Attachment to the land, hard work, and community, sets the folks of Morgantown apart from the everyday, and always brings them back to the ranch—where they might even find love . . . After his father decides to leave the ranch to his older brother, usually calm, steadfast Ben Miller struggles to deal with his resentment. When he’s invited to develop a trail riding experience on the Morgans’ dude … dude ranch, Ben jumps at the chance. Soon he’s assigned a mysterious client, an actress whose family secretly wants her removed from influences in LA. Ben’s determined to teach her to fend for herself. But he quickly discovers she’s more than a pampered pretty face . . . Silver Meadow believes she’s preparing for a serious dramatic role—one that will free her from her controlling parents. She’s certainly not going to be controlled by Ben, especially when he takes her out in the middle of nowhere to learn how to survive. Yet gradually, far from her cell phone, Silver begins to open up to him about her life—and finds they have more in common than they thought. Soon a romance blossoms—but can a jet-setting movie star and a homebody cowboy find the best of both worlds? . . . Praise for The Rancher“Pearce’s fans and contemporary romance readers will want to pick this one up and read it to the end.”—Publishers Weekly “Fans of Pearce’s Morgan Ranch series and all who enjoy contemporary western romances will relish the love story.” —Booklist (Starred Review)
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I’m really enjoying this series.
The Rebellious Rancher is book 3 of The Millers of Morgan Valley but can easily be read as a standalone story. Since I discovered M/M romance a few years ago, I don’t read a lot of M/F books but Kate Pearce has long been a favorite of mine and I really love this series.
I don’t always care for stories that involve actors/actresses but this one is done very well and the story kept me glued to my ereader. When Ben agrees to take a secret client on a rustic trail ride, he is shocked to find out that client is his childhood crush, Silver Meadow. Silver may be a famous actress but she is also a strong and capable woman, regardless of what her father thinks.
Silver has a lot to learn about roughing it and Ben is happy to teach her. He becomes quite impressed with how quickly she adapts to life without a cell phone and a support team. I loved the slow burn heat between these two and when they finally given in – holy hot stuff!
Both Silver and Ben have overbearing fathers in common but Silver’s is the worst even though it’s evident that he really wants what’s best for her. I loved how both Ben and Silver were able to grow and break free of the constraints that were put on them by their families. It took forgiving misunderstandings on both of their parts but I loved their HEA. I hope there will be more books in this series. I’m not ready to leave Morgan Valley behind just yet.
A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.
The Rebellious Rancher is the third book in Kate Pearce’s The Millers of Morgan Valley series, and it’s the second book in the series I’ve read. While the actress/cowboy/rancher trope isn’t a new one,in Kate Pearce’s capable, talented hands, I had a hard time putting it down, and I gets 4.5 stars from this reader.
The main characters in this novel are Ben, the second eldest Miller son, whose father left their ranch to his older brother, Adam. That Ben feels slighted is no surprise, since his father, a loudmouthed, angry jerk ever since his wife left him 20 years earlier, treats Ben like a failure, yet dumps most of the cruddy ranch tasks on him, and Ben feels lost and betrayed, but when he gets a call from the rancher next door to give a woman a 10-day trail ride experience, the money is good and despite his father’s anger at Ben leaving the ranch during calving season, Ben agrees to take the job. What he didn’t expect was his lone client, superstar actress Silver Meadows, on whom he’d harbored a crush for years.
Silver is vying for an indie film role–a dramatic western, but she wants the ranch/trail ride experience which will hopefully get her the leading role, and make her stand out among the other wannabe stars. At first she comes off as a spoiled, overly indulged, movie star who expects everything to be done for her, but Ben is quick to give her a hit of reality, and the two get off to a rocky start, but eventually, the attraction between these two is something neither one of them can deny. They have quite a bit in common, once they get on the trail, at least one overbearing, controlling parent each, and drug issues in their past. Their worlds are miles apart, and they are both keeping secrets, but once they come to terms with their differences, the attraction between them takes a steamy, sexy turn.
I found it impossible to dislike Silver, despite how she was portrayed at the beginning of the novel, and instead, grew to dislike her father, who has been managing her career and her life from early childhood. He’s living off her earnings, as is the rest of her family, and Silver has had enough. She’s a 26-year-old, sheltered virgin whose every move and every role has been orchestrated by her father–and she’s sick of it. She’s tired of doing light TV series and fluffy romantic comedies and wants to sink her teeth into a dramatic, adult film role for a change. I loved the way she went from spoiled Hollywood princess to knuckling down, and working with Ben to learn the ropes needed for this no-frills trail ride. Her growth and the growing attraction between her and Ben was written in a totally believable way, but her work is in Hollywood, and Ben is a rancher through and through. Once their sexy trail ride is over, do they have any way to make their relationship work? Ben doesn’t think so, and what follows is a series of misunderstandings, revelations, and lots of angst.
When Silver returns to Hollywood, and then goes on location to Utah to try and land that coveted role, her obnoxious, scheming father makes sure she has no contact with Ben, which breaks her heart, and then he does something so reprehensible I couldn’t believe that Silver was willing to forgive him from meddling in her life. I know that if I were her in place, I wouldn’t have been quite so forgiving. When Ben has a terrible accident while trying to get them both home, it’s Silver to the rescue, but then her father meddles again, bringing unwanted attention to Silver and Ben’s past and to Ben and the ranch, which is soon overrun by paparazzi.
Nevertheless, this is a romance after all, and there’s an HEA ending, and from beginning to end, this novel all worked for me, keeping me reading straight through until 6:00 a.m. It was an excellent, emotional read, and I can hardly wait for the next addition to this series.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
Kate Pearce is one of those authors whose stories I covet. That may not be the right word. Close but not quite. It’s the one stuck in my head so I can’t really think of any other words right now. You know how that is, right? Anyway, you know when you find a television show that you love and you end up putting off watching the last few episodes because you just don’t want it to end? Well, I’ve had an eArc of this book for months. Months! While I wanted to read it closer to the publication day, and I had tons of other books to read, there was still something in me putting off reading this story. Not because I didn’t want to read it, but because I knew I’d get sucked into the world of Morgan Valley and not want to climb out. I didn’t want to start the book because I already didn’t want it to end. (And I was right, I read this story in one go on a rainy Sunday afternoon.) I haven’t read anything other than the Morgan Ranch series and the Millers of Morgan Valley series by this author and I’ll have to change that soon. These stories bring me so much joy and fill me with warm-fuzzies every time.
If it’s not obvious from the above paragraph, I loved this story. Ben and Silver bring out the best in one another. Silver had a tendency to slip into the rich, privileged, spoiled role a bit too easily the first couple of days she’s with Ben. But his reaction, or non-reaction, had a humbling effect on Silver and made her realize how different her life was from most of the rest of the world. Not that she was blind to her privilege and all its trappings. Sometimes when you’re right in the middle of it all and it is how your day to day life is, it’s easy to forget how lucky you really are. So, while I was quite prepared to have some dislike for Silver, she always redeemed herself. And generally, almost immediately. The author did a wonderful job of making a character who could have easily ended up an unlikable caricature into a truly well-liked character instead.
Romance often uses lack of communication between its characters as a device to move the story in certain directions. One of the great things about this story is the honesty these two tried to have with each other. Almost every single misunderstanding that happened with Ben and Silver had to do with outside forces. Other people telling them half-truths and leading them in the wrong direction. Their connection was strong enough that, even when they would huff off in their own direction, they knew it couldn’t be the end. Sure, they did enough to self-sabotage. But they had a lot of help from people who had their best interests at heart but were very misguided.
Jeff Miller, Ben’s dad, always seems to somehow come through for his kids by the end of their stories. And even his mom is slowly trying to pull herself out of the whole she put herself into 20 years ago. Yet I still cannot forgive either of them. Being nice and helping things along once in a while does not give anyone, even a person’s father, the right to be a jerk the other 95% of the time. We find out that Ben’s mom did something important for him in the past. That’s great. But it was her being a mom, not being some sort of altruistic stranger. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over these two. There are couple of Miller boys still waiting for their HEAs, so we’ll see.
Speaking of families, I wouldn’t be averse to Silver’s siblings getting HEAs, too. I love how they banded together and stuck up for each other. And I still want to know what Aaron’s birth name is!
** I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in my review are my own and given freely. **
After his father decides to leave the ranch to his older brother Adam, usually calm, steadfast Ben Miller struggles to deal with his resentment. When he’s invited to develop a trail riding experience on the Morgans’ dude ranch, Ben jumps at the chance. Soon he’s assigned a mysterious client, an actress whose family secretly wants her removed from influences in LA. Ben’s determined to teach her to fend for herself. But he quickly discovers she’s more than a pampered pretty face. Silver Meadow believes she’s preparing for a serious dramatic role—one that will free her from her controlling father. She’s certainly not going to be controlled by Ben, especially when he takes her out in the middle of nowhere to learn how to survive. Yet gradually, far from her cell phone, Silver begins to open up to him about her life and finds they have more in common than they thought.
This is the third book in this series, which is a spin off from the Morgan Ranch series & is another very well written book that drew me in from the start & totally captivated me until the end. Strong believable characters & I loved Ben & Silver both had had their problems. They were thrown together on a trail ride then being stranded by a storm, it gave them time for reflection & as their attraction grew & they had to rely on each other they also opened up to each other. I loved how Ben didn’t pamper to Silver & how she learned to fend for herself. A very different trope with the couple being alone for the majority of the book & I found it very hard to put down
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
I really enjoyed this book about Ben and Silver set in California. Silver is wanting to star in a western, so her dad makes arrangements for her to go on a weeklong trail ride to improve her chances. Ben is her guide. Silver is not used to having to do things for herself, but I was proud of what she accomplished on the trip. Ben and Silver both have some hangups from their past actions and I’m glad the author included that in her story. I’m not going to leave any spoilers, but I will say I wasn’t disappointed by reading this book. Save a horse, ride a cowboy, lol. I look forward to reading more books from Kate Pearce, in my future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.
Kate Pearce’s The Rebellious Rancher is wonderfully written, it will keep you engaged and surprised all through out the book.
When Rancher and Trail Guide Ben Miller agrees to take Hollywood’s Silver Meadows on a 10 day trail ride neither of them really understand or can appreciate what they are in for. Simply could not put the book down.
Ben Miller is shocked when his father signs the ranch over to Adam and leaves the rest of them to just working the ranch – so when he gets the chance to make some money doing a one on one trail ride for a greenhorn he is all for it – then when he sees who she is he is very surprised and can hardly believe his eyes to see Silver Meadows and find her a apt pupil that is learning how to be a cowgirl – little does she know that these skills will come in handy for a life or death accident that will happen! I received a netgalley copy!
I enjoyed the trail ride part of this story. I liked how Silver started to blossom into a more self sufficient person. I felt like Ben and Silver had chemistry during this part of the book.
After Silver went back to LA, I didn’t feel like they had much of a connection at all. I was so glad when she started to get a backbone, until she didnt. I also didn’t think we were ever going to get to find out about Ben’s past. Ben seemed really unhappy and angry throughout the majority of the book. It was a bit of a downer.
I didn’t like Ben’s father or Silver’s father. One was mean and the other was manipulative. I didn’t like that their behavior was covered under the umbrella of “fatherly love”. Let’s just call it what it was, mean, manipulative, selfish behavior. And it seemed like both mothers enabled that behavior.
A sweet romance that I would have liked much more without the Hollywood aspect of it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed the Advanced Reader Copy of this book received via NetGalley.
The cowboy and the actress hit the trail together!
Take one slightly frustrated rancher at loose ends in his life, add in a sheltered yet feisty young actress researching her next role, send them out on the trail just minutes after meeting with nothing more than what their pack animals can carry, add in an unexpected storm and life-threatening events and you’ll end up with this exhilarating romance that has all the sass and steam a romance reader could ever hope for!
Ben doesn’t quite know where he belongs, now that his dad has made it clear that the family ranch is being left to his older brother. He occasionally picks up work on the Morgan Ranch leading their guests on trail rides. He can’t pass up the chance to escort the now-grown up actress from his sister’s favorite childhood show.
Silver has had every part of her life monitored and controlled, some of it for good reason. She’s ready to move past her past and show that she’s not the spoiled princess everyone thinks she is.
Their trail ride ends up much more exciting than either of them had ever considered, and it’s a difficult – yet perfectly reasonable – transition back to their previously separate lives. By this point I could really appreciate the emotional connection between these characters – the experiences they shared along the trail built a bond between them that neither one was prepared to acknowledge, much less pursue. Their HEA really did seem impossible to achieve.
The story becomes much more emotionally intense in the second half, as both Ben and Silver have to deal with a myriad of obstacles in their pursuit of their own life goals before addressing the obstacles to a future together. I was completely involved in both families’ stories and while there are no true villains involved, there are enough dragons to slay to make their HEA satisfying and triumphant.
I really loved this return visit to the Morgan Valley fictional world. Each book is just as captivating as the last, with an easy-going writing style and vibrant, memorable characters. If you love modern-day cowboys as much as I do, this series is not to be missed. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
I loved the Morgan Ranch series as well as the 2 previous stories in this one and was looking forward to this one .
