The Rancher and the Rock Star

Oct 10, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jill by: Karla

Shelves: contemporary-romance, 2012-debuts

Debut

Gray Covey, rock musician has the world at his feet. Everybody loves him except his runaway sixteen year-old son, Dawson. Gray tracks him down in Minnesota working as a farmhand on Abby Stadtler's ranch. Abby's teenage daughter, Kim met Dawson online two years ago and invited him to their farm.

This contemporary romance is really wonderful. Gray's a genuinely nice guy having ironed out problems early in his career that go with a rock muso's lifestyle. Same with Abby, she's a caring mother a...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Karla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Karla by: Amelia

Shelves: charming-man, emotional, family-drama, light-steam-factor, overcoming-tragedy, second-chance, single-mom, spunky-girl, sweet-boy, sweet-romance, terrific-dialogue, wonderful-caring-man, wonderful-secondary-characters, slight-faith-element, single-dad, teenage-drama

Review posted at: Swept Away By Romance

4 1/2 Stars! Well developed, very enjoyable romance/family drama! I was impressed.

Right off the bat I want to say, don’t judge this book by its cover or its title, neither do the book justice! Yes, this is a book about a small-time rancher and rock star, but not in the way that you might think. Abby Stadler runs a small horse farm, and Gray Covey is a rock star, however, he’s not a down and dirty, gritty rock star as is being depicted in so many popular re...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Amelia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hot-rockstars, hot-romance

I just read in another review that this book was titled `Songbird'. I think I much prefer this title. Although it could also double as the name of an English pub.

~~This book was free on Amazon~~ I bought this for .99 plus the cover just jumped out and grabbed me. Or maybe I jumped up and grabbed it...errr...which I can't do as it's an ebook so maybe this was in my dream :) What I mean to say is that the cover is just yummilicious.

So, romance authors, if you put a buff half-naked man wearing jeans e...more

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Jun 05, 2012 AnneOK rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Previously titled “Songbird,” Liz Selvig’s book was the winner of the Single Title Contemporary in RWA’s Golden Heart contest in 2010.

The “new” title doesn’t do it any favors – it’s atrocious in my opinion. So glad I read the blub and several reviews. Otherwise, I would have missed out on a more-than-expected sweet treat!

A word of caution to those who care: There’s a slight “religious” overture to the book but very mild and it works within the storyline.

The romance is sweet and tender and tugs a...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Sophia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-shelf, contemporary-romance

Do you ever have certain expectations when you get ready to read a book? Lots of times I don’t. I just see a book, think it sounds interesting, and I buy it. With this book, it was different for me. I followed a blog tour where I read author interviews, excerpts and reviews which convinced me that this would be a wonderful read. With the book actually in my hand prepared to read it, I had that moment when I stared down at the great cover and took a deep breath of anticipation. Some time later, a...more Do you ever have certain expectations when you get ready to read a book? Lots of times I don’t. I just see a book, think it sounds interesting, and I buy it. With this book, it was different for me. I followed a blog tour where I read author interviews, excerpts and reviews which convinced me that this would be a wonderful read. With the book actually in my hand prepared to read it, I had that moment when I stared down at the great cover and took a deep breath of anticipation. Some time later, after letting the back cover fall shut with my little sigh of contentment, I can now say that this book exceeded my expectations.

I know- you want me to get on with the review already.

The book leans more toward a sweet romance with its solid conventional down home feel. I enjoyed the quirky Minnesotan talk and could almost hear the accent come up from the pages. There are a few scenes in the hero’s rock world, but most of the story takes place in small town Minnesota. The story switches point of view between the two main characters, Gray and Abby. There are breaks that make this easy to follow. They thought so differently that it was interesting getting their take on things. There were several scenes that had me laughing and sighing. The time when he serenaded her in the kitchen and the time at the campfire were beautifully written. But the one that was both funny and sigh worthy was the long opening scene when Abby and Gray work on getting her hay in out of the rain and then are found by the neighbors in a case of bad timing.

The plot has, for lack of a better term, a fairy tale quality with a strong emphasis on the value of family to the story. The son of a big-name rock star and supermodel runs away from boarding school to hide out at a small farm where his identity is unknown. After his whereabouts are discovered, his famous dad, Gray Covey, comes to the farm of Abby Stadtler. Instead of the planned quick extraction of his son and return to his concert tour, Gray, who has been struggling to write music and stay focused on his work, finds an angry teen boy who challenges him to prove his claim to love and care for his son. Gray does the unthinkable by taking up the challenge and cancelling six concerts to prove to Dawson that he does care which has the unexpected effect of bringing back those parts of himself that he had lost in the hard grind of his life. In the few short weeks that Gray who is divorced and his son Dawson stay with the widowed Abby and her daughter Kim, none of their lives will be the same. Gray and Abby’s worlds are so vastly different as are their outlooks on life, but they begin to tentatively reach across the void between them toward love and happiness. All is not so simple of course. There is the issue of Gray and Dawson’s relationship. Then there are the unauthorized photos of Gray that are sent out supposedly by an old friend to smear his image. And finally there is the barrier put up by Abby, who has not dealt with her past (she is so afraid to love and have it all taken away from her again) causing her to have commitment issues, and the difficulty caused by Gray who has trouble standing up for what he truly wants and needs. They have to go through a few bad moments to realize what they really want and isn’t that the stuff of which fairy tale love stories are made?

The characters are well written as is their poignant story. The isolation of the little ranch and the simple life are balm to Gray who has endured the rock scene life style, paparazzi and the recent betrayal of a friend. He has lost his musical muse and has no idea how to connect with his son. Abby has had to go it alone since her husband’s death with threats and recriminations from her in-laws that riddle her with guilt and feelings of inadequacy. Her faith and her spirit keep her head up even when her circumstances are overwhelming. Because of the guilt and inadequacy, she is proud and will not accept help when she needs it. These two very different people were brought together by circumstances and it was neat to see their story unfold. Their children, Kimmy who is totally infatuated with Gray and Dawson who is hurt and angry from neglect, as well as the town characters and the band members are all so well drawn and have depth to them. I love the gruff humor of Ed Mertz, Abby’s neighbor. I cracked up whenever he teased Gray by calling him ‘goddess’ (must read the story to get the joke).
As a special mention, I must say that the animals in this story almost stole the scenes. Those cockateels at the restaurant were hilarious.

And one last thing, this story will appeal to the foodies out there. There are several mentions of good food, but it is a certain special decadent hot chocolate that Abby makes that is a cure-all for whatever ails you that had my tongue watering.
Well it almost cures everything: “Abby struggled to corral her escaping sanity. Before her stood a teenage girl whose outfit had been chosen under the influence of raging hormones, and a man who had just cancelled hundred of thousands of dollars’ worth of work at the petulant request of a boy who, in turn, was about to keel over. There was not enough chocolate in the house to fix this group.”

I found this such a heartwarming story and have only good things to say about it. It is not for everyone particularly those who prefer their romance to be hot and steamy with lots of excitement. I am now feeling nostalgic for classic rock and craving chocolate. (less)

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Feb 27, 2012 Molly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Molly by: GoddessFish Promotions

Shelves: book-review

I absolutely, with out a doubt, have a new favorite author. This books was AWESOME SAUCE and then some! Lizbeth Selvig swept me away with instant smiles and laughs and kept me on the roller coaster ride of laughs, and fun until the end of the amazing book. Each character wormed their way into my heart and are there to stay. The plot line was flirtatious and fun, hooking me for the long run!

I loved Gray Covey's character. Just from the cover you can tell he's gonna be one sexy man, and oh la la!...more I absolutely, with out a doubt, have a new favorite author. This books was AWESOME SAUCE and then some! Lizbeth Selvig swept me away with instant smiles and laughs and kept me on the roller coaster ride of laughs, and fun until the end of the amazing book. Each character wormed their way into my heart and are there to stay. The plot line was flirtatious and fun, hooking me for the long run!

I loved Gray Covey's character. Just from the cover you can tell he's gonna be one sexy man, and oh la la! Was he EVER! He's character was one of complexity. He's a caring, loving guy, but being a rock star, well, life isn't always that easy for him. Especially when he has to hunt his runaway teenage son down. When he finds him, at a Minnesota farm with a gorgeous widowed woman and her daughter-his number one fan- his life is about to get a whole lot more complicated....for the better.

Abby Stadtler. Her complicated life really wasn't all that complicated. Could be because I sympathize easily with her, since she's a single mom, and I am too, so I can understand her struggles financially. But, when she meets Gray Covey, the Rock Star, HER world is about to a get a little more complicated than it already is. Her daughter is his number one fan and his son....well, let's just say that she thought she had hired an 18 year old young man who's father was a typical work-a-holic.

But, once Gray and Abby meet, the sparks are their and their fun loving squabbling ensues. Seeing them flirt and have fun together really is breathtaking. Until someone is out to make Gray look bad, to the public eye, in order to boost his sales and career. The question is, who is doing it? And why? It's enough to drive Gray crazy and a little more closer to the life he wants to live...with Abby, her daughter and his son. Will he finally get the life he wants, or will he forever be a rock star, with no time for his son?

This book is most definitely a highest of high 5 Book worthy novel. I loved the romance, the flirtiness, the sparks that fly...all of it was compelling and gripping. Ms. Selvig even added an element that is dear to my heart...Alzheimer's...for it was my grandfather died of, so it's always something that pulls me a little further into a story when an author adds that element. Between the amazing characters, the fantabuleriffic plot line and lots of sparks flying, this book is sure to win it's way into hearts of romantic comedy lovers everywhere. I definitely recommend that you grab up a copy of this book now! Well done, Ms. Selvig! I can't wait for another fun, flirty, laugh out loud novel from this talented author!

This review originated at Reviews By Molly in part with a blog tour. (less)

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Feb 23, 2012 Cocktails and Books rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-tour, contemporary-romance, 2012-reading-challenges

What's a father to do when his teenage son runs off from his posh boarding school to a ranch in Minnesota? For Gray Covey, it means spending two weeks at the ranch of Abby Stadtler while trying to find a way to salvage his relationship with his son Dawson while somehow maintaing his rock star image.

Abby has a calming effect on Gray and helps him realize there is more to life than living out of a tour bus and having many people making demands on his time but he never standing up for himself. She...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Kristi Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was an entertaining love story between a single Mom who is a rancher and a rock star Father who is looking to connect better with his son. Really FIND his son, since his son ran away.

I'm not normally a fan of westerns and when I read the title, I was a little worried because I don't enjoy the ranching/farming/western stuff. However, this really wasn't a story about ranching - it's a horse farm and the focus was not really all about farming at all.

Have I also mentioned that I LOVE books ab...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Lisarenee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Notes: Liz entered RWA’s Golden Heart contest in 2010 with The Rancher and the Rock Star (then titled Songbird), and won the Single Title Contemporary category.

Sometimes we get caught up in the daily grind that is life and lose sight of what's important. We get lost in the here and now and don't see what's going on around us. It's something made more difficult for Gray Covey because his son, Dawson, lives an ocean away. Gray, a modern day rock star, let his job be his first priority. Only seeing...more Notes: Liz entered RWA’s Golden Heart contest in 2010 with The Rancher and the Rock Star (then titled Songbird), and won the Single Title Contemporary category.

Sometimes we get caught up in the daily grind that is life and lose sight of what's important. We get lost in the here and now and don't see what's going on around us. It's something made more difficult for Gray Covey because his son, Dawson, lives an ocean away. Gray, a modern day rock star, let his job be his first priority. Only seeing his son a few times a year, he mistakenly thought everything was great. That is until he found out from his ex-wife that his son had run away.

Dawson Covey left the posh English boarding school his parent's had paid for, hoping to stay with his grandmother. Only after he made the trip across the ocean did he discover no one had bothered to tell him she'd moved into a nursing home. He felt this validated his earlier feelings which led him to run away--that he just didn't fit into his parent's lives, and they didn't have any time for him. Not even enough to let him know what was going on with his grandmother. He found a haven, however, with a friend he'd made over the internet and her mother. He figured his parents probably wouldn't even notice he was gone.

Abby is a kind hearted soul who always liked helping others. She thought Dawson was from New York and 18 years old. After all, that is what his driver's licence said. When Dawson's father comes around looking for him, she thought he must be looking for a different Dawson. Once he shows her his son's picture, however, there is no doubt. She's been played. Dawson could never have suspected he'd set something in motion that could potentially make his wish to fit in somewhere come true...

There is a religious overtone to the book which may turn some off, but it's not overpowering, and I thought added an endearing quality to Abby's personality. Abby is a widow whose husband and son died over 12 years ago. She's never really gotten over the loss and probably never fully will. Anyone who's ever lost a loved one knows their loss never truly leaves you. You just find ways to deal with it and go on. Abby's been content to focus all her energy on raising her daughter who is now 15. While her priorities are definitely in order, she's lost a piece of herself on that fatal day years ago when she lost part of her family. While the loss left no physical scars, emotionally she was devastated and she has a tendency to keep anyone new, whom she could get attached to, at bay. She keeps a sort of protective emotional barrier around herself, if you will.

Gray finds himself not only clueless about how to handle his son, but distrusting of those around him. Fame comes with a price and it's a high one. Everyone seems to want a piece of you, and he can't help but questions people's motives around him. While he does put his son first, he doesn't quite get it's more than a one day type of deal his son is looking for. Dawson wants more. He doesn't want to be kept in the sterile environment of a boarding school, he wants a relationship with his parents. He wants to be noticed and feel like he belongs.

I did not have high expectations when I started reading this book. The title did not really reach out to me and, I must confess, if Avon had not given me an advanced eBook loan of it, I'd probably have glanced right by it on the shelf. That said, this was a very sweet and, for me, surprisingly enjoyable read. There was plenty of drama, engaging characters that I could relate to, and enough going on to keep my attention and stay in my thoughts well after I'd finished reading. I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a FAN rating--the temperature in the room seems to have suddenly gone up a couple of degrees. Your face may be slightly flushed and a fan would be nice. I thought the chemistry between Gray and Abby was undeniable and the two complimented each other very well. A truly heartwarming love story that left me with a smile on my face.
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Feb 29, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this a bit slow to start but once the story finally emerged, I was hooked - big time!! The emotional tension between Abby and Gray began to build wonderfully. Their attraction to each other which began in the first chapter expanded, deepened and breathed new life into the story. There was more than one time that Lizbeth's emotional writing brought tears to my eyes.

As a romance novel debut, Lizbeth Selvig did an excellent job of creating a story surrounding a group of people from vastly...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Judith rated it 5 of 5 stars

A collision of worlds and cultures, a tangle of emotions and living philosophies, yet all in all it is the stuff of which the best romance fiction is made! Stability meets life-on-the-run in the person of a kind-hearted and loving woman who is barely making it on her ranch, and then the world-famous, never-to-be-forgotten rocker drives into her property seeking his teenage son who is on the lam from a mother who wants to put him in boarding school in England. All the ingredients are here, and wh...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Laurie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

I will immediately say I'm not a fan of this book's title, it sounds kinda cornball to me, but after laying eyes on the cover ART, who cares about the title? On the serious side, I LOVED this story. I was drawn into Gray and Abby's worlds, however drastically different they are. Lizbeth Selvig's writing style is very effortless, I felt as if every scene was happening right in front of me in real time. I could smell the grass from Abby's farm, hear the fans clap for Gray, watch the swoosh of a ho...more I will immediately say I'm not a fan of this book's title, it sounds kinda cornball to me, but after laying eyes on the cover ART, who cares about the title? On the serious side, I LOVED this story. I was drawn into Gray and Abby's worlds, however drastically different they are. Lizbeth Selvig's writing style is very effortless, I felt as if every scene was happening right in front of me in real time. I could smell the grass from Abby's farm, hear the fans clap for Gray, watch the swoosh of a horse's mane in a summer breeze and taste the pie inside that Main Street restaurant. When I had to stop reading, the characters remained with me until I was able to continue and wrap myself back into this romantic story.

The main characters were interesting and well written and the secondary characters were well crafted and had a purpose (even down to the pair of birds). I especially liked Abby, her heartbreak, her fierce desire to take care of her daughter, Kim, and keep her farm, and I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes in the darkroom or when she had her camera in hand. Gray was sexy even if there were times I wanted to hit him over the head with a microphone or drumstick. His lack of understanding his son, Dawson, was typical of a traveling music man, and I found myself cheering them on whenever their attempts to patch things up hit a bump.

The Rancher and the Rock Star just has so much good going for it: realistic characters and true to life dialogue and situations, two adults so opposite there's only one place for them to be (and that's in each other's arms), two teens whose essence was truly captured in each scene they were in, laugh out loud moments, tension, surprise twists and turns, and a town full of residents who brought a bunch of smiles to my face and warmed my heart.

Abby's a little bit country, Gray's a whole lot of rock'n'roll, and I believe Ms. Selvig has a hit on her hands with The Rancher and the Rock Star. (For the rest of my review and a Character Interview with Gray Covey, go to my blog: http://www.readergirlsblog.com/2012/0...)
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Sep 29, 2012 Stace rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, rockstar, kindle-ebook

2.5

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Mar 05, 2012 Nikki Markle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: avon-addicts

When his son goes missing, rocker Gray Covey tracks the teen to a quiet Minnesota farm in the employ of Abby Stadtler, a hard-working single mom with stormy eyes, the face of an angel, and a painful past. Attraction sparks from the second their eyes meet, but does his chaotic lifestyle have a place in her peaceful, ordered world?

Winner of RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart Award for Single Title Contemporary in 2010, this beautiful story has finally found a home with Avon Impulse. More than your typ...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Savannah Miller rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Rancher and The Rock Star is a sweet love story! It made me laugh out loud and connect to the characters in a way only a true love story can.
Gray is a rock star looking for his run away son only to find him living with a widow and her daughter, he plans to just take his son and leave, but fate has different plans. He is a man trying to find a place in his sons life.

Abby mother, rancher, photographer, everything except a Gray Convey Groupie. She is a woman trying to prove she doesn't need any...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have never been more pleasantly surprised by a book. The cover is just blegh (even if if the model used for it is a sure fire hottie) and the blurb for it left me kind of cold. But a recommendation at a romance novel community on LiveJournal said give it a try. So I broke down and bought it for my Kindle and LOVED it. There is this odd twist of reality to it that most romance and erotica don't have. It's honestly worth the read. If you're weary of religious notes in your romantic fiction, then...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Amle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: giveaway, read-in-english, signed-copy

Wow, 419 pages in on day. I have to say that I'm impressed. I'm impressed that what I thought would be just a "happy little romance novel" would manage to keep me captivated to such extents.

I was fortunate enough to win this signed copy in a GoodReads giveaway. I thought that, since I grew up on a farm and I've stood on a few stages, this book would be a fun read. As I got into the book, it spoke to me even more. Having an admiration (not quite so moon eyed or love struck as Kim) to a musician m...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Danielle Calabrese rated it 4 of 5 stars

I never really know what to expect when I read a book by an author I haven't read before, especially at .99 cents, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! Gray and Abby were great characters with good developments. I enjoyed seeing their love grow over a period of time. In so many books the characters fall in love in about two seconds which is just unrealistic. This book was realistic in their relationship, their parenting issues, and their feelings about one another. I also loved the mino...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, romance, first-read-giveaways

I received this book in a goodread first reads giveaway. I found the book to be very sweet. It's a story about Abby who is a widow with a ranch in Minnesota. One day Gray a rockstar shows up looking for his son who was hired by Abby to help around the ranch. Gray's son Dawson is only 16 and showed fake ID to get the ranch job. Dawson ran away from boarding school in England and doesn't want to return. Gray agrees to stay away the ranch bonding with his son for a couple of weeks. The book has a b...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Barbara Longley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great story and characters. My only complaint was that there was way too much descriptive narrative for my tastes, and the pacing was a bit slow because of the narrative. A lot of people love prosy books, and it was beautifully written...I just found my attention drifting. I'd call this an 'inspirational' contemporary romance. There were quite a few references like, "I get my strength from God," etc., that I wasn't expecting due to the branding. A great read, regardless. This is a mature couple...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, musicians-life, 40-yrs-plus-romance, a-slice-of-life, authors-to-watch, beta-male, character-driven-romance, friends-to-lovers, h-h-spar-often, hero-in-disguise, hero-was-married-before, heroine-was-married-before, second-chances, some-family-drama, teen-children-involved, widow

THE RANCHER AND THE ROCK STAR is a surprisingly well-written contemporary romance about a road-weary man looking for his son. In the process, he lands at the working farm of a widowed mom and her daughter. His son has taken refuge there under an alias pretending to be older than his sixteen years.

The responsibilities of being the lead singer in a popular band are beginning to take their toll. David Graham, aka Gray Covey, is trying to avoid becoming a jaded man. He has attained his goal in life,...more THE RANCHER AND THE ROCK STAR is a surprisingly well-written contemporary romance about a road-weary man looking for his son. In the process, he lands at the working farm of a widowed mom and her daughter. His son has taken refuge there under an alias pretending to be older than his sixteen years.

The responsibilities of being the lead singer in a popular band are beginning to take their toll. David Graham, aka Gray Covey, is trying to avoid becoming a jaded man. He has attained his goal in life, to write music and sing, but to what expense?

Within minutes of meeting Abby Stadtler he realizes she doesn't know who he is. Having known his son for only a short time, she is protective of him and he finds himself admiring her for this. In the meantime a thunderstorm commences and he is put to work hauling bales of hay into a barn. And having the best time in quite awhile.

The story, over a period of several weeks, was about four very distinct people. Kim, Abby's daughter, is the impressionable fifteen-year-old with a massive crush on an older singer. Dawson, Gray's son, is a teenager whose confusion regarding his parents' lives tugs at your heart. Abby is a woman who has been alone for a long time; she has a hard time letting anyone but her daughter and a few close friends into her imaginary inner circle. Her character is prickly and moody at times but when you see the personal trials she is going through you will have empathy.

And, lastly, Gray. A man who wanted to be a better father but wasn't sure how to make things right between him and his son. A once very famous singer who was getting older and having a harder time attracting younger people to his kind of music. And a guy, attracted to Abby, but knew all he would cause her is heartache in the end because of his job and lifestyle.

There were also a few secondary stories going on amongst everything else. At 419 pages, the book may be long for some but the author did a good job with character development. By the end, you will have felt as though you know everyone intimately. Lastly, there is a 'hum' of religion that pokes its head periodically. I would not call this religious fiction but it might put some people off. On page 313, in the the paperback version I read, Abby explains to Gray why her faith is important to her. I didn't have a problem with this.

The author has a gift with words. It is easy to become enamored with her style of writing.

"Twilight steeped the living room alcove in blue-gray shadows, and its one tall window magnified a last spray of neon pink sunset. Gray parked himself on the bench in front of Abby's piano......... He stared at the keys, so precise, so symmetric. He knew their secrets and how to unlock them as well as he knew how to put one foot in front of the other and take a step."

"Every movement of a horse had its sound. A snort. A soft stomp. The shake of a large head causing metal halter fittings to clink against snaps. The sounds soothed as always."

