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Rancher's Bride
Rancher's Bride by Jeanne Allan released on Dec 25, 1991 is available now for purchase.
188 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1991
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36 people want to read
About the author
Jeanne Allan
36 books12 followersBarbara Blackman was under the pseudonym Jeanne Allan, the author of 25 romance novels for Harlequin. On the cover of her first novel, Peter's Sister, her surname was misspelled as "Allen".
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 10, 2021
Jeanne Allan wastes no time getting to the point--the book opens with the Colorado rancher hero emotionally blackmailing the heroine into an MoC so that they can co-parent his niece (his brother and her cousin having died in a fiery crash, that staple convenient demise to bring our MCs together). In medias res, indeed. So our mouthy, know-it-all guidance counselor heroine uproots her life in the DC metro area and moves to the hero's Colorado ranch, complete with a moth-eaten legendary steer-head that she quickly relegates to the hero's study. They agree that it will be a "real" (i.e., consummated) marriage since the hero is very straightforward in telling her that a sexless marriage would be ridiculous between a 31 year old man and a 25 year old woman. She buys a little time for herself but since her steel spine melts when he touches her, that goes by the wayside very quickly. He was her teen dream, too, since she had a huge crush on him at her cousin's wedding to his brother when she was 15 and he was 21.
Despite the hot sex, they both blow hot and cold, and the marriage mostly seems to be doomed to fail. These two squabble and seethe and misunderstand until the cows come home. No, really. Our clutzy, opinionated heroine feels out of her depth on the ranch, too, managing to fall off horses, scrap with her father-in-law, resent neighbors who think she's like her heartily despised (except by all the men) cousin, and just generally be a fish out of water. Our arrogant hero doesn't help much either--he's too busy nursing hurt feelings since he's pretty smitten from the start and she continually kicks him in the ass (which he mostly, but not always, deserves).
The big misunderstanding(s) go on a bit too long and the MCs both border on annoying at times, but overall this was a fun, spatty read with two equally matched and realistically flawed strong personalities, a nice dose of realism (no improbable virgins here, although JA doesn't go into details), some fun squabbles and sweet warmer moments, and a nice HEA that Allan pulls off.
Despite the hot sex, they both blow hot and cold, and the marriage mostly seems to be doomed to fail. These two squabble and seethe and misunderstand until the cows come home. No, really. Our clutzy, opinionated heroine feels out of her depth on the ranch, too, managing to fall off horses, scrap with her father-in-law, resent neighbors who think she's like her heartily despised (except by all the men) cousin, and just generally be a fish out of water. Our arrogant hero doesn't help much either--he's too busy nursing hurt feelings since he's pretty smitten from the start and she continually kicks him in the ass (which he mostly, but not always, deserves).
The big misunderstanding(s) go on a bit too long and the MCs both border on annoying at times, but overall this was a fun, spatty read with two equally matched and realistically flawed strong personalities, a nice dose of realism (no improbable virgins here, although JA doesn't go into details), some fun squabbles and sweet warmer moments, and a nice HEA that Allan pulls off.
May 31, 2011
Heaven knows I love Jeanne Allan. But this is the first time I've been a tad disappointed in her. The story was too long, and the H/h kept going round and round in circles. I'm not saying the story didn't have its moments. It did, but I have come to expect so much more from JA that I think I may just have put her up on a pedestal so now I'm suffering
Oh, well...everyone has their off-days (or months) I suppose
Oh, well...everyone has their off-days (or months) I suppose
October 30, 2021
This book had a good, if familiar, premise. However, there wasn't a clear or logical progression of the relationship. Also, it focused way too much on the h's cousin, who just wasn't very interesting.
October 6, 2023
One of the first harlequins I read as a teen, so I have a soft spot for it but it's totally deserved imo.
This is a sweet romance. The storytelling is engaging and the ending scene in particular never fails to make me smile. The plot is not unique, it's about typical uncle and aunt getting married for the sake of their recently orphaned niece. It was clear they both loved her and most importantly that the H was head over heels in love with the h from the very beginning. He is a rancher and she works with kids. So she leaves everything behind and goes with him to his cattle ranch station in snowy Colorado.
Things I liked:
- the MC's bickering and subtle domesticity.
- The H's honesty and desire to have a normal and healthy marriage.
-The h's motherly love for their niece.
-The way she won over everyone at the ranch despite her whining once or twice about how boring ranch life was.
There is also a secret that the H is hiding from her, which keeps the reader engaged and slowly unravels toward the end.
Like I said, this is one my first harlequins ever, so I may be biased but I do recommend this book to anyone who fancies a good Harlequin romance. They don't write them like this anymore.
This is a sweet romance. The storytelling is engaging and the ending scene in particular never fails to make me smile. The plot is not unique, it's about typical uncle and aunt getting married for the sake of their recently orphaned niece. It was clear they both loved her and most importantly that the H was head over heels in love with the h from the very beginning. He is a rancher and she works with kids. So she leaves everything behind and goes with him to his cattle ranch station in snowy Colorado.
Things I liked:
- the MC's bickering and subtle domesticity.
- The H's honesty and desire to have a normal and healthy marriage.
-The h's motherly love for their niece.
-The way she won over everyone at the ranch despite her whining once or twice about how boring ranch life was.
There is also a secret that the H is hiding from her, which keeps the reader engaged and slowly unravels toward the end.
Like I said, this is one my first harlequins ever, so I may be biased but I do recommend this book to anyone who fancies a good Harlequin romance. They don't write them like this anymore.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews