Rancher Rescue

BARB HAN

Goodreads synopsis: When a little boy goes missing, rancher Caleb Snow steps in to help…and winds up falling for the child's beautiful–but mysterious–aunt in Barb Han's Rancher Rescue

Getting tangled up with another woman in crisis is the last thing rancher Caleb Snow needs. The handsome cowboy has been badly burned too many times. But this one feels different–Katherine Harper is injured and reeling after an ambush in which her nephew was kidnapped. Caleb wants nothing more than to protect the beautiful, headstrong woman and help her find the missing child. If only he could ignore the feelings she stirs in him. 

But as they search together, it's clear someone wants Katherine dead. Soon the two are running for their lives, dodging bullets, not knowing who to trust…or if they'll survive long enough to bring a little boy home.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Harlequin, 2014.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Katherine Harper pushed up on all fours and spit dirt.

My thoughts: I'm glad I only paid 49 cents for this book at a thrift store. Struggled to stay interested. I just didn't connect with the hero or the heroine. There was just no depth to them. Especially the heroine. And after all the trouble the hero goes through to get her to a safe place, she just blithely walks into danger and lets the bad guy capture her. The hero rescues her, of course, a mere three and a half pages later, and it was completely anticlimactic.

The hero also kept talking "deadpan", as did his best friend on one occasion. He would say something deadpan, or in a deadpan tone. But they're just making a serious statement, in the middle of a serious situation, in a serious voice. Maybe I don't understand the meaning of deadpan? I mean, isn't that where someone says something absurd and not in keeping with the mood of the current situation, but in a super serious voice to comedic effect?

But before all the above happened, this passage just made me groan:

"My first big sale was a beautiful paint horse. The man who'd sold him to me when he was a pony said he tore up the ground like no other."

Ugh.

Last Night at the Lobster

STEWART O'NAN

Goodreads synopsis: The Red Lobster perched in the far corner of a run-down New England mall hasn't been making its numbers and headquarters has pulled the plug. But manager Manny DeLeon still needs to navigate a tricky last shift with a near-mutinous staff. All the while, he's wondering how to handle the waitress he's still in love with, what to do about his pregnant girlfriend, and where to find the present that will make everything better.

Stats for my copy: Paperback, Penguin Books, 2008.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Mall traffic on a gray winter's day, stalled.

My thoughts: This is a slim (146 pages) paperback that took me longer to read than it should have. Partly because I just didn't have a lot of time to read, but partly because I found it a bit of a struggle to get into. The narrative is in present tense, which is my least favorite tense, but once I picked up the flow I decided the author made a good choice there, as it fit the story. The entire book takes place over one day at a Red Lobster, which is being closed down effective the following day. The detail, the minutiae of running a restaurant – I worked in restaurants for several years but reading this I felt like I knew nothing about working in a restaurant. And it certainly didn't make me ever want to do so again! The narrative is from Manny's point of view, so we don't get any insight into any of the other characters. I would've liked to know more about Jacquie, the waitress Manny had an affair with and is still hung up on, and how they got together.

Overall the book was a bit depressing, but I did appreciate the author's talent for imagery, especially in the outdoor scenes with the snow storm. When I walked out of my house I was momentarily surprised that the air was hot and humid instead of freezing cold. 

Temptation Ridge (Virgin River, Book Five)

ROBYN CARR

Goodreads synopsis: At twenty-five, after five years as her mother's caregiver, it's time for Shelby to experience freedom and adventure. Time for travel, college and romance. But when she visits Virgin River, she runs into Luke Riordan, decidedly not whom she has in mind. 

A handsome Blackhawk pilot, Luke exited the army after twenty years, four wars and having been shot out of the sky three times. At thirty-eight he's tough and jaded. His major was in one-night stands, with a minor in commitment avoidance. 

Technically, these two are all wrong for one another. But sometimes what you want and what you need are two different things...two very good things.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Mira Books, 2009.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Shelby was within ten miles of her Uncle Walt's ranch when she had to pull over to the side of highway 36, the busiest stretch between Virgin River and Fortuna, behind an old pickup truck that looked vaguely familiar.

My thoughts: After being a tad disappointed with the previous book in the Virgin River series I'm happy to report that this entry was another winner. (To be fair, I did give the previous book four stars on Goodreads, but only because of Joe and Nikki. Well, actually because of Joe. Secondary characters in that book, but whose story I absolutely loved,more than the main characters' story.) When Temptation Ridge opens, Shelby, Vanessa's cousin, has a meet cute with Luke Riordan, a newcomer, on the side of a stalled highway.

As with all the Virgin River heroes, Luke is former military, though not a Marine. He was deeply burned by a woman several years ago, and now he doesn't do relationships. He's appalled to find himself attracted to Shelby, who he initially thinks has to still be under the age of twenty. And learning that she's actually twenty-five doesn't make him feel much better about it. And as with most of the Virgin River heroes, I fell head over heels for him.

I love how Ms. Carr always incorporates characters from the previous books into each new book, sometimes meandering away from the main storyline to give another character some significant page time. And she slips from one plot point or story line to another seamlessly, so it's never confusing or hard to keep up with the narrative. She's also great at natural feeling conversations between characters, or at several paragraphs of narrative with no dialogue. I especially loved the scenes with Luke's younger brother coming along and charming everyone while Luke just gets angrier and angrier at him.

My only complaint about this entry in the series is that one of my favorite characters, the mysterious marijuana grower, never showed up. I miss him.

There is also the beginning of a possible romance between Cameron, who we met in the previous book when he dated Vanessa for a short time, and Abby, one of Vanessa's closest friends, as well as a continuation of the blossoming romance between Vanessa's father, Walt, and Muriel, the movie star who moved to Virgin River in the last book. And I loved this quote, from Muriel to Shelby:

"I'm not alone, Shelby,” she said patiently. I'm on my own – there's a difference...”

I so relate to that.

I say this after each book, and will probably continue to say it: I want to move to Virgin River!!