NATHAN'S BIG SKY is book 3 in the Henderson's
Ranch series by M.L. Buchman.
If you read Buchman's Nightstalkers
series or Firehawksseries, the Hendersons of Henderson's Ranch
fame are Mark and Emily Henderson, absolute badass warriors
and pilots from 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment
(Airborne). They show up first in the Nightstalkers
series, then retire from the regular military and work for
a firefighting company while doing undercover military
operations in the Firehawks
series. Both Mark and
Emily show up peripherally in this story. If you're
familiar with either of the military series that Buchman
writes, you may be somewhat surprised at the feel of the
Henderson's
Ranch books, which are gentle
westerns. I adore Buchman's military romantic suspense
books. His chef books and western romance books are not
nearly as appealing to me, personally.
Clocking in at only 258 pages, this is even a quicker
read than you might expect from the page count. Not only
is it a quick book to finish, but the romance happens
quickly within the pages as well. The first minute that
chef Nathan Gallagher sees rancher and construction foreman
Julie Larson, he's stunned by her beauty. In just one
month, Nathan falls in love with Julie, and Julie is pretty
far gone on him as well. For all the sweetness and
gentleness of their romance, it feels rushed to me. It
would be more believable to me if the timeline were
stretched out more, but Buchman makes it a point to show us
how rapid their unexpected fall into love is.
Like with Buchman's other chef books, there is a lot of
discussion of food. There are many descriptions of meals
concocted and work in the kitchen. While this continues
the theme in Buchman's other series of competence porn, I
admit that my loins are not stirred by a very competent
chef making kabobs the way I am by a very competent
firefighter or military man. While I will read anything
Buchman writes, because I adore his Nightstalkers
books, NATHAN'S BIG SKY will not be making its way onto my
keeper shelf. For those who enjoy gentle westerns or
chefs, though, this book may be right up your alley.
Nathan’s Big Sky—Book 3 in the Henderson’s Ranch series
Chef Nathan Gallagher’s escape from New York City
lands him in the most unlikely of places: Montana. With his
past dumped and his future unknown, he seeks something new.
If only he knew what.
Former rodeo star and born-and-bred cattle rancher Julie
Larson loves the prairie and the horses. The ranch work
with her three brothers? Not so much. The local cowboys
labeling her as a Grade-A Prime catch? Even less. When she
rescues a lost chef, her future and her heart change past
all imagining.
The only place a New York chef’s future and a Montana
cowgirl’s heart can thrive—under Nathan’s Big Sky.