THE RANCHER'S TEXAS MATCH by Brenda Minton

Tanner Barstow is an area rancher who is also Vice President of the Lone Star Cowboy League. He helps out the troubled kids who live at the Boys Ranch.  Macy Swanson finds herself in Haven when she becomes guardian of her nephew, Colby. Colby is currently living at the Boys Ranch trying to deal with the loss of his parents and accepting his Aunt Macy as his new guardian.  Macy is unsure whether she would be the right person to raise Colby or whether she’d ever fit in to the small community of Haven, since she came from Dallas.  Tanner and Macy are attracted to each other but Tanner thinks Macy will eventually take Colby and head back to Dallas.  But the more time Macy spends in Haven the more she’s feeling at home. Will Tanner be able to convince Macy that being a mom to Colby and staying in Haven just might be the best option, for both of them.

This was a very enjoyable story.  I love the idea of a ranch where troubled kids can go and learn some ranching skills and have folks that love them through their problems.  There are three different series having to do with the Lone Star Cowboy League.  There is the ‘Lone Star Cowboy League’, the ‘Lone Star Cowboy League: The Founding Years’ and ‘Lone Star Cowboy League: Boys Ranch’.  This book falls in the Boys Ranch series.  The books have connective threads so reading them in order is probably best, but that said, I still enjoyed this story without reading the other books in the series.  It did make me want to read the other books though.  I really enjoyed all the folks in Haven.  It’s a close-knit community where everyone helps each other out. Macy and Tanner were both great.  You could understand Macy’s hesitation about assuming the roll of mom and living in the house her brother and sister-in-law lived; that would be really difficult.  Tanner was a great guy but wasn’t really interested in a relationship, until Macy that is!  Although you kinda know how things might turn out with them, there are other things going on that remain unresolved and carry through to the next book.  I look forward to returning to Haven and catching up with all the happenings.

*This complimentary copy was provided by Harlequin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A couple favorite moments:

He didn’t know Macy very well, but he had to admire how she could calm a group of rowdy boys with a story  If he was being honest, there were other things to admire, things a man couldn’t help but notice.  He sure didn’t mind admiring or noticing.

“I know you’re afraid you can’t do this.  We all feel that way when we are looking a problem head-on and thinking that this is our future.  In time you come to a place where you realize you’ve survived it, and that, through it all, God made you a little stronger.”