From USA Today Best-selling Author, Taylor Hart--what could go wrong with a fake marriage and a hunt for Conquistador Gold? After the death of their father, six siblings are upset the family ranch in Wyoming was left solely to their oldest brother, Porter Cross. He's been on bad terms with the family for fifteen years and their father's wishes feel like a betrayal to the rest of the siblings. But the possibility of a cache of conquistador gold being stashed somewhere begins to unite them. The trickiest part of the whole situation is that Porter has to get married or the ranch will be lost to everyone.
When Sadie Hunt comes back to Cross Creek to start over with her son, she never expected her high school love would ask her to marry him and she really never expected to find herself looking for gold. As a hunt for conquistador gold and a fake marriage bring all of the Cross siblings together, their relationships get tried and they find they have to do the one thing their father always wanted them to do; trust each other and protect the land that is their legacy.
Enjoy 3 bonus books, Her Hidden Falls Anti-Hero Cowboy, Her Hidden Falls Doctor Cowboy, Her Hidden Falls Ex Military Cowboy.
★ USA TODAY BESTSELLER, AMAZON BESTSELLING AUTHOR, and TOP KINDLE ALL STAR! ★
Taylor Hart writes inspirational and Christian romance and is a best-selling author of over eighty-five books with fans in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and all over the world.
A note from the author:
Thanks for visiting my Goodreads page.
I wanted to tell something meaningful about myself, but let's start with the important stuff--I love swoon-worthy heroes. The kind of heroes that are strong and would take a bullet for you, but also want to open your door and listen to you pour out your heart.
What else? I grew up moving. If you’ve read my books, you won’t be surprised by this. I have a lot of moving themes through my books centered around characters experiencing pain from someone moving.
It was hard. But, I believe there’s always a seed of good that comes out of everything hard, so I think the best thing that came from it was that I learned to love books.
And I had to learn a lot of mad skills on friend making. It gave me a love of people…good people, compassionate people. Interesting people of all kinds.
What else about me? I am a mother and wife! I have four amazing boys that are like little ninjas running around. I love them so much and I’m so grateful for my amazing husband who doesn’t get intimidated by all the billionaire men in my life.
I have a fierce love of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for Him and for the healing and forgiveness I’ve gotten to experience in my life. This is a theme in many of my books.
I love being an American. I am so proud of the men and women that support and preserve our freedom. This is another theme you will find in my books.
I am so grateful for my fans and for the support and love you all show me! Don’t stop reading!
Fun and fast read but I thought it was longer with THREE additional titles included after the first one that I didn't know about (previously published, also good stories but not reviewing here). Clean romance, some suspenseful moments, second chance romance, lots.ofnthings to follow but seems like a good beginning to a series. I enjoyed it. Small town fun. Porter and Sadie both have their own demons in their past but they get things sorted out. Brothers and other relatives keep things real.
This is the first book in a new series, but the series piggy backs on the South Port Beach Romance series. You don't need to read this other series first to enjoy this book, but if you're like me and you get frustrated when you're reading a book and realize you're missing some of the back story, then I suggest you read the Stone family series and Lucy's story before starting this series so you have all the back story. Again, this isn't necessary to enjoy this story, just helpful.
Porter and Sadie have both had a hard time lately and a lot of life changes that bring them back together after 15 years. I loved seeing their friendship and relationship rekindle during this book. Life was real and crazy for them, but they were able to get through it together and with the help of family. I'm excited to read the other siblings stories and continue the search for the conquistador's gold that seems to be more trouble than it's worth.
Porter is the oldest of a large family who run a massive cattle ranch. But after some conflict with his father and brothers, Porter left to be an Air Force pilot and has been mostly estranged from his family.
Now his father has passed away, leaving a strange stipulation in the will: Porter should take over the property, but can only keep it if he is married by the time he’s 35. If he doesn’t, the land will be parceled out and sold away.
Porter knows he has an obligation to his siblings, who rely on the family ranch for their business and home. But how is he going to fulfill the requirements?
Then he runs into Sadie, his first love, back in town with her son after her cheating husband passed away. She’s carrying a lot of wounds, both from her failed marriage and from the way Porter left her back when they were kids.
