Book Review for COLTON COWBOY STANDOFF by Marie Ferrarella

13/2/2019

Two exes reunite as danger rocks the family ranch.

A Coltons of Roaring Springs romance

Years after ending her relationship with her husband, Wyatt Colton, Bailey Norton shows up on his doorstep with an unexpected request: to father her child. Unresolved passion sets off sparks between them, but Bailey must resist Wyatt’s undiminished allure—and show her true grit when the Colton ranch is mysteriously sabotaged. Can this Colton cowboy lasso the culprit and a forever family?

An intriguing set up in the story, with the ex-wife approaching the ex-husband with a proposal that blew me away.
Wyatt Colton had his heart shattered by Bailey Norton when she walked away from him and their home, their marriage without an explanation. Now, out of the blue, she's back, with an outrageous request.
I admit, at first, I could not understand how Wyatt let Bailey even inside into his home, not to mention let her present the request she did. I wasn't sure if I admired him for it or not. But I got over that quickly, and I was looking forward to a deep, edgy, emotional reconciliation, completely forgetting that this was romantic suspense by the halfway to the book, when the mystery of a dead woman was brought into the picture and all the marital and relationship problems were forgotten.
I wish the story would have stuck into the romance, and not tried to dip into the suspense that felt flat and unnecessary. Because with Wyatt and Bailey, there was a chance to built the emotions and angst, making it into a great, passionate love story. Now the reconciliation between the exes felt rushed, almost as an afterthought, to get to the end. And the different aspects of the suspense and mystery -- it felt discrete, like two stories put together to make one ensemble.
A love story with great potential to be made into an epic romance tale interrupted by murder, mayhem, family drama, and vindictive townspeople.
~ Three Spoons

Marie swears she was born writing, "which must have made the delivery especially hard for my mother." From an early age, Marie's parents would find her watching television or tucked away in some private place, writing at a furious pace. "Initially, I began writing myself into my favourite shows. I was a detective on '77 Sunset Strip,' the missing Cartwright sibling they never talked about on 'Bonanza' and the 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' before there was a 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,' not to mention an active participant in the serialized stories of 'The Mickey Mouse Club.'" Marie began to write her first romance novel when she was 11 years old, although she claims that, at the time, she didn't even realize it was a romance! She scribbled off and on, while dreaming of a career as an actress.

Marie was only 14 when she first laid eyes on the man she would marry, truly her first love, Charles Ferrarella. During her days at Queens College, New York, acting started to lose its glamour as Marie spent more and more time writing. After receiving her English degree, specialising in Shakespearean comedy, Marie and her family moved to Southern California, where she still resides today.

After an interminable seven weeks apart, Charles decided he couldn't live without her and came out to California to marry his childhood sweetheart. Ever practical, Marie was married in a wash-and-wear wedding dress that she sewed herself, appliqués and all. "'Be prepared' has always been my motto,"the author jokes. This motto has been stretched considerably by her two children, Nikky and Jessi, "but basically, it still applies," she says.

In November of 1981, she sold her first novel for Harlequin. Marie, who now has written over 150 novels, has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. "That's what makes me happy," she confesses. "That, and a really good romantic evening with my husband." She's keeping her fingers crossed that her reader's enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.