The story centers around Ben Miller and Silver Meadows.
Ben is the second oldest Miller sibling. A quiet hard worker who was shocked and hurt when his father left the ranch to his oldest son Adam. A father that knew how hard Ben worked and should have been given a fair share. Undecided as to what he will do next , he quickly accepts an offer to be a trail guide to an unknown person.
Silver Meadows is that person. She’s a Hollywood star wanting to prepare for a movie part. Though at first he wasn’t crazy about Silver and her potential pampered and spoiled attitude, his opinions starts to change as Silver adapts .
But things don’t go as expected and feelings develop. She’s a star, and he’s a rancher and living far apart. Add to that family dynamics and responsibilities, and the opportunities of having their HEA seem but a dream. His past also comes back to haunt him.
I have to confess that I never warmed up to Silver and poor Ben struggled with her fame. At times found myself skipping pages.
In the end, the plot was ok and if you’re looking for an easy reading contemporary western romance , then this one is for you.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
This is a nice story without angst or outside problems (okay, you can say it had outside problems but they weren’t awful). The trail ride was the best part of the book. I liked how it showed Silver as expecting everything to be automatically done and learning that is not the way “real” people live. I thought she adapted really well. After the trail ride, the book fell. I think if you like sweet books with low angst then this is the book for you. I was not enamored with Ben like I have been with the other Millers and the Morgans. The writing is terrific, as always. Rating rounded up.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
Kate Pearce has become one of my favorite authors and Morganville one of my favorite imaginary small towns. As in the previous books, the author weaves deftly developed characters, detailed descriptions of not only the visual scenes but also the ins and outs of how a working ranch works (along with the inside scoop of how the professions of the other characters worked) and steady paced story lines into a wonderful tapestry of a tale. And always ends the book with at least one recipe.
The rebellious rancher is Ben Miller and this story is about him and actress Silver Meadow, who comes to Morgan Ranch to get experience on a trail ride for a movie she hopes to be in. The vivid imagery of the trail ride is stunning and the story also includes the problems of drug addiction. Ben is the second son of a family of six children, whose mother left them when he was ten (but that wasn’t what really happened). After his father gave his older brother Adam full ownership of the ranch, Ben feels rudderless, as aside from Adam, he is the only one who works full time on the ranch. Now he owns nothing. He had a few traumatic experiences when he was younger and believes that anything that he wants will be taken away from him. On the tv screen at young age, Silver had been his first crush. Aside from working the Miller Ranch, Ben does some trail rides for BB of Morgan Ranch and is tasked with taking Silver for an authentic 10 day trail ride.
At twenty-five, Silver wants to take on more serious roles, but a few years ago she had got addicted to painkillers after a fall and her father, who has managed her career since she was a baby, is very protective. What happens on the trail, stays on the trail, but these two who seemingly are polar opposites quickly develop an understanding and admiration for each other. And when danger looms, Silver shows that she has True Grit.
I highly recommend this book as well as the rest of the series. I read an ARC from NetGalley.com and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.
This cowboy romance story was Book 3 in “The Millers of Morgan Valley” and this book was a very enjoyable read with good character and storyline development that I was totally engaged throughout the entire book!
Hollywood invades ranch country. Opposites attract on a ten-day trail ride.
Silver Meadow is a famous actress who has very much lived the Hollywood life. Her acting career began when she was just a baby and that has been her life throughout her childhood and now as an adult. She is now twenty-five and really wants the leading role in an independently produced Western film. She feels she needs to experience what Western life would be like so she goes on a ten-day trail ride out of the Morgan Ranch in Morgan Valley, California with just her trail guide Ben Miller. She never imagined just what exactly “roughing it” on this trail ride would be like. She has five suitcases, her full beauty product regimen and where does she plug in her adapter to charge her cell phone. But NO… No place to plug in so no cell phone and she can only bring a very limited amount of clothes that fit in one bag on the pack mule. Ben Miller even expects her to set up her own tent, help set up their camp sites and help with the horses and pack mules. She knew she needed to pull up her big girl panties since she is getting just what she asked for – a realistic Western experience. What she didn’t ask for or expect was to fall for her handsome hunk of a guide Ben Miller.
Ben Miller is very disgruntled when he finds out his father set up his will to leave the family ranch to his older brother. He works just as hard on the ranch. So Ben decides to look for a ranch manager position in the area and takes on doing trail rides out of the Morgan Ranch on the side. The ten-day trail ride with actress Silver Meadow should be quite an experience. It doesn’t start out well when Silver brings five suitcases and thinks they will be transported. Then she thought a crew would be available to set up her tent, set up camp and cook meals. That’s not how this works Miss Hollywood Star! He was surprised though that he could so easily talk to Silver and he found he liked her. Really, really liked her! But they come from two different worlds. Nothing can come from this mutual attraction.
The Rebellious Rancher by Kate Pearce is the third book in her Millers of Morgan Valley series. This has been a very entertaining series to read so far. This book is Ben’s story and I never would have guessed he would fall in love with a Hollywood actress. Silver Meadow is not what I expected. She has had some problems to overcome but her determination to make things work with Ben is admirable. I really liked how well this storyline flowed and that it is more believable than I expected it would be. This was an excellent read! I look forward to the next Miller’s story – Kaiden Miller in The Rancher Meets His Match.
I won an advanced copy of this book, and I came in on book three without reading first two books. Kate Pearce did a great job giving you enough context to enjoy this book without needing to read the beginning, but I’ve enjoyed this family so much I want to read the back catalog now! The Miller family has 7 kids, and boy number 2 is Ben. After getting into some legal trouble while trying to save a friend from herself in college, Ben drops out of Stanford and returns home to the ranch. The Miller patriarch did his best raising 6 kids on his own when his wife walked out and he didn’t chase after her, but Ben’s dad has a temper that starts talking before his brain can catch up. When Ben agrees to take an actress on a two week trail ride, his dad basically fires him from the family ranch. The actress, Silver Meadows, really wants to part in an indie Western film. Roughing it with Ben is her best shot at impressing the director, so she throws her self into the experience (with the expected humor from an LA greenhorn). After saving Ben’s life and heading home, Silver realized that missing Ben isn’t getting any better. When the media circus on the ranch endangers his stock, Ben agrees to come to LA for a press conference to give the press the story they are looking for. The real question is can their different lifestyles and varying sizes of drama and family issues really keep them apart when they realize they are in love? (And of course the answer is no because this is a good romance novel, not one of those really awful ones that make you cry lol). Cute ending! Happy Reading!!
This is a great small town story that is well written. There is plenty of family drama, romance and intrigue. The characters are captivating and when their two world collide the sparks fly. I enjoyed reading this book. I received this book as a gift and voluntarily give this review.
A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start. This is book three in the series and all are standalone reads. By reading the series you get the full impact of each person. This one was about Ben and Silver and struggles they face. Cannot wait to continue reading any more of the stories in this series.
I read a lot of folks from Morgantown fall in love but this story particularly didn’t warm my heart as the others did. Ben is in limbo because of family drama and he decides to take Silver on trail riding experience for her new film role. I like alpha males and clearly Ben wasn’t, Silver was ok, even being a famous star she was enough down to earth to not being disliking but still very naive. So yeah their story was ok but it didn’t make me stay awake the whole night to finish it.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley
Two worlds meet… or should I say two worlds collide. A young actress is deluded into thinking she’s at a dude ranch learning all about rough and rugged western life.. After all, she wants to play her role well for an upcoming movie audition. A hurt cowboy feels betrayed when his dad leaves the family ranch to his older brother. He decides to take on a job at a neighboring ranch as a guide for trail rides.
So, we have Silver, the pretentious actress on the outside, but hurting on the inside, teamed up with Ben, the resentful cowboy … and wow, was this a learning experience, for both of them.
How can two people who seemingly are so different be so much alike? Both have overbearing fathers, both have past hurts and both have loads of insecurities.
OBSERVATIONS:
Loved this book but it took a while to ‘feel’ involved. As I kept reading, it became ‘alive’ and really drew me in to the emotional struggles.
Loved the way Silver wanted to be her own boss. Her dad was just plain impossible at times. He was way to arrogant and needed knocked down a notch or two, especially when he barged into the Miller home making all his accusations.
Okay, I had a hard time with character names. Finally understood that Silver’s mom liked quirky names…. but then someone else pops up in the story named January????? Also, at times I had to reread to see who was doing what when it came to Alva and Alya…. kept getting them mixed up.
What happened to Declan…. and who is the other daughter (Leanne and Declan’s daughter)? Would have like more detail or development here.
This is book 3 in the Millers of Morgan Valley series. I found it to be fast paced reading with a good romance and storyline. Ben goes to work at the Morgan’s dude ranch where he ends up meeting silver meadow an actress. Plenty of family drama on both sides to make the story very interesting looking forward to reading more in the series