The Rancher's First Love

The Rancher's First Love

Martin's Crossing Book 4

Brenda Minton

Samantha still holds some anger and resentment towards her family and Remington for what happened to her when she was a teenager. Caught with Remington her brothers sent her away to live with her aunt. Now Samantha is back in Martin's Crossing working as a nurse. But she can't get over the feelings of rejection when she was sent away and the anger at Remington for not coming to rescue her. And now he's back and wanting to get to know her again. But Samantha just can't reconcile the boy she knew so long ago, with the preacher/rancher he has become. With a faith that is rocky and some trust issues she can't seem to shake, Remington realizes he may never be able to cross that friend zone she's put him in.

This was a very emotion driven plot. There wasn't a lot of movement in the story since it was wrapped around the reunion and how or if the couple would be able to resume their relationship. The book would work as a stand-alone, but with so many unfamiliar characters and their stories being referenced, it would make more sense to have read the previous books first. The author did a great job of infusing faith into the story without it coming across as preachy. I enjoyed the writing style and several of the secondary characters were intriguing. But I'm not fond of an angsty story and saw the one "surprise" coming at the beginning of the book. Overall, this is a story that will appeal to readers who enjoy emotional plots and lots of feelings. The writing is well done and the characters are engaging, but the story line just wasn't my personal preference.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.