Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Jake (A Wyoming Sky Novel) by R.C. Ryan

This romance, with mystery and family issues, is solid entertainment.

Jake (A Wyoming Sky Novel)
by R.C. Ryan

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Forever (February 26, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1455502448
• ISBN-13: 978-1455502448

Genre: Western, Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Release date: February 26, 2013 | Series: A Wyoming Sky Novel

Wild at Heart . . .
Jake Conway is good with his hands. A veterinarian known for his gentle touch, he's also the most eligible bachelor in Wyoming. But like any wild animal, Jake longs to roam free . . . until a sultry redhead with a smile from here to heaven turns up in town.
When her estranged father dies, Meg Stanford inherits his rustic ranch-and all the painful memories that come with it. She's determined to settle the estate and face down the ghosts of her past. But a series of midnight break-ins have Meg running from the ranch-and into the arms of the sexy cowboy next door. As their passion grows hotter, the attacks grow bolder. Can Jake keep her safe, or will he lose the only woman he's ever loved?

Review:
Meg is a top notch, career-minded attorney from Washington, D.C.. She comes to her childhood home in Paintbrush, Wyoming for the burial of her estranged father and to handle his affairs. In addition to the rustic ranch that she loved as a child she finds a seven year old half brother, Cory. Cory lost his young mother and now he has lost his older, but devoted father. He is reluctant to get close to this strange woman who doesn’t even have proper ranch clothes.

Jake, a gorgeous, veterinarian cowboy, is the remaining bachelor of the three Conway sons who live at the ranch next to Meg’s.  He responds to a phone message to check on Cory’s beloved horse who has an unexplained injury.  Jake is able to soothe Cory along with the horse.

When Meg has to cope with night time break ins and vandalism Jake is soon stopping by to offer protection and support. Meg struggles with why someone would threaten her even as she slowly remembers why she loved the ranch and the father whom she thought abandoned her. Although they know their life-styles are different, concerns and passion draw Meg and Jake together.

The writing is very smooth and cozy.  I was quickly engaged by the likeable characters and the storyline. I was eager to know what was going on and even more eager for Jake to convince Meg that she should stay in Wyoming.  The romance moves along at a nice pace and is heated without getting overly graphic.

There is the fine threat of danger with the mystery that there is more to the background than anyone knows.  I did feel that some of the protective expertise expected of Meg’s professional team was lacking but it played into the story.

There is conflict and warmth provided by Meg’s young, impressionable brother. Then there is the added charm of  Jake’s lively household which consists of his granddad, dad, a housekeeper and a cook who have been with the family a long time, and two brothers with their new brides.

I liked how Ms. Ryan addressed the impact of loss on the characters: by marital separation for Meg, death for Cory and unexplained mystery for the Conway family. There are lessons of forgiveness and moving on to live one’s life fully that include a secondary, sweet romance. I recommend this book to those who enjoy a rich, warm romance that has a solid plot with life issues and a little bit of mystery packaged in good strong writing.

I received this book from Grand Central Publishing, Hachette, Forever division.

The story is set in Wyoming for my 2013 Where Are You Reading Challenge.

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Blog Tour Q&A with R.C. Ryan, Author of Montana Glory

Please join me today for as Q&As with author R.C.Ryan, author of Montana Glory.

Martha:  I have to admit that I was surprised to learn you are Ruth Ryan Langan because I have read and enjoyed several of your historical romances but had not read any contemporary books by you.

Q1 Do you have a different formula, technique or voice for writing the contemporary stories when compared to historical romances?

R.C. Ryan:   Only the language, or rather the flow of the language, is different.  Historicals lend themselves to more flowery language, whereas contemporary stories need to be less formal.  People today speak in a sort of shorthand.  My characters reflect that.  And, of course, my historicals, though fictional, need to reflect more traditional roles for men and women.  My women could be feisty, but they were considered oddballs because they didn’t always conform to tradition.  I love writing both contemporary and historical, but each presents its own set of difficulties.

 

Q2 When you do a series do you have each book plotted out before you start the first one or do the subsequent books flow from the first book?

R.C. Ryan:   I have a general idea about each book and where it will go, but I always let my characters dictate.  And often they surprise me by taking the story line in a very different direction than I’d first seen.  I describe my writing style as seat-of-the-pants.  I create characters and then have to hold on to keep up with them, never knowing exactly how or when they’ll write the final chapter.

Q3 Where did the inspiration for the Montana Series, and particularly for Montana Glory, come from?

 R.C. Ryan:   I saw an entire prologue in my mind.  A young boy, verging on manhood, who had been forced to accompany his father to the gold fields of wild, untamed Montana.  He finally stumbles upon a treasure of nuggets, hauls them home to his father’s cabin, only to find his father drunk.  He takes his father and the gold to the nearest town, and wakes in the morning to find his father’s throat slit and the nuggets gone.  That was all I knew, until I started thinking about the generations that would follow, and how that incident would shape their lives.  I’d thought about starting with Coot.  But then I thought how much fun it would be to learn about Coot through his grandsons’ eyes.  And then, of course, I wanted each of those grandsons to be very different, and to have experienced very different situations before coming together once again to bond and begin the quest that drove their grandfather for all his life.

Q4 What type of research goes into creating one of your contemporary novels?

R.C. Ryan:   As much research as my historicals.  And that is to say, as much as it takes to make my story believable.  Thank heavens for the Internet.  Years ago I had to set aside entire days to spend at my local library, thumbing through dozens of research books to come up with the facts I needed.  Now, with the click of a mouse, I have everything I need at my fingertips. 

Q5 Would you please share with us one surprising thing about your experience writing this book, or about something else related to your career as a writer.

R.C. Ryan:   Well, for as many books as I’ve written, I’m pleasantly surprised by all the buzz created by this series.  I’ve heard from so many readers who were captivated by this family, and by Western lore.  I think I’ve tapped into something marvelous here.  A love of all things Western.  A fascination with cowboys.  And, I think, our yearning for a more rural way of life, still enhanced by modern technology, but a bit distant from it.  Maybe it’s the isolation of ranch life, or the overly-romanticized view of it, that fuels our imaginations.  At any rate, I’m very pleasantly surprised and pleased by my readers’ reactions to my McCord family.

Q6 How do your hobbies/interests influence your writing.

R.C. Ryan:   I think my hobbies infuse my life with flavor.  And that, in turn, gives me insight into something I might otherwise have no interest in at all.  For instance, I love to garden.  Digging in the dirt and watching things grow is just pure fun for me.  But I also understand how hard it is to turn the earth, and how dependent I am on nature to nourish the things I plant.  And that, in turn give me an appreciation for the life of a rancher, whose whole life revolves around the caprice of nature. 

Q 7 Is there an ancillary character in this series you had the most fun with?

R.C. Ryan:   I loved all of them, but Cora and Cal were, by necessity, kept in the background.  I had fun helping them find ways to suppress their true feelings throughout three books.  From the feedback I’m getting, there were a lot of readers who fell in love with them and wanted their happy ending.

Q8 Do you have any rituals that help you get in the mood to sit down and write?

R.C. Ryan:   This is my job.  A job I absolutely love.  I work from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, and even on weekends if I’m on deadline.  I don’t need rituals, and no matter my mood, when it’s time to work, I get to it.

Q9 Do you think about your audience as you're writing?

R.C. Ryan:   I’m my audience.  I write to please myself.  If I’m not happy with a scene, I change it.  I’m probably my toughest critic.  Then there’s my editor, who is equally tough.  If she has questions about something, or if she wants something clarified, enlarged, eliminated, I aim to please her, since she’s the first reader of my work.  If something slows the action for her, it will no doubt slow the action for my readers.  And finally, I love pleasing my readers.  There is no greater satisfaction for me than to hear from satisfied readers.  They just make my day.

Q10 What do you think readers will like best about Montana Glory?

R.C. Ryan:   My readers will be happy to see all the loose ends tied up.  A satisfying resolution to all the conflicts and an ending to all the mystery.  Like my readers, I want…no…  I demand a satisfying resolution to everything.  I want my happy ending.  And by heaven, I’ll keep writing the story until I get it.

Q.11 What is something unique about you that you would share with your readers?

R.C. Ryan:   I’m married to my childhood sweetheart.  We met in first grade, and he went home from school on his first day and told his parents he’d met the prettiest girl in the whole world and when he got bigger he was going to marry her.  His mother loved relating that story to all who would listen.

Q12 If you could have readers finish a sentence what would it be?

R.C. Ryan:  

A)    I hope old Coot doesn’t turn out to be crazy after all, because I really want the McCord family to………………..

B)    After reading Montana Glory, the third and final book in the Montana series, my favorite author in the whole world is……………  

         (Sorry.  I couldn’t help myself.) 

Happy reading.

R. C. Ryan

THANK YOU, R.C., for sharing with your happy readers.
Readers please check my review and the Giveaway for a chance to win one of five copies of Montana Glory!

MarthaE

Book Review and Giveaway: Montana Glory by R.C. Ryan

This is a romance to touch your heart strings.

Montana Glory  by R.C. Ryan

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forever; Original edition (November 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446548642
• ISBN-13: 978-0446548649

     Genre: Contemporary Romance
      My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Product Description
The last thing in the world Zane McCord wants is a wife. But after returning home to the family ranch in Montana to help his cousins search for the lost treasure that is their legacy, Zane can't help notice that love and marriage seem to be contagious. Both his cousins have succumbed, but he refuses. Determined to stay a bachelor till he dies, Zane wants to devote his time to filming documentaries and taking care of the ranch...and then Riley Mason walks into his life.

The last thing on Riley Mason's mind is romance. Sent to the McCord ranch to save the family's accounting problems, she only wants to impress her firm in Helena and be on her way. Life as a single mother isn't easy and she needs to impress her bosses for a raise. But when Zane McCord opens the door, her breath catches in her throat and a desire she's never experienced before takes over her. When the McCords insist that she and her daughter, Summer stay at the ranch, she's forced to give in and before long, she's pulled into their search for the long lost treasure. But she absolutely draws the line at getting involved with Zane McCord, playboy and heartbreaker extraordinaire.

But as they all get closer to finding Coot's lost treasure, a dangerous series of accidents target Riley and her daughter Summer. Can Zane keep her safe while trying to win her heart?

Review:  This story involves not just a man and a woman, but a four year old sweetheart of a girl, and a warm loving ranch family.

Riley is an independent, strong single mother. She is fresh out of accounting school and takes a job on a large secluded ranch in Montana.  She is glad to get away from Philadelphia and thinks this could be a new start for herself and her young daughter, Summer.  Riley has been on her own for many years and usually holds herself apart from others.  She also has some secrets that she is hiding as she tries to protect herself and her daughter.

Zane is the youngest of three cousins on the Lost Nugget Ranch. Although he has watched his older cousins settle down with new wives, he doesn’t see that happening to change his sexy, bachelor life style.   He tends not to trust women after watching his selfish mother ruin his father and his own childhood.

The story moves quickly with the attraction between Riley and Zane growing slowly but surely. The family gives a warm welcome to Riley and her daughter and I enjoyed the development of relationships between other family members and the delightful child, Summer.  I also enjoyed the added side romance of Aunt Cora‘s long time unacknowledged love for the rugged ranch foreman, Cal. The story focuses more on the family relationships than the continued search for the lost treasure.  When it is revealed that Riley may be in danger, she is ready to flee rather than bring danger to the ranch family. But by this point Zane is willing to acknowledge his feelings for her and he won’t let her run. The family bands together to help Riley overcome the danger.

There are some small but annoying errors in the book – I really don’t like when names are mixed up for the main characters. The danger is obvious to the readers although the characters are oblivious. Considering they had been through troubles in prior books in the series (which I had not read) this seemed unrealistic. Also at times the story seemed a bit contrived instead of having a completely natural flow.  I think that may be because it was wrapping up a series and tying up some loose ends. Even with those cons, the story is warm and touching and brought tears to my eyes.  The romance is sweet and deep without any direct sex and the child character is adorable. I recommend this as an easy, enjoyable read and I like the writing and characters enough that I would be glad to go back and  read the first two books about the other members of this loving family.

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