Porter offers her a deal. They get married, he keeps the land, and he uses the family’s wealth to help her get back on her feet. She agrees, but it soon becomes evident to both of them that a “fake marriage” isn’t going to work well, given how real their feelings for each other still are.
💕THE ROMANCE💕
Sadie and Porter have always loved each other, but their childlike first love has been replaced by a more mature, multilayered, and complicated set of feelings. They understand each other well, partly because they’re both a bit prickly and stubborn at times.
Their time together is often spent helping one another, from renovation projects to cooking. They’re rarely alone, given all the family members and friends in town who surround them, creating a sense of belonging and demonstrating how the two fit into each other’s lives.
✝️FAITH ELEMENTS✝️
Both characters believe in God and pray, especially in difficult situations or when they need guidance. Porter and Sadie grow closer after praying together.
📝MY THOUGHTS📝
I really liked the way the “fake marriage” trope developed, with the characters having multiple conversations about what they are doing, and why, and their expectations and needs. I loved all the side characters, especially Porter’s youngest sister Cheyenne, and the way the workings of the cattle ranch and horseback riding and Sadie’s hair salon fleshed out the story.
The plot has a LOT going on, and it really feels like the first in a series. The third act has a lot of action, danger, and surprises, and there are twists and turns that don’t all get ironed out by the end. It’s clear that Porter’s brothers and sister will all have their own exciting stories!
A great story of second chance when all seems lost This book explores how even when life throws you a curve or even a lot of curves you can pull through especially if you will let those who care about you step in and help. Porter, the oldest of five brothers and one sister, is called home from his career as a military pilot to attend his father’s funeral. A man he had not been close to for years. He was as shocked as his siblings when the will was read, listing Porter as the sole owner of the family ranch. Stranger still was the stipulation that in order to keep the ranch in the family Porter had to marry by his married by his thirty-fifth birthday which was in two months. Sadie was a recent widow left to raise her son alone. She had to deal not only with her husband’s death but his infidelity as well as not having money to proceed. When she is notified that her grandmother had died leaving her the house she had grown up in, to Sadie, it seems like things might be looking up. But soon she discovers that the house and the plans she had made to open a beauty salon in the town were going to cost much more money than she had available. The answer seemed to be to approach her boyfriend from the past, Porter, and ask for help. When they meet and discuss their problems another solution to solve both problems appears, a fake marriage. But can two old flames handle a fake marriage? I received an early copy and this is my honest review.
This book is full of family and heart. Porter is given his families ranch but must be married to get it after his father dies. He never planned to marry especially while being in the military but his family needed him to do so in order for them to be able to keep their lives on businesses that ran off the family ranch. Sadie moved back home and was faced with a lot of difficulties after her husband had died and left her picking up the pieces of a messy life. Porter and Sadie had always loved each other and decided that as friends they could marry and save the family. Their story gets a little crazy as Porter and his siblings find out their dad may have helped the Stone families dad hide gold on the land. The hunt for the gold has now moved onto the new family and it brought drama pretty quickly. This story is one that will make you melt with the healing and love of the family while also keep you hooked wondering what will happen next with the gold hunt. You will truly enjoy escaping with the family for a little while.
When Porter Cross comes home on leave for his father's funeral and the reading of the will, he and all 5 of his estranged siblings are stunned when his father leaves the ranch solely to Porter and with the stipulation that he be married by the time he turns 35 (which is only 2 months away) or the ranch is turned over to the State to be sold, piece by piece. Sadie returns home to Cross Creek after her husband dies, leaving her with debts and no life insurance. Raised by her grandmother, Sadie wants to make a new life for her son Denver and herself. With the home her grandmother left her, this looks like a great option until Sadie sees not only the condition of her grandmother's home but the salon she bought needs new plumbing and electrical work throughout. I love the characters in this new series and the slight crossover to the Stone Family South Beach series. A delightful second chance romance with some wonderful suspense.
