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The Hitching Post Hotel #2
A Rancher of Her Own
A REASON TO STAY
Ranch manager Pete Brannigan has no interest in playing tour guide to a city slicker like Jane Garland. But spending a few days with the headstrong photographer is a small price to pay for everything her grandfather has given the single dad. Though Pete's drawn to Jane's sharp wit and striking beauty, he won't hurt his young children by falling for another woman who puts her career before family.
Jane's seen the world through her camera…and used it to shield her emotions. With Pete, she can finally let her guard down. If only he could do the same. Despite their powerful bond, Pete still can't trust Jane with his kids or his heart. But if he keeps pushing her away, he may ruin any chance their relationship has to develop.
Ranch manager Pete Brannigan has no interest in playing tour guide to a city slicker like Jane Garland. But spending a few days with the headstrong photographer is a small price to pay for everything her grandfather has given the single dad. Though Pete's drawn to Jane's sharp wit and striking beauty, he won't hurt his young children by falling for another woman who puts her career before family.
Jane's seen the world through her camera…and used it to shield her emotions. With Pete, she can finally let her guard down. If only he could do the same. Despite their powerful bond, Pete still can't trust Jane with his kids or his heart. But if he keeps pushing her away, he may ruin any chance their relationship has to develop.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2015
9 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Barbara White Daille
36 books186 followersAbout me: my faves in life are chocolate, romance, and reading - and, of course, my DH (dear husband). ;) Exercise and housework...well, not so much.
About the writing: Short contemporary, small-town romance, usually with kids, quirky characters, and a touch of humor. All my books, even in series, are stand-alones with each hero and heroine reaching their Happy Ever After by the end of their story.
Harlequin Western Romance: The current series is The Hitching Post Hotel, a honeymoon destination set on a ranch owned by a matchmaking grandpa. The latest books are The Cowboy's Triple Surprise and The Rancher's Baby Proposal.
Entangled Bliss: This is a fun, sweet series called Snowflake Valley, set in a small town that caters to tourists 365 days a year and featuring the "bad-luck Barnett" sisters. Look for Snowbound with Mr. Wrong and the new release, One Week to Win Her Boss.
I'd love for you to check out my books (all listed here at Goodreads) and sign up for my newsletter to get insider info and subscriber-only perks.
And look for me out on the Web:
Website http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Blog http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/blog
Newsletter http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/new...
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhited...
Twitter https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille
Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-White-D...
Harlequin author page http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?...
Goodreads author page
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Hope to see you around!
All my best,
Barbara
About the writing: Short contemporary, small-town romance, usually with kids, quirky characters, and a touch of humor. All my books, even in series, are stand-alones with each hero and heroine reaching their Happy Ever After by the end of their story.
Harlequin Western Romance: The current series is The Hitching Post Hotel, a honeymoon destination set on a ranch owned by a matchmaking grandpa. The latest books are The Cowboy's Triple Surprise and The Rancher's Baby Proposal.
Entangled Bliss: This is a fun, sweet series called Snowflake Valley, set in a small town that caters to tourists 365 days a year and featuring the "bad-luck Barnett" sisters. Look for Snowbound with Mr. Wrong and the new release, One Week to Win Her Boss.
I'd love for you to check out my books (all listed here at Goodreads) and sign up for my newsletter to get insider info and subscriber-only perks.
And look for me out on the Web:
Website http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Blog http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/blog
Newsletter http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/new...
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhited...
Twitter https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille
Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-White-D...
Harlequin author page http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?...
Goodreads author page
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Hope to see you around!
All my best,
Barbara
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 20, 2020
"I'm just a good ol' cowboy, a rancher at home on the range. Anyhow, what's wrong with good, old-fashioned cowboy values?" pg. 47
Ugh. *eye roll*
I didn't enjoy this book. The main reason is because this book suffers from the problems Her Perfect Cowboy by Trish Milburn suffered from. Different authors, different books, but focusing on the same basic premise: man hates his absent ex-wife and stifles his daughter because he's terrified she's going to turn out like her mother, and hates women on some level because his wife left him and abandoned her child(ren).
Pete is raising his five-year-old Rachel and his two-year-old Eric on his own, after his wife left him and the children for a successful modeling career. Well, not really 'alone,' I guess, since he's rich enough to employ a full-time nanny. o.O
Jane is a photojournalist. Pete hates that she looks at her phone all the time, carries a camera with her at all times, takes pictures of his daughter (he sees this as encouraging Rachel to be vain), travels a lot for work. He's a misogynist and thinks women who choose career over family (or having a family) are distasteful.
The book tries to convince me that they are attracted to each other, that they come to have feelings for each other, and that they should end up together. I am not convinced. In real life, I think these two would be like oil and water.
This is the kind of book where at the end, the heroine , and I hate that message. I hate that Pete 'wins' this. I'm also not convinced that they were in love and that she would even do such a thing for him. Even going down to something as basic as sexual attraction, I'm not buying it. In what universe would these two fuck? It seems like a horrible idea, to be honest.
Not that Pete is the only problematic person in this book. Jane's no angel. She sticks her nose where it doesn't belong, I have no idea where people get the supreme arrogance to think they can meddle in another family's affairs. Not only is it none of your fucking business, but you have NO idea what is going on in another family and what kind of hornets' nests you might be stirring up. It's a horrible, horrible thing to do and I couldn't respect Jane after she did that.
HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN?
Off-page. But they do indulge in after-sex ice cream together, ice cream he bought specially for her from the next town over when he came to her place looking for sex. I have to admit that after-sex ice cream is a wonderful idea. Probably the only good idea he had in this whole book.
TL;DR Not only didn't I like the hero, but I didn't particularly care for the heroine, either. The misogynistic flavor of this book was disgusting. White Daille didn't convince me that these two were in love, she couldn't even properly convince me that they would go to bed together!
ROMANCE CATEGORIES
Contemporary Romance
Cowboy/Western Romance
Non-Virgin Heroine
He Works on a Ranch. She is a Photojournalist.
Takes Place in: New Mexico, U.S.A.
NAMES IN THIS BOOK
Ugh. *eye roll*
I didn't enjoy this book. The main reason is because this book suffers from the problems Her Perfect Cowboy by Trish Milburn suffered from. Different authors, different books, but focusing on the same basic premise: man hates his absent ex-wife and stifles his daughter because he's terrified she's going to turn out like her mother, and hates women on some level because his wife left him and abandoned her child(ren).
Pete is raising his five-year-old Rachel and his two-year-old Eric on his own, after his wife left him and the children for a successful modeling career. Well, not really 'alone,' I guess, since he's rich enough to employ a full-time nanny. o.O
Jane is a photojournalist. Pete hates that she looks at her phone all the time, carries a camera with her at all times, takes pictures of his daughter (he sees this as encouraging Rachel to be vain), travels a lot for work. He's a misogynist and thinks women who choose career over family (or having a family) are distasteful.
The book tries to convince me that they are attracted to each other, that they come to have feelings for each other, and that they should end up together. I am not convinced. In real life, I think these two would be like oil and water.
This is the kind of book where at the end, the heroine , and I hate that message. I hate that Pete 'wins' this. I'm also not convinced that they were in love and that she would even do such a thing for him. Even going down to something as basic as sexual attraction, I'm not buying it. In what universe would these two fuck? It seems like a horrible idea, to be honest.
Not that Pete is the only problematic person in this book. Jane's no angel. She sticks her nose where it doesn't belong, I have no idea where people get the supreme arrogance to think they can meddle in another family's affairs. Not only is it none of your fucking business, but you have NO idea what is going on in another family and what kind of hornets' nests you might be stirring up. It's a horrible, horrible thing to do and I couldn't respect Jane after she did that.
HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN?
Off-page. But they do indulge in after-sex ice cream together, ice cream he bought specially for her from the next town over when he came to her place looking for sex. I have to admit that after-sex ice cream is a wonderful idea. Probably the only good idea he had in this whole book.
