The Rancher's Redemption

The Millers of Morgan Valley #2

by Kate Pearce

Family, community, hard work. It’s what always draws the folks of Morgantown back to the ranch—along with the promise of so much more . . . Widowed for ten years, now running the family ranch, Adam Miller is no longer the fun-loving guy who married his high school sweetheart the moment they graduated. His bitterness in the aftermath of her death even alienated his closest link to her—Lizzie Taylor, her best friend. But when Adam comes across Lizzie in a dire situation, he’s compelled to help—and finds himself with an unusual opportunity to make amends . . . A struggling single mom, Lizzie’s extremely wealthy ex ran out on her when she got pregnant. But now he and his family have decided to fight for custody of her young son. When Adam shocks her by offering to pose as her partner, awkward as it may feel, it’s Lizzie’s best chance to hold onto her child. And as they strive to present a united front, their old friendship rekindles, sparking an unexpected attraction—along with past hurts and secrets. Soon they realize they’ll have to find a way to forgive if they want to move forward—especially with each other . . . Praise for Kate Pearce’s The Rancher“Pearce’s fans and contemporary romance readers will want to pick this one up and read it to the end.”—Publishers Weekly “Fans of Pearce’s Morgan Ranch series and all who enjoy contemporary western romances will relish the love story.” —Booklist (Starred Review)

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Westerns, Contemporary, Audiobook, Friends To Lovers, Second Chance Romance

434 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 26, 2019

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kate Pearce was born in England in the middle of a large family of girls and quickly found that her imagination was far more interesting than real life. After acquiring a degree in history and barely escaping from the British Civil Service alive, she moved to California and then to Hawaii with her kids and her husband and set about reinventing herself as a romance writer.

She is known for both her unconventional heroes and her joy at subverting romance clichés. In her spare time she self publishes science fiction erotic romance, historical romance, and whatever else she can imagine. You can find Kate on katepearce.com.

Reviews

[Vintage · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t believe that this is the same author that wrote the Simply, Simply Sinful, Simply Wicked etc series. That series was hyper sexual, compelling, slightly creepy and the kind of book I was glad I could hide behind my Kindle pretending I was readingLittle Women.

This was kind of phone-it-in banal. The widowed hero pining for his wife, the heroine with a child from a ONS is stalked by her MIL, the sperm donor dad isn’t even trying to get possession of the child. Then there’s the side romance of the hero’s dad who shipped off their mom of six kids for decades and are now back together and sparkin’.

The dad burned all the letters she sent so the kids have abandonment issues (that got resolved pretty darn quickly), but it’s overlooked that she never got a lawyer to sue for visitation plus she remarried and had another kid.

[✮ rach ✮ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

Another case of the heroine never having good sex with anyone other than the hero, while he couldn't say the same. Granted, he was married to her best friend who was the true love of his life. Lizzie (heroine) was just the stand-in because his true love died. Lizzie got upset because she knew he wouldn't see her as anything other than a replacement, then decides it doesn't matter because she'll take what she can get. At least that's the way I read it. Oh, and the best part? The hero and heroine were apparently best friends when they were young, but he cut off all contact with her for FOURTEEN YEARS!!! Ignored her, treated her like she was nothing and didn't exist. Then decides maybe after all that time they should be friends again and she's all like, "okay. sure!"
Really, Lizzie??? smdh

All I have left to say is people treat you the way you allow them to treat you. That is all.

[Nikki ღ Navareus · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not the story, it's me. I went into this one totally expecting some serious "angst by rejection", and an "asshole hero who still loves his dead wife" story. I didn't feel any of that at all. The dude's wife died so many years before, that it felt like he was well and truly over the dead wife and ready to move on by the time he and the herione reconnected again. This story focused more on the herione's creepy baby daddy and his asshole aunt trying to make the herione's life difficult. I'm so used to these broken widowed heroes being a bit more assholish and hard to love so that's what I was expecting in this story, but this guy was a total softie. I didn't really feel much for his parent's side story either. I definitely didn't get what I was craving from a "Hero still madly in love with his dead wife" story, and the story that I did get was kind of drawn out and boring for me. Such a bummer, but this was totally on me for expecting something different than the actual story entailed.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC received for review

Adam was married to Lizzie's BFF who passed away from cancer. Now years later Lizzie is back with her son, and no he's not Adam's son. Lizzie's ex's family is a piece of work. It took forever for them to get together. Lost of long drawn out angst plus some drama. It was a good book, just very slow moving.

