Could home be ‘on the range’?After teaching at a prestigious university, Luke McGregor is headed home to his family’s ranch in Grand, Montana, to help his brothers raise their baby niece and nephews and to help save the struggling ranch. His long-time girlfriend wants no part of playing cowgirl and dumps him fast. Luke commits himself to being home for at least a year and throws himself into … himself into family and ranch life. A chance meeting with a beautiful and free-spirited woman and a promising first date makes him wonder if his place is necessarily in a big city.
Plucky Mara Ramos has lived much of her life on the road as a performer, but a dance injury, that permanently sidelines her professional career and ends her fling with a famous pop star, strands her in the middle of Montana. She likes the friendly small town and soon opens a dance studio intent on building a new life for herself. She enjoys inspiring her young students, but she can’t help but feel she needs more. A casual date with an enigmatic, flirty stranger, who is so much more than a cowboy, teases Mara with the possibility of putting down roots and finding a happy every after.
When Luke’s former girlfriend announces she’s pregnant, he’s faced with the decision of a lifetime. If he’s all about family, can he make a decision that will keep Mara in his life?
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Lovely story of loss and a surprise discovery of love.
THE RANCHER’s SECRET LOVE written by Paula Altenburg is a good, quick read. Family tragedy brought Luke home. Life isn’t always what you think it should be. Life throws you curveballs. Some you can catch and some you can’t. It doesn’t take Luke McGregor long to figure out that Grand, Montana is where he wants to live. The question is: will one of those curveballs make staying on the ranch with the ones he loves make that impossible? Altenburg’s happy ever after is original. Enjoy.
Professor returns to rebuild ranch (insert fellow professor fiance). NY dancer, injured and starting dance studio in ranch town. 2 misfits. I actually enjoyed this story quite a lot once I agreed to accept the premise.
Loved this story.
When Luke lost four members of his family to a plane crash, he never expected his fiancé to leave him in his time of need. Mara knows about sorrow and disappointment giving the reasons she landed in Montana. Now the two of them have the opportunity to bring peace and joy to their lives if they can leave the past and doubts about their future behind them. This touching story will have you believing in the power of love and in Mara and Luke’s corner to make it to a happily ever after.
This was a sweet , though, at times , heartbreaking story.
After the tragic death of their parents, sister and brother-in-law, three brothers find themselves caring for their baby niece and her two young brothers .
Luke McGregor is the intellectual and a university professor . He leaves it all to help with the children and in turn, the woman who was suppose to be at his side, leaves him and his town.
Mara Ramos is starting over in Grand, Montana after an injury that ended her dance career.
What started out as a casual date gets complicated. But when things seem to be settling , life throws them a curve ball.
Will they just have the memory of a fling, or will the future offer them their HEA?
A well written story that will entertain you with imperfect characters that make the story real.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley , the opinions expressed are solely my own.
Mara had an accident that ended her professional dancing career and hid in a small Montana town. She met Luke (aka her Dr. Pretty) and they hit it off. There is drama that they have to overcome, but one thing for sure is that they belong together. This is an interesting story with entertaining characters in the McGregor family. I am voluntarily leaving my review of this ARC.
It was way too much circumstances and very little relationship. When you have characters with tragic backstories you can A)explore them in a realistic relationship way B)make the relationship the calm in the storm C)make like your characters are psychics and magically know deepest desires without being told. I prefer choice A. I got B. And Ms. Oldenburg went with the ever Hollywood popular C. Mara may end up being everything Luke needs and vice versa but they really have nothing in common. So, tragedy and misunderstanding could drive them apart instead of forging them together. We don’t know because we simply don’t know them. We only know what happened to them in a short period of time.
I enjoy a story about family dynamics and how they over come their differences and look out for each other
EIt was good!
Just okay. Kind of an odd, mostly unrealistic twist to the story that just ended up too neatly.
Loved this book! HEA in the best way.
My first read of a book by altenburg and I plan to read the entire series
Fantastic story and I wish it had been longer. Can’t wait to read more about this family!
Great love story! Ironically, I grew up in Montana at the confluence of the Tongue River and the Yellowstone! Slightly different than Grand! However, I did know where Forsyth was!!
Loving this series!!! Excellent story telling beginning and ending and can’t wait for the 3rd book.
@corinne4
Luke and Mara have both had life changing situations. Mara, a dancer, whose injury causes her to have to change tracks. This is compounded by her heart being broken by her former love – a famous pop star. Luke deciding to leave behind his college professorship to move home to share the responsibility with his brothers of the family ranch and their sister’s children. His choice makes his former girlfriend give up on him.
How these two broken hearts get together, keep resisting each other and then are drawn into a relationship that is tested by another twist in the tale, makes a very good read. I liked both the characters and the choices they made.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader’s copy of this book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion.
This is the second book in the series. You do not have to have read the first book as the author gives you the enough info for you to follow along so you understand what is going on with the brother from book 1 (although I would recommend reading it). In this book we are getting the studious or more serious of the brothers, Dr Luke McGregor. Luke is a professor and has not worked the land since he was in high school (if he did it much then) because he always had his nose in a book or two. He has come back to the ranch for a year to help out with the death of his parents, brother, & sister-in-law. He and his 2 brothers will take care of the kids. Mara is is a dancer in Grand after a tragic accident. She is teaching dance and learning to be herself again. Luke or Dr Pretty as Mara calls him has to decide if life as an academic or life as a rancher with the kids is the best place for him. Grand Country living or loud big city life? So many decisions to be made and more. Love, Romance and yes dancing!!
This is the second book in the MacGregor Brothers series. I think I would have liked to read the first book before this. The character building was pretty much done before. The story played out nicely. I don’t think life works out that easily. My opinion is the book came together too easily. Boy and girl break up; boy meets other girl; first girl comes up pregnant; first girl gives baby to boy and second girl. There was no angst; everything was just too simplistic. Even though it was a HEA ending, I didn’t feel there was enough meat in the story.
This book was gifted to me by the publisher for an honest review.
Luke has returned home to help raise his nephews and niece. Luke is a professor at a university, where he thought he was happy with his girlfriend, until he asked her to move to the family ranch.
Mara has arrived to Grand, Montana to open a dance studio for young kids after a debilitating injury ending her professional dance career.
Neither are looking for a relationship but they can’t deny the chemistry between them. Will it last after, Luke has a surprise from his ex-girlfriend.
Loved this book. The banter between Luke and Mara was so much fun. This story is all about the importance of family.
This is the second book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. Can’t wait to read the next book!!