TL;DR Not only didn't I like the hero, but I didn't particularly care for the heroine, either. The misogynistic flavor of this book was disgusting. White Daille didn't convince me that these two were in love, she couldn't even properly convince me that they would go to bed together!
ROMANCE CATEGORIES
Contemporary Romance
Cowboy/Western Romance
Non-Virgin Heroine
He Works on a Ranch. She is a Photojournalist.
Takes Place in: New Mexico, U.S.A.
NAMES IN THIS BOOK
December 18, 2018
Do you want a romance where 70% of the book is the equivalent of the hero saying to the heroine, "I just came over here to tell you to stay away from me and that everything you do is wrong."? If so, you've got your perfect "romance" here! I honestly can't recall any genuine conversation between the h and H that led me to believe that they were meant to be together. There's a lot of internal thoughts about how much they dig each other, but their actions don't reflect it. Telling, not showing, I guess!
Pete Brannigan is a ranch manager overly protective of his daughter Rachel and son Eric after their mother - his ex-wife - abandoned them all for a career as a supermodel. He feels like this gives him a licence to be a complete dick to Jane Garland, a successful photographer who has returned to the Hitching Post Hotel to assist her grandfather in the upcoming nuptials between her cousin Tina and Cole. Since her profession involves a lot of globe-trotting, he figures she's just like his ex-wife and can't be trusted around his kids, because she'll just take off on a whim and break their hearts. He's still hyper-aware of Jane ever since he was 20 and she was 13, when she visited the ranch and was too bossy. Or something. (I have no idea how old either character is now.)
Because Pete thinks Jane is just like Marina, any conversation he has with Jane is to tell her not to instruct him on how to raise his kids, or to stay away from them, how her photography career is a "shield" (it didn't make much sense to me either). Basically, he keeps finding ways to be around her, and then telling her she should stay away from him and his family and that she doesn't know anything about kids, and everything she does is wrong and misguided. It was exhausting. What I didn't get was any idea over why these two were hot for each other and why they were meant to be together. The author was telling me one thing, but the characters were showing me something else!
I recently read The Cowboy's Valentine and was floored by what a smug, horrible douche canoe the H was in that book, and worried that the H in this one was similar, since this Western line has a tendency to give Hs who are dicks in the belief they're protecting their family. However, Pete mainly just turned out to be a putz. It helped that Jane engaged in similar head-scratching behaviour, so I was equally frustrated by the both of them.
Let me ask you this: if you dig a guy who's picking up the pieces after his ex-wife has ditched him and their two children, visiting only sporadically and causing them all a lot of pain, do you:
a) Think to yourself, "That's rough. That's something they need to sort out between themselves," and don't interfere (because that's not your place and you may or may not want a romance with the H yourself), or do you;
b) Email the ex-wife and ask her to be a spokesperson for the ranch, enabling her to come back and further traumatise the children of the guy you dig?
I doubt anybody would be surprised that Jane chooses (b), even though it makes NO SENSE to ANYBODY to do so, and only further enables Pete to engage in his usual, "Hi, how's it going? I just came over here to tell you to stay away from my family!"
Shoot me now, lol.
I gave it 2 stars because it delivered a lot of soap opera dramatics. We all enjoy a good trainwreck! But I've made it clear that I most enjoy a romance where the conflict arises naturally out of the characters' personalities, and where the actions of the H and h make sense based on who they are as people. Pete was an oversensitive man-child, and Jane's logic in asking his ex-wife to come to the ranch did not resemble any Earth logic I can even conceive of. The fact that their only conversations only seemed to consist of Pete telling Jane she was doing everything wrong and had to stay away from him failed to convince me they were meant to be.
On top of all this, even though Goodreads has this as book 2 in a mini-series, you could have fooled me! It felt like book 22! There were so many ancillary characters with back stories, and multiple children, that I sometimes felt lost. That doesn't assist me when I'm struggling to even feel a connection between hero and heroine. There's a character of Paz who I'm still not sure how she connects to anything! Ancillary character Tina calls her "Abuela" and calls Jed Garland, her grandfather, "Abuelo", so I'm assuming they're married, but nothing in the book confirms this!