[Eva Millien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam Miller is a widower who is running the family ranch. Lizzie is a struggling single mom. He was married to her best friend but in his bitterness following his sweetheart’s death, he alienated Lizzie. Lizzie’s wealthy ex and his family has suddenly decided to fight for visitation rights to her four year old son. Adam now finds himself with a unusual opportunity to make amends and as they strive to present a united front, they realize they’ll have to find a way to forgive if they want to move forward.

This romance an emotionally gripping romance that tugs at heartstrings. The characters are strong, compelling and easily draw readers in and their pasts has this couple on a very rocky slope full of emotional angst and heartbreak but their rekindling friendship offers them both hope and the rebuilding of trust. There is no way for readers to keep from shedding tears here and there throughout this story as past hurts and secrets come to light not only involving Lizzie and Adam’s past but also Adam and his family’s past and with Adam’s in-laws also experiencing heart rending, life altering changes, readers’ hearts can help but become engaged with the characters of this story.

The plot is steady paced and full of angst with quite a bit of anger issues and hurt feelings blasting the pages but there is also heart tugging warm moments that brings smiles to the readers’ faces and Lizzie turns out to be quite the firecracker when it comes to protecting her son. The story kind of has another story going on as well, involving Adam’s parents which adds angst and excitement and there is a delightful heartwarming, mature romance bonus story included.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book in the series was even better than the first one. Lizzie and Adam were great together.

[Alex(Books-In-A-Storm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good.
Adam needs to get his shit together and pull his god damn head out of his ass. Wow!
I loved Lizzie and her sin they were so cute. Can't wait to see what happens with the next brother.

[Serial Romance Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Book Q & A***

* How did the book make you feel?: This book has one of my favorite tropes—H not over dead wife, so I devoured it. I enjoyed it overall.

* How do you feel about how the story was told?: The story has a lot of angst. There are three parallel stories going on—The H and the h, the H’s in-laws dealing with impending death from cancer, and the H’s parents’ reconciliation. All of them are sad, but they were all moving and contributed to the story’s impact.

* What did you think about the main characters?: I felt like the h Lizzie was very accommodating and forgiving toward all of the people who abandoned her and jerked her around. I wanted her to catch a break so bad. The H, Adam lived in his head a lot and he had a history of lashing out at Lizzie and taking things out on her that weren’t her fault. He had previously shut her out for 14(!) years following her saving him from suicide after his wife died when he unknowingly took her virginity. He finally pulled his head out of his ass and realized that she was a treasure.

* Which parts of the book stood out to you?: I loved how Adam called Lizzie his dead wife’s (Louisa) name in bed. Yes. I loved it! I don’t know how Adam’s mother could have EVER forgiven his father for the evil crap he pulled! The characters in this book have an incredible capacity for forgiveness.

* What themes/tropes did you detect in the story?: cowboys, H in love with dead wife, overcoming grief

* What did you think about the ending?: I wish there’d been an epilogue! I would’ve liked a bit more grovel from Adam. He was prepared to walk away if Lizzie didn’t take him back.

* What is your impression of the author?: This was my first read by this author, but I’ll likely read more on Scribd.



Possible Triggers and Safety: death from cancer

[Sandy Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I am not sure if it was just me and not connecting with the characters or what. It just seemed to be a very slow moving book in my opinion. Adam and Lizzie are both dealing with a lot of things that want to tear their worlds apart. And this brings them closer together but it can also tear them apart if they let it. It almost seemed like there was too much going on between not only the main characters but almost every single other character connected to them in some way. And because of this there was too much information that needed to be given and it slowed the story down. It's not a bad read. The characters are likable and I did like their interactions with each other and with Roman. It was just too slow going for me.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rancher’s Redemption by Kate Pearce
The Millers of Morgantown #2

Mired in loss and missing his young wife even fourteen years later Adam Miller is not ready for anything but being a loner. He works hard on the ranch, cares for his siblings, cooks and really doesn’t see much more in life than the lonely lifestyle he is existing in. Before the loss of his wife when he was twenty-one he has also experienced the loss of his mother who left the family when he was only twelve. That pain has lingered and the loss of his wife only compounded his estrangement from others.

