Second Chance Cowboy (Crossroads Ranch)

by A.J. Pine

[leelu92]

You know what’s exciting? Reading the first book in a new series, loving it and the characters and knowing that really great books are coming. That’s what happened when I read Second Chance Cowboy, the first book in the Crossroads Ranch series by A.J. Pine. Contemporary Westerns are one of my favorite subgenres, and I’m so stinkin’ excited to have this series to look forward to.

The three Everett brothers — Jack, Luke and Walker — are poster children for a troubled childhood. They endured their beloved mother’s death and their father’s complete falling apart and drowning in despair, anger and alcoholism. Jack Sr. took out his anger on his boys, and because Jack was the oldest, he became the shield. This abuse took its toll on all of them in different ways. Jack left town to be a lawyer, Luke is a jovial risk-taker/bull rider who is obviously covering up his true feelings, and Walker, the youngest, is a hot mess who self-medicates with alcohol. I adore each one of the brothers. They are hilarious, and they do love each other in their own way.

After leaving 10 years ago, Jack is forced to return to Oak Bluff for his father’s funeral. He doesn’t want to be there because the ghosts of his past loom very large, especially in the house he grew up in. So, while he and his brothers give each other a pretty hard time, which can be a little jarring at first, there is a current of love between them. It’s just been buried for a while due to their estrangement.

Jack has plans to leave after his father’s estate is settled, but two things happen that convince him he needs to stay longer. He runs into his long-lost high school love, Ava Ellis, and he’s required to breathe life into a vineyard his father purchased on their land before his death. Talk about two big speed bumps! Well, it gets better.

Ava Ellis comes face-to-face with the man she fell in love with at 18, whose baby she carried, Owen, who is now 9. The whys and hows of Jack not knowing about Owen are quite complicated, but I appreciated and came to understand why Ava handled things the way she did 10 years ago. (If you’re not a fan of secret-baby romances and the complications it presents in the story, I understand. For me, Pine deftly handled this plot point.)

As for Ava? She’s AWESOME. She’s such an incredible mom to Owen, and while she feels terrible for what happened with Jack, she always believed she did the right thing by sending him away. She knew the household he grew up in and knew he had to get out of Oak Bluff. Another reason I love her: She’s not a doormat, but she is a truly selfless person, and to top it off? She never stopped loving Jack.

“I loved you, Jack. I loved you every day we were together, and I’m pretty sure I’d fall for the man you’ve become if I had the chance to.”

Once Ava and Jack meet again, she doesn’t waste time telling Jack about Owen. Obviously, this is a big shock for Jack, and anyone would expect him to be angry and he is … but not for too long. (Thanks to his father, Jack has some serious inner demons to wrangle with throughout the book.) There is a little hemming and hawing, but Jack makes no bones about wanting to meet Owen. Jack and Ava communicate well, making the difficult circumstances somewhat easier to navigate, where other authors might be tempted to let miscommunication and assumptions rule, leading to over-the-top and unnecessary drama. Not the case here.

Ava and Jack have to navigate how to introduce Jack to Owen. Who is Jack? How does Ava know him? Will they tell Owen exactly who Jack is? Will Jack stay in town and be a father even though he has committed to leave in a few weeks? This is a lot for these characters to work through, and it doesn’t just impact Jack, Ava and Owen. There are also his brothers, Luke and Walker, and his Aunt Jenna, who stepped in and raised them when their father checked out. So many pieces to this puzzle.

Can we talk a moment about Jack and Ava together? Goodness gracious. The chemistry blazes between these two, and that’s an understatement. Ms. Pine creates a connection between the characters that is strong and even deeper than “chemistry.” There’s no question that Ava and Jack belong together.

“As soon as you leave I’m going to have to take a really cold shower and think about doing my taxes or something.” He leaned forward like he was going to kiss her but instead let his lips brushed against her ear.

“I could do your taxes,” he murmured.

While the family issues are heavy and complex, they don’t drag the whole story down, and it’s easy to feel compassion for the Everett brothers and Aunt Jenna. They all deserve an HEA, but there is so much work to be done. I loved the family dynamic. Even though they’ve been through hard times, they love each other and willingly pull Ava and Owen into the Everett fold.

Ms. Pine’s character development, strong family building and interesting secondary characters add layers to the story that jacked up my enjoyment of Second Chance Cowboy to maximum levels.



*Copy provided by publisher