Oh yeah, and the less said about the matchmaking grandfather, the better! If your H and h require this much external interference, something is wrong!
However, although Pete's anger at Jane over inviting his ex-wife to the ranch is justified, his grovel at the end was probably the most satisfactory part of the book. These guys might stand a chance, so long as Jane doesn't make the bed incorrectly, or burn the toast, or say the wrong thing, or leave a speck of dust where it shouldn't be....
What am I saying? These guys are doomed! But there is some soap opera WTF-ery at play here to help the nonsensical nonsense go down smoothly.
Pete Brannigan is a ranch manager overly protective of his daughter Rachel and son Eric after their mother - his ex-wife - abandoned them all for a career as a supermodel. He feels like this gives him a licence to be a complete dick to Jane Garland, a successful photographer who has returned to the Hitching Post Hotel to assist her grandfather in the upcoming nuptials between her cousin Tina and Cole. Since her profession involves a lot of globe-trotting, he figures she's just like his ex-wife and can't be trusted around his kids, because she'll just take off on a whim and break their hearts. He's still hyper-aware of Jane ever since he was 20 and she was 13, when she visited the ranch and was too bossy. Or something. (I have no idea how old either character is now.)
Because Pete thinks Jane is just like Marina, any conversation he has with Jane is to tell her not to instruct him on how to raise his kids, or to stay away from them, how her photography career is a "shield" (it didn't make much sense to me either). Basically, he keeps finding ways to be around her, and then telling her she should stay away from him and his family and that she doesn't know anything about kids, and everything she does is wrong and misguided. It was exhausting. What I didn't get was any idea over why these two were hot for each other and why they were meant to be together. The author was telling me one thing, but the characters were showing me something else!
I recently read The Cowboy's Valentine and was floored by what a smug, horrible douche canoe the H was in that book, and worried that the H in this one was similar, since this Western line has a tendency to give Hs who are dicks in the belief they're protecting their family. However, Pete mainly just turned out to be a putz. It helped that Jane engaged in similar head-scratching behaviour, so I was equally frustrated by the both of them.
Let me ask you this: if you dig a guy who's picking up the pieces after his ex-wife has ditched him and their two children, visiting only sporadically and causing them all a lot of pain, do you:
a) Think to yourself, "That's rough. That's something they need to sort out between themselves," and don't interfere (because that's not your place and you may or may not want a romance with the H yourself), or do you;
b) Email the ex-wife and ask her to be a spokesperson for the ranch, enabling her to come back and further traumatise the children of the guy you dig?
I doubt anybody would be surprised that Jane chooses (b), even though it makes NO SENSE to ANYBODY to do so, and only further enables Pete to engage in his usual, "Hi, how's it going? I just came over here to tell you to stay away from my family!"
Shoot me now, lol.
I gave it 2 stars because it delivered a lot of soap opera dramatics. We all enjoy a good trainwreck! But I've made it clear that I most enjoy a romance where the conflict arises naturally out of the characters' personalities, and where the actions of the H and h make sense based on who they are as people. Pete was an oversensitive man-child, and Jane's logic in asking his ex-wife to come to the ranch did not resemble any Earth logic I can even conceive of. The fact that their only conversations only seemed to consist of Pete telling Jane she was doing everything wrong and had to stay away from him failed to convince me they were meant to be.
On top of all this, even though Goodreads has this as book 2 in a mini-series, you could have fooled me! It felt like book 22! There were so many ancillary characters with back stories, and multiple children, that I sometimes felt lost. That doesn't assist me when I'm struggling to even feel a connection between hero and heroine. There's a character of Paz who I'm still not sure how she connects to anything! Ancillary character Tina calls her "Abuela" and calls Jed Garland, her grandfather, "Abuelo", so I'm assuming they're married, but nothing in the book confirms this!
Oh yeah, and the less said about the matchmaking grandfather, the better! If your H and h require this much external interference, something is wrong!
