Baby Enchantment Rancho Encantado

Rating:
Summary: How can you investigate secrets while keeping your own?
Review: Investigative journalist Brooke Hollister's professional life couldn't be better - after she completes a story on the Rancho Encantado, she has the opportunity to interview a reclusive, yet popular, star that is sure to boost her career. Her personal life, however, is in shambles - her boyfriend told her that he wasn't ready to commit and walked out of her life, Brooke discovers that she is due to have his child in about six months, and her rat of an ex wants nothing to do with the child! Brooke is sure that all of the hoopla surrounding the Rancho Encantado is nothing more than a publicity stunt, and she's determined to prove it, while keeping her pregnancy a secret.

The ranch manager of Rancho Encantado, Cord McCall, is lucky to be alive, and he knows it. After surviving a rough childhood, he survived the rodeo and getting his back broken in a traffic accident. His past still haunts him though, along with unnamed secrets that are best left in the back of his mind. He adopts his aloof, unapproachable manner to keep people away and to avoid hurt, but he can't seem to get rid of Brooke Hollister. Once he is assigned to show her around the ranch, he is pulled into an emotional quandry, battling feelings for her that he believes he has no right to feel.

I enjoyed this book. It was well-written, with a bit of romance and a bit of history wrapped together. I especially liked the setting - in the middle of a desert with mountains surrounding the area. The American West does something for me! I was a little annoyed at the author's overuse of "to the extreme" and "to the max," a little too Valley Girl for my tastes. The characters were complex and interesting, and I could really empathize with Brooke's predicament. I definitely took her side, so much so that I wanted to slug Cord a few times! The book didn't have much "romance" in it though - both of the characters were dealing with a lot of emotional issues, and the romance almost seemed to be a subtheme instead of the main theme. Still, it had enough oomph to keep my interest, and earned four stars in my book.