liked seeing the feelings between them intensify, though each of them still held back a little. Josh's focus on the business still kept him from believing that a relationship was possible, and Kate wasn't sure she wanted to give up her city life. When she overheard something that made her believe that Josh had played her, she was hurt, angry, and determined to leave. It took some blunt advice for him to see that if he wanted the girl, he was going to have to take some risks of his own. I liked his big moment and seeing him expose his vulnerability.
The suspense of the story was good. The ranch was still in trouble financially, and the family has accepted that their problems are not bad luck after all. Unfortunately, there has been no progress in figuring out who has it in for them. When the zip line was sabotaged, it was clear that whoever it is has grown more desperate and is willing to take more risks to get what they want. I understood both Zane's and Josh's points of view on the right actions to take. Zane worried about liability and Josh about the death of their dream. I liked seeing Kate get invested in proving Josh right, and how she wanted to help. The damage to the river equipment was another blow, and I ached for Josh and his frustration. There was more trouble unrelated to the sabotage that put Kate and Josh into extreme danger, and I was glued to the pages until they were safe. The frustration of the family was evident as there were no clear suspects. It didn't help that local law enforcement was suspicious and uncooperative. I can't wait for the conclusion in the next book.
There were sparks between Josh and Kate from the moment they met, but both tried to ignore them. Josh wanted to concentrate on the business, plus siblings Zane and Piper reminded him that getting involved with guests was a bad idea. Kate just wants to get through the weekend and being distracted by a good-looking cowboy was not part of her plan. She did not take into account her friend's determination to see Kate get over her fears. Behind her back, Dawn told Josh that Kate needed his help to move past her fears. This gave Josh an additional reason to ignore that part of him that told him to keep his distance.
The adventure trip started with high hopes and enthusiasm from everyone (except Kate). I liked how Josh paid extra attention to Kate on the trail ride. Things took a turn for the worse when the group reached their first adventure point, the zip line. When Josh went first, he discovered that the line had been sabotaged, making it unsafe for the group to use. Unfortunately, thanks to a garbled transmission on the radio, warning Zane not to send anyone down, Kate was on the way before the danger was known. I ached for Kate and her very real fears as she rode the zip line down, unaware of what waited for her at the end. The intensity of this part had me on the edge of my seat as I wondered how it would turn out. I loved how calm and cool-headed Josh was, and also how well Kate handled the emergency.
This is where it got a bit tricky for Josh. Zane wanted to end the trip then and there, but Josh was determined to carry on. First, because he refused to give up on the dream, and wanted to show that it was possible. Second, he was afraid that if they stopped, Kate's fears would still have control of her life. He wanted to show her that she could have the adventures she wanted. He wasn't exactly honest with her about their options, but he was confident that he was doing the right thing. Kate was reluctant at first, but the longer she was with Josh, the more her confidence grew. I loved the scene with her and the bear! I liked how their growing closeness enabled them to share their fears and troubles. Josh's understanding about the root of her fears went a long way toward helping Kate face them. The attraction between them also continued to grow. The scene at the river was pretty intense and also created a bigger problem for them. I liked seeing the feelings between them intensify, though each of them still held back a little. Josh's focus on the business still kept him from believing that a relationship was possible, and Kate wasn't sure she wanted to give up her city life. When she overheard something that made her believe that Josh had played her, she was hurt, angry, and determined to leave. It took some blunt advice for him to see that if he wanted the girl, he was going to have to take some risks of his own. I liked his big moment and seeing him expose his vulnerability.
The suspense of the story was good. The ranch was still in trouble financially, and the family has accepted that their problems are not bad luck after all. Unfortunately, there has been no progress in figuring out who has it in for them. When the zip line was sabotaged, it was clear that whoever it is has grown more desperate and is willing to take more risks to get what they want. I understood both Zane's and Josh's points of view on the right actions to take. Zane worried about liability and Josh about the death of their dream. I liked seeing Kate get invested in proving Josh right, and how she wanted to help. The damage to the river equipment was another blow, and I ached for Josh and his frustration. There was more trouble unrelated to the sabotage that put Kate and Josh into extreme danger, and I was glued to the pages until they were safe. The frustration of the family was evident as there were no clear suspects. It didn't help that local law enforcement was suspicious and uncooperative. I can't wait for the conclusion in the next book.
April 4, 2023
I'm A bit upset that I found this book first. I'm going to have to hunt for a copy of the first book in this series. I'm totally hooked!! I don't think I've read any of Beth Cornelison's books before so I have some catching up to do.
I very much recommend this story and if the others are this well written, then this series and this author. The characters are very well developed. The action and emotions are so captivating. I was hooked from the first chapter. I wasn't expecting a cliff hanger so I definitely want to find book 1 to see the early story foundation then rush through to the next to see where we go from here.
I very much recommend this story and if the others are this well written, then this series and this author. The characters are very well developed. The action and emotions are so captivating. I was hooked from the first chapter. I wasn't expecting a cliff hanger so I definitely want to find book 1 to see the early story foundation then rush through to the next to see where we go from here.
December 29, 2018
Really, I just want it on the record that this author attempted to write steamy scenes without ever calling a butt anything but tush, bottom, and on one occasion fanny.
She also had an adult man use the phrase YOLO unironically several times, and even used a like about how if they don't keep going, then the terrorists win.
Also included: terrible dialogue and an unsolved mystery (as this is a part of a series).
She also had an adult man use the phrase YOLO unironically several times, and even used a like about how if they don't keep going, then the terrorists win.
Also included: terrible dialogue and an unsolved mystery (as this is a part of a series).
June 14, 2020
Wow what a cute, fun and thrilling read! This book makes me want to go camping, zip lining and all those high risk adventures that Josh loves. He's a very "hunky" cowboy who found his city girl. Very cute! Loved it!
June 20, 2021
Overall this book was a good time and a nice quick read. Some of the situations Josh and Kate found themselves in were a little over the top and left me wondering how many bad things could possible happen to these people. But at the same time I had a very good time following this story.
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November 4, 2018Miniseries: The McCall Adventure Ranch
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews