Just in time for the holidays, Maisey Yates brings readers RANCHER'S CHRISTMAS STORM. Wouldn’t you know it--a huge blizzard arrives and with it an abundance of snow for sure but, of course, a huge challenge for Honey Cooper and Jericho Smith. Jericho is one of the many offspring of Hank Dalton. Fans of the Gold Valley Vineyards series will recognize that name. For newcomers, Hank had a habit of chasing women. When his wife discovered his cheating ways, she sort of clipped his wings. But the fox had visited too many henhouses by then. And now occasionally, a new offspring appears at the Dalton doorway.

Sounds funny and of course, Maisey Yates planned it all with panache.

The Golden Valley Vineyards series is filled with family and legacy. Ranching is in their blood. These are basically rough and tumble people but with hearts are big as their enterprises. Hank has done well for himself, and his family seems to be getting over the shock of having random adults pop up on their front porch claiming to be a member of the Dalton family.

Jericho had been taken under the wings of Cooper family when he lost his mother. Jericho became part of that family with brothers Creed and Jackson and sister Honey. So you can understand his dilemma of being stuck in a remote cabin in a blizzard with his “sister” Honey who had long ago lost her baby sister qualification.

Basically, it’s about learning who you really are. Is it just a compilation of events that have occurred in life that shaped you? Is it a well-constructed shield? In the end are you pulling away from something or someone who just might make your life tremendously better? Both Honey and Jericho lost someone important and vital to their lives: their mothers. Both had to learn to adapt to a very different life. Honey worked at being tough like her brothers and carefully hid her vulnerability. Jericho worked at accepting being different and worked hard to make himself independently wealthy. Both weary at depending on anyone for their emotional wellbeing.

Jericho needs to look into himself. Honey seems to have opened some doors, but the question is to what. These two characters are facing a storm that is larger and more meaningful than the blizzard that has them hold up in a cabin. It’s totally up to these two amazing characters to decide how to survive their internal storms. Maisey Yates once again provides the backdrop to a drama about life and love.

I’m pretty sure that RANCHER'S CHRISTMAS STORM is the end of the Golden Valley series. But who knows what Maisey Yates has up her creative sleeve. This has been a noteworthy series filled with lovely characters who jump off each page of their individual story and then hang around as supporting cast for many more tales. The Golden Valley series is one of the best from the best Maisey Yates.