Proving he’s a changed man could be his biggest challenge yet. Rancher Reece Rainbolt’s shocked to learn he’s inherited half of Claire Ballard’s family farm–and that he’s a father. Now Claire’s determined to break ties with the man who once left her behind. But Reece will buy her half only on one condition: she must stay in town to help with the harvest…and let him get to know his little girl.
READY TO TRUST by Tina Radcliffe is the second book in the Hearts of Oklahoma series. It’s amazing story of Rancher Reece Rainbolt and Claire Ballard in the small town of Rebel, Oklahoma.
The story starts with Reece and Claire meeting unexpectedly in a law office for the reading of Davis Ballard’s will. Claire wants to settle her father’s estate, sell out and move back to the big city with her 5 year old daughter, Zoe, where she is a nurse. Reece’s surprised both by seeing Claire and not really understanding what he’s doing there. They had last seen each other 6 years earlier and they departed on less than desirable terms after he said “I’m not looking for a long-term kind of guy and I have zero interest in a future – with anyone.” Surprise hits them both when they learn that they have both been left half of the Ballard Farms.
Claire can’t stay because she can’t take the chance that she will be found out, but unless Claire can convince Reece to buy her half, she can’t move back to her city life. Reese who loves the land and feels it is part of Zoe’s heritage, can’t figure out why Claire wouldn’t want to stay and keep the farm in the family for her daughter. He may have his hands full with his own ranch, but land is near and dear to him and this farm is adjacent to his ranch. He convinces Claire that if she will stay through the first harvest to give him the benefit of her years of raising and experience from the farm, that he will buy her out if she still wishes to sell.
READY TO TRUST is the wonderful telling of misconceptions and half-truths being corrected, seeing one another for who they really are and how each has grown and matured both in years and faith since their last time together. It’s a time of truths coming out, thoughts to the future and putting others before oneself.
The description of Love Inspired books on the back of the book sums up this series – uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope. Tina Radcliffe tells an amazing story of misunderstandings, second chances by opening not only your eyes but you heart and having ears that really listen, faith as it weaves itself in our life story and true love winning out. The way Tina Radcliffe tells a story you can see the joy in a little girl’s eyes, smell the peaches ripening in the orchard and feel the hope of a man who hopes he’s worthy of love. READY TO TRUST is the type of book that has you turning pages, feeling their pain and praying for a happily ever after for not only a couple but for one little girl. It shows you that through faith in God and a willingness on both parts that love can survive hurt feelings, space and time.
Although part of the series, READY TO TRUST can definitely be read as a standalone book. However, after reading this one, you will want to go back and catch the first book in the series. Then, like me, you will be anticipating book number three. Honestly, you can’t go wrong reading any book by this author.
I loved Reece and Claire’s story!!!! Six years have passed since Reece and Claire have seen each other. Reece still has feelings for Claire, though he considers himself way out of her league and from the wrong side of the tracks. Claire has kept a secret from Reese for six years. Now, the secret can tear her apart or bring her more happiness than she ever imagined. If only she would give control of her life to God and learn to trust Him and Reese. When Reese learns Claire’s secret, he’s thrilled, though sad to miss out on the last six years. Can he show Claire just how much God has changed in him six year’s, and show her he’s trustworthy??
“Ready to Trust” by Tina Radcliffe is part of the Hearts of Oklahoma series and features Reece Rainbolt and Claire Ballard.
Reece and Claire are brought together again by Claire’s father’s will and the two have to come to terms with the past while trying to piece together a future.
“Ready to Trust” has a secret baby trope that can be tough to make believable, yet Ms. Radcliffe pulls it off. She creates a sympathetic hero in Reece and helps you understand Claire’s reasoning behind keeping the child a secret. There were a couple scenes this reader didn’t like Claire very much. When an author can make you feel that strongly about someone or something, I believe it is the mark of a skillful writer.
Nice contemporary romance by Tina Radcliffe. Book two of her A Hearts Of Oklahoma Romance series. Love the Rainbolt family and how they stick together and make New comers feel welcome. This book centers on Reece mostly and I enjoyed his story. Trust , Forgiveness and Second chances is what this book is all about. I felt drawn into this book from the beginning as though I was there with the characters . The ending bought tears of joy to this reader.
Claire Ballard and Reece Rainbolt had a past together, in fact they had a daughter. Claire didn’t tell Reece about Zoe even though she came home to visit her father often, she never crossed Reece’s path. That is until her father died and left his property and business to both Claire and Reece. Now she would have to be in touch with him on a regular basis. How long can she keep her secret from Reece? Claire has no desire to even be anywhere near Reece since he broke her heart years ago when he walked away from their relationship. What was her father thinking when he changed his will to add Reece to the inheritance?
This book will make readers of contemporary romance very happy. If reading about cowboys is your thing you will like this story. It can be read as a stand alone but you will get more from the story if you read Book one, Finding the Road Home first.
I won a pre-release signed copy of Ready to Trust in a giveaway. I was not asked to write a review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Some of the reasons you should read Radcliffe’s newest book:
The first and most obvious reason is the cover of Ready to Trust. The swoony picture of Reece Rainbolt is featured for you to refer back to as often as you’d like. In case you don’t notice–be sure to make note of the peaches in the background at some time, as they are part of the story.
Endearing, realistically-flawed characters that show growth and change. Reece Rainbolt and Claire Ballard are so interesting to get to know. I loved seeing their relationship progress.
The awesome cast of secondary characters, such as Willard, one of Reece’s ranch hands. Willard to Reece, “Sweet-talking an old cow. My job description just hit an all-time low.”
The witty, fun dialogue—see the above quote for an example. Reading a book by this author is always a treat because of her ability to write an absorbing story using her great sense of humor and fun.
Radcliffe’s descriptions are wonderful. “After her visit to his home last night and seeing him with Zoe, she realized that she was only just beginning to peel the onion on this new Reece Rainbolt.”
Last, but not least, is an uplifting message of forgiveness, redemption, healing, and hope that will leave you feeling inspired and lifted with feeling preachy. Radcliffe is a master at weaving an organic inspirational message into her stories.
This is the second book in a series by this author, but it can be read as a stand alone story. 4.5 stars
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the author. All opinions are my own.
Ready to Trust proves once again why I enjoy Tina Radcliffe’s books so much. The very handsome rancher on the cover turns out to be even more special on the inside and even though he’s made mistakes, he certainly isn’t the person he was six years ago. Reece Rainbolt is now a hardworking man dedicated to his family but what he doesn’t know is that his family has increased by one. Yes, Reece is shocked to learn that he has a five-year-old daughter and the fact that her mother kept Zoe a secret from him makes it clear that Claire Ballard won’t readily accept him back in her life. Could there be trouble in the making?
“Maybe eventually they’d get to a place where she trusted him. Maybe even more than simply trusted him, though he wasn’t sure what that meant.” (p. 127)
Claire and Reece’s history is filled with misunderstandings and raw emotions and now, they must try to find the best solution for their daughter. Claire’s trust issues and Reece’s efforts to prove her wrong remind us that we all deserve forgiveness and second chances. Radcliffe shows the hurt that Claire Ballard has carried for six years and she vividly portrays Reece’s agony over missing out on the first five years of his daughter’s life! Will Claire be able to accept that he may have changed? Is her pride stronger than her desire to do what’s best for Zoe? And finally, can Reece prove that he deserves the chance to be a true father to this precious little girl?
Ready to Trust is proof positive of Radcliffe’s skill in writing contemporary Christian fiction and I recommend it to all who enjoy this genre. It is a heartwarming story with a faith message that brightly shines throughout and I’m eager to see what’s in store for Reece’s brother Tucker in the next book of this Hearts of Oklahoma series.
I received a copy of this book from the author. I was under no obligation to write a favorable review and these are my own thoughts.
What a great book by Tina Radcliffe! I hated for it to end!! I love this story of redemption and restoration. Ms. Radcliffe writes a wonderful story demonstrating that past mistakes don’t have to define a person’s future. I would love to be a character in her story!
I highly recommend this story for someone searching for a happily ever after, Christian fiction, and a feel-good story!
Ready to Trust is the second book in the Hearts of Oklahoma series and Finding the Road Home, the first book in the series so I was more than happy to reconnect with them. This is the story of Reece Rainbolt and Claire Ballard who have known each other for quite some time. I love a storyline where the two main characters have a past history and oh boy, do these two have quite a past. People change over time but it’s not always easy to let go of the past and learning to trust isn’t always easy either.
I absolutely loved how the author tackles the challenges her characters face and how they grow and start to move forward with their lives. The strong family ties are an added bonus to this novel that flows at a great pace with delightful characters you would like to be friends with. This can be read as a standalone but I suggest reading the books in order so you can get to know the community and family.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and have given my honest opinion.
Reece Rainbolt of Rebel Ranch…..what a HERO!
Well….I don’t usually like bad boy heroes, but for Reece Rainbolt, I’m making an exception. Why my change of heart? Reece is the epitome of a self-sacrificing man, though still a bit stubborn. He’s learned from past mistakes and now does his best to live a faithful life as he helps his family and community. Plus he’s a gorgeous blue-eyed rancher! Did you see that cover?
I admired strong-willed single mom Claire Ballard. After inheriting half her father’s peach orchard, she has an overloaded plate of responsibilities. She stubbornly tries to handle everything by herself, including raising her adorable daughter, Zoe, who happens to look a lot like Reece.
Hmmm….can two hard-headed personalities reconcile their past mistakes and learn to trust each other? With the best interests of the precious five-year-old child at stake, this second chance couple provide a fun, humorous and touching path to a happily ever after. Of course they have some help along way as the small town folks add encouraging observations. I hope you like wise old ranch hand Willard Cornell as much as I do. He nudges his boss in the right direction with delightful quips.
I love every book by author Tina Radcliffe, but Ready to Trust is the best yet. If reading a story can convince me to forgive the wild guy hero, that’s a great romance! If you love amazing heroes, small town communities and heart-tugging romance, I recommend you put Ready to Trust (and heartthrob Reece) at the top of your TBR stack.
*I received a copy of this book with no requirement to write a review. I’m delighted to offer my honest opinion.
Ready to Trust, by Tina Radcliffe, is the second book in the Hearts of Oklahoma series. This is the story of Reece and Claire. Wow!! Once you get past the cover, (I kept looking back), you don’t want to leave the story. Radcliffe has a talent for creating characters from real people. There are so many layers to their personalities, so many nuances. There are flaws and imperfections that bring so much reality to the pages.
Reece has matured from the selfish, hurt individual he used to be. He has focused his priorities but hasn’t really addressed the baggage he carries deep within. His family has always been in his corner, but Reece tends to keep too much inside.
Claire has had to deal with misperceptions and disappointments all her life. She also tends to keep things inside, showing the world a polished persona to protect the insecurities she carries within.
Reece and Claire share a past, briefly, as well as being a part of the small town of Rebel, where everyone knows everything about everyone. Secrets are hard to keep. And often they are revealed regardless of cautions taken.
I strongly recommend this series (and anything written by Tina Radcliffe, to be honest). Ready to Trust can be read as a stand alone book, but the series is better enjoyed by reading in sequence. Radcliffe uses her secondary characters to thread the books together with humor, patience, learning and faith. There is always a happily ever after, there is always a struggle to get to this happily ever after, and there is always a journey in faith and family that makes these stories such treasures to read and to keep.
I was provided an early copy of this book to ready, without expectation of a favorable review. The opinions expressed are my own. I strongly recommend this author if you appreciate clean, wholesome stories of love and faith.
Tina Radcliffe writes the best cowboy romances! I love the families she creates and I always want to move to her fictional towns. She also writes the best secondary characters. I loved Willard in this story! This is the second book in her Hearts of Oklahoma series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but book 1, Finding the Road Home, is also excellent and really should be read too!
Storylines where the heroine keeps such a huge secret from the hero always worry me because I’m afraid it will make me dislike the heroine. Thankfully I ended up really liking Claire. Her growth throughout the story was perfectly done and while I have to admit that she slightly irritated me a time or two, it all worked out because of what I thought were Reece’s perfect verbal responses and reactions. He was sweetly understanding, but he was not a pushover either. In fact, I loved Reece from the second he appeared on the page. I loved how he treated Claire and his relationship with Zoe was heart melting! Reece and Claire’s relationship worked because they each lowered their pride and were willing to admit the wrongs they had done to each other.
This is another wonderful read from Tina Radcliffe. I am really looking forward to the next story in this series which is about Tucker who is a widower and has the sweetest twin daughters and it’s a Christmas story!
What a story! I loved this book from the first page to the last. The community of Rebel, Oklahoma and the welcoming Rainbolt family add a wonderful sense of belonging to books in this series.
The title of the book captures much of what Claire struggles with – trust. When will she be able to trust that Reece is very different from the man she knew six years earlier?
I really loved watching as Reece and Claire began spending time together, whether it was working on the farm or spending time with their little girl, Zoe. There was great chemistry between them.
I am excited to return to this town and family again when the next book releases!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Because the picture of the main character, Reece Rainbolt, is on the cover of Tina Radcliffe’s new book, Ready to Trust, you will want to read it. Trust me! This is the second book in the Hearts of Oklahoma Romance series and is set in Rebel, Oklahoma. Claire Ballard and Reece have known each other since high school and have a past that includes a daughter that Reece has just learned about. Both join our story with issues from their past that they work through to find themselves and find true love. You will enjoy meeting them both and by the end want to have dinner with them over at Rebel Ranch.
Tina weaves together a story that is entertaining, delightful, and encourages you to dream big.
Honestly, if after looking at the cover you are not interested in reading Ready to Trust then I think you seriously need to think about checking your pulse. I highly recommend Ready to Trust.
PS The story also had me buying peaches. Hop over to Tina’s blog to get some new recipes for peaches, and her Christmas in July recipes.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and not required to write a review.
This is another good book by Tina Radcliffe. I just love the Rainbolt family! This is the second book in the Hearts of Oklahoma series, but can easily be read without having read the first book in the series.
This was a really well done secret child story. I understood why Claire didn’t tell Reece about his daughter until she was forced to do so. I respected Claire for making a solid career for herself while putting her daughter first. I liked how Claire worked through her childhood issues and realized that other people went through similar things, but were able to work through them and move past them.
Reece is an awesome hero! He turned his life around since he’d had a relationship with Claire years before and became a successful businessman. He’s a family man and an involved uncle.
Reece and Claire rediscovering feelings for each other is a great part of this story – especially the help they received from friends. Their daughter is adorable!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tina Russo Radcliffe has become one of my favorite inspirational authors of late. The fact that her latest book Ready to Trust has a cover model with his own true life inspirational story only adds fuel to that fire of my love for her books.
One can definitely never go wrong with her books. I could sing her praises from now through forever and still not give her all the accolades she so rightly deserves. Ready to Trust was beyond Awesome. Reece and Claire’s story was phenomenal and little Zoe just added to the Awesomeness. Get Ready to Trust ASAP it’s sweet as a summer Peach!!
Peachy!
If you want to read a tender romantic love story, this is the book. The novel kept me turning pages until The End.
“Reece’s eyes were a deep dark blue, like the sea at night. How fitting, since she felt like she had been tossed into the water without the life preserver.”
“But winning isn’t everything, Claire. Sometimes it’s about having the courage to play the game.”
Welcome back to Rebel Ranch in Rebel, Oklahoma! This is the second book in the series but can totally be read as a stand-alone. And what a redemptive story it is, standing on the foundation of unconditional love, forgiveness, trust and second chances. If you have been following the series, you’d be happy to see Mitch and Daisy’s rapidly growing family and fall a bit more in love with the Rainbolt family through Reece. If you’ve just started the series with Reese and Claire’s story, then you need to hurry up and read Mitch’s story too.
Reece, the second born in the Rainbolt family, is a hard-working, loyal, dedicated, innovative rancher and businessman who believes in family and heritage. The Rainbolt siblings have had a tough past with heartbreak and trials; Reece, out of all the siblings, ran wild and irresponsible until he was faced with God’s unconditional love and his siblings’ unending support. His troubled past had tangled with Claire’s quite a few years ago and they meet again – this time as neighbors who have been given half of an inheritance to Claire’s family farm. Claire is a straight-forward, no-nonsense, hard-working nurse who’s always felt unloved by her busy father and is in the midst of grieving his sudden death. Her daughter Zoe is absolutely adorable and her relationship with Reece sparkles as he effortlessly slips into his role as her father. The characters are deeply layered and multi-dimensional; their heartaches, hopes, and dreams are so real and tangible. The secondary characters are also memorable and lovable. The plot moves at a great speed and holds you captive until the very end.
If you enjoy contemporary romance, you will absolutely love this book. I can’t wait to read about Tucker, the third brother, in the next book. I received a copy of the book from the author and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
Oh my, who wouldn’t just absolutely love Reece Rainbolt? He’s strong and wise and steady. Kind of like the voice of reason in the middle of a storm. When he finds himself having to do something he never planned, he uses the situation to solve the problems between himself and Claire. And these are major life changing problems, so who wouldn’t want a man like Reece in their life.
I love the background of a peach orchard for this story for two reasons. One I didn’t know peaches grew in Oklahoma and the state I live in touches Oklahoma! The other is that my grandparents had a well-know peach orchard on Long Island (NY) before I was born.
I enjoy Tina Radcliffe stories. She writes clearly and her situations are always interesting. Her books are about people who could be real, someone I might meet in a rural town.
Anyway, this is a good book, the kind we need to read to get away in troubled times. Strong characters. Real possible situations. And a happy ending.
‘The Rainbolts come from good stock. Every one of them is God-fearing, easy on the eyes and a plain nice person.’
Tina Radcliffe brings us her second book in her Hearts of Oklahoma series and it’s just as good as the first one! I can’t wait for the rest. Reece Rainbolt was not the man he is now six long years ago and is shocked to learn he has a daughter. Clare Ballard comes back to Rebel, Oklahoma when her father dies and is equally shocked to learn that her dad left Reece half the family farm. She definitely does not want to stay in Rebel near Reece.
I loved everything about this book: the plot, the spiritual theme, the secondary characters. Radcliffe has talent, folks, and this series showcases it well. God’s mercies are indeed new every day and these characters need to get this down deep in their hearts. Expertly written and heart tugging throughout, I highly recommend this one.
*My thanks to the author for a copy of this book. The opinions here are my own.
Is it getting hot in here or is that just Reece Rainbolt??!! At first glance, readers will immediately be drawn to the handsome and charming Reece Rainbolt featured on the cover. Once you stop staring at the cover and begin reading this fabulous contemporary romance, Reece Rainbolt will undoubtedly steal your heart. Ready to Trust is the second book in author Tina Radcliffe’s Hearts of Oklahoma series. It can easily be read as a standalone, but you will also want to read Finding the Road Home (Book #1) to learn oldest brother Mitch Rainbolt’s story.
Handsome cowboys, small town charm, and strong family bonds… Author Tina Radcliffe pens a heartwarming tale sprinkled with humor that is sure to be a favorite among her readers. This is Tina Radcliffe at her best.
Discovering he is a father to former neighbor Claire Ballard’s five-year-old daughter leads Reece and Claire on a surprising journey of forgiveness and second chances. I loved everything about this book, and I wish I could be part of the Rainbolt family and live on Rebel Ranch!
If you are a fan of the irresistible Ty Porter from Becky Wade’s Porter family series, then you are guaranteed to love Reece Rainbolt! Ready to Trust is highly recommended for readers of inspirational contemporary romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.