Lizzie works hard to provide for her young son. Her best friend, Louisa, was Adam’s wife. She, Louisa and Adam had been friends for a long time only to have that friendship severed with the loss of Louisa. Lizzie works multiple jobs and cares for Roman without the baby-father in the picture...until some meddling relatives of said sperm donor show up wanting more than Lizzie is willing to give.

This is a story of loss, withdrawal, families, forgiveness and love. What has seemed true to Adam for so many years is suddenly being exposed as not 100% the way he has perceived it to be and it is shaking his foundation. Whether or not he will be able to grow out of the darkness and embrace a lighter brighter life is something I was hoping for as I read more of Adam’s story. And, Lizzie might be able to help him in more ways than one. I sometimes wished that Adam was not so stubborn and more able to open up but perhaps that will come over time and I will get to see Adam thrive as the series continues.

I am eager to find out who will have their story told next. I can’t wait to read Ben’s story as he was intriguing in this book.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in the series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington – Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

NOTE: This edition also has a bonus novella that tells the story of how Billy Morgan, a slightly older and somewhat flawed main character finds true love – great story!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Widowed for ten years, now running the family ranch, Adam Miller is no longer the fun-loving guy who married his high school sweetheart Louisa the moment they graduated. His bitterness in the aftermath of her death even alienated his closest link to her—Lizzie Taylor, her best friend.
A struggling single mom, Lizzie’s extremely wealthy ex ran out on her when she got pregnant. But now he and his family have decided to fight for custody of her young son Roman.
I just love the stories about the inhabitants of Morgan Valley we get to catch up with characters from earlier books. We met surly Adam in the previous book & I wondered if I would warm to him but from feeling lukewarm towards him at the start, I loved him by the end. I loved Lizzie who took everything thrown at her in her stride, she coped with being abandoned after a very brief affair on finding herself pregnant, she’s brought Ro up by herself & is holding down two jobs plus she’s always carried a torch for Adam. I loved how Adam gradually re evaluated everything & learnt how to let go & to begin to talk about his feelings. There is attraction between Adam & Lizzie, they want to be together however lack of communication nearly leads to disaster. I found it to be an engrossing read & the last couple of chapters had me in tears. I also loved the secondary second chance romance of Jeff & Leanne & then there’s Roman who was an absolute delight. I hope of the Miller siblings have their story especially Ben .
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first in this series. My biggest complaint was the ending for this book - it just seemed too open-ended and rushed. They make up without much fanfare and have a HFN. I know more will be elaborated on in future books, but there was a lot left in the air.

Lizzie was a very strong heroine. She was a single mom raising a little boy on her own after his dad ran as soon as she found out she was pregnant. The bio father's family also wanted nothing to do with Ro, but now they're back and causing trouble it seems.

Adam was an interesting character. At the end of this, I still don't feel as though I really knew him that well since he was so closed off until the end. He was broody, hung up on his wife who died of cancer 14 years earlier, and really kept to himself. Sure, he opened up a lot more in this book from the silent guy we met before. But I guess I wanted to see him both look and act happy. In the end, he seemed to be getting there, but wasn't quite to that 'I'm the luckiest guy in the world' dopey love phase.

Adam also screws up and really says some hurtful things to Lizzie at the end of this one. He honestly made me cry for her. I think I'd have made him grovel more, but I do get it. They had once been best friends and grief and anger caused him to abandon her after the funeral. So they just wanted to move on since life is precious.

I loved little Roman. He was just adorable. I'd have liked to seen more of him since kids make a book even better.

I'm looking forward to the next installment in the Millers series.

[Rosie Trzewik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catching up on the Miller’s of Morgan Valley. I read out of order, but really didn’t matter to much. Love the Miller gang! Adam is the oldest and still mourning the lost of his high school sweetheart. Married only 3 years when his wife died of cancer. Louisa and his BBF, Lizzie was there throughout all the hard times, but after Louisa’s death Adam and Lizzie had a falling out.
Lizzie lost both her BBFs when Louisa died. Adam was so distant and managed to avoid her, which is surprisingly hard to do in a small town. Being a single mom to a cute little boy, Roman she had to grownup fast. It’s been 14 years since Louisa passed away and Adam still is holding on to his memories of the love of his life. Thanks to Roman, they reconnect but there are ghosts of the past to overcome.
The story was good, although Adam hanging on that long to his grief seemed a bit unrealistic. On to the next in the series.

[Maranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great as Usual! Pearce has created a town and the town folks that make these reads special. I have read all of the Morgan Ranch books and now Pearce is starting on the residents of Morgantown specifically the Millers. To get the true family history of the Millers it would be best to read "Second Chance Rancher (Millers of Morgan Valley Book 1). But if not Book 2 has its own stand alone flavor staring Adam Miller who has been a Widower for ten years and still cannot let go of the love of his life. The idea that you can out run your past or move on is narrated wonderfully when Adams rekindles things with his long ago best friend Lizzie Taylor. Fast read that was hard to put down. Adam and Lizzie have their very souls on the pages of this book. "A copy of this book was provided by Kensington Book via NetGalley with no requirments for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." ROMANCE IGNITES ON THE PAGES!

[Lee Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listening to this series while I work is wonderful. It is really engaging and fun. I'm realizing that this series is about all the children in the family. I'm loving seeing all the now adult children and learning about each one of them individually. How they are learning to forgive, say I'm sorry, let go of past mistakes and move forward. Stories full of life, feeling like you're right in the midst of the drama. It's a great read.

Worth the read or listen to. Im so glad I came across this book.

[Sassy Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book. I couldn't put it down. I really felt for Adam and Lizzie. They were so close when they were younger when something happened that tore them apart. Years later, Lizzie is a single mother when an emergency brought Adam back into her life. Adam is a widower who is a shadow of his former self. Reconnecting as friends helped Adam get out of his rut. Will they be able to discover that they could be so much more?

[Dar · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, and we don’t realize how much, until the end of the book! But before then, they seem to take one step forward, and then immediately three back. With the maturity and life experience they have gained though, they eventually come around, and get their HEA <3

[Gale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awwwwww, loved Adam! And Lizzie and Roman are just the best.

[Susan Parks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Judy Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It introduced a new family and their friends into the story.

[Maureen Hubley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won the Kate Pearce books at Christmas and have thoroughly enjoyed them. Great new author for me.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rancher's Redemption is Book 2 of Kate Pearce's The Millers of Morgan Valley series. Even though this is the second book in this series and many of the Morgan Ranch characters appear throughout, this story stands perfectly fine on its own.

After meeting Adam in the last book, I was eagerly waiting for his turn and Ms. Pearce did not disappoint. There was angst, drama, conflict and a few tears but this story captivated me right from the start and I look forward to what she has in store for us next!

[Angela Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I often read the description of books before reading them so I have a general idea of what is going to happen. However, I found the description of this book was misleading making me expect things to happen in the book that didn’t and dampened my enjoyment of the book. Because of the description, I thought the fight for custody of Lizzie’s son was going to be a bigger thing than it was and Adam never offers to pose as her partner. Their relationship happened more naturally. I enjoyed the love story between Adam and Lizzie and how they had to deal with past hurts and Adam’s bitterness about his first wife dying in order for them to get together.

[jody b debus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull, dull, dull.

Very dull. Boring protagonist s. Even the sex was dull. And then it ended. That's it. Sorry I bought it.

[Donna Repsher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rancher's Redemption is the second book in Kate Pearce's Millers of Morgan Valley series, but it's the first novel in the series that I've read, and it worked just fine for me as a standalone. I enjoyed Ms. Pearce's earlier Morgan Ranch series, but as a first read in this series, I think this one is even better, and it gets 4.5 stars from this reader.

The Miller family, comprised of five sons and one daughter, were devastated when their father divorced their mother, especially the eldest son, Adam, who was 12 years old at the time, and who is the leading character in this novel. As is usually the case, the younger siblings don't remember their mother as well as Adam does. He's always sided with his father, despite his father's self-absorption and inability to ever admit to being wrong about anything, even before he kicked their mother, Leanne, out of his life and his house. She left without a backward glance and her children never heard from her again. But that's not the only issue in this complex family, nor is it the only trauma in Adam's life. If you like angst with your romance novels, there's more than enough of it in this novel.

