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The Last Roundup #1
Marriage Material
Lance Forrest was the sexiest thing Tamara Flynn had ever laid eyes on. Once, he'd hightailed it out of Red Creek, Colorado, on his wild reputation, leaving behind a string of broken hearts and a son he never knew about. A son Tamara raised as her own.
When he walked back into her life five years later, Tamara knew she could no longer deny Lance the knowledge of his son, or the joy of his company. But the more time the three of them spent together, the more Lance started to feel like family. Tamara had always thought Lance and marriage didn't mix... until now.
When he walked back into her life five years later, Tamara knew she could no longer deny Lance the knowledge of his son, or the joy of his company. But the more time the three of them spent together, the more Lance started to feel like family. Tamara had always thought Lance and marriage didn't mix... until now.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1997
253 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Samuel
75 books393 followersBarbara Samuel is a multiple RITA award-winning author with more than 38 books to her credit in a variety of genres. She has written historical and contemporary romances, a number of fantasy novellas with the likes of Susan Wiggs, Jo Beverley and Mary Jo Putney. She now writes women’s fiction about families, dogs, and food as Barbara O’Neal.
Her work has captured a plethora of awards, including six RITAs; the Colorado Center for the Book Award (twice); Favorite Book of the Year from Romance Writers of America, and the Library Journal’s list of Best Genre Fiction of the year, among many others.You can find a full list of all titles here.
Now living back in her hometown of Colorado Springs, Barbara writes in a study overlooking Pikes Peak, a pin that draws her home from her travels. She shares her home with Christopher Robin, a British endurance athlete, a gorgeous and lovable chow mix named Jack; a very, very old Siamese named Esmerelda; a rescued street cat who has become the fattest silver tabby on the planet, and the wonder twins, two tuxedo kittens from a local shelter, whose names have changed several times. Yes, a lot of animals.
An avid photographer, cook, and traveler, Barbara keeps a log of travels, recipes, and photos at her blog, A Writer Afoot, where she also sometimes posts writing advice. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook, but she doesn’t promise to be particularly interesting there.
Her work has captured a plethora of awards, including six RITAs; the Colorado Center for the Book Award (twice); Favorite Book of the Year from Romance Writers of America, and the Library Journal’s list of Best Genre Fiction of the year, among many others.You can find a full list of all titles here.
Now living back in her hometown of Colorado Springs, Barbara writes in a study overlooking Pikes Peak, a pin that draws her home from her travels. She shares her home with Christopher Robin, a British endurance athlete, a gorgeous and lovable chow mix named Jack; a very, very old Siamese named Esmerelda; a rescued street cat who has become the fattest silver tabby on the planet, and the wonder twins, two tuxedo kittens from a local shelter, whose names have changed several times. Yes, a lot of animals.
An avid photographer, cook, and traveler, Barbara keeps a log of travels, recipes, and photos at her blog, A Writer Afoot, where she also sometimes posts writing advice. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook, but she doesn’t promise to be particularly interesting there.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 22, 2018
The facts were, he wasn't husband material and she wouldn't try to make him so. There were things you couldn't do to a person. He was as free as a hawk in the sky. It would be cruel to cage him.
I wasn't expecting much from this secret-child-with-a-twist story between a footloose 'good time charlie' H and a slightly embittered and dutiful h. And having read book #3 in the seires some years ago also didn't make me very hopeful.
But I was so very pleasantly surprised!
The attraction between the two is instant and super hot. The H makes it clear that he's not a settling sort, and the h keeping secrets from him doesn't help. The h has reasons to dislike and doubt his integrity but as she gets to know him she finds him a nice, caring and sensitive man.
I won't say much but their way to finding love is sweet and heartwarming. Totally loved the h/H, especially in the later half and his proposal is swoonworthy.
“You're so beautiful," he said quietly. There was a great solemnity in his gaze. "I wish I knew some poetry right now."
Tamara's heart caught. She opened her hand on his hard cheek. "You're poetry enough.”.
I wasn't expecting much from this secret-child-with-a-twist story between a footloose 'good time charlie' H and a slightly embittered and dutiful h. And having read book #3 in the seires some years ago also didn't make me very hopeful.
But I was so very pleasantly surprised!
The attraction between the two is instant and super hot. The H makes it clear that he's not a settling sort, and the h keeping secrets from him doesn't help. The h has reasons to dislike and doubt his integrity but as she gets to know him she finds him a nice, caring and sensitive man.
I won't say much but their way to finding love is sweet and heartwarming. Totally loved the h/H, especially in the later half and his proposal is swoonworthy.
“You're so beautiful," he said quietly. There was a great solemnity in his gaze. "I wish I knew some poetry right now."
Tamara's heart caught. She opened her hand on his hard cheek. "You're poetry enough.”.
August 16, 2018
Lance may just be my new book boyfriend. Sexy sweet and very caring. The amount of chemistry between him and Tamara is great, I mean when they first see each other in the bar….damn. The secret that she holds from him drives my crazy. I get why she can’t tell him but at the same time I hate that she doesn’t tell him. The story was great but the writing was mediocre at best. One thing I liked is its romance the sex scenes aren’t just sex scenes...There is more to them then usual romance novels.
April 8, 2017
This is an older book brought to life again by Barbara Samuel (written previously as Ruth Wind). I didn't know what to expect going into it. I really thought it would be a light, fluff book since it was written early in her career. It's definitely not as deep as her more recent works--more of a romance than women's fiction, but the love scenes caught me by surprise. They weren't sex scenes. They were love scenes. The depth of emotion she was able to convey with her words in those scenes was amazing. For two characters as determined not to love each other as Tamara and Lance were, Samuel was able to convey their love for each other through her words in those scenes. She leaves you with either a renewed gratitude for your own love or a deep yearning to experience it for yourself. Whichever it may be, your heart will waken and warm with the love portrayed in Marriage Material.
November 20, 2017
DNFd when the heroine decided to punish the hero by seducing him. Yeah, right. That'll teach him.
I expected better of Barbara Samuel
I expected better of Barbara Samuel
April 28, 2018
Lance Forrest, is a hot sexy man with a wild streak and knows he is not Marriage Material, but he is homesick and has come home to Red Creek. Tamara works hard to support her young son and go to junior college and has a history that includes Lance.
The tangle of emotions, guilt, attraction and fun give both Lance and Tamara a full range of emotions to sort through to find the romance, respect and dependability to build a home together for Cody, Lance's son. I love a romance full of deep emotions with cute children to bring a happy light side of innocence to the happy ending.
The tangle of emotions, guilt, attraction and fun give both Lance and Tamara a full range of emotions to sort through to find the romance, respect and dependability to build a home together for Cody, Lance's son. I love a romance full of deep emotions with cute children to bring a happy light side of innocence to the happy ending.
June 13, 2022
This is the first book in a series – The Red Creek Brothers. It is actually a previously published book by Barbara Samuel, written as Ruth Wind. Lance Forrest and Tamara Flynn run into each other at the Wild Moose Inn where Tamara is a bartender. She is also going to school to complete an accounting degree and raising her five year old son. Lance has been away for a number of years and has returned because his father has passed away. There are secrets separating them and a lot of hurdles to overcome before they can have a relationship.
I love Barbara Samuel’s characters. They are always complicated, strong and relatable.
I love Barbara Samuel’s characters. They are always complicated, strong and relatable.
August 21, 2025
I laughed. I cried. It was better than Cats.
Lance is just the perfect lost soul. He doesn't need reforming; he just needs to be reassured that he isn't his father. Tamara is the perfect heroine, imperfect but plucky. This is a secret baby story that works!
Also, I really, really like the way Lance is a ladies' man but not an alphahole. He is all about Tamara at one point saying, "It pleases me to please you." SO I'll even give this one props for showing us how our real-life heroes should be.
Bonus? As enjoyable and compulsively readable as the book was, it was also a master class in how to elicit emotion. Even if Samuel joins the ranks of authors who've made me cry on a plane.
Lance is just the perfect lost soul. He doesn't need reforming; he just needs to be reassured that he isn't his father. Tamara is the perfect heroine, imperfect but plucky. This is a secret baby story that works!
Also, I really, really like the way Lance is a ladies' man but not an alphahole. He is all about Tamara at one point saying, "It pleases me to please you." SO I'll even give this one props for showing us how our real-life heroes should be.
Bonus? As enjoyable and compulsively readable as the book was, it was also a master class in how to elicit emotion. Even if Samuel joins the ranks of authors who've made me cry on a plane.
August 11, 2017
I received this free e-book from Amazon and I am voluntarily writing a review. I love Barbara Samuel's books and I have to admit the first half of this was better than the second half. The back and forth after being intimate with each other and then deciding to never see each other again after the itch was scratched got old quickly. This was not up to this authors usual standards as evident by sloppy editing in misspelled words and sentences that did not make sense.
