Can two people with broken pasts come together to form a future? Self-proclaimed wanderer Carter Kelly doesn’t intend to set down roots when he’s hired as head wrangler at Red Dog Ranch–then he meets Shannon Jarrett. Still healing from a troubled past, Shannon finds a kindred soul in Carter. But will working on a fund-raiser with Shannon make Carter see what’s been missing in his life all along? life all along?
Experience more heartwarming and inspirational small town romance in the rest of the Red Dog Ranch series:
The Wrangler’s Last Chance
His Unexpected Return
The Rancher’s Legacy
From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.
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Oh, wow! I LOVED this book!! It’s the first one I’ve read by Jessica Keller, but it won’t be the last! Carter has very low self-esteem after the way he was raised. Shannon was abused by her ex-boyfriend, and now feels that she’s “not enough” for her brothers to pay attention to except to be overprotective. She feels like she’s never going to be able to stand on her own. When these two meet and start getting to know each other, they see the other as someone worthwhile, while still seeing themselves as not. Once they finally get out of God’s way and learn to see themselves as God does, things will definitely improve!!!! I usually don’t find sentences in books (other than my Bible) that resonate with me. However, this time, I most definitely did!! “Just remember, how someone else treats you doesn’t define who you are. It only reveals who they are.”
Best book Jessica Keller has ever written (and I’ve read ALL her adult romance books)! Realistic yet sensitive in dealing with domestic violence storyline. A continuation of the great characters of the Red Dog Ranch series with the addition of Carter, Easton, and the Spiras. All the books in the Red Dog Ranch series are must reads! I loved the characters and this story so much I couldn’t put The Wrangler’s Last Chance down.
While I really liked Shannon and Carter, I think my favorite character was Mrs. Spira, the local vet’s wife. She’s a gardener with a strong faith. My favorite conversation between Mrs. Spira and Carter is this one:
‘“Oh, my.” She folded her hands on the table and her shoulders rose with a long inhale. “Now, I’m not a doctor, but it sounds to me like you have a very serious condition.”
A tingle of worry skated down Carter’s back. “Condition?”
“Indeed.” She nodded solemnly. “It sounds like you have a very serious condition called being human.” Mrs. Spira frowned. “I’m sorry to tell you, but it’s incurable. And because of it you will make mistakes until the day you die.” Her eyes grew wide as she stage whispered, “I have it, too.”‘
‘How someone treats you doesn’t define who you are. It only reveals who they are.’
Jessica Keller brings us the third book in her Red Dog Ranch series and it is very good indeed.
Shannon Jarrett is the kid sister of three older brothers and they’ve always treated her as if she couldn’t function if they weren’t there to protect her and watch over her. This fact has annoyed her to no end. When the new head wrangler, Carter Kelly, rescues her pet goose, Shannon feels as if she’s found someone to confide in. Shannon has endured a pretty painful break up and Carter has some horribly painful issues in his past, so can they trust God with all this so that He can bring healing to them both?
This book carries a significant faith message, which I thoroughly enjoy. The elderly veterinarian and his wife were two of my favorite characters in this book and they were two people who surely knew what God can do in a surrendered life. I wept at one part, but I won’t give it away. I haven’t read the first two books in this series, and now I must go back and read them!
*My thanks to the publisher, Love Inspired for a complimentary copy of this book through Net Galley. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
Reading Progress