Good story about two emotionally wounded people. Grant finds McKenna sleeping in an abandoned cabin on the family property. Both he and McKenna have had rough pasts that have affected the way they deal with other people.

Grant is a bit of a loner, even in his own family. He lost his mother when he was young and dealt with the pain by taking it out on other people. He was an obnoxious bully until he met Lindsay, who was assigned to tutor him. Her belief in him helped him change. They fell in love and married right out of high school, even though Lindsay's cancer had returned. For years, Grant was a caregiver rather than a husband. Eight years after her death, he is still grieving, but also frustrated. Everyone in town, including the women, always treats him as "that poor widower," and Grant is sick of the pitying looks, but he doesn't know how to move on either. When he meets McKenna, something about her gets to him, but he isn't sure what to do about it.

McKenna has had a rough life. Her mother gave her up when she was two, and she ended up in the foster system. She moved from home to home, never connecting with anyone. All she wants is a family of her own. When she left the system at the age of eighteen, one of the things she received was her birth certificate. Several years later, she tracked down her birth father and has arrived in Gold Valley to see him. Thanks to a run of bad luck, McKenna ends up homeless and finds herself sleeping in an abandoned cabin on a local ranch.

The first meeting between Grant and McKenna isn't very pleasant. He's not happy to find a squatter on the property, but he's not going to kick her out either. There's something about her that draws him, so he takes her to his brother and sister-in-law, who give her a job and a place to live. Grant is assigned to show her the ropes around the ranch. There are sparks of attraction between them from the start. Because she doesn't know about his past, McKenna treats Grant like the hot cowboy he is, and he isn't quite sure how to deal with that. Grant has a surprising secret that affects how he handles his attraction to McKenna. Eventually, those sparks that fly between them burst into flame. Neither Grant nor McKenna claims to be interested in a relationship, so no-strings sex is their agreed-upon solution.

Of course, that doesn't last. I liked seeing the way that they were able to share their pasts, hard though it was. Grant held out the longest because he liked that McKenna didn't know. She didn't give him those pitying looks, just the ones that said she wanted him. However, he can't deny that she reaches him in a way that no one else does. I liked how he supported her when it came to her desire to connect with her family. McKenna is upfront about her life and what she wants from it. Even though she has no confidence that it will happen, she still allows herself to hope. I liked watching her with Grant. She constantly reminds him that life isn't fair and that you do the best you can. I liked that she finally dared to tell him her feelings, and ached at the way he pulled away. One of my favorite things about McKenna is that she stands up for her own needs and wants. She lets him know that she deserves more and won't settle for less. It took a while for what she told him to sink in, plus additional input from his brother, Wyatt, but eventually, Grant saw the light. I like their big moment at the end, especially Grant's exposure of his vulnerability. I loved McKenna's reaction and seeing them come together as they are. The epilogue was terrific.

I also ached for McKenna in her search for family. All she wanted was someone that would love her. I liked her conversation with her brother, Gabe, and the hope that it gave her. Her first visit with her father was emotional. Both McKenna and I had high hopes, and I felt her pain at the way the visit ended. I loved how she stood up to him. Fortunately, he did redeem himself in the end. ( )

Grant Dodge and McKenna Tate.
At first glance, as different as can be...but at soul depth, a match like no other.

I've adored ALL my ventures to Gold Valley, but getting to the heart of Grant's story felt like a privilege. No, not because he supposedly deserves sainthood, but because he's always been a man of little words, hanging around the sidelines, there when needed, but unobtrusive, and when we discover what's been hiding in those depths, there's no turning back. My heart fell so hard for him as his past was revealed, and, in a third-party-haven't-actually-experienced-anything-close-to-that sorta way, I get why he shut himself off from the world. It was easier to bear being the one left behind, to deal with all that had happened as well as all that hadn't, and to protect his ever loving cowboy heart. Hey, they may be stubborn, but they can be bruised too...as can cowgirls, or those trying to get the hang of being one.

McKenna was such a full character. She had strong survival skills with a no nonsense attitude that helped to shield a tender heart of gold. Now don't get me wrong, she's no saint either, but she tries to do what's right, tries to be fair, even to her own determent at times. Her sudden appearance in Gold Valley seemed strange, what with her hiding information and all, but her mission wasn't one of great deception, but rather to find the best way to discover the truth without upsetting numerous lives. All she wanted was a place to belong, a place she could be part of a whole...to love and be loved. Too much to ask? Certainly not...but while the familial love may be hard enough to gain, the cowboy she's get her knickers in a twist over is just as much if not more of a hurdle. Even as their barriers begin to break down, even as they bare more than just their skin to one another, it's one relationship that wasn't planned...that may simply be not meant to be...unless some concessions are made on both sides and real acceptance, bone deep, is achieved.

All in all, I LOVED THIS BOOK! From start to finish, there was always something to discover, feelings to immerse yourself in, and friendly faces to reminisce with or look forward to. (SO looking forward to Jamie getting a story...and I'd love Bea to as well!) It's not a quick and easy romance, but a much heartier tale of what happens when love is all you have versus all you need. Sometimes there is another once in a lifetime, and as unexpected as it may be, it doesn't make it any less REAL.


**copy received for review ( )

family ( )

I received this book for free from the publisher (Harlequin) as part of their Bookstagram Christmas mailing.

This was my first time reading Maisey Yates and I throughly enjoyed it. I obviously haven’t read any of the other books in this series, but that did not hinder my reading experience. I was able to read this as a standalone with no problems.

I loved Grant. He was a tall, dark cowboy with a tragic past. So swoon worthy.

Plot-wise, the storyline was pretty good. It was well paced and the romance happened at just the right speed. However, Grant being a virgin was a bit unbelievable and kind of threw me for a loop.

I loved the wintery Christmas spirit that the book had. I could just picture Gold Valley all decorated for Christmas. Also, McKenna’s search for a family and Grant overcoming his grief fit in perfectly with the holiday theme.

The one thing that I didn’t like was that there was too much inner dialogue that didn’t really do much of anything. It got repetitive after a while. It felt excessive and could have been cut down significantly.

Overall, I enjoyed this Christmas themed cowboy romance!

Note: This book also contains the novella, Snowed in with the Cowboy, which I will be reviewing separately. ( )