Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good second chance story with interesting (and sometimes hilarious) family dynamics. Sunny is on her way back to Lone Star Ridge after ending another engagement and to recover from a health scare. With her is the sixteen-year-old son of her ex-fiancé. She looks forward to seeing her grandmother again, but home holds a mixed bag of memories. The Dalton triplets were stars of a show called The Little Cowgirls, and not all of her memories from that time are good ones. She didn't expect to see her teen crush Shaw before she even made it home.
Shaw Jameson is the oldest of his siblings. He runs the ranch with the help of his brothers and sister and does his best to keep his life on track. It isn't easy when he seems to spend his life cleaning up his father's messes. Most of those messes come from the fact that Marty can keep his zipper zipped and mostly look a lot like him. Sunny's arrival throws Shaw for a loop, especially when her arrival coincides with that of another half-sister.
Shaw and Sunny have a history from when they were kids and teens. They were good friends that developed into something more, but one major issue kept them apart. Sunny wants kids of her own, and Shaw doesn't. So they went their separate ways, but the feelings never went away. Sunny's quest led her into two engagements that didn't work out, while Shaw stuck to his plans. I enjoyed their first meeting, which gave a good indication of how the rest of the book would go. It started with Shaw finding some intriguing bits of Hadley Dalton's costumes along the road, followed by the arrival of Sunny herself, who was retrieving them. It was clear from that moment that the sparks between them were still there. Sunny's almost-stepson was also there, which gave Shaw a bit of a start when he thought of his and Sunny's past. But the biggest thing was the presence of Marty's latest mess, Kinsley, his previously unknown daughter. Kinsley just found out about him and wants to meet him. Knowing his father, Shaw also knows that it won't go well.
Fate finds ways of throwing Sunny and Shaw together, and it isn't long before they give in to the flames of attraction. Both are certain there is no future for them as their fundamental differences have not changed, but they can enjoy their time together for what it is. Of course, Fate has other plans. I liked watching their friendship grow along with the attraction. There were some terrific scenes as they worked together to help Kinsley. They also paired up to support each other when Sunny's greedy mother shows up and creates all kinds of complications. Though there were times I felt that the relationship between Shaw and Sunny took a backseat to the family drama, that same drama helped pull them closer together. Shaw's refusal to have a family of his own seemed at odds with how wonderful he was with children, from his young nieces to the teenagers Ryan and Kinsley. I liked the changes that I saw in both Shaw and Sunny that brought them together in the end.
The family dynamics in both Shaw and Sunny's families made for some hilarious and some heartbreaking scenes. The stories of Sunny's times as part of The Little Cowgirls had a significant impact on who she is now, especially her need to keep some things private. I liked that she had enough good memories of home, plus her love of her grandmother, that she was able to go there to recover. I loved her grandmother, Em, who was a feisty old lady. She especially made me laugh with her appreciation of a good-looking cowboy. She is also protective of Sunny, even when it comes to her daughter. It was her actions against Sunshine that created much of the drama in this book. Sunshine herself is one of those characters that is very easy to detest. There were also her issues with her ex-fiancé, who was a selfish jerk. He made a total ass of himself at the end of the book, and I cheered the actions of both Em and the duck.
On Shaw's side, it is impressive that he and his siblings turned out as well as they did considering the father they have. Marty's irresponsibility is horrendous. While I didn't like him much, he does have a few redeeming moments. I ached for the way Shaw and the others constantly had to deal with the results. I really liked how they stood together to take care of Kinsley when she showed up. I hurt for Kinsley, who felt rejected by both parents and wasn't surprised by how she expressed those feelings. When Marty finally showed up, my heart broke for her. Things became even more complicated when Sunshine stuck her vengeful nose into the situation. In the end, I wasn't at all surprised by the solution to the issue and loved Shaw's comments to Kinsley about it.
Now I can't wait to read the next book in the series, about Austin and McCall. There was a teaser at the end of this one, and it sounds like it will be just as good.
Shaw Jameson is the oldest of his siblings. He runs the ranch with the help of his brothers and sister and does his best to keep his life on track. It isn't easy when he seems to spend his life cleaning up his father's messes. Most of those messes come from the fact that Marty can keep his zipper zipped and mostly look a lot like him. Sunny's arrival throws Shaw for a loop, especially when her arrival coincides with that of another half-sister.
Shaw and Sunny have a history from when they were kids and teens. They were good friends that developed into something more, but one major issue kept them apart. Sunny wants kids of her own, and Shaw doesn't. So they went their separate ways, but the feelings never went away. Sunny's quest led her into two engagements that didn't work out, while Shaw stuck to his plans. I enjoyed their first meeting, which gave a good indication of how the rest of the book would go. It started with Shaw finding some intriguing bits of Hadley Dalton's costumes along the road, followed by the arrival of Sunny herself, who was retrieving them. It was clear from that moment that the sparks between them were still there. Sunny's almost-stepson was also there, which gave Shaw a bit of a start when he thought of his and Sunny's past. But the biggest thing was the presence of Marty's latest mess, Kinsley, his previously unknown daughter. Kinsley just found out about him and wants to meet him. Knowing his father, Shaw also knows that it won't go well.
Fate finds ways of throwing Sunny and Shaw together, and it isn't long before they give in to the flames of attraction. Both are certain there is no future for them as their fundamental differences have not changed, but they can enjoy their time together for what it is. Of course, Fate has other plans. I liked watching their friendship grow along with the attraction. There were some terrific scenes as they worked together to help Kinsley. They also paired up to support each other when Sunny's greedy mother shows up and creates all kinds of complications. Though there were times I felt that the relationship between Shaw and Sunny took a backseat to the family drama, that same drama helped pull them closer together. Shaw's refusal to have a family of his own seemed at odds with how wonderful he was with children, from his young nieces to the teenagers Ryan and Kinsley. I liked the changes that I saw in both Shaw and Sunny that brought them together in the end.
The family dynamics in both Shaw and Sunny's families made for some hilarious and some heartbreaking scenes. The stories of Sunny's times as part of The Little Cowgirls had a significant impact on who she is now, especially her need to keep some things private. I liked that she had enough good memories of home, plus her love of her grandmother, that she was able to go there to recover. I loved her grandmother, Em, who was a feisty old lady. She especially made me laugh with her appreciation of a good-looking cowboy. She is also protective of Sunny, even when it comes to her daughter. It was her actions against Sunshine that created much of the drama in this book. Sunshine herself is one of those characters that is very easy to detest. There were also her issues with her ex-fiancé, who was a selfish jerk. He made a total ass of himself at the end of the book, and I cheered the actions of both Em and the duck.
On Shaw's side, it is impressive that he and his siblings turned out as well as they did considering the father they have. Marty's irresponsibility is horrendous. While I didn't like him much, he does have a few redeeming moments. I ached for the way Shaw and the others constantly had to deal with the results. I really liked how they stood together to take care of Kinsley when she showed up. I hurt for Kinsley, who felt rejected by both parents and wasn't surprised by how she expressed those feelings. When Marty finally showed up, my heart broke for her. Things became even more complicated when Sunshine stuck her vengeful nose into the situation. In the end, I wasn't at all surprised by the solution to the issue and loved Shaw's comments to Kinsley about it.
Now I can't wait to read the next book in the series, about Austin and McCall. There was a teaser at the end of this one, and it sounds like it will be just as good.