During high school, Adam's was best friends with Lizzie, who secretly crushed on him, but when he set eyes Lizzie's other best friend, Louisa, it was love at first sight for both of them, and the two got married right out of high school, and hoped to live happily ever after. Sadly, that didn't happen. Louisa was diagnosed with cancer, refused experimental treatments, and died 3 years later--leaving Adam crushed, defeated, and unable to come to terms with those emotions, instead closing himself off from family and friends. Shortly after Louisa's funeral, Lizzie went to visit her friend's grave, and found Adam there. In his grief and despair at losing the love of his life, he was holding a gun, and planning to kill himself and join his Louisa in death. Instead, Lizzie got him to drop the gun, held him as he sobbed out his grief, and later that day, she consoled him with her body, having sex with him. It's something Adam can't forget and it's also something he can't forgive himself or Lizzie for, and for the next 14 years, he wrote Lizzie out of his life, hasn't spoken to her since, and has actively avoided her, but that's about to change, because one day, Lizzie's 4-year-old son, Roman, gets bitten by a bee while in day care, and collapses, and when Adam sees Lizzie struggling to carry her son to the doctor's office, he offers her a lift, and the 14-year silence between them is finally broken, and thus begins the rekindling of their friendship, which is filled with the same angst, wrong impressions, guilt, and recriminations that ended their friendship 14 years earlier.

Lizzie eventually put aside her feelings for Adam and moved on with her life. Four years earlier, Lizzie had a one-night stand with Ray, who is now a minor celebrity, and her birth control failed. When Lizzie told Ray she was pregnant with his child, he headed for the hills, and ever since Roman was born, she's worked two jobs to keep a roof over their heads. Ray left town, never bothered to meet his son, and she's never received one penny of child support from him. Ray's family believed what he'd told them, that Lizzie was a gold digger and tried to trap him by getting pregnant--all lies of course, but Ray's family has ignored Lizzie and Roman too, never even met the charming little boy, and Ray has steered clear of Lizzie ever since, but that too is about to change. Especially when Ray's demented great-great-aunt starts spying on Lizzie, photographing her and her son while he's at day care, and she has decided that Lizzie is a terrible mother, hires a private investigator, and sets Child Protective Services after her.

This is a novel with great depth, it's filled with well-drawn, fully-fleshed out characters whose interactions are complex, heartbreaking, and most of all, it's a story about forgiveness--for past and present wrongs, past impressions, past misconceptions, past behavior and living in the past while forgetting there's a future. It's filled with regrets, grief, loss, and coming to terms with all of them, and not just the main characters, but the entire cast of characters, and finally, as the title states, redemption. It was one excellent, deeply moving and well-written novel. My only issue was the abrupt ending. At 75% of the contents, this novel comes to a somewhat unresolved end. Instead there's a short novel teaser about an upcoming book by this author, and I'd have much preferred that the author ended The Rancher's Redemption with an epilogue, which would have made this a 5-star read. It's still an excellent read and Ms. Pearce is an excellent writer.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

[RoloPoloBookBlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rancher’s Redemption by Kate Pearce
Book #2: The Millers of Morgan Valley Series
Source: NetGalley and Zebra Books
Rating: 4/5 stars

For all intents and purposes, Adam Miller died ten years ago, the day he buried his beloved wife. In just his early twenties when his wife succumbed to cancer, Adam has spent the past ten years living in the past and refusing to come out of the anger, sadness, and deep depression left behind when his wife died.

For the better part of a decade, Adam’s family has been there to support and love him, but they have never been able to bring him out of his self-imposed prison. Each day, Adam’s brothers, his father, and his sister watch him work their family ranch from sunup to sundown, eat dinner, sleep, and repeat. There is no variety in Adam’s life, no real happiness, and certainly no need for looking towards a bright and fulfilling future. As far as everyone, including Adam is concerned, his life is what it is always going to be, an endless cycle of work that he endures alone.

Lizzie Taylor’s life has one bright, shining spot, her tow-headed little boy whose presence is nothing but pure joy! As a single mother, Lizzie works hard to provide for her son, especially with his biological father so very, very absent. Though she has friends in town, Lizzie’s life would be far easier if her one-time best-friend, Adam Miller would stop ignoring her and come back into her life. To be completely fair, Lizzie would love more than friendship from Adam, but given his history, she would be satisfied with just having him back as her friend.

As both Adam and Lizzie are well aware, life can often be cruel and devastatingly difficult. As if they haven’t both suffered enough, each has now found themselves drawn together over the imminent loss of an old, dear friend. As their friend’s life is coming to a close, both Lizzie and Adam are forced to revisit their own pasts, deal with the issues wrought by the past, and try to work through their current issues to manage some sort of future that is both happy and fulfilling. With so much hurt, uncertainty, and despair between them, it is going to take a miracle to overcome the past and move towards the future.

The Bottom Line: Aaaaaaand, Kate Pearce is BACK!! This is exactly the type of book I have come to expect from both Kate Pearce and the Morgan Valley series. The Rancher’s Redemption is everything I have come to love about the original series and was hoping to find again in this spin off series. Lizzie and Adam are both such sympathetic characters and I wanted nothing but the best for them. Each has such difficulty and sadness in their past that it has hampered their present and future and it seems the only way to get through the mess is to do it together, something they haven’t been in ten years. This book is something of an emotional roller coaster and I enjoyed every peak and valley. It doesn’t hurt that there are a few surprises along the way and frequent visits from old friends and family in the area. This book and this spin-off series are exactly why I love to read series, some characters and some places are just too good to let go!

[Marsha Keeper Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf

THE RANCHER’S REDEMPTION is, at times, a very emotionally difficult story to read. I loved it, was deeply involved in Lizzie, Adam, and Roman’s lives but it hits deep in the emotions. There is a lot going on that will bring more pain but will eventually lead to healing – but that’s going to take a bit to work through.

We met Adam in THE SECOND CHANCE RANCHER, and even then could feel his constant emotional pain. Now, we get a better understanding of what he’s gone through both in losing his beloved wife to cancer and in why he alienated a woman he and his wife had considered a best friend. Lizzie has gone on with life, having an unfortunate romance with a loser which left her with a young son she would die for. Roman’s father and his father’s family are a real nasty piece of work collectively and one in particular. Suddenly this family who wanted nothing to do with a young boy wants visitation rights and is tossing out accusations that hold no truth but will bring a boatload of trouble to Lizzie’s door. Adam has a solution, but it will come with pain, confusion, and an outcome that he may not be ready to face.

Without going into details that would spoil this story for readers making up their minds about THE RANCHER’S REDEMPTION, I can safely say that this story is going to rip your heart out. There are bits of information that Adam didn’t have from a trauma early in his life, a situation that has shaped the man he’s become in many ways. Now, Adam must deal with not only learning the truth but seeing his former best friend in trouble deep and wanting to help. His emotions are about to come alive again, those feelings of happiness, attraction, and maybe even love if he allows it. Lizzie has always had a crush on Adam but her best friend always had his heart so she moved on. Or so she thought until they were forced into a closer relationship. Her love for Adam is still alive, but can she help him go beyond the death of a woman they both loved, a woman who would never have wanted him to grieve so for her that he stopped living. Watching Adam slowly heal was an emotional journey.

I was caught up in Lizzie and Adam’s romance. There is angst, anger issues, frustrations but there is also rediscovered joy, laughter, and a love worth fighting for, worth taking the risk to let it develop. I enjoyed myself once again in this world and would not hesitate to recommend this story to any reader who loves a good, emotional romance with characters who are believable, relatable and that you will care about the outcome of their romance.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I said in my review of the first book in this series that I was looking forward to Adam’s story. Hoo, boy! It’s a doozy! Not only does his story bring out all the feels, but so does Lizzie’s. Just so much emotion jangling around in this story.

Lizzie is an awesome female lead. Strong, independent, caring, kind…the whole package. As a friend, lover, and mom. Adam and his wife were her two best friends and she lost them both within days of each other. One to cancer, the other to his guilt and stubbornness. Yet she soldiers on, creating a wonderful life for herself and, years later, her son. No matter how the family of her son treat her or that she’s never found true love, she doesn’t let any of that get her down.

On the other hand, Adam closes himself off after his wife dies and lives a very mundane and boring existence. He has a big and loving family, but doesn’t even realize how lucky he is or really participate in more than the work of taking care of his family ranch and doing what he can for his siblings. Nobody else is allowed into his bubble which means he’s not really living.

Adam has been avoiding Lizzie for over a decade, but a chance encounter throws them back into orbit with one another. Once that happens, they pull is undeniable and the chemistry jumps off the pages. And for a man who is so closed off to others, he is a natural with Lizzie’s young son, Roman.

There is a lot these two need to unload, especially Adam. While Lizzie is having issues with her son’s family, she knows her mind and has a healthy mental life. Adam not only hasn’t dealt with his wife’s death, he also hasn’t dealt with his mom taking off on the family when he was a young teen. Now his mom’s back in town and he’s talking to Lizze again so all those carefully constructed walls of his are starting to crumble down around him.