This book is a continuation of the Stone family saga/series, but I really think you can start here and go back to them if you have not read them, and when you fall in love with THIS book, while you wait for the next one in this series you WILL want to read about the Stones!! These books are so wonderful, you can read the blurb for the story line, these books have enough intruge and mystery and just a enough suspense to you make you not want to put it down, but not so much you wont be able to sleep. This book like all of this author's is clean and no real cliff hangers, (which means this IS part of a series, but does wrap up these character's stories really well, so you could stop, but they are SO good, well I cannot imagine). Great character development and really just a fun book, if you are about fake marriage books, which I LOVE! This book is totally worth your time.
Great clean book. Beginning of a new series but connected to the Stone Family series. Porter has spent the last fifteen years in the Air Force away from the family ranch. When his father dies the family is told of the trust that was set up years ago. It left the ranch solely to Porter and in order to keep the ranch from being sold, he has to be married by the time he’s thirty-five, which is in two months.
Sadie is a single mom who has a house and salon that have several issues and she’s not sure how to solve them all. Fifteen years ago Porter broke her heart when he walked away from her. Is she willing to marry him now to save the ranch? *I received this book for free for my unbiased review.
Brawley and Daphne live in the same small town. During college, they were both talked into going to a party that they didn't want to attend. Unused to alcohol, they both drink more than they should.
10 years later, Brawley has always regretted that night. When a stranger notices the resemblance between Daphne's daughter and him, he realizes that Daphne was the girl from that night. When he asks her out, she says no. So he decides to write letters to her to build a friendship so he can pave a path to getting to know his daughter.
I love how Jessie brings out character and integrity and doing the right thing. Even when you make a mistake, learn from it and make good decisions from there.
I had an ARC for this book, but this is my voluntary and honest opinion. After his father’s death Porter Cross, the oldest son is left the ranch, but he must first be married by his 35th birthday in two months, and his siblings are upset the ranch was left to him. His former girlfriend, Sadie Hart is back in town with her son after the death of her husband. She wants to open a beauty shop, but runs into problems with the wiring and plumbing. They decide to enter into a fake marriage in order to open the trust to fund the ranch. The plot also includes a hunt for conquistador gold, and unreported nuclear silos. A great start to this new series by Taylor Hart.
This was a nice book. 15 years after they broke up, Sadie and Porter are both back in their hometown. Porter has left the military and needs a wife to fulfill the terms of his fathers will; and Sadie is a widow with a son, a falling apart beauty salon, and house that needs a lot of work. Toss in some empty missile silos and gold hunters, and you get some unexpected plot twists. If you read the author’s Stone Family series you will especially like this one as some of the characters carry forward into this book. A big thank you to the author for providing an ARC copy for me to proof and review.
Porter has been away in the military for some years. Even though he has never had a close relationship with his father, no one is more surprised than him when the family ranch is left to him. Since everything is difficult for Porter’s father put a stipulation that he must be married by his birthday in 2 months. Ugh! Sadie is a widow with a small son and must deal with not only her husband’s death but also his infidelity. She wants to start a business and is already strapped for money. This book was such a great way to start a series! I cannot wait to see where the next book goes. I am voluntarily leaving this review.
This appears to be another series searching for the famous Conquistadors Gold. This time the search is taking us from South Port to Cross Creek Wyoming. The Cross family and the Stone family have been communicating. The way this author intertwined the two series together make the series flow seamlessly. In my mind she keeps the reader on the edge of their seats to find the next key to where this story goes. There are also three additional bonus books included with the original book for those looking for extra good reading. I call that a win!
If you, like me, were very much into the Stone family and the treasure hunt that their parents sent them on, you have probably been anxiously waiting for the NEXT family’s adventure with the search for the gold! Porter and Sadie are the perfect couple to start off the Cross Creek Wyoming Ranch romances. I can’t wait till the rest of this perfect cast of ‘CHARACTERS’ (the brothers remind me of my cousins-their interactions are quite entertaining!) get their own chances at love, with the adventure of navigating the world of romance (with the HELP of their HELPFUL siblings LOL) while also searching for the clues left by their father.
