| Title | : | The Ranchers Secret Love (The McGregor Brothers of Grand, Montana, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 168 |
| Publication | : | Published May 21, 2019 |
After teaching at a prestigious university, Luke McGregor is headed home to his family's ranch in Grand, Montana, to help his brothers raise their baby niece and nephews and to help save the struggling ranch. His long-time girlfriend wants no part of playing cowgirl and dumps him fast. Luke commits himself to being home for at least a year and throws himself into family and ranch life. A chance meeting with a beautiful and free-spirited woman and a promising first date makes him wonder if his place is necessarily in a big city.
Plucky Mara Ramos has lived much of her life on the road as a performer, but a dance injury, that permanently sidelines her professional career and ends her fling with a famous pop star, strands her in the middle of Montana. She likes the friendly small town and soon opens a dance studio intent on building a new life for herself. She enjoys inspiring her young students, but she can’t help but feel she needs more. A casual date with an enigmatic, flirty stranger, who is so much more than a cowboy, teases Mara with the possibility of putting down roots and finding a happy every after.
When Luke’s former girlfriend announces she’s pregnant, he's faced with the decision of a lifetime. If he's all about family, can he make a decision that will keep Mara in his life?
The Ranchers Secret Love (The McGregor Brothers of Grand, Montana, #2) Reviews
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Rating: 4.5/5
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more in this series!
Luke McGregor was always the quiet, studious brother - something of a nerd, he's continued his studies and is now teaching at University. However, the tragic death of his sister and her husband means the surviving brothers, including him, are now responsible for bringing up their nephew and niece. He returns home to help, planning to stay for at least a year, but his long-term girlfriend definitely doesn't see her future on the family ranch and the two split up with her heading home again. He's definitely not looking for another girlfriend or commitment but fate is going to intervene!
Mara Ramos was seriously injured whilst skiing, putting an end to both her professional dance career and her relationship with a famous pop star. She's moved to this small town to set up a dance studio out of the glare of publicity and loves working with her students - though she wishes there were more of them! When she and Luke meet, their attraction is mutual but will they resist temptation?
This is a lovely, heartwarming contemporary romance with great characters and a real twist! It is about learning to trust, healing your heart and trusting love. The children included in the story are delightfully portrayed, I could easily imagine them and their antics. The dilemma that could force this couple apart is horrendous and heart wrenching, leaving you on tenterhooks about just how everything can be resolved.
I have no hesitation in highly recommending this story to anyone who enjoys contemporary romances with family at its heart. It is another fantastic story by this highly talented author.
I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it. -
My thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest opinion.
Luke McGregor is forced to return to the family ranch in Montana when his parents and his sister die in a plane crash, leaving behind his sister's three orphaned children. He and the remaining McGregor brothers decide to band together to help run the family ranch and raise their sister's children. Luke had only recently earned his Ph.D and was teaching in Seattle, but he realizes he can't return to Seattle and work as a professor now that he has returned to his beloved home.
Mara Ramos is the local dance instructor in the town of Grand. Her promising dance career was ended by a freak skiing accident. Both Luke and Mara have recently been burned by relationships gone bad, so at first they resist the instant attraction that springs up between them, but despite their misgivings, they soon embark on a no strings attached relationship. It doesn't take long for Luke to become sure that Mara is the woman he has been waiting for all of his life. Unfortunately, his former fiancee, Denise announces that she is pregnant with his child.
This is not a badly written story, but I was disappointed in how all the usual tropes were scattered about in between the usual steamy scenes. This novel needed more dialogue and less dictated narrative. The author is actually pretty good at dialogue - it would have injected some reality and life into this story. The conflict resolution and the happy families ending were just too pat for me.
his story had its sweet moments, but the author should have let the characters tell more of the story through dialogue as opposed to supplying the reader with endless narrative: it often felt like I was reading a summary or outline of a longer story. I give this a 3.25 out of 5. -
The Rancher’s Secret Love is the second book in Paula Altenburg’s Montana McGregor Brothers series. The story takes place at the same time as the first book, The Rancher Takes a Family. As a result, this can be read separately.
After his younger sister, her husband, and both his parents are killed in a plane crash, Luke McGregor takes a leave of absence from his college teaching job. His older brother Jake has been given custody of their nephews and niece, as well as the family farm. Luke returns to Grand, Montana to temporarily help out. In choosing to be with his family, his girlfriend chooses to end their relationship. Mara Ramos is the best friend of Lacey Anderson who eventually becomes Luke’s sister-in-law. Mara is a former dancer, who now teaches dance and owns a dance studio in Grand. They initially start to spend time together when Luke takes one of his nephews to her studio.
