Family on the Range

by Jessica Nelson

A Second Chance

A quiet ranch in the Oregon desert gives Mary O'Roarke the solace she craves after a painful childhood. Concealing her growing feelings for her boss, government agent Lou Riley, is a small price to pay. Then an abandoned little girl is placed in Mary's care, awakening dreams she's all but forgotten.

In all the years Lou has known her, how could he not have noticed Mary's courage and warmth? Seeing her care for a child is a bittersweet reminder of the lonely widower's loss. But if Mary won't give up on young Josie—not even when real danger approaches—then Lou can't give up on bringing this unlikely family together for good.

Genres: Love Inspired, Love Inspired Historical, Harlequin, Inspirational, Romance, Fiction, Historical Romance

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2014

About the author

My heart is filled with romantic stories, my shelves are loaded with chocolate and my lips are always longing for one more cup of Starbucks. Besides that, I write for Love Inspired Historical and am a happy mom to a bunch of little boys. I love connecting with readers and writers.

Reviews

[ASC Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty nice read! This is the first I've read in this series and so I really appreciated how the layers were drawn back about the past characters and let me know what I needed to know as I went on. It starts with a bang, and then as the story went on it definitely took some twists I didn't expect. Some I liked some I would have rather not been there. I LOVE the little girl in this story, as well as the other characters but the hero is SO STUBBORN! I would have liked to "be there" when he comes back to The Lord, but on the other hand I did like the pace of the story. Overall this is a pretty unique read, with equally unique characters. It ends sweetly, and I did enjoy many scenes.

Jeremiah 29:11

Song:
"How Great Thou Art"

[Susan Snodgrass · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
An abandoned child, a woman with a painful childhood, a government agent who lost a child. All together are good ingredients for a poignant and very interesting story. Mary O'Roarke has been Lou Riley's housekeeper a while, so why hasn't he noticed her warm and caring nature, not to mention the huge dose of courage. Even when danger threatens, and it's a big danger, Mary is determined to protect the young child Josie. There is a lot to like here, full of danger and love. Recommended.

My thanks to the author for a copy of this book. The review is my own opinion.

[Belle Calhoune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family on the Range by Jessica Nelson is a fantastic book. The story centers around Mary O'Roarke, a woman who has been scarred by the events of the past. Employed by Lou Riley, a jaded government agent, Mary is living a rather simple life until the welfare and raising of a small child is placed in her hands. Determined to do right by her charge, Mary, with the help of Lou, must keep her safe from the people who want to get their hands on her. The romance between Lou and Mary is warm and romantic. I really enjoyed the character of Lou. There's nothing better than a strong but tender hero, especially one who's been jaded by events from the past. Loved this inspirational, fun read.

[Gemma Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads and had the pleasure of reading it.


This book Is about a young women who has been hurt in the past by things that her mother had put her through. She works as a housekeeper for a handsome man who has many secrets about his past. All the sudden a little girl gets thrown into the mix of these two people. This book is definitely a page turner. Great book recommend it for anyone who enjoys Good clean historical romance books. 5 stars for Jessica Nelson!!!!!!!!

[Lynn Grier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home on the Range is a excellent read. I enjoyed reading right from the beginning to the end. I loved the characters and happy endings. I will put Jessica Nelson as a must to read author and will look forward to more books written by her.
I won this book in a July giveaway and thank you for the chance to read this book. Love Inspired Historical books are one of my favorite reads.

[Harlequin Books]

"An intriguing mystery with interesting characters, this story offers a fascinating look at the beginnings of the investigation bureau — both the good and the bad (RT Book Reviews)". 4 stars

[Lori Cubbedge · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the excerpt, I just had to get Family on the Range. I am so glad I did!
Jessica Nelson describes the scenes, people, and events in such a way that it plays out like a movie in your mind. She also does a great job at keeping you in suspense throughout the entire book! You will not want to put it down!
It's written from the perspective of both Lou and Mary, which I really enjoyed. You get to know their secret thoughts while their story unfolds. Sometimes I found myself frustrated at them, wishing they would just communicate better about their feelings so they could be together. Haha I also loved little Josie and how her story perfectly intertwined into Lou and Mary's.
Lou's struggle with forgiveness is very evident and you wonder whether Mary's ability to forgive equally difficult times will have an effect on him.
Another review suggested to read Love on the Range first which I haven't done...yet.
You can definitely read this by itself and not feel like you're missing something. But now that I know I'm off to get that one too. ❤

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family on the Range is a Harlequin Love Inspired Historical Romance. In 1920 Oregon, Mary O'Roarke is housekeeper to Special Agent Lou Riley. Changes come to Riley's ranch when he is shot while on assignment and returns home to recover. While he was gone, Mary's mother found a young girl near Harney Lake and wants Mary to hid her until it's safe. The girl, Josie, brings back sad memories from Riley's past but he is determined to keep both Mary and Josie safe. This story is about choosing to have faith in God in your life, forgiving past wrongs, seeking justice, and doing the right thing even when it makes life difficult. It is also a friend to lovers story that is many years in the making. I like the way the author brought the characters to life and showed their relationship change over time. For me personally, I would have preferred the book to be shorter in length, otherwise I enjoyed it.

