He’s hoping to bury the past. She’s ready to settle the score.The Sterling Ranch’s season opening isn’t going so smoothly. With the ranch’s lodge full of guests and a Montana blizzard threatening, Will Sterling needs help—and he needs it fast. So when his childhood friend Poppy Carmichael agrees to lend a hand, he’s grateful for a second chance…and more enticed by the woman she’s become than he … woman she’s become than he cares to admit.
For Poppy, it was supposed to be a retreat full of horse rides and hoedowns—with a side of showing Will what he’s been missing all these years. But as the snow deepens outside, the guests’ suspicion and mistrust turn sinister inside, catching Will and Poppy in the crosshairs.
Weathering the storm in each other’s arms is all too easy for Will and Poppy, but will a confrontation with a killer mean their reunion is short-lived?
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author B.J. Daniels starts her Sterling’s Ranch series off with a bang in this suspenseful story of romance and revenge.
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Like the way love and danger twines.
Love all her books. Try never to miss one.
Gripping, menacing, and taut!
Stroke of Luck is a seductive, riveting whodunit that takes us to Glacier Park, Montana where the strong, confident Poppy is determined to show her unrequited teen crush precisely what he missed out on, and the easy-going, rugged Will is struggling to keep his visitors and those he loves safe with a killer on the prowl.
The writing is sharp and crisp. The characters are complex, secretive, and intriguing. And the plot is a passionate tale filled with twists, turns, familial drama, red herrings, secrets, lies, danger, sexual attraction, mayhem, delicious food, and steamy romance.
Overall, Stroke of Luck is an action-packed, sultry, satisfying start for the new Sterling’s Montana series by Daniels that keeps you on your toes, warms the heart, and leaves you eager for me.
Great book
Good combination of second chance romance and romantic suspense. Will is the oldest of the Sterling brothers and the one who has taken on the running of the family guest ranch since their father’s death. He has been waiting for his chance, as he and his father used to butt heads over the differences in their visions. When an old family friends contacts Will and asks him to open the ranch early for a business retreat, Will is reluctant but agrees to do so. Family housekeeper Dorothea predicts trouble and is soon proved right. When the ranch cook breaks his leg, Will reluctantly asks childhood friend, Poppy, to lend a hand. Though friends as kids, they didn’t part well twenty years earlier, and Will still feels the bite of guilt because of it.
Poppy had a massive crush on Will when she was twelve and he was fifteen. Being a typical teenage boy, Will was fine with hanging out with Poppy when there weren’t girls his own age around but ignored her when there were. Will’s attitude when Poppy and her dad moved away broke her heart, and she often dreamed of finding a way to avenge the girl she’d been. The call to help at the ranch gave her that chance. Poppy arrived at the ranch with one primary goal – seduce Will with her cooking, make him fall for her, and then leave him in the dust.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Will and Poppy. Will was bowled over by Poppy’s beauty, so different from the freckled faced tomboy he remembered. He’s drawn to her more than he’s been to any other woman, but he doesn’t do commitments. Will believes that he’s not capable of long-lasting relationships, and the last thing he wants to do is hurt her again. Poppy is just as surprised by the changes in Will. He’s no longer the cocky, too good-looking for his own good cowboy she remembered. Instead, he’s an incredibly handsome, kind, and thoughtful man, and one that she can see herself falling for all over again. Both Will and Poppy try to resist their attraction at first, but it’s a losing battle. I loved the horseback riding scene when Will makes his heartfelt apology to Poppy, which put a crimp her desire for revenge. As the book progressed, it became harder for both of them to deny their growing feelings for each other. With everything that was going on, Will began to question everything he believed about himself and his future, and wonder if there was a chance for him and Poppy. It took some advice from an unexpected source for him to take action. I loved his big moment at the end. He was adorably awkward but determined. I liked that Poppy didn’t make him suffer too long.
The suspense of the story was terrific. Big Jack had arranged the retreat for his two sons and several employees. It was clear from the beginning that none of them wanted to be there. I ached for the oldest son, Lamar, who was trying to save the company from his father’s poor business decisions and instead had to contend with Jack’s intransigence. The other son, Mick, spent more time flirting with the women than doing anything to help. Each of the other employees had secrets, fears, and generally bad attitudes about being there. Will was stuck trying to keep everything on an even keel, something that became much more difficult when one of the guests was murdered. Complicating matters, a blizzard trapped everyone on the ranch and cut off communications with the outside world. The tension increased as everyone looked at each other with suspicion. There were multiple twists and turns as first one guest then another would move to the top of my suspect list. Though some of my suspicions were confirmed, there were still a couple of things that came as a surprise. The final confrontations were intense and had me on the edge of my seat until they were all over. Will and Poppy were great, but the one who really surprised me was Dorothea.
I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. Fortunately, I already have them, so I can dive right in!
Stroke of Luck is the first title in B.J. Daniels’ new Sterling’s Montana series, and since I’ve enjoyed so many of her novels, I was eager to get in at the start of a new series, but while there were parts of this novel that I really enjoyed, there were also parts that just didn’t feel right to me, and for reasons I’ll explain, I can only give this novel 3 stars.
Sterling’s Montana centers around a remote Montana guest ranch high in the mountains, currently run by Will Sterling and a very small crew, while his brothers live and work in the cattle ranch in the valley below. The guest ranch usually doesn’t open for business until May because of the weather, but Will agrees to open it in March because he’s had a special request from a long-time customer, Big Jack, who owns a company which makes fly fishing vests. He wants to bring some of his employees to the ranch as a reward from the daily grind, and finally manages to talk Will into opening early for him and his staff for a 4-day retreat. But the staff is currently missing its cook, who is laid up with a broken leg, and Will scrambles to find a replacement cook to feed his guests. There is now a highly regarded catering company in the area, getting rave reviews, and he calls the owner of that business, Poppy, who, at age 12, fell in love with Will, who was 15, and Will didn’t appreciate being trailed after by a 12-year-old girl with a major crush on him. On the day her family moved away, Will broke Poppy’s heart, although we never learn exactly what he said to her that day, something that should have been explained in greater detail.
Poppy is surprised to hear from Will, she’s been back in town for about 6 months getting her catering business off the ground, but when she accept his job offer to cook for the four day retreat, she does so in order to put her plan in motion–to win Will’s heart with her cooking, make him fall in love with her, and then break his heart the way he broke hers, 20 years earlier. I found her revenge plot rather silly, childish, and rather petty for a woman of 32. Carrying a grudge for 20 years because something a 15-year-old boy said to a 12-year-old girl seemed utterly ridiculous to this reader.
When Big Jack and his employees, including Jack’s two sons arrive at the ranch, none of them seem particularly happy to be there. They are rude, unpleasant, disgruntled, and put out by the fact that there is no cell phone service, no wifi, and no television at the ranch. We also don’t get enough background on any of them to let us in on why they can’t seem to get along with each for more than 5 minutes. Big Jack’s sons question his motives and both think he’s running the company into bankruptcy. While the guests all love Poppy’s cooking, they can’t seem to maintain any sort of civility towards one another, and you know that trouble is brewing, especially with words of doom coming from the quirky ranch housekeeper, Dorothea, who’s busy casting spells, and smudging with sage, to ward off evil, and it’s Dorothea who instinctively knew what Poppy planned to do to Will. It also doesn’t help that there are some rather strange interactions among the guests.
What was unexpected in this novel was the murder of Big Jack. Dorothea found his dead body in the barn–and there are certainly more than enough suspects at the ranch. To make matters worse, a sudden blizzard hits the area, stranding the staff and guests, the land line phone at the ranch goes dead, and there is no way to call the sheriff or get help, and things get even worse when there’s a second murder. At this point the plot reminded me of Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express, and as murder mysteries go, this was a good one, and it kept me guessing until Ms. Daniels finally gave us the solution to this whodunit.
While I liked Will Sterling a great deal, I never really warmed up to Poppy. I thought her revenge plot was silly, and all Will seemed to care or talk about was her cooking skills and how pretty she was–not much to build a romance around. So, this novel worked far better for me as a mystery/suspense novel than it did as a romance. Most of what romance there is in this novel happens in the epilogue with the expected HEA ending, which was too little, too late, in this reader’s opinion.
This isn’t a bad read, all in all, it does contain a very puzzling and well written mystery, but having read a number of Ms. Daniels other novels, this is simply not as cohesive or believable as the others I’ve read by her. I liked it, it kept me entertained, but it certainly wasn’t as emotionally satisfying as some of her earlier novels.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
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5 star
I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, pain, secrets, suspense, and heartbreak.
This is Poppy and Will’s story. Will is having trouble his ranch is full of guests and there is a blizzard coming. Help needs all the help he can get. He gets it in the form of his childhood friend Poppy. He is happy for her help, but he also is drawn to her in a way he was not before. Just when they are getting the guest together danger lurks in the shadows can they solve the danger and keep the guest calm? Or will one of the gests make sure that does not happen? The closer these two grow together the more danger comes for them. Can they plan a future or will a killer make sure one of them does not have a future?
I loved these characters and the side characters. I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read.
I highly recommend this book.
Will Sterling and Poppy Carmichael have a history. Poppy had a massive crush on fifteen year old Will when she was a young girl. Like most fifteen year olds, he was only interested in the younger Poppy as a friend. Flash forward twenty years. Will runs his father’s vacation ranch and Poppy has started her own catering business. When Big Jack Hanson, a friend of Will’s father, requests that Will open the ranch before the season begins for a company retreat, he is hesitant, but caves in to the request. With his cook out with a broken leg, Will’s brother Garrett recommends Poppy. She is more than willing to take the job. This will give her the opportunity to get “revenge” on Will as he broke her heart. As the people from On The Fly arrive, Will gets a bad feeling. Soon things begin to happen. There was a reason that Big Jack had these workers, including his two sons, come up for this retreat, Big Jack is determined to find out who is trying to use his company for their own purposes.
Once again, BJ Daniels has spun a suspenseful story with many twists and turns. There’s murders, explosions, deceit, and subterfuge. Just when I thought I knew who committed the murders, a wrench was thrown into the works. Along the way, Poppy and Will discover their feelings for each other. There are many interesting characters in this book including Dorothea who constantly complains about all of the bad vibes from this group. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to other books in this series.
I loved this story! Great story with pretty amazing characters! I love a good cowboy story and Stroke of Luck was perfect! I am new to BJ Daniels, but I am so in love now! This story has everything! I cannot wait for more!
Stroke of Luck is more mystery than romance, and there is some decent suspense at its core, but it’s a little more cozy mystery-ish than I prefer. I like my mystery with a bit more grit than this one. That said, I did enjoy the suspense more than the romance here. It all hinges on Poppy holding a twenty year grudge over a broken heart. I might’ve bought it had the elapsed time been shorter or Poppy been older when the said heart breaking occurred, but the fact that she was twelve is just a little too out there for me. There were also a few turns of phrase that just didn’t mesh with a rugged cowboy and only served to pull me out of the story. I do think many will find this one more enjoyable than I did, but all in all, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
BJ Daniels and her series, Sterling’s Montana, is one filled of intrigue, lies and love in between. We have Poppy who has never forgotten about Will Sterling and the little crush she had. As adults now she is determined to make him see how mature she is and getting her true love. Will is trying his best to make the ranch a sucess as a place to have fun away from all the technology but so far luck is not on his side. Holding a retreat right now might not seem like a good idea but he’s trying really hard to juggle everything. BJ Daniels sure did a good way tempting Will into love and making him see Poppy in a different light. The first in the series starting of good filled with secrets, love and hello some really good food in this book.
“I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own.”
This was my first book by B.J. Daniels and having read quite a few cowboy romances recently I was looking forward to reading this one – but unfortunately this one did not hit the spot for me, I expected more of a romancee but what I got was more of a mystery / who-dun-it plot.
This just wasn’t for me unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with the characters or undertand what their beef was with each other really. Will and Poppy hadn’t seen each other for 20 yrs – 12yr old Poppy had fallen for 15yr old Will, got hurt and moved away. Will hire’s Poppy as a stand in cook at his lodge and Poppy plans on excating revenge by making him fall for her via her cooking? Throw in a strange company group on holiday where not everything is at is seems and then there is a murder – sorry just did nothing for me, which hardly ever happens.
Still you should read it for yourself if this is what you like, it just wasn’t what I was expecting at all.
Wil has been waiting to prove himself by running the family’s ranch like his father had. He definitely got more than he bargained for after opening early for an old family friend. Jack is the owner of On The Fly and he wanted a business retreat for key employees. He got more than he bargained for also.
When Boots, the ranch cook broke his leg Wil had to find a replacement quickly. When his brother recommend Poppy, their old childhood friend that was back after 20 years who had started her own catering business, Wil asked her. The only problem with that was Poppy had a childhood crush on him way back when and has never forgot him, is she out to make trouble for him now that he needs her help.
Will they have time to see what could be between them before everything else happens at the ranch? They only have 4 days but a LOT can happen in that time frame. Will Wil fall for her and will her plan work or does it backfire on her?
This book has suspense, action, twists and turns and danger.
This is my first book by this author and it won’t be my last. Will is in desperate need of a cook for his lodge that he inherited. He is hosting a corporate retreat and his cook has a broken foot. He hires Poppy his ex and she is out to prove that she can win him back through her cooking. The weather in Montana is unpredictable and it is March and they are snowed in. Will these two rekindle their teenage love? How will a murder at the lodge impact them? Pick up this book if you like a little murder mystery with your western.
Captivated yet again by another suspense filled getaway that has romance woven through it. I also noticed it a bit more this time too that it came at just the right points with the melting part at the end in a fashion that did not have to have it told in pages that luxurious moment. What was supposed to be sweet revenge persay turns out to be something else and bites both Poppy and Will. Something else goes down that pulls the reader to the edge and keeps them poised there tighter and tighter as each page is turned. Devoured from beginning to end I will look forward to the next one and see where that brother ends up.
Je ne connaissais pas la plume de l’auteur mais j’avais envie de découvrir cette histoire car le résumé m’a donné envie d’en savoir plus. BJ Daniels nous a concocté une romance avec une pincée de suspense et une grand dose de thriller . Le style est addictif et les personnages semblent tous cacher une faille.
Will Sterling est à la tête d’un ranch qui lui a été légué par son père et alors qu’il va ouvrir plus tôt à la clientèle, son cuisinier se casse une jambe et le met dans la panade. Big Jack , le patron de Over the fly a décidé d’emmener en séminaire 9 de ses employés et ce séjour ne sera pas de tout repos. Sur les conseils de son frère Garrett , il va donc faire appel à Poppy, une jeune femme qu’il n’a pas revu depuis 20 ans mais ils ne se sont pas quittés en très bon terme. Mettant son ego de côté , il va devoir affronter ses erreurs passés et ne penser qu’à son ranch. Mais l’arrivée des clients et de la jeune femme va déclencher des événements en chaîne . Le jeune homme ne s’attendait pas à ce que Poppy soit devenue une superbe femme , capable de lui couper le souffle. Si dans le passé , il n’avait pas le temps pour une histoire d’amour, qu’en sera t-il à présent. Quant à ses clients, la tension est clairement palpable entre eux et la tempête va sévir au sens propre comme au sens figuré?
Quand un meurtre survient, les doutes éclatent au grand jour et tout le monde semble être un suspect potentiel. Big Jack semble avoir imposé ce fameux séminaire à la toute dernière minute et cela a donc engendré de vives tensions. Ce patron semble aussi avoir des suspicions sur ses employés et ce huit clos semble être le moment parfait pour dénouer les mensonges et les trahisons. Ses fils ne sont pas en reste. Lamar est le plus présent dans les scènes car il veut reprendre l’entreprise familiale afin que cette dernière ne s’effondre pas. Il a noté des défaillances mais son père semble mettre tout en oeuvre pour ne pas entamer un dialogue approfondi avec lui. Son frère Mick semble lui plus se soucier de certaines conquêtes que des affaires ou de ce séminaire. On a dû mal à se faire une idée de ses intentions car telle une anguille , il nous file souvent entre les doigts. Lexi est une des employés et son attitude est dès le début suspicieux. Elle semble craindre quelqu’un ou quelque chose mais pas moyen de savoir ce qu’il en est. Elle ne s’ouvre à personne et seules les expressions sur son visage trahissent ce qu’elle ressent. D’autres suspects potentiels , tels que Ruby, Kirk, Channing, Allison et Dean , seront aussi de la partie et tous les doutes sont donc permis.
Poppy Carmichael a espéré en revenant sur ses terres natales pouvoir revenir dans le ranch où elle a connu des jours heureux . Malgré une fin douloureuse qui lui a brisé le coeur, elle pense tenir sa vengeance quand un coup de fil lui apprend qu’on a besoin de ses services. Elle se lance dans un service de traiteur avec sa meilleure amie Kara et elle accepte bien évidemment de venir faire la cuisine pendant 5 petits jours. Il s’en passera des choses en si peu de temps et si son plan de départ impliquer une vengeance, il se pourrait bien que son coeur se rappelle à elle. Elle sera une cuisinière hors pair et Dorothea la soupçonne même de faire preuve de “sorcellerie” pour apporter le mauvais oeil sur le ranch. Elle devrait être sur ces gardes car la femme de 50 ans ne compte pas la laisser sans surveillance. C’est à la fois marrant et inquiétant car évidemment , elle n’a aucun pouvoir magique si ce n’est celui de ravir les palais de ses convives. Face à Will, elle va de nouveau perdre ses moyens et sombrer encore plus sous le charme de cette homme qui l’a pourtant blessée. L’amour n’est pas prévu au programme et les meurtres ne vont rien arranger.
Bref, je découvre un roman de BJ Daniels et j’ai été conquise par la plume de l’auteur. Stroke of luck est un roman aux multiples facettes qui saura nous tenir en haleine que ce soit pour la romance ou pour le thriller. La tempête fera rage et l’enquête sera palpitante jusqu’à la révélation finale.
I received a free, advanced copy of this book from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
What started out as a cowboy second chance romance (at twelve years old, leaving in a nearby cabin, while her father worked for the forest service, Poppy Carmichael had fallen in love with the Sterling Montana Guest Ranch, Kate Sterling, who embraced the motherless girl and taught her how to cook and fifteen year old cowboy Will Sterling, who ignored her), escalated into a page turning murder mystery. Years have passed. The three Sterling brothers are now grown, having lost their mother years ago and their father the previous year. Will, the oldest was going to run the guest ranch, while his brothers ran the ranch. This was to be the first year when he was in charge of the guest ranch and things are not starting out well. One of the cabins has a leak in the roof, their cook broke his leg and he had been talked into having guest earlier than they normally do, because the request was from an old friend of their father’s. Needing a cook, Garrett, his brother, suggests that he call Poppy, who has returned to town and opened a catering business. Desperate, he calls her, hoping she doesn’t still hold a grudge against him. She accepts, planning revenge, having him fall in love with her and her cooking and then breaking his heart. When the guest arrive for a team building long weekend, none of them look happy to be there. As Will and Poppy dance around each other, someone starts to pull dangerous pranks and then there is a murder and a massive snow storm. I was reminded of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None”. Wonderful characters and a riveting plot had me staying up much pasted my bed time, but I knew I would not be able to sleep until I finished it. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Wil and Poppy had a young love years ago and it ended on a bad note, Wil broke Poppys heart and she was determined not to let him do it again. However things do not always go as planned. Wil is having as a bit of bad luck he is running his families ranch and his cook gets hurt so he needs Poppy I mean he could handle four days with her, and so he thinks. As these do spend time together things start heating up but do they really have time to devote to it because they are surrounded by danger and suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Enjoy!
Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) Voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions.
It’s March in Montana. Usually the Sterling Ranch is not open for business this early in the year. The weather is just too iffy in Montana in March. Will Sterling is in charge of the family guest ranch following the death of his father. Will is reluctant to open this early in the season but an old friend of his father’s has asked for accomodation there for a retreat for his employees. In honor of his father and the promised generous payment for their lodging Will agrees. There’s one problem though on this day the guests are arriving. The ranch cook has broken his leg and is out of commission. Having been told that his old friend Poppy Carmichael is back in the area and opened a catering business Will calls her and asks her to come to the ranch to cook for his guests for a few days. Poppy had a crush on Will back twenty years ago when she was twelve and he was fifteen. Poppy and her dad spent one summer in Montana. She fell in love with Sterling Ranch and puppy love with Will. He broke her heart back then and now Poppy has a chance at payback. Poppy agrees to the job proposal and thus begins a harrowing few days at the ranch. Was this payback idea worth risking her life?
Stroke of Luck by B.J. Daniels is the first book in her new Sterling Montana series. Usually this author’s books start with a bang but in this story there is a slow run-up to the action. Once the action begins it goes full force with explosions, murders and all sorts of mayhem. The mystery and suspense are ramped up and the author kept me turning pages to find out who is left standing and who did what to whom and why. This is a great mystery story as I always expect from B.J. Daniels. Definitely a great start to a new series.