Police Chief Travis Kincaid Has Rules….· Never leave the door unlocked· Never mix work and pleasure· And Never, Never kiss the object of your affectionYears ago, the former Navy SEAL learned the hard way that breaking the rules only leads to disaster. Since then, he’s followed strict rules to stay focused on his career and keep his heart locked away where it won’t cloud his … locked away where it won’t cloud his judgment.
Too bad the woman he’s fallen for was a born rule-breaker.
In spite of her shady past, Travis finds himself bending the rules… repeatedly, for single-mom Elaine Ryder. In the aftermath of Prairie’s devastating tornado, Travis must come to a decision about his future. More importantly, he’ll have to decide whether breaking the rules one last time will cost him everything he holds dear… or give him his heart’s desire.
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I read this book as part of the Protected By A Hero Box Set. I enjoyed it so much I started reading the Cowboys of the Flint Hills, to get to know the characters who are mentioned in this story. If you’re following my blog, you’ll see yesterday I posted the book where this Tornado occurs, Prairie Storm. Don’t miss that one. It just made sense to review this one by itself here at this time.
Prairie, Kansas is rebuilding from a EF4 tornado. So much destruction and yet the town has come together to start the arduous process.
Dottie’s Diner now a pile of rubble has morphed into a food truck across from it’s original location. A place for folks to gather and share news it’s where we meet the main characters in this tale.
Chief Travis has a thing for Elaine, Dottie’s waitress. Of course he’ll never admit it, he has relationship rules, rules that his friend and deputy chief Weston thinks need to be broken. Weston also thinks Travis should run for sheriff which he eventually agrees to do.
Even as Travis battles his feelings the sparks fly between him and Elaine. Her son Dex wins his heart as well as they work closely on the campaign.
Elaine does have a secret she’s keeping from him though and it’s one that could ruin his chances of winning.
Lots of fun, plenty of drama and a finish that has me wanting more of all these characters.
I’m going to love this spinoff series if all the stories will be as wonderful as this one! Tessa Layne does a superb job incorporating the struggles of humanity into beautiful, emotional romances. I will admit that your reading pleasure will be enhanced if you read her series Cowboys of Flint Hills because the townspeople of Prairie are a significant part of this book as well as a few important events that surround this small town.
This story is focused on Travis and Elaine. Travis is the police chief and a former SEAL and Elaine is a single mother trying to make a fresh start for her and her son, Dax. They are both trying to move forward from their troubled paths and make a life full of happiness and family. Their stories are touching and full of raw emotion that had me in tears at times…but totally worth it for the absolutely perfect happily ever after.
Once again, Ms. Layne brings important issues to the forefront to educate and enlighten us while masterfully entertaining us with awesome characters that we can champion.
Former SEAL, now police chief is runninffor sheriff ans falls in love with a singlemother. Good story, but too much explicit sex.
Loved this book. You can’t help being drawn into their lives and cheering for them.
Good book with a little of everything…angst…suspense…romance…bad experiences in the past to get over. But was good to read.
wow, great story and great characters. a real page turner. had a hard time putting it down.
Entertaining.
I have read most of the books in this series. And it a good entertaining read. I love the characters and I love how Tessa brings in characters from the previous books.
I love it when the characters are forced to break their own rules to find happiness. Humans tend to make restrictive rules for themselves and never revisit the reason when circumstances change. Fortunately, our hero has some smarts, makes adjustments, and finds happiness.
I also went on to read book #2. Really good stories about what our Veterans deal with after seeing horrifying things during their tours overseas.
Cute fun read. Characters are relatable and funny. Absolutely love the best friend and negotiator Wes. Read Collins book first and about love it. Totally worth it.
The sheriff has resolved his trauma with all kinds of rules. Her life has been traumatized by those who have broken all the rules. This is their path to recovery. I love Dottie! I love Weston!! I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I must not have done a review first time I read it. Happily that meant a couple years later I got to read it again and enjoy it again.
Yes, repetitive sex had me skimming past the sex scenes. Well worth it for the story.
When disaster strikes the small town of Prairie the community comes together and supports one another. Elaine doesn’t think she’s included because she hasn’t been there all that long and is afraid of both her past coming to demolish her efforts at a new life and that she’ll wear out her welcome with how much she needs the good graces of those around her. What she doesn’t realize is that they’ve already adopted her and her son, Dax, as their own. She also doesn’t see the interest of a certain police chief who can’t seem to untie his tongue around her. For the last two years they’ve danced around one another and are still oblivious to the other person’s interest. With a few well-timed nudges from friends they find a way to get closer.
Getting closer, however, is fraught with all kinds of struggles. Travis and his rules, Elaine’s reluctance to take risks, his job, her jobs, his past, her past…all these things swirl around just under the surface that their love will have to fight tooth and nail to find any kind of satisfaction. Their desire is potent and their chemistry draws them back to one another time and time again. When the past is revealed in a less-than-ideal way their faith in each other is tested and they have to decide what they truly want their future to look like and whether there’s a place for them in it.
I especially like that Elaine was strong and determined despite her past, or maybe really because of it. With tragedy and such a low place to come from she managed to stay a good woman with a good heart and raise a wonderful boy. Then finding a strong, protective, supportive man? Greatness. Overall this was a wonderful story and I’m really excited for the subsequent books and learning all about the men and their women at Resolution Ranch.
Passion and secrets fuel this story of healing, acceptance, and love. Such a great book!
Good Premise But Story Lacked Depth – 2.5 stars
I liked the theme of leaving the past behind to forge new beginnings, but the story was scattered and not focused on Travis and Elaine. The plot didn’t delve as deeply as it could have into Travis and Elaine’s problems. Important situations were skimmed over as their relationship raced along. Travis made a major and costly life decision that he didn’t seem invested in. Elaine went along in complete denial of the inevitable. The profanity was unnecessary and the ending anticlimactic.
Very sweet. Very Romantic. But felt the ending lacked something.
I loved everything about this book. It’s a beautifully written story about broken souls just trying to do better in life. How do you not love that? Throw in an adorable kid, horses and small town america. Perfect recipe for a great book. Travis is a rule following former Navy SEAL turned Sheriff in town. Elaine is a waitress, with a past who is just trying to right some wrongs in her life. When a Political race takes a turn for the dirty, the truths come out. Will that be enough to hold their love strong? This book has it all, laughs, tears, screams and HEAs. Can’t wait to read more in this series.
Beautiful Story
There is just something about these stories that pulls at your heart strings. More than once I found myself tearing up as I read thru the pages of the book. You cannot help but fall in love with this little town and the people that live there.
The main characters in the story both have pasts and they will have to overcome things to make their feelings work. You will fall in love with their story and cannot wait to read the next one in the series.
Until Next Time… Tabi
3.5 stars, rounded up. My feelings about this story kind of tear me up. I love a hero in uniform. As a former SEAL and current law man, Travis has worn two of them. So that right there should automatically put this book on the high side of my opinion. I loved watching Travis and Elaine try to fight their growing feelings for one another. This is where I liked predictable – you know they’re going to give in no matter how hard they fight it. And the interactions between Dax and Travis were so adorable. But then we got to the predictable that I didn’t enjoy so much. I was so excited for the last book I read set in Prairie, because finally the angst wasn’t created by the secrets the main characters were keeping, it was the circumstances keeping them apart that caused the drama. I was really disappointed to see that we’ve returned to the leading characters not being honest with one another. There are so many other ways to create tension without the hero or heroine (or both) lying to each other that it felt like this story took the easy route. And the smarmy villain and his pathetic shakedown was just too obvious. As soon as he showed up on scene, I’m pretty sure we all knew what was going to happen there, and Elaine should have known it too. Even though this book made me grind my teeth, there’s still lots of stuff going on in Prairie that I want to know more about.
A Hero’s Honor is a fantastic contemporary romance by Tessa Layne. Ms. Layne has provided readers with a well-written book and furnished it with an outstanding cast of characters. Travis is Chief of police and has rules. Elaine is a single mom trying to support her son. Travis and Elaine’s story is loaded with drama, humor, spice, action and a side of suspense. I enjoyed reading A Hero’s Honor and look forward to reading more from Tessa Layne in the future. A Hero’s Honor is book 1 of the Resolution Ranch Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I have read other books by this author in the town of Prairie and I loved them. I love that all of the characters intertwine through all of the books. I’m glad that Travis found his happily ever after and that Colton’s back. I loved the fight in Elaine and her never feel sorry for yourself spirit. The Sinclaire siblings are awesome so I’m excited to read Emma’s story. Until next time y’all happy reading.