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A review by pixieauthoress
The Rancher's Secret Wife by Brenda Minton
5.0
GENRE: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
PUBLISHER: LOVE INSPIRED BOOKS
PUBLICATION DATE: JULY 24, 2012
RATING: 5 OUT OF 5 – NEAR PERFECT
PROS: Flawless execution of what could have been a predictable plot; consistent feeling of a tight-knit community; fleshed-out secondary characters that didn’t overpower the main storyline; Cheyenne’s emotions were very relatable; realistic portrayal of being blind; didn’t glorify war when describing Reese’s time in action
CONS: None!
When Reese Cooper ran into Cheyenne Jones in Las Vegas, she was alone and scared, and he was about to ship out to Afghanistan. Offering to marry the pregnant waitress and dancer might not have been the most sensible option for either of them, but Reese never regretted his decision, knowing that he’d be supporting Cheyenne and her baby and allowing them a ticket out of Las Vegas and Cheyenne’s dead-end job.
Cheyenne never expected to see Reese again, although she was very grateful for the money he provided her with, which allowed her to study to become a hairdresser and enter a respectable career. But as Reese’s legal wife, she’s informed when he’s discharged from the army after being badly injured in the line of duty. After having exchanged several letters with Reese while he was overseas, Cheyenne can’t help but worry about her “husband”. So she sets off for Dawson, Oklahoma to visit Reese and his family.
Reese’s family are more than surprised to find a heavily pregnant woman on their doorstep, but it doesn’t take them long to figure out the truth of her situation. Although Reese and Cheyenne are determined that their “marriage” isn’t going to turn into anything real, Reese’s family are welcoming and make it clear that they want to support Cheyenne, even going as far as helping her set up a hairdressing business in Dawson.
Reese is still struggling to come to terms with his blindness, and doesn’t believe he can support a wife and family. But when Cheyenne starts to experience pregnancy complications, he can’t ignore the desire to be by her side. Will their marriage of convenience turn into something more tangible, despite their best efforts to ignore their true feelings?
I’m a sucker for marriage of convenience stories, even ones that have slightly cheesy titles. But despite their sometimes overly simplistic titles, I’ve developed quite an appreciation for Love Inspired Books, and their authors, over the past few years. Not only does Brenda Minton manage to put a new spin on the marriage of convenience story in The Rancher’s Secret Wife, she also puts across her incredibly compelling story in a 224-page novel.
The Rancher’s Secret Wife is technically the third book in the Cooper Creek series, which I didn’t realise when I picked it up. But as all Love Inspired books are designed to be read as standalone novels, I was able to ease into the town of Dawson and the Cooper family with no difficulty at all. I’ve never lived in such a tight-knit community, even though I’ve spent most of my life in small, country towns, but I like to believe that places like Dawson still exist, where neighbours look out for each other and you know all your local storeowners by name. Dawson had a lovely nostalgic feel to it, making me understand why Cheyenne would want to settle there and raise her baby, and it thankfully managed to void seeming too perfect or unrealistic.
I also loved all of the secondary characters in The Rancher’s Secret Wife. I’ll reiterate: you can read this book as a standalone novel, but you’ll probably end up wanting to read the rest of the books in the series once you get to know Reese’s family and friends. Although each of the characters had their flaws and problems, they never overpowered the main storyline, and I think I got a few inklings of a future book featuring Reese’s younger brother.
As I said, I love marriage of convenience stories. I’m not sure what the appeal is, but I’m obviously not alone in my feelings, as these stories crop up in every romantic genre – contemporary, historical, even Amish! It’s difficult to manage a marriage of convenience story in a contemporary setting without it feeling too contrived, and I did wonder how the story would pan out in The Rancher’s Secret Wife. Although the idea of a soon-to-be deployed soldier spontaneously marrying a woman simply because she was alone and pregnant seemed a little unrealistic, as I got to know Reese, I could tell that he was a man of character and integrity who would do what he thought was right, even if it demanded a lot of him.
There were a few times when I got a little annoyed at Cheyenne for not admitting her true feelings for Reese, and continually pushing him away when he offered to help her, but when I stepped back and examined her situation, I could see why she acted the way she did. I can be a pretty emotional person at times – and goodness knows how heightened my emotions would be if I were pregnant, like Cheyenne – and I could see a bit of myself in Cheyenne’s insecurity and worries. I imagine this is something a lot of readers will be able to relate to.
Reese’s disability added an extra dimension to the romance, holding him back from admitting how he felt to Cheyenne out of fear that he couldn’t be a real husband to her. This turns out to be the third Love Inspired novel I’ve read this year that contains a blind character, and the descriptions of how Reese learned to move around and understand his surroundings appeared to be the most realistic I’ve come across in a novel. I also appreciated that the book was able to address Reese’s time in combat and the affect it had on his life, without glorifying war. Stories featuring war heroes, particularly romance novels, sometimes seem as if they’re verging on glorifying war rather than simply acknowledging the sacrifices servicemen and women make, which can often sit uncomfortably with a pacifist like myself.
I picked this book up thinking it would be an easy, relaxing read for a stressful period in my university semester. I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, or to become so emotionally connected with the characters and the setting of Dawson, Oklahoma. This has to be my favourite contemporary Love Inspired novel and I highly recommend it to readers of this line. This definitely won’t be the last of Brenda Minton’s novels that I read.
Review title provided by Love Inspired Books.
PUBLISHER: LOVE INSPIRED BOOKS
PUBLICATION DATE: JULY 24, 2012
RATING: 5 OUT OF 5 – NEAR PERFECT
PROS: Flawless execution of what could have been a predictable plot; consistent feeling of a tight-knit community; fleshed-out secondary characters that didn’t overpower the main storyline; Cheyenne’s emotions were very relatable; realistic portrayal of being blind; didn’t glorify war when describing Reese’s time in action
CONS: None!
When Reese Cooper ran into Cheyenne Jones in Las Vegas, she was alone and scared, and he was about to ship out to Afghanistan. Offering to marry the pregnant waitress and dancer might not have been the most sensible option for either of them, but Reese never regretted his decision, knowing that he’d be supporting Cheyenne and her baby and allowing them a ticket out of Las Vegas and Cheyenne’s dead-end job.
Cheyenne never expected to see Reese again, although she was very grateful for the money he provided her with, which allowed her to study to become a hairdresser and enter a respectable career. But as Reese’s legal wife, she’s informed when he’s discharged from the army after being badly injured in the line of duty. After having exchanged several letters with Reese while he was overseas, Cheyenne can’t help but worry about her “husband”. So she sets off for Dawson, Oklahoma to visit Reese and his family.
Reese’s family are more than surprised to find a heavily pregnant woman on their doorstep, but it doesn’t take them long to figure out the truth of her situation. Although Reese and Cheyenne are determined that their “marriage” isn’t going to turn into anything real, Reese’s family are welcoming and make it clear that they want to support Cheyenne, even going as far as helping her set up a hairdressing business in Dawson.
Reese is still struggling to come to terms with his blindness, and doesn’t believe he can support a wife and family. But when Cheyenne starts to experience pregnancy complications, he can’t ignore the desire to be by her side. Will their marriage of convenience turn into something more tangible, despite their best efforts to ignore their true feelings?
I’m a sucker for marriage of convenience stories, even ones that have slightly cheesy titles. But despite their sometimes overly simplistic titles, I’ve developed quite an appreciation for Love Inspired Books, and their authors, over the past few years. Not only does Brenda Minton manage to put a new spin on the marriage of convenience story in The Rancher’s Secret Wife, she also puts across her incredibly compelling story in a 224-page novel.
The Rancher’s Secret Wife is technically the third book in the Cooper Creek series, which I didn’t realise when I picked it up. But as all Love Inspired books are designed to be read as standalone novels, I was able to ease into the town of Dawson and the Cooper family with no difficulty at all. I’ve never lived in such a tight-knit community, even though I’ve spent most of my life in small, country towns, but I like to believe that places like Dawson still exist, where neighbours look out for each other and you know all your local storeowners by name. Dawson had a lovely nostalgic feel to it, making me understand why Cheyenne would want to settle there and raise her baby, and it thankfully managed to void seeming too perfect or unrealistic.
I also loved all of the secondary characters in The Rancher’s Secret Wife. I’ll reiterate: you can read this book as a standalone novel, but you’ll probably end up wanting to read the rest of the books in the series once you get to know Reese’s family and friends. Although each of the characters had their flaws and problems, they never overpowered the main storyline, and I think I got a few inklings of a future book featuring Reese’s younger brother.
As I said, I love marriage of convenience stories. I’m not sure what the appeal is, but I’m obviously not alone in my feelings, as these stories crop up in every romantic genre – contemporary, historical, even Amish! It’s difficult to manage a marriage of convenience story in a contemporary setting without it feeling too contrived, and I did wonder how the story would pan out in The Rancher’s Secret Wife. Although the idea of a soon-to-be deployed soldier spontaneously marrying a woman simply because she was alone and pregnant seemed a little unrealistic, as I got to know Reese, I could tell that he was a man of character and integrity who would do what he thought was right, even if it demanded a lot of him.
There were a few times when I got a little annoyed at Cheyenne for not admitting her true feelings for Reese, and continually pushing him away when he offered to help her, but when I stepped back and examined her situation, I could see why she acted the way she did. I can be a pretty emotional person at times – and goodness knows how heightened my emotions would be if I were pregnant, like Cheyenne – and I could see a bit of myself in Cheyenne’s insecurity and worries. I imagine this is something a lot of readers will be able to relate to.
Reese’s disability added an extra dimension to the romance, holding him back from admitting how he felt to Cheyenne out of fear that he couldn’t be a real husband to her. This turns out to be the third Love Inspired novel I’ve read this year that contains a blind character, and the descriptions of how Reese learned to move around and understand his surroundings appeared to be the most realistic I’ve come across in a novel. I also appreciated that the book was able to address Reese’s time in combat and the affect it had on his life, without glorifying war. Stories featuring war heroes, particularly romance novels, sometimes seem as if they’re verging on glorifying war rather than simply acknowledging the sacrifices servicemen and women make, which can often sit uncomfortably with a pacifist like myself.
I picked this book up thinking it would be an easy, relaxing read for a stressful period in my university semester. I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, or to become so emotionally connected with the characters and the setting of Dawson, Oklahoma. This has to be my favourite contemporary Love Inspired novel and I highly recommend it to readers of this line. This definitely won’t be the last of Brenda Minton’s novels that I read.
Review title provided by Love Inspired Books.