In Porter, the search for the gold continues in Wyoming. I love the Stone Family books and that problem creating gold. It seems Porter's dad may have taken things to a whole new level. As exciting as a gold search is, this is really a book about family and forgiveness. I love the way the Cross brothers come together to attack adversity as Porter and Sadie work out their relationship. There is plenty of suspense and romance in this fascinating tale. It was impossible to put the book down.
Taylor Hart did a good job. Porter Cross had been in the Air Force after his father had died and left him in charge of the ranch. He had to marry before he was thirty five. Sadie Hunt, who had a son, Denver, had just come back to Cross Creek. Her husband died a year ago and left her with debts, no insurance and had several mistresses. Very great book. Jeanette Stracner
An enjoyable clean second chance romance with some suspenseful moments, great small town vibe and family dynamics that are real and intriguing. This is a shorter read (3-4 hours), with minimal faith element (some prayers are said, that kind of thing), clean (no blushing required) and will leave you wanting to read the next in the series. It is not necessary but would make for a slightly more enjoyable experience to read the Stone Family books before this.
Sadie and Porter have a past and it didn't end well. Loved how they encountered each when they came back to their hometown. She made me laugh. A marriage of convenience but she wants it to be fake not real and definitely not romance. Or does she really feel this way? Enjoyed seeing these two get to know each other and again while seeking and extending forgiveness. Of course they have to search for the gold and encounter some opposition. Full of romance, family, intrigue, suspense and reconciliations.
Go read the Stone Family saga first. You’re welcome. :) Now, if you have read them, welcome to the next series I never expected. A lovely second chance fake romance with a couple of lovely older children and a new family and town and ranch to fall in love with. I’m on the edge of my seat for the next book.
I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I love that the hunt for the conquistadors’ gold is continuing with a whole new family series. Porter and Sadie make an entrancing couple. Both have a lot of sorrows from their past to deal with. This is a wonderful story that really held my interest and I really enjoyed it. Can’t wait for the next one. I received a free copy of this book and this is my voluntary, honest review.
What a kickoff to a new series. Taylor Hart pulls us in with a strange will which makes no one happy, a second chance romance, humor, danger and a mystery, is there gold and if there is, where is it? I will be sitting here drumming my fingers waiting for the next book, Colt. I am not known for my patience.
I enjoyed each story in this collection of books. This is my first introduction to this author but won't be my last. There are books from two different series. They are sweet, clean romances that enticed me to look at the rest of books in each series. Warm, real characters, good writing that keeps you wanting more and great friends and locations.
Another exciting story as the cowboy ranchers live life and search for hidden gold and their happily ever afters. This book has plenty of suspense and excitement as the bad guys try to thwart the good guys. And of course there’s some romance that doesn’t exactly go smoothly. I recommend this to readers who love romance with excitement.
This was a fun, quick read and is a great start to the series. There is drama, suspense, second chance at love, friendship & family, I found the characters realistic and the story engaging. I think if the story was longer the characters would have been a bit more rounded but overall it was a good book.
Loved being back with this author again. It was nice being back with the Cross brothers too. Looking forward to reading Blaze, Cheyenne and Nash stories. Enjoyed the Hard man brothers stories too. Will enjoy reading more in the series. Will read more by this author too.
I'm excited to meet the Cross family. I read all about the gold with the Stone family and now the search moves to Wyoming. I am happy that Porter and Sadie got their second chance at a love story and look forward to getting to know the rest of the Cross family.
Reading this story about Porter and Sadie was absolutely wonderful! I loved how the story unfolded and they got their second chance along with broken family ties being mended! A must read!! I received an ARC copy and chose to leave a
Great story with Porter and Sadie who get back together years after they went their separate ways. He has been left the family ranch after the death of his father and she is starting over after her husband dies leaving her to raise their son alone. Loved the story and the characters.
These were a great grouping of stories of love and lost love and how everyone manages to find the true beings and the family they all wanted. This is my review and mine alone. Norma Gorrill
Yes, that's right! Ms. Hart has a new family searching for gold, this time in Wyoming. Their father has died. He makes it appear there is gold hidden on the ranch property. There are 5 children so I wonder if by the end there really will be gold found?