However, although Pete's anger at Jane over inviting his ex-wife to the ranch is justified, his grovel at the end was probably the most satisfactory part of the book. These guys might stand a chance, so long as Jane doesn't make the bed incorrectly, or burn the toast, or say the wrong thing, or leave a speck of dust where it shouldn't be....
What am I saying? These guys are doomed! But there is some soap opera WTF-ery at play here to help the nonsensical nonsense go down smoothly.
May 27, 2023
Your typical romance story of city girl returning to her country home and finding love with the gentleman she crosses paths with. While the trope is familiar and never bothered me to know there will be a happily ever after at the end, it hit differently having Grandpa Jed opening the story with "I'm going to have those two marry each other no matter what." Instead of coming off as charming, the romance between Pete and Jane felt a bit too forced. It was hard to enjoy their developing relationship when each moment of intimacy was followed up quickly with an argument; understandable for a few times with their contrasting lives but becomes tiresome when the entire novel is filled with it. Even more so when I felt like some information kept being repeated when there was no need for it. The wide cast of characters were enjoyable to read and watch them interact as life on the farm progressed. Overall, a good read but felt there could have been more work done for the romance to progress naturally rather than feeling like each step forward is redacted by a step backwards.
April 28, 2018
There really are too many characters, especially children, in this book. It was easy to get lost trying to keep track of who was who. That said, the hero and heroine are both sympathetic characters doing their best and making mistakes along the way. Both they, and I, could have done without the interfering grandfather.
May 10, 2017
Good story cant wait for the next in this line.
September 18, 2019
Wonderful Read
This is another great book😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 Ready to read the next book. Barbara White Daille is a awesome author. On to the next book.
This is another great book😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 Ready to read the next book. Barbara White Daille is a awesome author. On to the next book.
October 16, 2016
Loved Pete and Jane's story. Can't wait to read the rest of this awesome series.
July 5, 2015
A lovely, family-oriented read!
Jane Garland returns home to her Grandfather's ranch for a family wedding. While there, her Grandpa schemes to matchmake another wedding in the family by pushing her, and ranch Manager, Pete Brannigan together. Sparks definitely fly, but Pete is reluctant to have much to do with her because he believes she is as career obsessed as his ex-wife was. Over the weeks, he finds it hard to resist falling for her, right along with his kids, Rachel and Eric.
Read this heartwarming book about an extended family to find out what happens along the way, and if Pete and Jane can manage to overcome their differences to start a life together.
Jane Garland returns home to her Grandfather's ranch for a family wedding. While there, her Grandpa schemes to matchmake another wedding in the family by pushing her, and ranch Manager, Pete Brannigan together. Sparks definitely fly, but Pete is reluctant to have much to do with her because he believes she is as career obsessed as his ex-wife was. Over the weeks, he finds it hard to resist falling for her, right along with his kids, Rachel and Eric.
Read this heartwarming book about an extended family to find out what happens along the way, and if Pete and Jane can manage to overcome their differences to start a life together.
August 7, 2015
Jane Garlands grandfather is trying to fix her up with his ranch manager Pete Branngan whose ex-wife left him with two small kids. Years before they didn't get along with each other, always getting under each others skin. Now years later they still are getting on each others nerves, but there seems to be some kind of attraction.
I love this story. I like the way the characters bicker between each other fighting the attraction. I like the fact that not all relationships work real easy. I also like the meddling grandfather.
This is the first book I read by this author and I found it enjoyable.
I love this story. I like the way the characters bicker between each other fighting the attraction. I like the fact that not all relationships work real easy. I also like the meddling grandfather.
This is the first book I read by this author and I found it enjoyable.
Read
June 30, 2016"The second in The Hitching Post Hotel miniseries has Grandpa Jed once again exercising his matchmaking skills. This time, he’s going to need some help with this stubborn pair. This slow-burning romance with an antagonistic edge addresses love, loss and learning to forgive" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars).
Miniseries: The Hitching Post Hotel
Miniseries: The Hitching Post Hotel
May 28, 2015
Jed is a great matchmaker and very determined. Poor Pete really has no chance. Jane and Pete just need time to work it all out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews