The search for her birth mother brought Cora Kelly to the New Horizons Boys Ranch. Getting a job there was easy enough, but confiding in Aiyana, the ranch's owner, that she's really her daughter?
Cora's not sure she can do that, not unless she's confident the news will be welcomed. And once she gets to know Elijah Turner, Aiyana's adopted son and ranch manager, that decision becomes even more difficult. Although Elijah can't deny his deep attraction to Cora, he's always struggled with trust. Anyone with his past would, and there's something about the ranch's newest employee that isn't exactly as it seems. ​But if the feelings she awakes in his guarded heart are any indication, she might be just what he's long been waiting for. 
The blurb sold me and knowing the author's superb style of writing and going to the depths of the emotions with her characters with unexpected plot twists, I was eager to read this book one for her new series.
And the story is good. The writing is smooth and the tale is flowing well off the pages with the interesting setting of the private high school for troubled boys and the intriguing characters with pained past. These elements could have provided distraught moments and agitated events in the story and great character development with the protagonists, yet that never really happens. The students are barely mentioned and the history of the characters is smoothly passed with the main focus of the story being Cora and Elijah's physical attraction. I think this might be a case of my misplaced expectations, but I was surprised with the turn and focus the plot took us. Elijah Turner was horribly abused as a child and suffered greatly at the hands of his mother and step-father. Even with his mother still harassing him, Elijah had left his childhood drama in the past and didn't let it much bother him. I liked Elijah, his dedication to the school and his solid, honest, and trustworthy character were admirable. I loved his connection with his brothers, and the easy relationship they shared with each other and with their adoptive mother. Cora Kelly's need to find more about her origin drove her to the New Horizons Boys Ranch to get to know her birth mother. She goes about this with lies and deceit, yet that is overlooked quickly as the truth comes out. I had a hard time liking her and her decisions, she seemed to do everything from a point of view that suited herself the best and disregarding others. She is also very brazen at the beginning of the tale with everyone, and not in a positive way, in my opinion. The development of the relationship is mostly focused on the physical aspects, the burning attraction between Cora and Elijah that has them acting upon it in public places and even in a classroom during a lunch break. Addition to public sex scenes, the story touches 'tabu relationships'. With the compelling storyline and smooth writing, interesting setting for the series, and the charming brothers that you want to root for, this series has a great potential to be a fan favorite. ~ Three Spoons with a teaspoon on the side
It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak's career as a bestselling author--she caught her day-care provider drugging her children with cough syrup to get them to sleep all day. That was when Brenda decided she needed to quit her job as a loan officer and help make a living from home.
"When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book," Brenda says. But she sold that book, and the rest is history. Her novels have made the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists and won many awards, including five Rita nominations, the Book Buyer's Best, the Book Seller's Best and the National Reader's Choice Award. Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are proud parents of five children--three girls and two boys. When she's not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising funds for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). So far, Brenda has raised $2.5 million. Please visit www.brendanovakforthecure.org to see how you can help. Website | Facebook | Twitter 
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1 Comment
7/4/2017 17:58:58
Charming brothers are definitely a way to get my attention! :) Leave a Reply. |
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