When he sets out to regain his family’s heritage, he never expects to fall in love.
Cowboy Duncan McAllister has worked tirelessly to make the family ranch profitable enough to buy back the section of land hard times forced them to sell a decade ago. When the owner of that land unexpectedly dies, leaving the ranch to his city-based daughter, Duncan finally sees his opportunity.
After her business partner boyfriend runs off with an intern—and all their clients—CPA Harrison Scott retreats to her Daddy’s Hill Country ranch to decide her next move. Her father’s sudden death leaves her floundering—does she rebuild her professional career or carry on the ranch he loved? After rebuffing Duncan’s offer to buy her out, Harrison is forced to turn to her handsome neighbor to learn the ropes of ranching.
Duncan tells himself he’s just being neighborly, but their immediate attraction soon deepens. How can he convince her that he wants her even more than his beloved land when she’s already been betrayed once before?
Titles in The McAllister Brothers series include – The Rancher – The Cowboy – The Ranger –
Title: The Rancher
Series: The McAllister Brothers #1
Author: Julia Justiss
Genre: Modern Western Romance
Published: April 8, 2021
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 4.5 stars
The Rancher begins The McAllister Brothers series with a romance that almost seems doomed from the start, but never fear, the heart knows where it belongs. Harrison has had the worst run of bad luck, the most recent was when her boyfriend (who was also her business partner) decided that the grass was greener and took off with their intern… and probably more importantly, all of their clients. Totally destroyed, Harrison returns home where even more upheaval is awaiting her. Harrison is not a woman who can trust lightly anymore, that been destroyed by betrayal. Now she has, perhaps, the biggest decision of her life ahead of her… whether to trust her heart again when all logic says not to.
Duncan has made a promise to reclaim property that was sold off years ago for financial reasons, the sale never felt right and he’d vowed to get it back but it’s always been just beyond his reach… until now. The owner has recently and suddenly died from a heart attack, his daughter is a city girl with a successful career, and Duncan can see no reason why Harrison would not sell the property to him. Unfortunately, Duncan is stepping into a situation that he knows none of the histories of, so his seemingly calculated way of buying the property immediately after Harrison was dumped, destroyed, and grieving her father’s death might not have been the right move. To his credit, this cowboy had no clue of all that, but it still factors in with the decisions made. It’s going to be a bumpy ride for these two on their way to a happy ending. Funny how actually working together, learning important lessons, and really seeing each other can change a mind or heart.
The Rancher gave me everything I need and love in the first story of a new series, interesting situations, intriguing characters, the beautiful word pictures that bring the ranch and events to life in my imagination, and the hints at what the future holds for this series. Harrison and Duncan were both emotionally wounded in their own ways, although for Harrison that was so recent as to still be an open wound. Equally stubborn and each believing they are right, this couple will go through trying times, changed attitudes, and some growing as they travel through this adventure into a lifetime love. I had an absolute blast with these characters. Annoying at times, bantering at others, swoon-worthy the next, and always right for each other if they’d only acknowledge that fact. I enjoyed myself in this world and cannot wait to return for the next brother’s story.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from 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.*
Available for your favorite e-reader, mine is the Kindle.