As much as I love this story, I hate Adam’s dad’s view on forgiving his mom. In fact, I’m not crazy about her either. Even after all the explanations I cannot understand how anyone can feel the mom only did the right thing by walking away. As a mother I don’t understand giving up at any point, especially once the kids were adults. I feel this part of the storyline may continue to trickle through the other books in the series. We’ve already seen how her leaving has impacted Daisy and Adam, it’s bound to have affected the others.

** I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in my review are my own and given freely. **

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[Angela Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot and sexy Adam Miller is not the same guy he once was. Affected by the death of the love of his life, his high school sweetheart, caused him to change and put up a steel wall to protect his aching heart. His lowly state is fueled by his intense emotions and pain he tends to harbor inside while shutting others out. Not to mention his deeply embedded hurt of the loss of his mother moving out when he was twelve, leading to his parents eventually divorcing.
Lizzie and Adam are both healing from the death of her best friend and Adam’s wife but they both have different ways of getting through the pain. One thing leads to another when Adam is at his lowest and in desperate need of being saved, leading to him not speaking to Lizzie for several years.
Fast forward a few years Adam finds himself assisting Lizzie to get her son, Roman to the doctor’s office after a sting. He happened to be in the right place at the right time; leading to an open door to make amends with Lizzie. Although time and forced distance had kept them apart, they both discover the awakening feelings and unexpected attraction they have for one another. Both a little hesitant to pursue and act on their feelings due to their past and the common denominator, Adam's one and true love.
Lizzie has her own set of trouble to deal with as her son’s family attempt to come after her with threats and nasty tactics leading to a custody battle. However, she feels compelled to be there for Adam and help him through the newness of his mother reentering his life and other changes that are all happening so fast. He in return feels compelled to help Lizzie and her son. They discover that they need each other but they must each learn to trust their inner self and feelings, allowing the other in, even when it leaves them open and vulnerable. Can they get past the events of the past to be free to live in the present and enjoy each other? They make a strong attempt to do so but hanging on to the past, the discovery of secrets and new truths may be too much for Adam and Lizzie to endure.
The Rancher’s Redemptions is made up of all the ingredients for a great Western romance. The discovery of secrets and truths surrounding the past, mixed with the twist and turns of rediscovering love creates a page-turner that has you in tuned with the characters from beginning to the end. Kate Pearce did a great job bringing you into the world of Adam and Lizzie and intertwining the lives of the other characters and close family members making for an awesome read.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rancher's Redemption by Kate Pearce is a complicated romance, full of memories and past deeds, both good and bad. Lizzie Taylor is the single mother of four-year-old Roman. Adam Miller was her best friend, 14 years earlier until her had fallen in love with her best friend, Louise. Adam and Louise had married, far too young, and were happy until Louise died of cancer at 21. After finding Adam at Louise's grave in the rain with a gun, Lizzie and Adam had had sex. It was simply for comfort, but both felt guilty and so hadn't spoken in over 10 years, until the day Roman had a reaction to a bee sting and Adam was right where he was needed and drive Lizzie and Roman to the doctor, where everything was made right with Roman with an EpiPen. Now that they were speaking, would they rekindle their friendship?

There is a lot going on in this book. Roman's father had wanted nothing to do with Lizzie, and later, Roman, but all of a sudden his great aunt, who lives next door to the day care Roman attended, is in her yard taking photos of Roman all the time, next comes a private investigator, and then Roman's paternal grandmother. All of this is making Lizzie a little crazy. Lizzie is the quintessential single mom at odds with the family that hadn't wanted her son and now does. This, sadly, is a scene played out regularly, not always with the best results for the child. Lizzie works hard, takes classes online, and has generally given her life over to her child. Adam's life is complicated by the return of his mother, who left 20 years earlier and brings confusion to Adam's emotions. The reality is, after Louise's death, he hasn't allowed himself to feel and emotions. Now, between Lizzie and his mother, her is feeling far too many. He is a good, stoic character, who has to learn to live again, even after hurts have made it difficult. This was a decent book with regular people fighting to have lives. The reader will know someone in nearly every situation this book presents. It brings it all home. I recommend this book.

I received a free The Rancher's Redemption from Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #the ranchersredemption