Texas rancher Nathaniel Meier always puts his responsibilities first. With his father dead, his brothers away, and his mother off “finding herself,” it’s Nat who runs their sprawling ranch. But with cattle to sell and the bank breathing down his neck, he needs all the help he can get, even when that help comes from the last person he ever expected to see again—his childhood sweetheart January Rose.
Free-spirited January always dreamed of traveling the world. The moment she turned eighteen, she left Close Call, Texas behind and barely looked back. So now that she’s home, she intends to stay only long enough to earn some cash and get back on the road. But when she comes face to face with Nat Meier, she quickly realizes the boy she left behind is now all man.
Even for a nomad like January, wanderlust sometimes gets lonely, and Nat is the one person who’s called to her, even after a decade apart. But for a man ruled by responsibility and a woman whose suitcase is her home, the future is uncertain. And the closer they get, the more Nat worries he’s going to get burned…again
Titles in the Meir Ranch Brothers include: Tempting the Rancher – Redeeming the Rancher – Claiming the Cowboy
Title: Tempting the Rancher
Series: Meir Ranch Brothers #1
Author: Leslie North
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: April 23, 2018
Publisher: Relay Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
I always enjoy stepping into the world of a new Leslie North trilogy or series, and this beginning story to the Meir Ranch Brothers series is an emotional read on so many levels. There is deep hurt here, some anger and confusion, loneliness and resignation as well. As much as I liked both Nat and January I also wanted to lock them in a closet so they would have to actually talk to each other and get some truths out there in the open.
Ten years ago January broke Nat’s heart and stomped it into the ground when she left him behind for her travel the world lifestyle. It broke him then, and if he can’t keep away from her now she’s going to break him once more… and this time there may be no coming back from that pain. January is convinced she’s following in her father’s footsteps by wandering the world. She’s content, if not happy, in the life she lives. She honestly does not believe she has it in her to stay in one place for very long. Yes, she loved Nate back then, and it hurt to leave but she simply couldn’t stay. Now she’s gone and fallen all over again so how’s she supposed to leave her heart behind once again?
In general I liked January, I didn’t like the decisions she often made or the reasons she gave. She’ll have to come to the hard realization that it’s not a place that makes one happy it’s a person who becomes “home”. It’s a hard lesson to learn, and she’s going to be kickin’ her heels all the way to that eventual understanding. Nat has taken on so much responsibility for the ranch, for the brothers who are off living their own life while he holds on to their family legacy by his fingertips at times. He had dreams of his own that never came true because life happens and you get on with dealing with it not running away from it. Because of my often times battling emotions on this story, it does come off as very realistic and life like. I enjoyed myself and I’ll definitely be picking up the next story in this series.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Available for the Kindle
