Family, community, hard work. It’s what always draws the folks of Morgantown back to the ranch—along with the promise of so much more . . . Widowed for ten years, now running the family ranch, Adam Miller is no longer the fun-loving guy who married his high school sweetheart the moment they graduated. His bitterness in the aftermath of her death even alienated his closest link to her—Lizzie … link to her—Lizzie Taylor, her best friend. But when Adam comes across Lizzie in a dire situation, he’s compelled to help—and finds himself with an unusual opportunity to make amends . . .
A struggling single mom, Lizzie’s extremely wealthy ex ran out on her when she got pregnant. But now he and his family have decided to fight for custody of her young son. When Adam shocks her by offering to pose as her partner, awkward as it may feel, it’s Lizzie’s best chance to hold onto her child. And as they strive to present a united front, their old friendship rekindles, sparking an unexpected attraction—along with past hurts and secrets. Soon they realize they’ll have to find a way to forgive if they want to move forward—especially with
each other . . .
Praise for Kate Pearce’s The Rancher
“Pearce’s fans and contemporary romance readers will want to pick this one up and read it to the end.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Fans of Pearce’s Morgan Ranch series and all who enjoy contemporary western romances will relish the love story.”
—Booklist (Starred Review)
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Adam Miller is a widower who is running the family ranch. Lizzie is a struggling single mom. He was married to her best friend but in his bitterness following his sweetheart’s death, he alienated Lizzie. Lizzie’s wealthy ex and his family has suddenly decided to fight for visitation rights to her four year old son. Adam now finds himself with a unusual opportunity to make amends and as they strive to present a united front, they realize they’ll have to find a way to forgive if they want to move forward.
This romance an emotionally gripping romance that tugs at heartstrings. The characters are strong, compelling and easily draw readers in and their pasts has this couple on a very rocky slope full of emotional angst and heartbreak but their rekindling friendship offers them both hope and the rebuilding of trust. There is no way for readers to keep from shedding tears here and there throughout this story as past hurts and secrets come to light not only involving Lizzie and Adam’s past but also Adam and his family’s past and with Adam’s in-laws also experiencing heart rending, life altering changes, readers’ hearts can help but become engaged with the characters of this story.
The plot is steady paced and full of angst with quite a bit of anger issues and hurt feelings blasting the pages but there is also heart tugging warm moments that brings smiles to the readers’ faces and Lizzie turns out to be quite the firecracker when it comes to protecting her son. The story kind of has another story going on as well, involving Adam’s parents which adds angst and excitement and there is a delightful heartwarming, mature romance bonus story included.
The Rancher’s Redemption is book 2 in The Millers of Morgan Valley series. If you read and enjoyed Kate Pearce’s Morgan Ranch series you will enjoy seeing characters from that series pop in from time-to-time. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the Morgan Ranch series, this book stands alone just fine.
The Miller family is made up of four sons, one daughter and their father, who divorced their mother when Adam was 12. The Second Chance Rancher was Daisy’s story and The Rancher’s Redemption is about Adam, the oldest son. We also get to meet the mother of the children and find out why she left her family.
We got quite a bit of background about Adam in The Second Chance Rancher and I was so happy when I found out that this book was about him. Adam was widowed at a young age after only a few years of marriage and it’s been 10 years since his wife died. He was once a fun-loving guy but no longer. He’s far too serious and bitter about other things that happened in the past, not just his wife’s death.
Lizzie Taylor was once Adam Miller’s good friend and the best friend of his wife. After Adam’s wife died, he pushed Lizzie away (I won’t tell why). When an emergency comes up, he helps Lizzie out and they begin to rekindle their friendship.
This is a pretty meaty story with a lot more going on than just the relationship between Adam and Lizzie. While I very much enjoyed their love story, the other elements and relationships going on made the story even more interesting. I love reading books in a series where each one can be read on its own but are also that much richer when read in order because of the connections between the characters from previous books.
Adam and Lizzie’s situation really tugged on my heart. He did some really stupid stuff that has to be resolved between them before they can move on. I hope there will be more books in this series. Adam’s brother, Ben, really intrigued me while reading The Rancher’s Redemption and I’d love to find out more about him.
Note: The book ends after 325 pages but there is a bonus novella, An Unexpected Gift, included that’s not mentioned in Amazon’s blurb for the book.
A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.
What appealing people they have in Morgan Valley. This is a second chance story for several characters, as is the bonus novella. I love this series.
The rancher in the title is Adam Miller. The Millers seem to have a lot in common with the Morgans. Both large families with long connections with Morgantown. The wives both left, leaving both their husbands and children, children to be raised by a female relative. However, Jeff Miller did not fall apart like Billy Morgan had, and with his sister Rea raising his children, he continued to live as he had before, and his children idolized him. However, like the Morgans, Leanne’s leaving, was not as it appeared and Jeff has held on to some secrets, that now are going to be revealed. Leanne wants to come see her children, and he is all for it, since he and Rhea have both been in contact with her all these many years.
Adam Miller and Lizzie Taylor were best friends growing up until Adam fell in love with Lizzie’s other best friend, Louisa Cortez. They married right after high school, but their love story was cut short, when she developed cancer. He fell into despair, and fourteen years later has not pulled himself out. Although he also cut Lizzie out of his life, when he sees she needs help with her young son, Roman, he steps up. Lizzie is being threatened by the relatives of her one night stand that produced Roman and at the same time Louisa’s father is also dying of cancer. Lizzie and Roman start to melt Adams heart, but can he step out of his wallow, and move on with his life and can Lizzie trust him enough to give another chance?
The bonus novella is about Billy Miller, who also has been looking for redemption from his past actions and finds it with his family- and Jay’s mother, Bella Williams, who he has known since kindergarten.
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THE RANCHER’S REDEMPTION by Kate Pearce is book Two in The Millers of Morgan Valley Series. This is the story of Adam and Lizzie. I do feel you can make this a standalone book. Adam, Louisa and Lizzie were young friends. Adam and Louisa went on to marry right out of school. But then Louisa past away and now several years later Adam isn’t the same person. Adam has responsibility of taking care of the ranch and his family. Lizzie always seem to crush on Adam but of course her best friend Louisa married him. Louisa’s death seem to draw them apart and Lizzie went on to someone else and ended up being a single mother after the father left the pictures. But now she is back building up her relationship with Adam at the same time trying to fight to keep her son.
Very moving read.
So much is going on with this story! Adam Miller lost his beloved wife and high school sweetheart to cancer after just 3 years. He closed himself off from everyone and has been in a kind of stasis ever since, even from his loving family. Her best friend and his good friend, Lizzie is back in town and he’s successfully been avoiding her. When Lizzie’s young son needs help, Adam is there to rescue them. Roman manages to worm his way into Adam’s hard heart. As we progress through this story we see such soul searching with Adam and his Dad. Adam’s Mom has come to visit after being gone for years after Adam’s Dad kicked her out with his violent temper. This also causes Adam to look into his heart to find understanding and forgiveness for both parents. He realizes if his dad can change then so can he. I love Kate’s depth of emotion and the character’s growth shown in this book!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opioions are my own.
4.5 stars
I said in my review of the first book in this series that I was looking forward to Adam’s story. Hoo, boy! It’s a doozy! Not only does his story bring out all the feels, but so does Lizzie’s. Just so much emotion jangling around in this story.
Lizzie is an awesome female lead. Strong, independent, caring, kind…the whole package. As a friend, lover, and mom. Adam and his wife were her two best friends and she lost them both within days of each other. One to cancer, the other to his guilt and stubbornness. Yet she soldiers on, creating a wonderful life for herself and, years later, her son. No matter how the family of her son treat her or that she’s never found true love, she doesn’t let any of that get her down.
On the other hand, Adam closes himself off after his wife dies and lives a very mundane and boring existence. He has a big and loving family, but doesn’t even realize how lucky he is or really participate in more than the work of taking care of his family ranch and doing what he can for his siblings. Nobody else is allowed into his bubble which means he’s not really living.
Adam has been avoiding Lizzie for over a decade, but a chance encounter throws them back into orbit with one another. Once that happens, they pull is undeniable and the chemistry jumps off the pages. And for a man who is so closed off to others, he is a natural with Lizzie’s young son, Roman.
There is a lot these two need to unload, especially Adam. While Lizzie is having issues with her son’s family, she knows her mind and has a healthy mental life. Adam not only hasn’t dealt with his wife’s death, he also hasn’t dealt with his mom taking off on the family when he was a young teen. Now his mom’s back in town and he’s talking to Lizze again so all those carefully constructed walls of his are starting to crumble down around him.
As much as I love this story, I hate Adam’s dad’s view on forgiving his mom. In fact, I’m not crazy about her either. Even after all the explanations I cannot understand how anyone can feel the mom only did the right thing by walking away. As a mother I don’t understand giving up at any point, especially once the kids were adults. I feel this part of the storyline may continue to trickle through the other books in the series. We’ve already seen how her leaving has impacted Daisy and Adam, it’s bound to have affected the others.
** I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in my review are my own and given freely. **
This romantic book about sexy, cowboy Adam Miller will touch all of your emotions. You will laugh and cry as Adam tries to climb out of the hole he built when his wife, Louisa died at age 21. It is now fourteen years later and he is starting to open up his heart again to his and Louisa’s best friend, Lizzie.
It was also interesting to watch the family dynamics of the Miller family whose mother left them when Adam was twelve. Now out of the blue their mom has returned and like a house of cards almost everything Adam believed is falling to the ground. It is a very emotional story with several other stories woven together that will have you rooting for Adam and Lizzie and for Adam’s family. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
This is the second book in the Millers of Morgan Valley, a contemporary romance set in a quirky California ranch-based town. This was a great story, the characters had emotionally troubled past which they had to move past to find their happy ending. The pace was wonderful, it was hard to put down. It was nice to see the characters from the previous books in the series. A wonderful read!
I had a really hard time getting into this book. I am not sure if it was just me and not connecting with the characters or what. It just seemed to be a very slow moving book in my opinion. Adam and Lizzie are both dealing with a lot of things that want to tear their worlds apart. And this brings them closer together but it can also tear them apart if they let it. It almost seemed like there was too much going on between not only the main characters but almost every single other character connected to them in some way. And because of this there was too much information that needed to be given and it slowed the story down. It’s not a bad read. The characters are likable and I did like their interactions with each other and with Roman. It was just too slow going for me.
Widowed for ten years, now running the family ranch, Adam Miller is no longer the fun-loving guy who married his high school sweetheart Louisa the moment they graduated. His bitterness in the aftermath of her death even alienated his closest link to her—Lizzie Taylor, her best friend.
A struggling single mom, Lizzie’s extremely wealthy ex ran out on her when she got pregnant. But now he and his family have decided to fight for custody of her young son Roman.
I just love the stories about the inhabitants of Morgan Valley we get to catch up with characters from earlier books. We met surly Adam in the previous book & I wondered if I would warm to him but from feeling lukewarm towards him at the start, I loved him by the end. I loved Lizzie who took everything thrown at her in her stride, she coped with being abandoned after a very brief affair on finding herself pregnant, she’s brought Ro up by herself & is holding down two jobs plus she’s always carried a torch for Adam. I loved how Adam gradually re evaluated everything & learnt how to let go & to begin to talk about his feelings. There is attraction between Adam & Lizzie, they want to be together however lack of communication nearly leads to disaster. I found it to be an engrossing read & the last couple of chapters had me in tears. I also loved the secondary second chance romance of Jeff & Leanne & then there’s Roman who was an absolute delight. I hope of the Miller siblings have their story especially Ben .
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
The Rancher’s Redemption by Kate Pearce
The Millers of Morgantown #2
Mired in loss and missing his young wife even fourteen years later Adam Miller is not ready for anything but being a loner. He works hard on the ranch, cares for his siblings, cooks and really doesn’t see much more in life than the lonely lifestyle he is existing in. Before the loss of his wife when he was twenty-one he has also experienced the loss of his mother who left the family when he was only twelve. That pain has lingered and the loss of his wife only compounded his estrangement from others.
Lizzie works hard to provide for her young son. Her best friend, Louisa, was Adam’s wife. She, Louisa and Adam had been friends for a long time only to have that friendship severed with the loss of Louisa. Lizzie works multiple jobs and cares for Roman without the baby-father in the picture…until some meddling relatives of said sperm donor show up wanting more than Lizzie is willing to give.
This is a story of loss, withdrawal, families, forgiveness and love. What has seemed true to Adam for so many years is suddenly being exposed as not 100% the way he has perceived it to be and it is shaking his foundation. Whether or not he will be able to grow out of the darkness and embrace a lighter brighter life is something I was hoping for as I read more of Adam’s story. And, Lizzie might be able to help him in more ways than one. I sometimes wished that Adam was not so stubborn and more able to open up but perhaps that will come over time and I will get to see Adam thrive as the series continues.
I am eager to find out who will have their story told next. I can’t wait to read Ben’s story as he was intriguing in this book.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in the series? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington – Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
NOTE: This edition also has a bonus novella that tells the story of how Billy Morgan, a slightly older and somewhat flawed main character finds true love – great story!
The Rancher’s Redemption by Kate Pearce is a complicated romance, full of memories and past deeds, both good and bad. Lizzie Taylor is the single mother of four-year-old Roman. Adam Miller was her best friend, 14 years earlier until her had fallen in love with her best friend, Louise. Adam and Louise had married, far too young, and were happy until Louise died of cancer at 21. After finding Adam at Louise’s grave in the rain with a gun, Lizzie and Adam had had sex. It was simply for comfort, but both felt guilty and so hadn’t spoken in over 10 years, until the day Roman had a reaction to a bee sting and Adam was right where he was needed and drive Lizzie and Roman to the doctor, where everything was made right with Roman with an EpiPen. Now that they were speaking, would they rekindle their friendship?
There is a lot going on in this book. Roman’s father had wanted nothing to do with Lizzie, and later, Roman, but all of a sudden his great aunt, who lives next door to the day care Roman attended, is in her yard taking photos of Roman all the time, next comes a private investigator, and then Roman’s paternal grandmother. All of this is making Lizzie a little crazy. Lizzie is the quintessential single mom at odds with the family that hadn’t wanted her son and now does. This, sadly, is a scene played out regularly, not always with the best results for the child. Lizzie works hard, takes classes online, and has generally given her life over to her child. Adam’s life is complicated by the return of his mother, who left 20 years earlier and brings confusion to Adam’s emotions. The reality is, after Louise’s death, he hasn’t allowed himself to feel and emotions. Now, between Lizzie and his mother, her is feeling far too many. He is a good, stoic character, who has to learn to live again, even after hurts have made it difficult. This was a decent book with regular people fighting to have lives. The reader will know someone in nearly every situation this book presents. It brings it all home. I recommend this book.
I received a free ARC of The Rancher’s Redemption from Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #the ranchersredemption
You know that feeling you get after reading a series of really “meh” books and you finally hit on one that makes you sit up and take notice? The Rancher’s Redemption was that book for me. I started reading it and didn’t put it down until I finished it.
There were a few things going on at the same time in this book, but it caused no difficulty in keeping track of the characters or the subplots.
I liked Lizzie, who could be forgiving and patient, but also she stood her ground when needed. I liked Adam, but there were times when I wished he could just let it go. Ro, Lizzie’s son was a good addition. I’m a sucker for a single dad or mom story. Adam and Lizzie had great chemistry, partially because at one time in life, they had been really good friends. They also had a few steamy scenes.
This book covered a range of emotions. Fear, anger, happiness, sadness, frustration, shock, and vulnerability just to name a few. It was about family, secrets, love, loyalty, and loss. It was about journeys you take in life that take you through darkness, and how you manage to rebuild to come out better on the other side.
The slowest parts of this book were about Adam trying to get his head together, whether it was about his wife, Louisa; his friend and his future, Lizzie; his mother, Leanne; etc. He just took way too long to come to terms with things. That had to do with his dad, who was not one of my favorite characters. The same goes for Roman’s paternal side of the family, including his dad. There are also a few mentions about the Morgan Ranch, and some of those characters.
Eventually, Adam and Lizzie get their HEA. I wish there had been an epilogue. I am also hoping that Adam’s other siblings get a book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed the Advanced Reader Copy of this book received via NetGalley.
Talk about an emotional read. Adam is the very definition of withdrawing from society and himself. He has so much emotional baggage over the death of his wife it is sometimes hard to read. Lizzie, on the other hand, wants to move forward with her life even though she has her own problems. Their working together to overcome their adversities makes this story a fantastic read. It moves along a little slower than other books in this and the related series, but I think it had to. You cannot rush into an affair of the heart even though it has been a while for each of the main characters. I thought the pace was well done.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
I highly recommend this epic, western romance.
There’s so much going on in this book, I hardly know where to begin. Adam and Lizzie have a lot of history, in that his late wife was her best friend, and even though more than a decade has past since her death, they’re still trying to find a way to move on. Adam is slowing finding himself as he reconnects with Lizzie, while she is struggling not to lose herself in his arms. The return – after more than twenty years – of Adam’s mother and the terminal illness of his father-in-law, along with the belated custody interest in Lizzie’s young son from paternal grandmother, combine to make this a trying time for both our MCs.
These two both have multiple layers of anger and resentment to work through, which makes this a complex and at times heartbreaking story. I was drawn in right from the start, and read it straight through non-stop. Their love is beautiful in its simplicity even though they have more than their share of hurdles to complicate it all.
Leanne’s return unpacks more baggage than anyone even realized was stored up, both figuratively and literally. This part of the story was gut-wrenching at times, yet it was important for all parties to work through all the decades of misunderstanding and blame. I have no doubt future books in this series about the Miller family will continue to address the much-needed healing and reconciliations for everyone.
After Adam and Lizzie’s HEA is secured, the book gave us a bonus novella focusing on Billy Morgan and Bella Williams. Theirs is a sweet, after-50 romance that will appeal to anyone who’s familiar with these characters from any of the Morgan Valley books. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
How does one get over a broken heart? Losing the love of his life, Adam has closed himself off from everything barring working from dawn to dusk on his family ranch. The fact that his grief is laced with guilt only exacerbates the situation. Lizzie on the other hand, is carrying the responsibility of her own mistakes and whilst she does not regret her sweet son one bit, life is more complicated than she ever thought it would be. They had once been best friends, but Louisa’s death has brought about a gulf of despair between them and there is no way of bridging it, until Lizzie is desperate for help and Adam is the only one who can provide it. This book is well written with complex personalities. It portrays so much pain that one cannot help but wonder whether Adam and Lizzie will ever manage to get beyond their mistakes. Although part of a series and characters from other books appear in this one too, this is a standalone and comes to a very satisfactory close. I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.
There were so many things I liked about this book and a few I didn’t.
I LOVED Lizzie!! She is an amazing mother, friend and coworker. She is a very understanding and forgiving person. I loved reading about the parts with her son. She truly only wanted what was best for him. Even putting the anger aside and trying to encourage her ex’s family to get to know her son. She was very kind to her deceased best friends parents and making sure they were OK. It didn’t seem like there were many people that didn’t like her. I also think she is a really strong because of even the things Adam has put her through time and time again, she forgives him.
Adam is a man who has been hanging on to grief for too long. He has become grumpy and closed off. Meeting up with Lizzie and working through their issues, makes him come out of his shell and deal with the emotions he has been bottling up.
There were so many thing in this book that I liked, my only complaint was there were parts that dragged on. Everything in this book was needed to tell a good story, it just got a little wordy in parts.
The Rancher’s Redemption is a contemporary romance by Kate Pearce. Ms. Pearce has once again provided readers with a well-written book. The characters are perfect for this story and my favorite part of the book. Lizzie is a single mom doing her best to raise her son on her own. Adam is a little angsty, but it’s not overwhelming. He’s a widower and has avoided Lizzie since his wife’s funeral. Lizzie and Adam’s story is packed with drama, humor and sizzle. I enjoyed this book and look forward to my next book by Kate Pearce. The Rancher’s Redemption is book 2 of The Millers of Morgan Valley Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Back in Morgan Valley, the author delivers another wonderful story. A story that will touch your hearts.
Adam Miller lost his young wife over 10 years ago. He still mourns her and has barely spoken to the woman that used to be best friends with him and his deceased wife, Lizzie Taylor.
Lizzie, is a single Mom whose one night stand never wanted the child and left her to raise her son by herself.
As the opportunity for a second chance at friendship commences, so are secrets from the past revealed. Secrets that might change their fragile future .
While these two are struggling with the past and the present, the Miller clan gets a visit from the mother that left twenty years ago. Why is she back? Were they all wrong as to why she left?
This is a story with many twists and turns that will keep you engaged from the moment you read the first page until the last one.
It’s a story filled with heartbreaking moments , endings and new beginnings. Be sure to have your hankies readily available.
Another winner in this series.
I was entrusted this copy by Netgalley and Zebra Books. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
There are three stories in this book and the main one is the reconnecting of Adam and Lizzie after ten tears of avoidance due to a major misunderstanding. The second one deals with a visit from Adam’s mother, Leanne after having been gone for twenty years and all the drama that thus creates. The third deals with Roman, Lizzie’s child, and someone trying to interfere with his life. This book brings to light a lot of misunderstandings, hurt feelings and lies. It is well written and entertaining in that you can’t imagine what is going to happen next. Adam and Lizzie are wonderful characters and you hope things work out for them. Roman is written in such a way that he pulls at your heart strings and adds a lot to the story. I love the story of the Miller’s and this is a great addition to the series. I would highly recommend this book.