As the two start to spend more and more time together, their relationship grows. Things progress but hit a snag when Luke’s ex shows up and announces she’s pregnant. From this point, things with this story get interesting. It seems there is absolutely no way there’s going to be a happy ending for anyone. Paula has written good characters and a plot twist I don’t think anyone will see coming. She made Luke and Mara work to be together. Fortunately, that work really paid off.
**Received a copy of the book from the author and voluntarily reviewed.** -
Luke has returned home to help raise his nephews and niece. Luke is a professor at a university, where he thought he was happy with his girlfriend, until he asked her to move to the family ranch.
Mara has arrived to Grand, Montana to open a dance studio for young kids after a debilitating injury ending her professional dance career.
Neither are looking for a relationship but they can’t deny the chemistry between them. Will it last after, Luke has a surprise from his ex-girlfriend.
Loved this book. The banter between Luke and Mara was so much fun. This story is all about the importance of family.
This is the second book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. Can’t wait to read the next book!! -
Loved this book! Luke is the nerdy college professor and who, along with his two brothers, inherited the family ranch. He committed to spend a year on the ranch to help sort through things and help with raising his niece and nephews, who were orphaned in the same accident that claimed the lives of Luke's parents. The three brothers are woefully unprepared to raise three young children, but are willing to give it their best efforts.
When Luke has a chance meeting with Mara, a local dance instructor, his year and the ranch suddenly looks a bit brighter. Neither Luke or Mara are interested in a relationship and are only looking to have fun....until it's not. A complication from Luke's past threatens to tear them apart, they are both forced to make some difficult choices.
I really loved Luke's character and how he was constantly struggling to do the right thing, even when all the options are bad. Mara was also a likeable character with a difficult backstory that gave her depth. I found myself totally immersed in their story and wishing for them to get their HEA ending. I'm already looking forward to the last brother's story. -
This is the second book in a series but it can be read as a stand alone.
That said, I've now read both books in the series. The only thing I didn't care for is that both books seemed to happen at the same time. Because of that there were some repeated information (the accident, the children, the ranch, etc). I skimmed over those parts.
I really enjoyed this unique story and I will say the end surprised me. I wasn't thrilled with the ex with a baby story plot and couldn't see how it was going to work out. But then it did! Loved it!
** ARC received from Netgalley ** -
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/19/2020)! 🎁
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Reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf
THE RANCHER’S SECRET LOVE is the second story in The Montana McGregor Brothers series. While it could be read on its own, I believe that you’ll get a better overall feel for this series, and Luke and Mara’s romance, if you read THE RANCHER TAKES A FAMILY first. That’s completely my own opinion, both are excellent stories.
Luke has returned to the family ranch leaving behind his teaching position, a job that he loved and fought to get. Yet, with the recent deaths in the family, the ranch needing so much work, and his nephews and niece now the responsibility of their uncles – well, it was time to come home but he’s only committed himself to be there for one year. Unfortunately, the woman he saw himself marrying someday had very different ideas about ranch life and broke off their relationship.
Mara knows full well how life happens in a split second. One career-ending accident was enough to prove that to her. Now she’s settled down in the small ranching town of Grand, Montana with her dance studio and new plans for her life ahead of her. Romance has no part in that life. She’s been burned badly and has no intention of getting near that particular flame any time soon. But life has other plans for Mara and Luke, plans that include a happy ending after some very rough ground to be dealt with – together.
I enjoyed Mara and Luke’s romance very much. Life tosses curve balls at us all the time, it’s how we deal with those sudden changes that can end or begin a long relationship. They may have both been burned on romance, but that didn’t stop the sparks from flying between them. Luke and Mara are not going to have an easy romance, life happens, and watching how it all plays out is an emotional, at times tense experience. But so worth it.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Tule Publishing. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.* -
Thoughts: I dont usually cry over romances, but this one had me in tears. It was really good, though I felt like the ending was rushed, sort of just tying up loose ends. The characters were great, especially Mara. Even the kids were good. And Diana was someone you wanted to hate, but really sort of felt sorry for. The plot was a bit different, I think, or maybe not. No, maybe Ms. Altenburg just used it well. Recommended
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I voluntarily read a advanced reader's copy of this book for a honest opinion
The Rancher's Secret Love by Paula Altenburg, book two in The Montana McGregor Brothers series. I loved the character development in this book and the family storyline. I look forward to reading more in series and see what the other books bring to us. -
Story line is good. It just didn't need page after page of blow by blow description of their sexual encounters. Just a bit too much and distracting to the story line because it didn't seem to really fit.
