In Resisting the Rancher by Roxanne Snopek, Celia Gamble is in real big trouble. She has just opened her practice as a country veterinarian and is having a bit of a hard time getting people to bring in their animals to her. It takes time to build trust and a clientele, but now all her hard work is in danger of falling apart.

A misunderstanding and an error from her past is rearing its ugly head and she needs help to make it go away. Unfortunately she needs legal help and the only person who can help her is her brother’s best friend and the family’s lawyer, Jonah Clark. But Jonah is also her childhood crush and the person she has always dreamed of seeing her as a bona fide woman. Which means that she cannot tell him about her error for that would only make her look terrible, and there is the chance that he will tell her family. Read More...

It has been quite some time since I have read a romance novel set in the country. So I guess it was pretty well a no-brainer when this beauty popped up that I agree to read and review it.

The whole romance side of things in this book was quite fulfilling in its story. Two people, Celia and Jonah, who haven't seen each other since years back are brought together once again and sparks immediately seem to fly. The problem...a big brother who is definitely trying to compensate for a fatal accident and is very protective of his little sister. Who he apparently still sees as the little girl that used to follow him and his friends around. The thing is though, she is not that little girl anymore. And this known fact is the basis for the romance. The story focuses mainly on Celia, our heroine, finally finding her own beauty and no longer seeing herself as the awkward young girl she used to be, but it also focuses on Jonah, who is fighting the feelings that are coming to the surface. Even though he can see that throughout the book his need for a little distance is hurting Celia, he cannot get over the fact that she is his best friend's little sister. Jonah doesn't want to betray his friend's trust. But as she gets more and more beautiful, it gets harder and harder to stay away.

Now as with most romances, there are some rocky slopes. And in this book, that rocky slope's name is Melinda, a woman connected to Celia's past who is out for revenge. She doesn't care who she hurts as long as Celia gets her supposed comeuppance, even if it means she ruins the entire Gamble family. I must say that I kind of expected there to be more of a fight with her. Up until the end, there was. But when she was supposedly finally dealt with, it was a bit anticlamactic to me. Enough to the point that I wasn't sure she truly had been dealt with. I kind of wish she had gone out with a bang. Other than that, though, the story was very well-written, the characters well-developed, and there was quite a bit of humour throughout.

This was a wonderful read, and I am definitely going to be checking out the other Three River Ranch books that deal with some of the other characters that I met in this one. I am now a fan of this particular author and cannot wait to read any future books by her.