Ford Nixel left his family ranch behind back when he was in college and never looked back. After Uncle Ty took in Stoney, Ford's ex-boyfriend, and gave him a job, and then Stoney went off and had a kid with Ford's (now late) cousin, he'd had enough. And he's managed to make quite a life for himself with law offices in both Santa Fe and Austin. So when Uncle Ty announces he's signing over his half of the ranch to Ford, it's both unexpected and a bit unwelcome for all involved.

But Ford values the family ranch, and he wants to work to keep it going. And as much as he despises Stoney, he can't hold those feelings against Stoney's son, Quartz. So he moves in, deciding that he'll only be at the ranch part of the time and spend the rest of his days immersed in his law practice. But it turns out the ranch may need more of his attention than he originally thought. And being so close to Stoney brings some intense feelings to bear--and not all of them are the burning hatred he would like to believe they are. But it also turns out that some of the facts of Ford's situation with Stoney are not at all what he assumed. Can they put the ill feelings of the past behind them for the sake of saving the ranch? And in the process, might they also find those feelings they thought they lost so many years ago?

I would sum this up by saying it's an entertaining and engaging story about two stubborn cowboys whose stubbornness gets in the way of their own happiness. These two... you'll find yourself shaking your head more than once. But there's also a great cast of supporting characters who are interesting and fun in their own right. And since this is the start of a series, I hope we get to see some focused stories involving some of them in the near future. ( )

Coming home can be hard when it doesn’t feel right – and in ‘Commitment Ranch’, Ford has several reasons to hate the idea of returning to the Leaning N. Ford’s uncle, Ty, owns just over half the ranch and Ford loves him like a father, but the run-in and bad breakup he had with Stoney twelve years ago has driven him away. Stoney being the owner of the other half of the ranch has kept Ford away. But now that his uncle is ill and can’t run the ranch any longer, it looks as if Ford will have no choice but to deal with Stoney, the issues between them, and old feelings neither Ford nor Stoney are willing to admit they have.

Ford is a successful lawyer with two offices, assistants who run his life, condominiums – he has it all. He thought he’d left the past behind him, but when he sees Stoney again, the old wound reopens, and a lot of anger pours out. Stoney married Ford’s cousin, something Ford is unwilling to forgive. Their child lives on the ranch and the cousin has passed away, but Ford can’t get over Stoney’s betrayal. It proves his feelings are still there, but Ford would never admit that. He has the skills to keep the ranch running, and he would do anything for Uncle Ty, but dealing with Stoney on a daily basis may just be too hard.

Stoney is a cowboy through and through. Of course he knows about horses and running the ranch day-to-day, including dealing with guests, but a lot of the legal aspects and the whole business part are not his thing. He knows he needs Ford’s help, but he has his own issues with his former boyfriend that mean a reconciliation is very, very far from his mind. Stoney has made some very honorable decisions in his life, but sharing them with Ford was not possible. Stoney has lived with the consequences and has few regrets, but losing Ford is one of them.

The animosity between these men sizzles and practically drips off the pages. They’re ready to get into a fight from the moment they lay eyes on each other again, and it doesn’t take long for the actual fistfight to happen. It proved to me that they still love each other, but the obstacles between them are considerable – especially since communication isn’t either man’s strength. It takes some doing for them to reach the point where they can talk to each other without balling their fists, and I have to admit that I enjoyed every adversarial second. All that heat between them promised some magnificent things… eventually.

But there is more to this novel than Ford and Stoney’s relationship and how they end up dealing with their past, though that is a major part. The story around the ranch and how to save it was interesting as well and kept me turning the pages. All the secondary characters, from Uncle Ty and Stoney’s son to Ford’s assistants, are wonderful and really helped make the Leaning N a home.

If you like cowboys and city boys trying to get along, if you enjoy hard-earned second chances after years of silence, and if you’re looking for a read that has electric tension of all kinds between the main characters, some great verbal and even physical fights, and some of the most fabulous make-up sex ever written, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It is entertaining and fun, as well as scorching, from beginning to end.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )