Audio Book Review: Snow Melts in Spring by Deborah Voghts

This sweet romance, with a vet, football player, and an injured horse, was not as strong as I had hoped.

Snow Melts in Spring
By Deborah Vogts
Narrated By: Emily Durante

Duration: 8 h 19 min
Release date: 05-01-10
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Christian Romance, Country Romance, Small Town Romance.
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.0.

Summary
She loves the land. Mattie Evans grew up in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Although her family has lost their ranch, she still calls this land home. A skilled young veterinarian, she struggles to gain the confidence of the local ranchers. Fortunately, her best friend and staunchest supporter is John McCray, owner of the Lightning M Ranch. They both love the ranch, and can’t imagine living anywhere but in the Flint Hills. He’s haunted by it.Gil McCray, John’s estranged son, is a pro football player living in California. The ranch is where his mother died and where every aspect of the tallgrass prairie stirs unwanted memories of his older brother’s fatal accident. Gil decides leaving the ranch is the best solution for his ailing father and his own ailing heart. But he doesn’t count on falling in love.Falling in love isn’t an option. Or is it?When Mattie is called in to save a horse injured in a terrible accident, she finds herself unwillingly tossed into the middle of a family conflict. Secret pain, secret passions, and secret agendas play out against the beautiful landscapes as love leads to some unexpected conclusions about forgiveness and renewal.

Review:
Mattie is a vet whose heart is to remain in the community of Flint Hills of Kansas, near lands that she loves. Her father lost the ranch where she grew up and they moved to the City. Mattie was fortunate to take over the local business of an aging vet. As a young woman, she is still struggling to gain the confidence of the local ranchers especially since some of the patients she has treated have died in spite of her best efforts.

John McCray, the aging owner of the Lightning M. Ranch, is a strong supporter and friend to Mattie. They both love his ranch and his animals. But John’s health and the condition of the ranch are deteriorating. He longs to have his estranged son, Gil, return to revive the ranch.

Gil is a pro football player who is ready to retire from football. He has a dream to purchase a ranch in California and built a horse breeding stable. When Gil gets a call that his beloved cow horse, Dusty, has been injured in a car accident, he comes home to check on Dusty and maybe make amends with his father. But Gil isn’t looking to move back to the family ranch. He lost his mother and his brother there and his memories are painful.

Gil finds young vet Mattie striving to safe the life of Dusty. She seems sincere but can he trust her to do the best job? Gil also questions Mattie’s relationship with his father. Mattie doesn’t like Gil’s condescending attitude, but she is determined to treat Dusty as best she can and to remain a caring friend to John.

As Mattie and Gil work together, they are drawn to each other. But it is clear they have different dreams – Gil wants to go to California and Mattie wants to stay in Kansas. Is there any way they can find a future together?

The story is sweet and it has a nice ending, but it didn’t bring me a total sense of joy. I had trouble accepting Mattie’s character because she is full of self-doubt, fear, and gloom. This is not a sound Christian position, but rather a self-centered, self-focused perspective. Gil’s character also has some self-condemnation, bitterness, arrogance and stubbornness. There are glimpses of a charitable foundation that could have been better developed. I did like the forgiveness, rehabilitation, and surrender messages that come late in the book. Sadly, I felt distracted by the weakness of the characters, particularly Mattie.

The story plot is adequate with nice descriptions, interesting vet procedures, and some character conflict to keep the reader engaged. The writing has some cliches but the pacing was solid. There are more positive reviews so not all readers reacted to the characters as I did. It is certainly a clean romance with some nice finishing messages that could be enjoyed by fans of sweet romance.

Audio Notes: Emily Durante does a fine job with the narration. Each character has a distinct voice and energy. I am glad that I had the book in audio format.

Source: 5/8/2021 Two for One Credit Deal at Audiobooks.com. This qualifies for2023TBR, 2023Audiobook, and 2023Season goals.

#NetGalley Book Review: Rescuing Harmony Ranch by Jennie Marts

This second chance romance brought tears to my eyes near the end.
Rescuing Harmony Ranch
By Jennie Marts

ASIN : B08KHQ9XVF
Publisher : Hallmark Publishing (February 23, 2021)
Print length : 209 pages
Genre: Clean, Small Town Romance
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

A bearded blacksmith
and a marketing exec
join forces...and sparks fly.
After her grandmother calls her asking for help, Jocelyn drops everything and heads back home to Harmony Creek, Colorado. Her grandmother runs a living history museum: a ranch and homestead where volunteers wear clothing from the early 1900s and demonstrate how things were done in the old West, from making soap to shearing sheep. The place is in financial trouble, and it needs the revenue from the annual festival to survive.
There’s just one thing that makes this a little awkward: Mack, who’s divorced, and who’s now the caretaker and blacksmith at the homestead. Jocelyn and Mack have their own shared history, which includes both stolen kisses and teenage rivalry.
Even as the past and present collide, they have to save Harmony Ranch. Matchmaking grannies, a meddling mutt, and a flood of fun festival activities might just be enough to overcome their differences and forge two broken hearts back together.
This heartwarming romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Turkey Sliders with Mac and Cheese.

Review:
Jocelyn was a teen when her mother took her from Colorado to New York. Jocelyn had initially planned to go back but after her high school sweetheart married someone else, Jocelyn poured herself into her college and marketing career. Years later Jocelyn returns home to help her injured grandmother. Jocelyn always loved Harmony Ranch, the living history museum that it is her grandmother’s ranch, and Jocelyn is distressed to learn it is in financial trouble.

Mack is the caretaker and blacksmith at the ranch. He has a history full of abandonment and betrayal, including his perception of his parting with Jocelyn. Now he is divorced but not sure he can risk his heart to Jocelyn.

Jocelyn and Mack are pushed together by their grandmothers, and they find it necessary to work closely together as they take over the planning of the upcoming festival which is the hope of raising money to save the ranch. The pair have a history of miscommunication and initial reluctance to be open with one another. However, their never forgotten feelings soon become clear even if Jocelyn’s limited visit back to Colorado while she works toward a promotion at work is still an obstacle.

I enjoyed the tense start to the couple’s relationship and how it grows but still has misunderstandings. The cute, stubborn basset hound, Savage, adds a fun furry friend element. The ending may be predictable but it was fun getting there through the festival and the lovely sounding living history aspect of the ranch.

The writing flows easily and the romance is sweet and clean. It is totally enjoyable. I recommend this to fans of clean, second chance romance.

Source: NetGalley 2020. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021NetGalley and 2021Alphabet goals.

Audio Book Review: Hometown Cowboy, Rocky Mountain Riders, Book 1 by Sara Richardson

This is a nice, sweet and sexy romance.
Hometown Cowboy, Rocky Mountain Riders, Book 1
Written By: Sara Richardson
Narrated By: Laurie Winkel

Publisher: Hachette Book Group USA
Date: January 2018
Duration: 9 hours 22 minutes
Genre: Romance, Small Town Romance
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH A COWBOY
Jessa Mae Love is done with relationships. No matter how tempting he might be, she cannot--will not--fall for a man like Lance Cortez. The outrageously handsome cowboy is practically a living legend in Colorado, as famous for riding bulls as he is for breaking hearts. What would a big-time rodeo star like him see in a small-town veterinarian who wears glasses, rescues animals, and cries when watching rom-coms? Turns out, plenty.
Raising bulls, riding the circuit, and looking after his ailing father--Lance never stands still for long. Yet Jessa catches his attention, and the more she tries to resist him, the more he wants her. When she agrees to move to the ranch to keep an eye on Lance's dad, Jessa tells him they have to keep it professional: no flirting, no sweet talk, and definitely no kissing. But with Jessa now living under his roof, that's easier said than done . . .

Review:
Jessa Mae may be a diehard romantic, but she has decided she is done with relationships since her latest boyfriend just dumped her by text. Jessa is a veterinarian who returned to town after her father died unexpectedly. Now she is struggling to maintain the animal rescue shelter she sees as her father’s legacy. One of her best volunteers at the shelter is her father’s best friend, Luis Cortez. Luis has three sons and is quick to suggest that Jessa should look to one of them as a new beau. Jessa doesn’t think these are likely candidates. The eldest, Lance, followed his father into the bull riding rodeo ring and has had plenty of time on the road. The middle son, Lucas, doesn’t get talked about much after ending up in prison late in his teen years. Finally, the youngest, Levi, left town after high school and has his own reputation with the women.

Luis is in his late 60s and was with Jessa’s father when he died from a heart attack as they were hiking the mountains on the Cortez ranch. It isn’t surprising that Luis and Jessa have a close relationship and Jessa tends to join him when he goes hiking as she doesn’t want him to be alone. Lately, Jessa is observing some signs of illness that cause her concern. Lance asks Jessa to move into the main house to help watch over Luis while Lance concentrates on his training for the upcoming World Rodeo Championships. Jessa is reluctant to spend time near Lance fearing she will become enamored of him. She knows he isn’t HEA material.

Lance has never planned to settle down with a wife and family. His mother walked away when he was young, and he has a tainted view of women. Yet, he sees something special in Jessa. Every time she tries to stay away from him, he wants her closer. And the day comes when their explosive chemistry gets the better of them. But then tensions among Lance and his brothers cause distance between Lance and Jessa. Then he learns that she has kept a secret and his bitter anger sends her packing. Is there any chance these two can recognize how much they need, and want, each other?

I quickly liked these two different characters: gentle, romantic Jessa, and rough, independent Lance. Their flirtation may be reluctant, but it eventually sizzles. Sara Richardson does a nice job developing the characters and the past events that explain the conflicts and tensions and the struggles they have to overcome if they want to come together. The plot includes illness issues and an interesting look at the tenacity required for bull riding. There is a bit of language but it goes by quickly. I recommend this fun, engaging story to romance readers who enjoy a mix of sweet and sexy.

Audio Notes: Laurie Winkel does a very nice job with the narration. She supplies good energy to the story making it an easy, enjoyable listen.

Source: 8/9/18 Two for One Credit Audiobooks.com. This qualifies for 2020TBR, 2020Audiobook and 2020Alphabet goals.