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FREE today (May 18, 2020) on Amazon.
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This book is about how the deaths of Luke’s Parent’s and Sister and Brothers-in-law changed his life. There was three children who needed Luke and his brothers. The right thing to do was move home and help out. The Professor was home to stay. He had broken up with his fiancée Denise, she wasn’t giving up her career and questioned his decisions.
He went to the grocery store looking for fennel and there was Mara!
Mara was new to Grand, she ran a dance studio. A skiing accident ended her career as a professional dancer. Recently burned by romance she wasn’t in the market for a new romance but it found her.
Her and Luke were meant to be together but could there religious survive Luke’s ex being pregnant with his baby? -
Luke and Mara have both had life changing situations. Mara, a dancer, whose injury causes her to have to change tracks. This is compounded by her heart being broken by her former love - a famous pop star. Luke deciding to leave behind his college professorship to move home to share the responsibility with his brothers of the family ranch and their sister's children. His choice makes his former girlfriend give up on him.
How these two broken hearts get together, keep resisting each other and then are drawn into a relationship that is tested by another twist in the tale, makes a very good read. I liked both the characters and the choices they made.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader's copy of this book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion. -
It was way too much circumstances and very little relationship
When you have characters with tragic backstories you can A)explore them in a realistic relationship way B)make the relationship the calm in the storm C)make like your characters are psychics and magically know deepest desires without being told. I prefer choice A. I got B. And Ms. Oldenburg went with the ever Hollywood popular C. Mara may end up being everything Luke needs and vice versa but they really have nothing in common. So, tragedy and misunderstanding could drive them apart instead of forging them together. We don't know because we simply don't know them. We only know what happened to them in a short period of time. -
This is the second book in the MacGregor Brothers series. I think I would have liked to read the first book before this. The character building was pretty much done before. The story played out nicely. I don't think life works out that easily. My opinion is the book came together too easily. Boy and girl break up; boy meets other girl; first girl comes up pregnant; first girl gives baby to boy and second girl. There was no angst; everything was just too simplistic. Even though it was a HEA ending, I didn't feel there was enough meat in the story. This book was gifted to me by the publisher for an honest review.
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The Rancher’s Secret Love
What a fantastic book! It started off with a bang and went up from there.
Three brothers end up raising their two nephews and one niece after the parents and grandparents die in a plane crash.The kids are about ten,five and almost two so thy really have their hands full not counting the work on the ranch as well. So with all that and more going on,they try to have romance once in awhile too,but it’s really hard to make all things work.But once the local dance teacher sets her heart on one of them,the fun and the frantic how to make it work,begins!
I thought it was really good and hope you too will want to read it. -
The Rancher's Secret Love is the second book in Paula Altenburg’s Montana McGregor Brothers series and tells a heart-breaking tale of loss, betrayal and rebuilding from the ruins of tragedy.
I thoroughly enjoyed Luke and Mara’s story, with all the angst, turmoil and everything in between that kept me glued to the pages. This is an entertaining story with good world building, interesting and realistic characters and an easy ebb and flow to the writing. I look forward to the next in this series. -
What a sweet emotionally inspiring story. Luke McGregor was back in Montana for his family when his brother Jake took custody of his sisters' children after the plane crash that took her, her husband and their parents. All the brothers were in this together. Luke didn't think that after his fiancee Denise bailed when he told her he wanted them to stay there a year to help, that he would meet someone. That, someone, was Mara Ramos a former dancer who settled in Grand after a career-ending accident.
The book is definitely a page-turner that through in some surprise as well. -
Luke returns home to the family ranch to help his brothers raise their niece and nephews and save the struggling ranch. His longtime girlfriend wants nothing to do with it and dumps him. Mara runs the dance studio in town. Once a famous dancer now an injured dance instructor. They hit it off and become serious fairly quickly. They are talking about the future. Then his former girlfriend comes to town to announce that she is pregnant. What choice does Luke have? Family is everything. Great read!
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Luke returns to the family ranch after his parents and his sister and her husband are killed in a accident. He and his two brothers are to take care of the ranch and more importantly his sisters three children. This is new territory for the three men and they are kind of lost. Luke’s fiancé walks out on him before the funeral telling him he has to come back to Seattle where he belongs. Luke says no and figures that’s it. When he meets Mara they figure sex would be fun, but neither counted on the feelings that hits them both.
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Luke and Mara’s love story is such an awesome read. I love when the author throws in a completely unexpected curve ball in the game, and just when you think your going to break down it tears the author hits it out of the park with a completely wonderful fix. Paula Altenburg stole my heart with this one, cannot wait to read her next one.
