Selena Jacobs and Knox McCoy had been best friends in college;
Selena was secretly in love with him, but they were hell bent
on graduating and remaining friends only. Selena unexpectedly
married Will Sanders, then Knox met Cassandra, whom he married.
Knox and Cassandra's life was a happy one until disaster
struck, and Knox's heart was broken. Selena and Knox had
remained friends throughout the good and the bad, but an
unforeseen event has them looking back, wondering how different
their lives could have been.
THE RANCHER'S BABY differs from your usual friends-to-lovers
romance in some very interesting ways: first of all, Knox did
not bury his recent grief in wine, women, and song; and he had
loved his wife, which for me are almost good enough reasons to
read a contemporary romance. Selena's reasons for not
declaring
herself to Knox in college were valid; it's obvious she would
have been emotionally unable to deal with a relationship. She
even admitted herself that she came off as slightly pathetic,
but it was easy to understand where her outlook stemmed from
when her past was revealed. Knox wallowed in his grief and
pain; he couldn't find it in his heart to enjoy life, and it
was exceedingly painful to watch. Ms. Yates did an admirable
job at conveying his sorrow; I felt his sadness to my very
marrow.
Both Knox and Selena, at different moments of their
lives, chose to merely exist and forgot how to be happy; and
the author's insightful observations on this topic made THE
RANCHER'S BABY a very compelling read from an emotional point
of view. Ms. Yates' unadorned and very down-to-earth writing
style offset the heaviness of the topics, and made THE
RANCHER'S BABY a surprisingly quick read. I found the dialogues
particularly brilliant: Selena had some rather colorful
retorts, and the seemingly innocuous and fun reminiscences on
Star Trek were an interesting turning point in the romance.
The second half of the book is much stronger than the first, in
my opinion: I thought the circumstances under which Selena and
Knox reconnect were a trifle puzzling, and might have been
handled otherwise. There was a mystery surrounding Will that
was swiftly brushed aside, by the characters as well as by the
author, never to be discussed again. It was unnecessary, but
thankfully easily forgotten and didn't affect the story,
except
for the forced proximity situation. Since it's mentioned in
the
blurb, it's no surprise that Selena becomes pregnant, and I'm
afraid I thought she acted irresponsibly and very carelessly.
On the other hand, the characters have exceptional depth, even
secondary ones such as Cassandra and Scarlett, who were utterly
delightful. Friends-to-lovers tropes are a dime a dozen, but
Maisey Yates demonstrates with THE RANCHER'S BABY that
realistic issues always make a story stronger when it comes to
drama.
When a torrid, possibly dangerous scandal comes to Royal,
Texas, Selena Jacobs is nearly caught in the middle.
Until her best friend Knox McCoy ensures her safety—by
moving in! Selena has loved Knox for years, but she’s
never had the courage to tell him. Now the sparks she’s
tried to smother burn out of control…and leave her
pregnant. But with the pain in his past, will Knox
finally take a chance on love…with her?
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