The Cowboy and the City Slicker.On the spur of the moment, with his life collapsing around him, Jay Sullivan answers an ad for a business manager with an expertise in marketing, on a dude ranch in Montana.With his sister, Ashley, niece, Kirsten and nephew, Josh, in tow, he moves lock stock and barrel from New York to Montana to start a new life on Crooked Tree Ranch.Foreman and part owner of the … Ranch.
Foreman and part owner of the ranch, ex rodeo star Nathaniel ‘Nate’ Todd has been running the dude ranch, for five years ever since his mentor Marcus Allen became ill.
His brothers convince him that he needs to get an expert in to help the business grow. He knows things have to change and but when the new guy turns up, with a troubled family in tow – he just isn’t prepared for how much.
NB: This is a previously released title. It includes a new chapter and is re-edited with new cover art.
Word Count: 67,000
more
The storyline was good and the characters were very likable and believable which kept my interest until the very last page! This was the first time that I have read a book by this author and it definitely will not be the last!
This is a fun, feel-good story about culture clashes, differing ideas, blending families, and working together. It’s the classic tale of city clickers meet country folk and the contrast in lifestyles and ways of doing things. Jay and Nate don’t exactly hit it off right away, but Nate needs Jay’s marketing expertise to improve the ranch’s competitiveness and profitability. The two learn to appreciate each other’s ideas and differences, and that things work better when they work together. The pacing seemed a little awkward to me. The relationship between Nate and Jay starts as a slow-burn, but then it seems like a rush at the end. Still, an enjoyable book overall.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received this book with the understanding that I could leave a voluntary and honest review.
In this book we meet Nate Todd and Jay Sullivan. Nate knows that the ranch is in trouble and unless they get someone in to help with the books they could lose everything. Months go by with no help in sight and Nate knows he is running out of time. Lucky for them Jay needs a change as much as the ranch does. So when he comes with his family to work on the marketing side of things he isn’t sure about it all. Little did either man know how important they would become to one another as well as to the ranch itself. However will they problems that they face be more than they can handle or will they have finally found their HEA?
This is a great story. It really has you emotionally connecting not only with the main characters in this story but the sub ones as well. This story does have its ups and downs I really want to tell you about. However I don’t want to ruin the story for any other readers. I will say this book will have you hooked from the first word to the very end. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
R.J. Scott gives us an incredible story of hardship and love. Nate had to take responsibility for two younger brothers when he was still a teen and he is tough and surely. Finding out that Crooked Tree needs help they seek to find a marketing Guru and do in that of Jay Sullivan from New York. Jay wants to relocate his family for a fresh start.
Nate and Jay are very attracted to one another and a beautiful relationship ensues. Can their relationship last will his brothers mesh well with the Sullivans? Will they be able to save the beautiful Ranch that is Crooked Tree?
This is a very moving book and you can never judge or help who you love.
This is romantic, sexy, amusing and sweet. Nate is stubborn, tough, caring and snarky. Jay is gentle, caring, protective, vulnerable and determined. Jay moves he and his family to Montana after getting laid off from his job. He a new start for him, his abused sister and her kids. He wasn’t looking for a relationship, but the minute he laid eyes on Nate, his mind wouldn’t let up. Nate had the same reaction to Jay, but he had never had a relationship before, and didn’t want to mix work and play. Both families had issues, all were drawn to members of the other family, and eventually they all helped each other. And Nate and Jay fell in love. The storylines are interesting and the characters are likable and charming.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a great story that I didn’t want to put down. The characters are interesting, it was enjoyable following along on their journey. The author does a great job of bringing the reader into the story. This is a great start to a new series, I look forward to reading what happens next.
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this sweet and well-written story! We meet Nate and his family for the first few chapters, and he was an easy character to like. This was a first-time author for me, and they did a great job of introducing the characters and storyline to keep me interested. I thought I was only going to get Nate’s POV, but then we meet Jay and he was just an easy character to like. We quickly learn that both characters are in tough situations and I just immediately felt so much for them.
This story was the perfect combination of sexual tension, sass, humor and sweetness. I really liked the setting of the ranch and all that came with it. The story is focused on Nate and Jay but we see them in many different situations. We see them working together for the ranch, them spending time with their families, and spending time together and getting to know one another. And all of those things are closely related. This was an easy to read book with easy to like characters all around. I did not want this book to end! When I got to 90% I was sad that I only had a little bit left of these guys! I cannot wait to read more from this series and this author!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement.***
New York meets Montana and the sparks fly. This first book in the Montana series is a bit of a slow build, introducing the characters, life on the ranch, etc. In fact, it takes a while before Jay and Nate actually meet, so for me, this one served more as an intro to the series than a full-blown romance. Don’t get me wrong, there is a love story here, and Jay and Nate are good together. However, their story seems almost secondary to the one about the ranch and what needs to be done to make it a profitable business. We also have a bit of a mystery concerning Marcus and his son that is brought up but left open – something I’m assuming will be addressed as the series progresses. Once the romance between Nate and Jay starts, it is full of fireworks and things happen pretty fast. For me, that was the biggest drawback. It just felt a little too fast after the slow build on the story. That said, the book is full of rich and colorful characters and the writing style drew me in, making me want to know more about them. Plus, we have some sexy cowboys, a steamy romance, and a couple of open storylines to look for in the next book. All in all, it’s a promising start to the series.
It’s a good story. It also has seeds of other side stories that you will want to see grow in other books.
I look forward to reading those books.
The good thing about this book is that it’s more like a bucket of cold water to get you up and going, then a breath of fresh country air. For the people in the book. Not you, you.
I also like how there is no tiptoeing around the fact that they are gay and seeing each other. Granted, they aren’t walking around everywhere holding hands. They aren’t insane, but they aren’t saying that they aren’t gay and not a couple.
I actually want to read the other books and see how the ranch grows. But I don’t know if that will happen. Outside of the chef, I think we are going be puttering around town with the other 2(?) couples.
I would also like to hope that we get some insight on the romance for the sister. But most writers can’t switch, or switch well out of a couple dynamic that they are comfortable in writing. And I don’t just mean gay to straight or the other way around. Sometimes just switching from the viewpoint of male to female is enough to have a book unusually different from the rest in the set.
It’s a good book. Get it, read it, then be happy that there are others to read. I’m going to see if they can live up to what I’m looking for, or give me something else to be happy about.
Fantastic series
I love starting a series from RJ Scott because I know I’m going to get a well crafted tale of family and romance with a side order of steamy encounters and a little bit of humour.
Montana is no different and this relatively short opener sets all the scene without ever being a wall of exposition. We see Jay and Nate connecting and falling for each other, we see Gabe and Ashley doing the same.
There’s tensions enough to stop the narrative all being one tone but they’re the every day life kind, not mad dramady or unbelievable events.
I can’t wait to find out more.
My favourite title from Ms RJ’s extensive catalogue.
easy to read fairly early on the author hits at where it’s all going so there are no real surprises the speed at which the relationships develops challenges credibility the writing is good and simple the characters (mostly) are likeable
This is such a wonderful book! RJ Scott has done it again. The characters are complex. The plot richly devised and the romance…superb. Mystery follows a ranching family as they try to save a ranch from financial ruin. Health concerns intrude and intrigue is everywhere.
I can’t wait to read the entire series.
Starting over and getting a second chance is the theme to this wonderful book. Jay as well as his sister and her children move to Crooked Tree Ranch in hopes of putting their past behind them, but what jay never saw coming was to find a romance with the ranch owner and the two families intertwining. Love has a way to make everything seem more manageable. Once again another beginning to a series that I could not put down and look forward to the next book in the series.
Unbelievable & disappointing
I thought this book was an ok read. It could be because it was more contemporary and less steamy as the other books I have read. Good story line and sweet coming together for Nate and Jay. Outside of Jay’s sister Ashley, the book could have done with more something. It was just missing something,not sure. I look forward to the next book and hope for more.
This is a remarkable work as are the three books that follow it in the series. Marvelous characterizations, amazing story line, gripping suspense, and I really found the Montana ranch denizens speaking in Queen’s English idioms really cute and utterly delightful.
Crooked Tree was a wonderful story. It sucks you in from the first page and makes you root for the two main MC’s and their families. Beware, once you’ve read Crooked Tree you will become addicted and will rush to read the rest. In fact readers were so addicted to this series RJ Scott wrote the last book of the series and released it about 6 plus months early because fans were going into withdrawal without it. 😉