Brooklyn Myers escaped her broken home and unloving father by eloping to Reno at the age of 17, but her husband abandoned her as well (when she was pregnant!). Brooklyn raised her daughter Alycia on her own, doing her best to make sure Alycia never knew the heartache and rejection Brooklyn had known.

When her estranged husband dies, he leaves the family home in Thunder Creek to his daughter. Believing it is the best way to give her daughter a stable home, Brooklyn goes home to Southwest Idaho. There, she encounters her husband’s best friend, Derek Johnson, a part time sheriff’s deputy who also owns an organic farm next door. Derek was never a fan of hers, but he promised that he would fill her absent father’s shoes.

Although Derek and Brooklyn get off to a bumpy start, he and Alycia quickly form a bond. Derek realizes he realizes he wants more than a bond, he wants to win her love. Brooklyn’s tempted to give her heart to Derek, but risking her daughter’s happiness is another story.

Will Brooklyn hold onto her self-reliance, or will she come to understand that the greatest gift she can give her daughter is showing her how to love and trust others?

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Having lived my whole life in farm country, I’m a sucker for any romance that involves a country boy. This was also my first Robin Lee Hatcher novel.

Overall I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my favorite. I found myself skimming large sections of the story (I read the book on my Kindle Paperwhite, and sometimes there were “pages” of description before anything happened). Some chapters were fun, others dragged.

Then there were the subplots. I was a little disappointed in the interactions between Brooklyn and her father. After all of the build up, I expected a more climactic confrontation, but it didn’t happen. And for some reason Derek’s grandma gets a lot of page time. I understand that she’s an important part of his life – and she helps Brooklyn quite a bit – but I wasn’t really sure why random chapters were devoted to her and her encounters (maybe that’s because I skimmed?).

This wasn’t my favorite romance novel, but it wasn’t bad. It reminded me of the Love Inspired books, but with some extra details and subplots to fill in the empty pages. If you enjoy the Love Inspired books, you’ll probably enjoy this book.

*I received a free copy of this book. The opinions are my own.