Series:
Secrets of Hidden Creek Ranch (Book 1)
A hidden treasure may save her ranch…
Or cost her her life.
Ex-SEAL Ace Madden is working undercover as a cowboy to
protect Sophia Lang, a new ranch owner who's in more trouble than she realizes.
But his attraction to Sophia is complicating his mission. When Sophia's
confronted by an intruder searching for a treasure map, she enlists Ace's help
to find the treasure before her mysterious attacker does. As danger draws them
close, Ace must resist his hunger for Sophia. Can he find a way to protect her
from the people trying to steal the fortune on her land? And can he save
himself from falling in love while they solve the mystery?
Good mix of romance and suspense, with a bit of history
mixed in with it. Sophia is a former advertising executive who gladly gave up
her job when she inherited her grandfather's ranch. She plans to turn it into a
dude ranch.
Ace is a former SEAL who started a security firm and was hired
by an unknown person to protect Sophia, with the condition that he doesn't
reveal his identity. Ace is undercover as a ranch hand and has a tough time. He
is intensely attracted to Sophia, which distracts him from his mission.
The trouble begins when she confronts a masked intruder
searching for a treasure map. Fortunately, Ace is nearby and saves her. Sophia
immediately recruits him to help her find the treasure before the intruder
does. Their search draws some unwelcome attention, including shots fired and runaway
heavy equipment. Their search has ups and downs, and there is an intense
confrontation at the end. While the immediate question of who was behind the
attacks was solved, there are unresolved questions that I expect will be
addressed in the following books.
I enjoyed watching the development of Sophia and Ace's
relationship. Their attraction is immediate, though neither is looking for a
relationship. Ace resists for two reasons: first, he is there for the job, and
getting involved would not be professional. Second, because of past actions,
Ace believes he does not deserve a woman like her. Sophia has trouble trusting
men but finds it easy to trust Ace. Their attraction continues to grow, no
matter how they try to resist. I was a little frustrated by Ace's tendency to
back away every time he gave in to the sparks. There are fireworks when Sophia
learns the truth about Ace's presence, and it takes some self-examination from
each to overcome the insecurities holding them back. I'm looking forward to
seeing more of them in subsequent books.
The secondary characters also have essential roles in the
story. Sophia's sister, Charli, originally wanted no part of Sophia's plans for
the ranch. She shows up near the end, expressing more interest in
participating. I enjoyed the back-and-forth between the sisters and seeing the
dynamics of their relationship. There is a good part near the end where Charli
makes a vital contribution to the plans for the ranch.
Also arriving near the end are Ace's two partners, Heath
and Paxton. They, too, start as undercover ranch hands, backing up Ace as he
tries to keep Sophia and Charli safe. I laughed at how they gave Ace a hard
time about his distractedness around Sophia. I suspect both men will play roles
in the following books with Sophia's sisters, Charli and Veronica.
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