by Conner struggles with identity issues as he gets to know his wilder brother. And then he meets Tricia McCall, a beautiful woman who knows a thing or two about living someone else’s dreams. Together, they just might find their own dreams right here in Lonesome Bend….
Linda Lael Miller just keeps on creating these tantalizing cowboy/rancher/alpha-male heroes that make us all drool and each of whom are unique and incredibly interesting. That the Creeds are a large family is no longer in doubt, but this trilogy of novels is highlighting a branch of the family that involve twins Brody and Connor Creed along with their cousin Steven who was raised with them after his parents’ divorce. Steven is now living in Arizona with his new bride and his 5-year-old adopted son. He makes an appearance in this novel as well. Connor Creed is a man who is ripe and ready for some change in his life, but he is thrown by the re-appearance of his twin who declares that he is settling down in Lonesome Bend and re-assuming his responsibilities on their mutually owned ranch property, responsibilities he has left to Connor to carry for years. Down deep, Brody is needed and Connor aches to see the rift between him and his brother healed. On the other hand, he can’t seem to get past the betrayal that ripped them apart years earlier. Now both are in their early 30’s and Connor, for one, is ready to find a life-companion and settle down. He is well and truly weary of being alone.
Tricia McCall has returned to Lonesome Bend to visit her grandmother and to sell the various properties bequeathed to her by her dad. She is not a stranger to Lonesome Bend, although she is not as familiar with the residents because she was a sometimes-resident, living there in the summers during her court-ordered visits with her father. She has always planned to return to Seattle after these properties sell and open an art gallery in partnership with her significant other–a man who seems to occupy less and less of her thoughts while Connor seems to be taking up more and more of her thinking space. Tricia freely admits she is drawn to the handsome and rugged rancher, but she is a city girl, a committed resident of Seattle. Well . . . isn’t she? Her grandmother isn’t so sure, and as Tricia spends time in Lonesome Bend, she is beginning to wonder as well.
This is a novel that bears the unmistakable mark of Miller’s writing style and her love for this genre. She has a way of balancing the narrative and interaction of the characters with each other and that ever-present introspection that we all appreciate as a literary way of giving the reader a sense of who each character is, but which can and does so often overwhelm the dialogue. Such is not the case here. This novel embraces love and loss, disappointment and betrayal, family loyalty and worries for the future, the joys of being a part of a settled and caring community, and what it means to be in a committed love relationship, one which may be responsible for both characters having to change their understanding of themselves and each other.
This is a fine addition to Miller’s writing portfolio and a very good addition to anyone’s romance fiction library. I give it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
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This book is available from HQN Books. You can buy it here
Enjoyed your review Judith.
Linda Lael Miller just keeps on creating these tantalizing cowboy/rancher/alpha-male heroes that make us all drool…
Yes exactly. I’m in the middle of this book & loving it!