Peril on the Ranch

by Lynette Eason

They’ll shield her newest charge…

no matter what the cost.

When an infant is abandoned on her ranch, foster mother Isabelle Trent will do anything for the child—even put her own life on the line. She might not know who left the little girl, but it’s clear someone’s after her and will kill to reach their target. With Isabelle’s ranch hand, Brian “Mac” McGee, at her side, can she survive long enough to protect the baby?

Genres: Love Inspired, Harlequin, Love Inspired Suspense, Christian Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Romance, Suspense

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2021

About the author

Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, SC. She graduated from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and then obtained her masters in education from Converse College. Author of twenty inspirational romantic suspense books, she is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). In 1996, Lynette married "the boy next door" and now she and her husband and their two children make their home in Simpsonville, South Carolina."

Series:
. Amazon Adventure
. High Stakes
. Women of Justice

Reviews

[Kav · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a Lynette Eason book I haven't loved and Peril on the Ranch is no exception. Somehow, in the midst of all the danger and treachery, the author manages to include a real sense of family and relationship building. And so much hope.

Mac has just arrived at Isabelle's ranch, having lived a nomad's existence as he grapples with grief and loss. Despite his best efforts to remain aloof, Isabelle and her foster kids get under his skin and when the ranch and the lives of those he's come to care about are threatened, well, look out villain, you don't stand a chance!

Eason has achieved a great balance between the developing romance and the suspense. Edgy enough to keep a reader on high alert, but with enough breathing spaces to allow love to blossom. And the kids! Melted my heart and kept me in stitches in the midst of it all.

Another pager-turning wonder from a much loved suspense author.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Romantic Suspense. This book is all about a foster mother, Isabelle trying to keep a baby that was put on her doorstep. This book is light on the romance and suspense, but there is action and a small mystery. This was a fun and quick read. There was a twist at the end that was really good, but it was not like a thriller twist. I loved all the characters in this book, and I love all the kids in this book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a light suspense that was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. The kids were cute and trying to figure out what was going on with Lilly kept me guessing. However, it’s not as great as Eason’s work normally is—there were some fairly large oversights, such as a hero whose personal appearance is literally never described.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable story. Isabelle and Mac are likable characters and the kids absolutely steal the story! The villain in this story is one of the coldest ones I have come across and trust me when I say that is saying something! A sweet romance.

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a “Love Inspired Suspense”, featuring ex-police officer Brian “Mac” McGee who is travelling to be interviewed for a job on the ranch of widower and foster mother, Isabelle Trent. He hasn’t even had the chance to introduce himself when she warns him of a threatening intruder…..

Isabelle is doing her best to help raise some traumatised foster children when an unexpected extra baby is left on her porch. Someone is determined to snatch the baby and it will take her, the others on the ranch – including Mac – together with the local community, to help keep everyone safe . . . . and maybe help some hearts to heal as love finds a way.

If you enjoy heartwarming romances with superb child characters as well as suspense and danger, you’ll enjoy this story. It is a story where each main character has been grieving for their deceased spouse. After meeting each other, they are endeavouring to resist their mutual attraction, but the unfolding drama necessitates them working together but nothing is quite as straightforward as it seems – so be ready for some unexpected twists!

Thank you to Harlequin Book and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabelle Trent is a loving and caring foster mother. When an infant is abandoned at her door, Isabelle doesn't hesitate to do whatever she can for the baby girl, even though before long Isabelle continually finds herself in danger. Who is apparently trying to abduct the child, and with little care for anyone around them?

Isabelle is not alone in her sudden battle. She has a new ranch hand, Brian "Mac" McGee, who proves time and again his protective nature and unyielding loyaty. It does not take Isabelle and Mac to realize that they are very much the same and that their new common goal can go much further for the both of them. Isabelle's unselfish nature and Mac's kind, if not altruistic nature, prove a perfect match.

I love how Isabelle and Mac met. Isabelle's ranch was in need of repair and she had put an ad for a handyman. Mac pretty much got the job right away when he comes to her in response to an ad and immediately runs off an intruder. While Mac does intend on helping Isabelle with the ranch, quite a bit of his attention is focused on keeping her and the children safe as danger seems to be looming at every turn.

I loved this story by Lynette Eason! The danger, twists and romance were a great mix in this story, and the inclusion of faith was the cherry on top.

Many thanks to Love Inspired Suspense and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

[Aleisha Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just, don't know how to review this book. Is it a 2 star, is it a 3? Idk, I rounded up for good measure. This is one of those reads that is probably comforting to some because it's simple. I must admit I was in a reading fog (or funk), so no wonder why I had a hard time feeling anything toward this book.

The story was easy to follow along and sometimes I did have outbursts of "what" and "what just happened?"... I think the book did what it was supposed to do.

[Senti · Rating 2 out of 5]

The large amount of high ratings is baffling to me. This book is bad, hilariously so.

There's essentially no first act. We are thrown straight into the action without any real character introduction. This makes the stakes low as the reader has yet to form a connection with any of the characters. A ton of named characters are introduced in the first chapter, and it would have been nice to have a first act that would have slowly sprinkled them in as they became relevant. There are also too many characters, several of which serve absolutely no purpose with the plot.

The pace moves at a breakneck speed jumping from event to event to event with no time to properly build up the romance and other character dynamics.

The plot is highly unrealistic as well with police/medical professionals/social workers not taking an incredibly dangerous situation seriously enough.

There are also several typos. One was in what was meant to be a very tense scene, which cracked me up.

[Katherine Hayward Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mac has a troubled past and arrives at Isabelle's ranch. Will he settle in well or will he go back to being a nomad? With his aloof attitude, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I was hoping he'd soften with time. Not to give too much away but the characters are well created and Katie and baby Lily are adorable. Will the presence of kids and the ranch setting be the change of scene and chance to move on in life that Mac needs?

Will he fall for Isabelle? Will she give in to loving Mac first or will they stay "just friends?" All the anticipation of what was going to happen kept me interested in the plot which was helped by the good writing style.

Lynette Eason is a new author to me and I would very much like to review more of her books.

Thanks to Lynette Eason and Harlequin for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars.

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynette Eason's Peril on the Ranch is a great way to spend a lazy afternoon. The only problem with that is I kept finding myself sitting up and heading toward the edge of my seat with every bit of danger and tension. Thankfully, Lynette Eason blends the danger with some sweet family moments and an emotional love story. Mac and Isabelle have both seen their share of loss, and they along with the kids tug at the heartstrings. In a nutshell, what we have here is an engaging story that's suspenseful, emotional, and inspirational - as I said, a great way to spend an afternoon. The characters are so easy to root for and their story is one of family, faith, and love.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great mix of romance and suspense balanced with children that melt your heart, especially Katie. I just wanted to scoop that sweet child in my arms and protect her. I loved that the plot has a few twists that keep you engrossed even though I did figure it out. Isabelle and Mac are great characters that you are rooting for as each are recovering from deep loss. Great entertaining read.
I won a complimentary copy from a blog. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.

[Anna Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lynette Eason has written some very good books.
This is *NOWHERE* near one of them.

It begins with a baby left on the porch, and someone lingering in the bushes. Instead of thinking Miram-and-baby-Moses, Isabelle immediately (without even SEEING who it is) decides it's a scary stalker out to kill her and the baby, and calls the police.

And while it turns out Eason MAKES him a scary stalker (who is now around the house, trying to climb in the kitchen window), she also makes him a moron for NOT grabbing the baby from the unsuspecting woman to begin with - or before she hits the porch. ADDITIONALLY, Eason has him SHOW UP ON A MOTORCYCLE.

HOW IN HADES IS A GUY GONNA GET A BABY CARSEAT/CARRIER ON A MOTORCYCLE?!>!>!>!>!

Meanwhile, a guy showing up for an interview (for ranch foreman) chases around the house GRABS THE BADDY'S HOODIE TIGHTLY IN BOTH HANDS... and then loses his grip. LOSES. HIS. GRIP. On a hoodie that he could be choking the guy with - he came at him from behind, hello...!!!!

The whole thing was so absolutely S.T.O.O.P.I.D that I threw it at a wall. And now I'm moving on with my life, knowing happily that I didn't waste another mili-second on such horribly crafted DRIVEL. Because that's the only word for this garbage.

D. N. and F.

[Caitlyn Santi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story from one of my very favorite romantic suspense authors!
Isabelle is a fantastic heroine, I instantly liked her and was cheering her on through the whole book. Mac is an awesome, swoon-worthy hero! There’s just something about a protective hero who is great with kids, and is perfectly comfortable cradling a baby in his arms that never fails to melt my heart, and Mac is definitely one such hero!
I don’t know if Peril on the Ranch is going to be part of a series or not, but this story has a great cast of secondary characters (Creed, Regina, Cody Ray, Ms. Sybil, Ben, and a few others) whom I would love to see again in future stories!
I loved the small town setting of Timber Creek. I love how this author writes both small town and more urban settings with equal brilliance, making both types of setting come to life for the reader!
The suspense in this book was excellent, it kept me flipping pages as fast as possible because I had to know what would happen next!
I really enjoyed Peril on the Ranch, and highly recommend it!
I can’t wait to read Lynette Eason’s next book!

[Allie]

Widowed foster mom, widower ex-cop turned ranch hand, lots of kids, and danger…

Isabelle hasn’t even hired Mac yet when he ends up saving her and her foster children from an unknown assailant. The ex-cop finds himself unable to resist staying to protect the widowed ranch owner or her houseful of foster kids.

The book has a good amount of action, moving the suspense plot along nicely. The romance side of the story felt a bit uneven to me though. They’d both lost spouses in the past, but Mac especially seemed to struggle with moving on.

This might be a personal preference, but the emotional aspects of the story weren’t as strong as I would have liked. Not just on the romance side, but even the fear fell flat to me at times.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like when things don't match. Chapter 5. Goes to the barn to get tools for crib, turns around to talk to Isabelle cause he is concerned, she is not in the house went to a barn from kitchen door and talks to the little girl and she asks him about putting the crib together(I am assuming not the same barn because regardless what door I would have thought they seen each other and why didn't he just go out the kitchen door if it was closer to the barn???), finds her in a barn talks to her and then heads out to the fence(I am guessing to fix it). Far as I know the crib never gets put together. I never felt like the 2 made a connection.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynette Eason is a great writer so I knew going in I was in for a good read. (See what I did there - "good read.") Anyway - this story has everything I look for in a novel - good characters (Mac is troubled but a decent guy, and Isabelle has a giant heart and is a real sweetie.) The plot is fast moving and full of action and suspense. I figured out the villain early on but I continued to be interested in how the situation would be resolved. I love the way things progressed and couldn't put the book down until it was over. Highly recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book with its gentle, heartwarming romance, and intense action and suspense. I was excited to be able to read this story and would read it again. It's a good book about the protection of the innocent and the healing of broken hearts. It's face paced and the story line is full of high stakes situations and near death chaos around every corner. It is like a Mystery 101 Hallmark Mystery movie except a book. It's a good book to read to get descriptive content and ideas. So fun! So thrilling!

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danger, Romance, Humor and Healing

Mac saves Isabelle before they are formally introduced. Isabelle has four abandoned children in her care that she willingly and unselfishly sacrifice to insure they are safe and loved. With threats to their safety, Mac becomes their savior and falls in love with Isabelle and the children. He is still grieving and tries to fight his growing love for them, but unsuccessfully. This book had danger, laughter, mystery and a lot of healing. This was a great read worthy of every minute spent on it and therapeutic.

[Trudy Cordle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Isabelle and Mac's story!! Mac applies for the position of ranch foreman for Isabelle's ranch, not intending to stay for long. Isabelle is so thankful God brought Mac into her life when he steps in and tries to catch an intruder. Mac is trying to come to terms with the grief he's carried for the last 18 months when he meets Isabelle and the children in her care. Katie breaks through his defenses first, and Isabelle isn't far behind. Will he realize he's found what he's been looking for before it's too late?

[Linda Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A WLL WRITTEN, CLEAM LOVE STORY WITH LOTS OF SUSPENSFUL TWISTS AND TURNS AS THEY TRY TO FIGURE WHO IS CAUSING ALL THE PROBLEMS ON THE RANCH OF A SWEET SINGLE WIDOW WITH FOSTER CHILDREN. ONE OF THE TROUBLEMAKERS IS THE FATHER OF A BABY WHO WAS LEFT ON THE DOOR -STEP A FEW DAYS EARLIER. WHEN HE IS ARRESTED THEY FIND THAT A MAN WHO WAS CONSIDERED A GOOD FRIEND, WANTED TO BUY HER LAND AND IN FACT HAD ALREADY SOLD IT WAS ALSO INVOLVED. THE LOVE STORY IS BETWEEN THE YOUNG WIDOW AND THE MAN SHE HAS JUST HIRED AS A HANDIMAN AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THIS IS A CLEAN STORY.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked both Isabelle and Mac as characters. Isabelle, especially, with her faith in God and understanding of others from her previous work as a therapist came across as a very kind, compassionate soul. Mac, though troubled, clearly was a protector at heart, one who just needed a bit of healing, and reminders of God's grace.
The suspense was good too, though not quite as strong as in Lynette Eason's other work. That said, I did have my suspicions confirmed about the twist, and it broke my heart.
3.5 stars

[Elaine Applebury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Lynette Eason’s books and this one had me from the beginning. Widowed foster mother Isabelle Trent finds a baby on her doorstep, and then someone targets her to try to get the baby. Mac McGee arrives for a job interview with Isabelle just in time to save her and the children from an intruder! This is full of action as suspense with adorable children in the mix that will keep you guessing!

[Cherie l brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful, and twisty as they navigated the ranch, the kids, help, friends, and strangers. I have to commend Isabell for her bravery and courage to love after Josiah. Another favorable attribute of Izzy was her commitment to her gaggle of kids. I had a sneaky suspicion that somebody close was the evil one, and even guessed which character, but felt bad for the heartache that the acts of betrayal did in such a small town.

[Jamie Ann Bartlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and Uplifting

Though each of the MC's have their fair share of sad history together and with the help of the precious kids, they find healing and love. In the midst of everything being embroiled in evil plans lead the pair to face their past and present while deciding on their future. It's another great read from the Love Inspired Suspence Collection.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so good! I love the characters. This book was different than a lot of others. I loved the foster care aspect of the book. I loved seeing the love that Isabelle and the others working at the ranch had for the kids in their care. It was a unique story, and I absolutely loved every heart thumping minute of trying to catch who did it.

[Zenobia N Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Katie was a delight, and Mac found a home. Travis was an example of bad choices -- the love of money being the root of all evil--Valerie was a victim of his vice. The family was an example of love's healing power. Drew was just wayward, immature and out of control.

[sandy moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peril on the ranch

A very good story. What a great theme on fostering children that so desperately need love and encouragement. The story had a wonderful balance of intrigue and watching the safety of children

[Sherene Pinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!

Peril on the Ranch is a sweet Rom dance and suspense novel. I couldn't wait to see how things would work out for Max and Isabella. Katie is a lovely addition to the story and so easy to love. You will not regret reading this story.

[Lucinda McClellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damaged ex-policeman takes a job at the ranch as an abandoned baby appears on the doorstep.

[Lela Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is for Living.

Such a Good Read. Trouble may visit but with Prayers all things work out for the best. Love is greater than Greed could ever be.