Rancher's Deadly Reunion

McCall Adventure Ranch #1

by Beth Cornelison

When a woman comes back to her family’s Colorado ranch, an old flame is rekindled, and deadly secrets come to light, in this suspenseful Western romance.When Piper McCall returns to her small Colorado hometown, she runs smack into ranch hand Brady Summers, the man she left behind. Though they were very much in love through high school, Piper was determined to spread her wings. Years later, the sparks between them burn as brightly as ever, but dark secrets—like the identity of his orphaned nephew—linger.As trouble at the McCall ranch escalates, and Piper’s life is threatened, Brady will do anything to protect the woman he loves. To find out who’s behind it, buried secrets will have to be revealed . . . and neither Piper nor Brady will ever be the same again.

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2018

About the author

Beth 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adventure and romantic suspense and has won numerous honors for her work including the coveted Golden Heart prize for unpublished authors awarded by Romance Writers of America.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"

Reviews

[Dorel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book I read by Beth Cornelison. I liked this book's storyline. This book's storyline was sad 😔. I liked the action in this story. I liked Brady's character. I felt sorry for Brady. I liked Piper's character. I liked the ending.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good second chance romance combined with multi-layered suspense. Piper and Brady were a couple in high school, but Piper had dreams outside their small Colorado town. When Piper ended up pregnant, she hid it from her family, turned down Brady's marriage proposal, and left for her freshman year in Boston, intending to put her baby up for adoption. In the prologue, we see Brady's despair at losing Piper, and his brother and sister-in-law's plan to secretly adopt Piper and Brady's child.

Years later, Piper returned to McCall Ranch for her parents' anniversary party, after making rare visits back home. Things are different this time. Brady's brother and his wife are dead, and Brady is the guardian of his nephew Connor. The McCall Ranch is in financial trouble after some bad luck. Piper's brothers have an idea of how to bring in some money, but they want Piper's help. She's reluctant to give up her life in Boston.

I enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Piper and Brady. It wasn't an easy one. Though the sparks between them were as strong as ever, the obstacles were significant. Brady was reluctant to trust her with his heart again after being devastated by her departure all those years ago. He never got over the loss and didn't want to go through it again. He also had to deal with the stunning discovery that the child he thought was his nephew was actually his and Piper's son (not a spoiler - this is revealed within the first couple chapters). His anger and feelings of betrayal went deep. Piper thought she put her relationship with Brady behind her long ago and wasn't happy to realize that she was still drawn to him. She also carried a load of guilt over giving up their child for adoption without letting Brady know. The shocking revelation that Connor was their son left her reeling. I liked the fact that after they got past the initial anger, Brady and Piper were able to talk things over like adults. Both of them wanted to do what was right for Connor, even if they weren't as sure about what that was. I ached for both of them, especially Piper, who had thought she would never see her baby again. The sparks between them grew stronger, and they slowly began to explore their new feelings. I loved their big moment at the end as they put the past behind them and looked toward the future.

There was another obstacle that neither one was aware of. From the beginning of the book, the reader was given glimpses into the mind and activities of a man who wanted Piper for himself. It was creepy and scary to see how obsessed he was and the lengths he was willing to take to get what he wanted. He was determined that Piper would return to Boston and did things he thought would drive her that way. His jealousy of Brady also caused an escalation in his activities. The final confrontation was intense, and I was on the edge of my seat until it was over.

The other part of the story dealt with the trouble at the McCall ranch and the efforts to save it. Some apparent bad luck has put them at risk of losing the ranch. Piper's brothers, Josh and Zane, have come up with an idea to start an adventure company to raise extra money to help bail them out. I loved their enthusiasm and the thought they have put into it. It quickly became apparent, however, that their "bad luck" may not have been luck at all. The fire was scary, and what happened makes them realize that someone is out to do real damage to them. The question became who would do such a thing? I ached for the entire family, as the ranch has been in the family for a long time. It didn't help that the sheriff's office didn't appear to be trying too hard to get to the truth, seemingly more interested in accusing the McCalls of doing it themselves. Though there are no official suspects, there is one guy who seems to be an obvious choice, but there is no proof. The question isn't resolved in this book, but the family's determination to succeed is clear.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rancher's Deadly Reunion is a Harlequin Romantic Suspense by Beth Cornelison. In this story Piper McCall heads home to Colorado for her parent's anniversary party. She is one third of the McCall triplets. She is surprised when her first love ex-Brady Summers and his nephew Connor pick her up from the airport! She hasn't seen him much or been to her Double M Ranch home very often in the last seven years. Instead of a life on the ranch, she had opted to live her life as an accountant in Boston. Now her twin brothers want to start an adventure ranch with outdoor sports and activities and they want Piper to move back home and be accountant/bookkeeper/office manager. Piper finds out that her brothers are looking for a new source of income since someone tainted the pond in one of the grazing pastures and they suffered a loss of thirty-five percent from last year! More recently they had a fire in the field where they were growing the alfalfa to feed the stock through the winter! Who had a gripe with the McCalls or the Double M Ranch? While Piper is home, secrets come out and Piper's life is in danger. I really enjoyed reading this book except for the cliff-hanger ending. Fortunately there are books that highlight Josh and Zane!

[Toth Jo-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st time I've read this author and I found it hard to put it down last night. Meeting Brady and Piper was interesting. For there was a secret that was revealed. It was a major part of this story for it had a tie to the past. It had another surprise in there for Piper that was scary. Its a sad reality for some women. The action was great and the romance was well done. I like how she weaved the story with a proluge into the past. I found myself curious as to what was causing all the commotion that was going on. It was interesting as to who was one bad guy but we are not done yet there are still more to be revealed. I'm of to read Ranchers High-Stake Rescue to see what is next. This is a great book to read.

[Margaret Yelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rancher's Deadly Reunion is one of several book I was lucky enough to win in a giveaway from Harlequin Suspense, I am under no obiligation to leave a review. This is my fair and honest review of this book. I love suspense books and this one was a very good one. I also enjoy second chance romances and this also falls into that catorgery also. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to the series!!!

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The McCall Adventure Ranch