Heartland

by Julie Cannon

Two strangers collide on an empty country road…accident or fate? Political strategist Rachel Stanton, jaded and disillusioned by the scratching, clawing, and mudslinging of the campaign trail, books a week at the Springdale Ranch for a much-needed vacation. Springdale sounds like just the place to exorcise unhappy childhood memories and straighten out her head. Shivley McCoy has spent the last four years casting out her own painful past, working and sweating to make her ranch a successful business venture. She has nothing in common with fast-living Rachel Stanton, and after their inauspicious first meeting, is quite certain she’ll never see her again. Shivley is thrown when she comes face-to-face with Rachel among her group of new arrivals, and sparks of a most unexpected sort ignite. We have to stop meeting like this. People might talk. And what would they say? That we're madly in love and can't bear to be apart.

Genres: Lesbian, Lesbian Fiction, Lesbian Romance, Romance, Fiction, LGBT, Horses

241 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Julie Cannon is a native sun goddess born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a corporate stiff by day and dreamer by night. She has nine romance novels and five short stories published by Bold Strokes Books. A recent transplant to Houston, Julie and her partner Laura live on the lake with their two kids, two dogs and a cat.

Reviews

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is sappy, predictable, and simple. And I loved it. I'm such a sucker for these romance novels and sometimes I just like knowing that things will turn out well and reminding myself how important love is in our lives.

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way she writes and her stories are very good - beard, rich girl on holiday etc - so this seemed almost one dimensional. But, own up! I do love her writing.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

5-

Excellent! Very romantic love story.

[Dide · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this moreso after reading through books that just haven't delivered expectations of late. This was very satisfying in a down to earth woman next door kind of way. I loved the characters even down to annoying Christina. As instantaneous as their attraction is, the author made the wait of their romance long and pretty satisfying. The author has always had a good history of satisfactory books so I am glad this was no exception.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a big Julie Cannon fan and this was no different. Couldn't get past the first fifteen pages.

[SilveringOfRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the idea of this story because I'm a cowgirl trapped on the wrong continent. Ladies finding each other at a dude ranch retreat? It's every western romance trope dream come true.

But right from the beginning, I found myself doing a double-take and wondering if I was missing whole pages or chapters or there had been some sort of flashback/forward chapter and I hadn't realised.

Because one minute Rachel is lost on a country road and bumping into Shively near the local supermarket. And the next she is getting off of an aeroplane - and it's not months, weeks or even days later.

Also the name Shively. I'm sorry to anyone whose name this is - but every single time I read it, I was trying to figure out how to pronounce it. And each time it was different. To be very honest, the only reason I kept reading is that it was a sweet story for the most part and also cowgirls (insert heart eyes here!)!

Is the writing good?
Well. It wasn't bad per se. But it was missing so much. It sort of jumps around a little in terms of moving from one scene to the next, and I could tell that little or no research went into pretty much any fact the book relied on. Rachel being in the foster system? Great, fantastic. Pretty much one of the tropes guaranteed to tug on the heartstrings. But. ALL of the information about it came from a single (probably Wikipedia) online article. In other words, you could completely tell that it was someone writing about something they have zero knowledge or personal experience with. It smacked of false pretences - and the fact that there was lots of glossing over details that could have added authenticity made me believe the writer didn't care about that in the least.

Were there grammar issues?
I spent most of my reading time mentally editing every other paragraph. So I think the answer to that is a very emphatic yes.

Are the lead characters likeable?
I liked Rachel - at least the Rachel that my mind chose to portray. I think I might have crushed on Shively a little if I were to meet her in real life. But the way they were written means it took some serious mental high jumps to make that happen. Also the whole Dale situation? it had so much more potential and just seemed like an afterthought of the "there needs to be a challenge/personal challenge" variety.

Is the supporting cast good?
I liked Anne. She seemed the most realistic of everyone. Christina was another one of those let's stir the pot and add a little drama here additions.

Is this story believable?
Uhhhhh. Maybe. I mean the ladies meeting on a dude ranch and falling hard part is. But all the rest? Suspend disbelief AAAALLLL the way.

Is there anything I would change?
So many things but the main one is DO SOME FREAKING RESEARCH!!

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Perhaps because as a kid I always wanted to live on a ranch, loved to ride and just sleep under the big sky. City girl with big dreams. Shivley did all that and went for her dreams. I could never imagine a dude ranch for lesbians but this book made it feel real. The love story of Shivley and Rachel rings true and makes this a story I could read again and again. Lust a first sight and love quickly after. Julie Cannon -has a way with words and descriptions I thoroughly enjoy. She is an author I will read more of soon.

[Shannon Herron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, fun characters and sexy writing.

[Marcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't hold my attention.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writing, a great story about lesbian relationships, very easy to read, and worth the time to spend with reading and celebrating who we are as women, friends and lovers and what it takes to give meaning to our lives.

I enjoyed reading it over and over again and again, and I am in love with each of the characters the author has brought to life in her book.

[Debra Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really disappointed in this book. There was hardly a plot to it. Ms. Cannon can write better than this. I'm glad I "borrowed" this one from my public library and didn't spend money on it. I would be wanting my money back.

[Diana P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 to be more precise.

[Miriam Cortez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly written, great love story.

[Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked this a lot. The only thing that irked me was the over use of the characters' names. Otherwise, good read.

[Cori Kane · Rating 3 out of 5]

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