"Abby melted in his arms and spread closer to him the way warm honey might slide down a spoon before it dropped onto his tongue."

This is a story about love but it is also about friendship that develops between two adults beforehand. The setting is in Minnesota and in some ways it feels like a contemporary romance written along the lines of a LaVyrle Spencer story. I gave it four stars because there were several minor things that annoyed me, enough to knock my rating down one full star. Mrs. Selvig won the RWA's Golden Heart contest in 2010 for this narrative and there is a reason for this. A good start for her first romance, I am looking forward to future books by this author.(less)

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Oct 02, 2012 Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

WOW!!! I won this book. I could not wait to read it and once I started reading it I had a very hard time putting it down. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Gray and Abby. Abby has one of the biggest hearts in the world. I loved how they both have things in the past that they have to overcome in order to look to the future. They also have to deal with their teenage kids and of course they need to do all this under the media radar. This is a great romance book. If you like romance books this...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Lu Bielefeld *Must have HEA* rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gostei muito.
O herói é um rock star que negligencia o filho adolescente, este acaba fugindo de casa e se refugia em um rancho de uma amiga que ele conheceu pela internet. Nossa heroína é a mãe desta amiga e logo se vê a atração entre a mãe/rancheira e o pai/rock star.
Ocorre um choque entre o mundo de cada um deles e a realidade da vida na estrada fazendo shows e a rotina de um rancho e os cuidados diários com os animais e etc...
Os filhos adolescentes e os problemas da idade também são retratad...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Kerrie Strong rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book; the characters were engaging--both the main couple themselves as well as their kids. I'm learning that contemporary Westerns really appeal to me. I liked that the couple weren't your typical young, nubile romantic hero and heroine pair; they had some baggage. It made them more real. And it's been a long time since I read a romance novel where the heroine was my age! Definitely recommend this one.

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Feb 24, 2012 Ann Lorz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

This a very sweet book. With the religious overtones it might not be for everyone. I enjoyed watching a father learn to be a better father and a widow learn to love again. I also liked how well they were able to mesh the families together. At times you wanted to shout at Gray that he needed to pay more attention to his life. I also enjoyed the town people. I will say that the beginning of the book was slightly slow going but picked up quickly.

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Apr 21, 2012 Katherine Logan rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Rancher and the Rock Star is a wonderful story. It is obvious from the first page why Liz won the Golden Heart. There are so many fantastic lines: "His make-nice smiles hardened into anger lines." "Her flash of defensive pride had no time to grow." "This slam was a roundhouse kick to the heart." "Beautiful, mature maples were staggered in the boulevards, shading the angled parking spots along the street." I could go on, but I'd have the entire book in this comment. The characters are real, t...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I went in to this story expecting a little bit different than what I got but that’s my own fault, I need to go in to each book, especially with a new author, with no expectations. The reason I say this is because there was a little bit of a faith element that I wasn’t expecting. Our heroine, Abby, has the family say grace before each meal, the kids went to church camp, and her beliefs do factor a little bit in her decisions about her relationship with Gray. I have absolutely no problem with read...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a great book by a new author I can't wait to read more of!
Abby has been strong for herself & her daughter for many years. When she finds out the young man she hired for the summer is a runaway of a rock star, she is surprised but not impressed as her daughter is. How these relationships grow & change makes for a delightful book!

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Mar 19, 2012 Nicola O. rated it 3 of 5 stars

A bit slow in places, but overall a light, entertaining, Cinderella-style romance with enough character development to carry it, and the rock star bit glams it up for some real fun.

Read my full review at Alpha Heroes.

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Oct 12, 2012 Polly rated it 4 of 5 stars

What a cute story. I loved the small town. Our heroine was strong, so strong at times she seemed a little aggravating till you understood why. Loved our hero. He's handsome, and everything you would wish for.
The kids were cute as were all the neighbors. Cute little story

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The Rancher and the Rock Star

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