Natalie's sister has been missing for 8 yrs. She spent all that time looking for clues and working her way into the Texas Rangers as a hypnotist. She assists with suspect interviews. After a suspect is murdered and her house burned she goes into hiding with one of the Rangers who doesn't like her.
The forced proximity and enemies to lovers was decently done. This one had some nice action/suspense scenes.

I read this for Romance-opoly Soldier Street moon track

Date Published: February 1, 2016

Format: Kindle

Source: Own Copy

Date Read: July 10-25, 2019

Read for BL-opoly

Blurbs:

Everything she is. Everything he's not… 

Recovering from his time in Afghanistan, Wes Stone prefers the company of his dogs and himself. People, especially of the female variety, are…difficult. He appreciates that Cara Pruitt doesn't treat him like an invalid, but hiring the party girl of New Benton to help out with his dog treat business is probably a mistake. And when her brightness and unexpected vulnerability somehow slip through his defenses, suddenly something terrifying is ignited inside him. Something thrilling. Something that could make Wes whole again…or consume him completely.

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Reviews:

I really liked the first 35% of the book, both in plotline and the MCs. And then the heroine reacted the way she did to the hero's admission that he was a virgin. He admitted it during a moment of distress/PTSD and her reaction was "YaY! Let me be your first! I'm really good at sex and then you can just get over it!" Imagine if the genders were reversed - do you really think that would be acceptable? I wouldn't and I didn't here. After reading that scene, I had no desire to keep reading and went to read other stuff. When I did get back to reading, I did a lot of skimming. The heroine got whiny and clingy after several bouts of "sex therapy" and yet couldn't get her life together even with help from others around her. I did like the hero throughout the book, I just wished he got a better heroine than the one the author wrote him.

We bought a house here in Kansas! We have spent the last week painting, cleaning, and getting utilities set up. Unfortunately, Internet will not be set up until July 27th, so I will be gone for a little over a week. Luckily, this gives me time to read the ever-growing pile of books for BL-opoly due to my being too tired at the end of the day to read. I do have IG on my phone, so I can still participate in 24in48 this weekend.

As the middle Tyler brother, Gavin doesn’t always have much say in ranch decisions, but when it comes to his heart, he’s the only authority. He’s loved Louisa “Lou” Fairchild for longer than he can remember, even though they’ve never been more than friends. But with Lou stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place, Gavin is going to help the way any true friend would—with a proposal of a strictly business-like, in-name-only marriage . . . at least to start. Lou can’t believe her beloved grandmother has backed her up against the wall. The choice between finding a man to marry and letting her no-good father back into the family to run the ranch isn’t a choice at all! But when her sister counters with an even less savory idea, Lou knows what she must do—say yes to the only man she’s ever trusted. But somehow pretending to be in love with good-natured Gavin suddenly begins to feel alarmingly real—and she downright likes it. Can a sham marriage become the truest kind of love? 

I’m always iffy on contemporary books, even the cowboy themes, but I did decide to give this one a try. I’m really glad I did. I really liked both characters, but I especially liked Lou. In all of her interactions with Gavin, many female leads would wilt away, whine, or cry when the male lead is being a jerk. Not Lou.She doesn’t take his BS and fights for what she wants from him. She’s definitely one of my favorite female characters from the past few years. That’s not to say I had any issues with Gavin. Quite the opposite. I understood what he was going through and why he acted the way he did. I really loved how these two were able to get through everything to experience their HEA. I highly recommend.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

In Gracely, Colorado, it’s all about the climb—into the rugged Rocky Mountains, and over the obstacles that life has thrown in your way. With the right partner, the view from the top is grand . . . 
 
Sam Goodall knows how to hide. And in the years since his sister’s death, he’s done just that, burying himself in his work at the Evans brothers’ Mile High Adventures as a backpacking guide. Clients don’t mind his strong, silent demeanor, and he’s happy to leave the rest of the world behind when he’s hiking, or holed up in the off-grid cabin he calls home. But he owes his life—what there is of it—to the Evans boys, and when they ask for a favor, he can’t refuse.
 
Hayley Winthrop is looking for something she’s never had—a true sense of family, and a purpose. Finding her half brothers was the first step—discovering where she belongs in the world is the next. Could it be in the fresh air of small-town Gracely? With hunky Sam agreeing to train her as an outdoors guide, she’s torn between exploring her newfound skills and getting closer to him. But chipping away at the walls around Sam could take a lifetime . . .
 
Sam is stuck in the past, and Hayley is looking toward her future—they’re a mismatched pair from the start. But the connection between them right now is too good to let go . . .