Margaret Clemens, a local rancher,is thinking of marrying a cowboy who has a reputation.

Delightful book. I'm sorry this is the last book in the series. ( )

I love Debbie Macomber but I just didn't like this book or (honestly) this series very much. I felt like the main characters were either victim (her) or jerk (him). I just couldn't get past that. ( )

third in what was originally a trilogy. Margaret has always set he cap on neighbor bad boy Matt, but everyone thinks it's a bad idea. But after her father's death leaves her a wealthy woman, she pursues and proposes to Matt. He marries her for the land and ranch, but slowly comes to love her. ( )

I didn't like this book as much as I liked her other books - Montana, Blossom Street series, etc. I think my dislike stemmed from the Axel subplot and the handling of Shelley's pregnancy. Having friends/family who have endured the adoptive process, I really disliked the way Axel was taken from the couple. I work as a volunteer GAL, and the first mandate is to keep the child feeling stable. Unless the home was truly unfit (and this would be determined by a caseworker as WELL AS a CASA volunteer), the child most likely would have stayed in that very loving home he already knew. I also didn't like the way it was 'wrapped up' so neatly with him adjusting so easily - again, personal experience. I am also a stepmother, and my DH's ex is a lot like Shelley - used the children for personal gain, vindictive, hateful and spiteful. I can guarantee you that she will never give up her rights like that - no matter how much she would like. In fact, most stepmothers that deal with vindictive exes have pretty much the same experience - even when mothers abandon their young (one moved to England with no visits) they still play victim and refuse to give up their rights. The hate runs too deep. I also know that the strain on the marriage would have been nearly unbearable once the baby was on the EOW schedule and the women were interacting (which would be inevitable). It would not have been so easy to just pack him off to the hospital for that first visit, and it's never that easy to just "forgive, move on and love another woman's child" - trust me. Again, the ending for this part of the book was too "neat and tidy" to align with my personal experience. ( )