Wednesday, December 06, 2017

Back in the Saddle by Ruth Logan Herne ~ Reviewed



BACK IN THE SADDLE
Ruth Logan Herne
Series: Double S Ranch (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Multnomah (March 7, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0735290652

Back Cover: 

The Prodigal Is Coming Home 

It’s been a long time since Colt Stafford shrugged off his cowboy legacy for shiny Manhattan loafers and a promising career on Wall Street. But when stock market manipulations leave him financially strapped, the oldest son of legendary rancher Sam Stafford decides to return to the sprawling Double S ranch in Gray’s Glen, Washington. He’s broke, but not broken, and it’s time to get his legs back under him by climbing into the saddle again.
 
He doesn’t expect to come home to a stranger pointing a loaded gun at his chest— a tough yet beautiful woman that Sam hired as the house manager. Colt senses there’s more to Angelina Morales than meets the eye, and he’s determined to find out what she’s hiding...and why. 
 
Colt’s return brings new challenges. Younger brother Nick, who’s longbeen Sam’s right-hand man,isn’t thrilled when Colt inserts himself into Double S affairs. And the ranch’s contentious relationship with the town’s people forces  all the Stafford men to reconsider what it truly means to be a neighbor.  As Wall Street recovers, will Colt succumb to the call of the financial district—or stay in the saddle for good?

Review: 
Back in the Saddle tells us about Cole Stafford, who left the “confines” of the Double S Ranch in Gray's Glen, Washington, to make it big on Wall Street, only to have a bad investment ruin his reputation and hurt his pride. After losing most everything, he returns home to the ranch he grew up on to help his ailing father. Their relationship has not always been the best, so Cole does not have high hopes of things going well. He is surprised to find that his father has hired a housekeeper, a beautiful woman named Angelina Morales, who pretty much runs the whole place. While there is an attraction there, Cole is confused about why this woman is here, and what she seems to be hiding from. Angelina suffers from trust issues due to unfortunate circumstances in her past, and while she is becoming more and more attracted to Cole, she is afraid to give into those feelings.
This book started out a tad slow, but soon picked up the pace, and I got pretty invested in it. As with most books, there were communication issues between the two main characters that made you want to grab each of them and tell them what was going on and to talk to each other instead of assuming the worse, but of course, it all worked itself out. I particularly liked the part of Cole's father, Sam. We read a lot about how he was in the past and why Cole doesn't want to be around him, but by the time we meet him, he has already come to know the Lord and he is making changes in his life. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Reviewed by: Sarah Meyer