The Maverick’s Midnight Proposal

Good book. Luke is the oldest of the seven Stockton siblings, and one of the three who left Rust Creek Falls after the deaths of their parents. No one has seen or heard from him in twelve years – until the PI hired by Hudson Jones tracked him down. But it wasn’t until Luke found out that Hudson is married to Luke’s sister, Bella, that Luke returned to Rust Creek Falls. He’s willing to spend some time reconnecting with his siblings, but then he plans to high-tail it back to Wyoming. They wouldn’t want him around anyway if they knew what he’d done. But if he’s planning to leave, why can’t he stay away from Eva?

Eva is one of the baker’s at Daisy’s Donut Shop and caught Luke’s eye when he first arrived. He caught hers, too. But Eva hasn’t had much luck in the romance department, most lately being one of Zach Dalton’s potential brides, and losing out to Lydia Grant (The Maverick’s Bride-to-Order). In spite of everything, she hasn’t let it get her down. She still believes that there is someone out there for her.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Luke and Eva. There’s no doubt about the attraction between them. Luke keeps finding his way back to Daisy’s Donut Shop to spend time with Eva. She’s easy for him to talk to, and a good distraction from the awkwardness of being back in town. He can’t resist when she invites him to dinner, and the way they connected over that meal was undeniable. But Luke is wary of getting involved and makes it plain that he isn’t staying past Christmas, and he doesn’t do relationships. On the other hand, Eva has no problem making her interest in him clear. I enjoyed the way she made the first move and the heat that flared between them. I also liked Luke’s surprise at her offer of friendship and “hanging out” together while he was in town. Eva knows that there’s a good chance that she’ll end up with a broken heart, but that doesn’t stop her. Over the next couple of weeks, they spent a lot of time together. Sure enough, Eva falls hard for Luke and finds herself hoping that he’ll change his mind and stay in Rust Creek Falls. Luke is more and more tempted to stay but is haunted by his past and certain that his family wouldn’t want him around if they knew. I loved seeing Luke get more involved with his family, and closer to Eva. Seeing him open up to her about what drove him away, and her understanding and sympathy gave me great hope for them. It was going beautifully until the arrival of a surprise guest at Danny’s wedding. I ached for Luke as he suddenly had doubts about both his feelings and Eva’s, and allowed his fears to pull them apart. I loved seeing Eva stand up for herself and her feelings. It took a bit for Luke to come to his senses, but he definitely redeemed himself at the end. His big moment was romantic and reminded me of my own engagement, which also happened on New Year’s Eve.

Another big part of this book was the importance of family. There has been a lot written over the past several books about the fracturing of the Stockton family. I have enjoyed seeing the efforts to find the missing siblings and reunite the family. I loved the acceptance and support that Luke received, and his eventual realization that love was what was most important. I would have liked a bit more interaction and resolution between Luke and Jamie, but hopefully, that will be addressed in a later book. I am looking forward to getting the stories for the other two siblings, Bailey and Liza.