[Marie Pinkham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary has worked for Lou for 12 years. Over time their friendship has grown. In the midst of a current crisis, each realizes there is the pull of something more. But both are battling the scars of past heartache while trying to figure out their future. In the meantime, not only they, but people they love may be at risk. Not to mention the threat to their hearts if they dare to let themselves feel more than friendship. Danger, intrigue, and matters of the heart, in a well-paced story with well-developed and likeable characters, kept me reading for hours at a time, until the satisfying ending. This was my first book by this author, and I look forward to reading more. I received a copy of this book from the author but was under no obligation to post a review. These are my own honest thoughts and opinions.

[Stella Potts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story that is set in 1920. Some romance and some suspense. It has a great ending as well. This is my first time to read a book by Jessica Nelson and I must say I enjoyed her writing. I like the way she brought in Mary’s faith in God and through Him her ability to forgive as well as her trust that whatever happened in the past was better left in the past. This evidently is a series as there were previous happenings that I didn’t understand but you can still read and enjoy it. I actually read this book as a part of a two-book Historical Classic with this author and Danica Favorite. I received a complimentary copy of this book from one of the authors with no requirement for a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book. I loved the character of Mary right away, and I learned to love Lou, and Josie was a delight. Both Mary and Lou have had sorrow and difficulty in their past. I liked the way the author showed the difference of one turning to God and the other turning away from God because of this. There was a lot of mystery and danger, also. I cried through the last few chapters. (That is always the sign of a good book.) I would recommend this book.
I received a copy of this book from the author and was not obligated to write a positive review.

[Michele Benchouk · Rating 1 out of 5]

For some reason, I just couldn't get into this book. There was too much going on, with highly detailed back stories for the main characters and even many of the minor characters. I found the characters unbelievable in actions and decisions. Mary's desire to "be quiet and speak wisely" made me think, but I don't think she succeeded. Usually, I'm ok with as character's flaws, but she was annoying and I struggled to keep reading. Did not like this one.

[Christina Sinisi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to get through this book.

Not sure why...there is intrigue, there is character development, and there is a little bit of history thrown in. Still, I guess I just didn't like the characters, especially the hero. He was rude and cruel (not vicious). Also, they had so much personal history--why hadn't they worked these things out before? Wait, I know, the trauma in the beginning brought them closer...so, I don't know why.

I just struggled.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disjointed, hard to follow, and very difficult to get through. It skipped from one backstory/story to the next without coherence to the whole. The hero is making a bust on a speakeasy. In the middle of it, he is shot, but it bounces back and forth so much I can’t even remember the reason he was shot. Then we find the heroine visiting her mother and pleading with her to come live with her. Again, the story bobbles so much, I don’t know if Mary is living on her own or with the hero and if she is living (or has been living) with the hero what is that doing in a Christian romance? Then, while at her mother’s teepee a child pops out of a trunk her mother has been keeping her in. Yes, it really is that crazy and mixed up and so far I have only told the story up to page 13. Eventually, some of the ambiguity gets answered, but there are many loose ends left dangling.
The decisions the heroine makes are non-sensical. For example, in town, she hears a fight in an alley, she decides she will not get on the horse and flee, her horse runs from her (which is unbelievable in itself in the way described), and so she runs to hide behind some onion barrels. One would think she would stay hidden until whoever was in the alley came out, but she just stays hidden until her horse is not longer in sight, not caring about the fight she was just nervous over.
Or, there is the time when she is hanging out clothing and she asks the hero if he wants to take over while she goes in to make lunch – when she has only one sock left in the basket!
I didn’t feel there was in-depth research put into this book. And in some cases, the plot just wasn’t well thought out. Aside from the horse running away in a way that would have torn up its mouth, there are little things. For example, they drive an hour for church service (that lasts about ten minutes) and dinner afterward, but once they arrive, the heroine tells the hero he doesn’t have to stay. It would take him two hours to return if he just drove home and turned immediately around and came back. It seems like she should have either made the drive shorter or had the heroine suggest he wait in the car.

It was also filled with repetition. P 12 “I feel a sister’s affection for him.” P 36 “She was practically a sister.” P 72 “She was like a little sister.” P 87 “…she’d been almost like a sister to him…”
P 42 “James had been a physician who’d succombed to the lure of alcohol and lost all he held dear.” P 54” Lou looked up at … [James], a former doctor whom Mary had taken… and brought to the ranch for healing from too much drink.”
Normally, I can eat books like this for breakfast, but this one literally took about four days to get through, and I had to force myself to keep reading.

[Mikki Cober · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written love story that engages the reader from the first page. With the addition of little mystery to keep the reader guessing, the plot moves along very nicely.

The lovely Mary O'Roarke allows love to enter her life when she becomes the temporary caretaker for the sweet but very precocious Josie, a little girl left to die in the desert. Not only does Mary soon realize how empty her life was before Josie, she know realizes that long buried feelings exist for her employer as well - the handsome, sexy Lou Riley.

Lou is struggling through his own emotional hell, dealing with a near death experience and the loss of his first wife and child. He continues to deny the love he feels for Mary and Josie, until he realizes he might lose them forever.