August 2, 2018
This was a very ridiculous story, and the writing was awful. This book hasn't seen an editor, not even in its wildest dreams. And that's something that really makes me angry. If I invest time and money on a book, I expect the book to be perfection, at least in the editing and proofreading department.
May 14, 2017
Part of this author's brilliance, I think, can be attributed to the fact that she infuses her characters with an innate sense of goodness, a-midst a sea of recklessness. We want to shake them at their irresponsibility and hold them to our hearts at the same time.
Marriage Material is the first book in this outstanding series, with each story about the Forrest brothers and their mother, bringing us to a magnificent HEA. I could not put the books down and in fact, want to begin reading them all over again.
From the moment Lance Forrest and Tamara Flynn set eyes on each other, in the Wild Moose Inn, where Tamara is a bartender, they could set a rocket off with the combustible energy that surrounds them. There is a great mystery, too, that is pivotal to their developing relationship.
Lance has returned to Red Creek for the funeral of his father, after being away for many years. After much soul searching and grieving, he decides to remain in Red Creek to reconnect with his adoring mother, Louise and unite again with his brothers, Jake and Tyler. While much has happened to them all over the years, Ms. Samuel eloquently weaves their unique differences together to form an astonishing family you wish you could be part of.
Marriage Material is filled with complexities that are written with such substance, joy, passion and love, these people will live in your minds long afterwards. Bravo!
Marriage Material is the first book in this outstanding series, with each story about the Forrest brothers and their mother, bringing us to a magnificent HEA. I could not put the books down and in fact, want to begin reading them all over again.
From the moment Lance Forrest and Tamara Flynn set eyes on each other, in the Wild Moose Inn, where Tamara is a bartender, they could set a rocket off with the combustible energy that surrounds them. There is a great mystery, too, that is pivotal to their developing relationship.
Lance has returned to Red Creek for the funeral of his father, after being away for many years. After much soul searching and grieving, he decides to remain in Red Creek to reconnect with his adoring mother, Louise and unite again with his brothers, Jake and Tyler. While much has happened to them all over the years, Ms. Samuel eloquently weaves their unique differences together to form an astonishing family you wish you could be part of.
Marriage Material is filled with complexities that are written with such substance, joy, passion and love, these people will live in your minds long afterwards. Bravo!
July 6, 2019
Surprisingly decent category romance novel. If you've read a category romance novel, the plot is not unfamiliar to you - single mom with bad boy, oh wait she's actually raising her slutty dead cousin's baby, and guess who the baby daddy is? - but the characterization is well-done and the plot stays remarkably low-key. Sure, Tamara starts out wanting nebulous "revenge" on Lance for having Done Her Dead Cousin Wrong, but she's a sensible lady, Lance seems like a nice guy, and Tamara fully acknowledges that her cousin was unstable. A lot of the book is about choices, more specifically the choices that Tamara makes - to give up college and her then-boyfriend to raise her cousin's son, to study something that doesn't interest her because it provides an opportunity to earn a living, and then, as the book begins, to seek and then abandon the idea of revenge and to acknowledge her own role in the course her life has taken. Lance, the hero, has a lot less in the way of character development, but he still has a fair amount for a category romance: he's a bad boy coming home after his father's funeral, and he and the people around him are so busy reminding him that he is a bad boy that he hasn't actually stopped and made an assessment of himself as he currently is - stable, caring, and ready to settle down. I wasn't expecting much from this so I was pleasantly surprised with what I got.
July 13, 2017
What a great story! Tamara has just met the man she wanted to get revenge on for Valerie, Cody and especially herself. When Tamara's cousin Valerie got pregnant Tamara came home to Red Creek to try to help her but after having Cody, Valerie's mental health declined and she ended up driving off a cliff. Tamara gave up college to raise Cody and lost her boyfriend also but she wouldn't give him up for anything but if she could figure out a way to get back at Lance she would.
Lance has always gone through life love um and leave um so he hasn't changed but when he meets Tamara he feels something different. They have a crazy attraction to each other but Tamara wants to hate him but she can't but when he finds out her secret he just might hate her.
Nice story with solid characters and I just loved the feeling of each of their struggles
Lance has always gone through life love um and leave um so he hasn't changed but when he meets Tamara he feels something different. They have a crazy attraction to each other but Tamara wants to hate him but she can't but when he finds out her secret he just might hate her.
Nice story with solid characters and I just loved the feeling of each of their struggles
August 22, 2024
I was pleasantly surprised by this book; it was heartfelt and sweet and I liked all the characters we met. Tamara is a strong, upstanding woman, a great mother, full of so much heart. We saw the book through Tamara's and Lance's eyes, which was nice. I think I've found a new romance book addiction, as I have with others! I read Barbara O'Neal's recent books and went searching for more that she had written, because I like her writing style and her pairings and I am so happy with my choice. I love the transition in Lance, amidst the changes that Tamara perceives in him from what she originally thought of his character. I like his sweetness and charm. My favorite scenes are when Lance tells Cody's he's his father and the proposal! Overall, it was a great book and I can't wait to read more of hers.
October 23, 2017
Barbara Samuel is a talented writer but this is not equal to some of her other books which are excellent. I almost gave it 3 stars but that is just in comparison to her other books, try The Sleeping Night, In the Midnight Rain or a Piece of Heaven instead.
I have problems with the hero deciding that because Tamara is physically attracted to him it is OK to kiss her even though she is saying no. No means no, it does not matter that she finds him attractive, there are many occasions when someone is physically attracted to someone without them wanting thing to go further especially if it might hurt children. I liked Lance and Tamara, they work as characters but their relationship did not work for me.
I have problems with the hero deciding that because Tamara is physically attracted to him it is OK to kiss her even though she is saying no. No means no, it does not matter that she finds him attractive, there are many occasions when someone is physically attracted to someone without them wanting thing to go further especially if it might hurt children. I liked Lance and Tamara, they work as characters but their relationship did not work for me.
February 14, 2020
Lance is a wealthy bad boy and a womanizer. Tamara is all business, averse to flirts, and very serious about being a good single mom to her little son. Who is actually not her child. As the truth comes out and they resolve their fears, we become acquainted with the Forrest family of Red Creek, including their indomitable and admirable mother. I read this because I found the fourth book in the series, read it first, and was interested enough to want more. It didn't disappoint, and I went on to read the rest of the series.
October 18, 2023
I really enjoy this author's work, but I've read all her most recent books so I'm reading some of her older stuff. This was an ok romance, pretty formulaic and predictable. I really dislike the secret baby trope, but since it wasn't Tamara's baby, it didn't come across as bad as it might have. Lance was charming, he and Tamara definitely had chemistry, but it was a little too short for declarations of love. The ending was very sweet.
August 24, 2021
Barbara Samuel is such a great writer. Her books all have a distinct sense of place, and this one certainly didn't disappoint. The characters, too, are well developed, and in this case the chemistry was palpable. Highly recommend.
August 15, 2017
It was ok....just ok....
September 23, 2017
Good
this book is one that has a young woman raising her cousin's little boy and then his farther comes back. li
this book is one that has a young woman raising her cousin's little boy and then his farther comes back. li
October 9, 2017
What a gem this book was!
This was my first read by Barbara Samuel. I loved this book! Can't wait to start the next one in this series!
This was my first read by Barbara Samuel. I loved this book! Can't wait to start the next one in this series!
October 13, 2017
Took a minute to warm up to the hero but it came together just right.
June 14, 2018
Enjoyable
I really enjoyed reading this book. Tamara is a real heroin. Lance on the other hand, frustrated me until the end. Even though he's a nice guy.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Tamara is a real heroin. Lance on the other hand, frustrated me until the end. Even though he's a nice guy.
August 11, 2018
Good story!
August 16, 2018
A classic gem of contemporary category romance, with a twist on the secret baby plotline, and emotional depth, and true heart.
January 5, 2019
An okay story, got a bit repetitive at times.
August 5, 2020
good story. may have to hunt down the others to finish the series
June 8, 2022
" 5 Stars "The sex in this book was so sexy, sweet, This new author to me wrote such a great sex seen with her Great words!! I loved it!! I will be reading more from her for sure.. TY!!
June 26, 2018
This was a well-written, heartwarming book. This book can be read as a standalone story, though it is part of a series (Red Creek Brothers) with related characters. Tamara works as a bartender in the small town of Red Creek, CO, while she takes courses to become an accountant and raises her five year old son. Lance comes back to town and sparks fly between the two of them. She knows his reputation but starts to get to know him as the man he is now. The description of Lance was especially vivid in this book, and I could really understand how both Tamara and Lance were feeling. I enjoyed this book very much and can't wait to read more in the series as well as others by this author.
April 20, 2012
Another winner from this author. Her description is so wonderfully touching and romantic and sensual. Beautiful....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews