Impressions are a funny thing. We all do that – act on first impressions and then for some reason are surprised when they don’t actually pan out. Well, Pansy did not make a good impression when she stopped West Caldwell to give him a speeding ticket. He was speeding down a local road. And Pansy was a local police officer. But West still felt a punch to his gut when facing a cop. After all he had spent three years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Pansy was not aware of West’s background but immediately felt his hostility. Small towns have officers of the law. Pansy was used to dealing with neighbors and the like in her position. Pansy was a rule follower and expected the same from her community. West was not a rule follower a fact that for many years had landed him in hot water. He had to learn the hard way that there were better things he could and should do with his life.

West Caldwell was in Gold Valley Oregon to find the Daltons. The Daltons were not your usual family group. They were headed by the father Hank and his wife, their children and a group of illegitimate children – now adults – sired by Hank during his rodeo days. Hank was quite the scoundrel. Little by little some of Hanks kids are showing up at the Dalton ranch. And West is one of them.

Pansy and West have similar thoughts about life. You don’t necessarily get over the junk that happens in life that you can’t fix. But you can grow into the life you need. Hopefully, that will suffice. Hopefully, that life will blossom and grow. And dare we hope for love at the end of that tunnel. Life is a jagged edge waiting for a chance to smooth itself out.

Both Pansy and West truly deserve that.

THE BAD BOY OF REDEMPTION RANCH is book number nine in the Gold Valley Series. Maisie Yates had a vision when she started this series. The scenery is divine. The ranches are quite splendid with amazing architecture blending in with the scenic mountains and fields. Of course the requisite number of four-legged animals. Most of all are the Gold Valley community of characters that work their way into your heart and imagination. THE BAD BOY OF REDEMPTION RANCH is about finding yourself, your roots, your dreams, and then working hard to find the real you. Not the person others have labeled. Not to meet expectations other than your own. Hefty goal but in a world created by Maisie Yates totally awesome. All the books in the Gold Valley series leave a lasting impression but to date, THE BAD BOY OF REDEMPTION RANCH has moved up to be one of my all-time favorites.