Kissing the sexy soldier was a dare she couldn’t resist…
HER SECRET RANGER
The Men of At Ease Ranch #2
Donna Michaels
Releasing March 6th, 2017
Entangled Lovestruck
Kissing the sexy soldier was a dare she couldn’t resist…
By-the-book event planner Beth Brannigan’s best friend dared her to kiss a cowboy. She should have said no. Instead, she said please…again and again. If her brother finds out she’s dating—okay, kissing—okay, sleeping with—one of his military buddies, he’ll kill her. Assuming he doesn’t kill his friend first.
Former Army Ranger Brick Mitchum isn’t a relationship kind of guy. But then he meets Beth and starts to wonder if maybe it’s time he settled down. She’s mysterious. Unpredictable. Curvy in every way he needs… And hiding something. He’s just got to figure out what.
I enjoy a good falling-for-my-friend's-sibling type book so when I read that in the blurb for this book my interest was piqued. Add in a former military man turned cowboy? Yes please! Her Secret Ranger had humor and heat, and was a quick read.
For the most part I really liked the main characters in this book. I felt the connection between them, the chemistry was spot on. The sexy scenes were, well, sexy and steamy. It was enjoyable to watch a man who specialized in one night stands find out he wanted more from a woman. Beth and Brick shared passion and humor, which made the book enjoyable for me.
What I didn't love was how long the secret aspect of their relationship dragged on. I understood why Beth kept things from the men, I do, but it just went on longer than I think it needed to. I didn't love Brick's reaction to the news either, it felt slightly out of character to me.
I liked the secondary characters in this book. I didn't feel they overshadowed our main couple or got in the way too much-except for Beth's brother-but as someone who has siblings, I get that fierce protectiveness. The pacing of this book-other than the secret part-was good as well.
Overall I enjoyed the book. It is technically the second in a series but can absolutely be read as a standalone. After reading this I plan on going back to read the first book while I wait for the next installment.
Q&A
with Donna Michaels
How
did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
Right from the birth of The Men of At-Ease Ranch series
concept, I knew from discussing with my editor that the heroine in the second
book, Her Secret Ranger, was going to be the sister to one of the other heroes.
The mistaken identity trope went into play, because the hero would never
“knowingly” mess with another Ranger’s sister. It made for a little bit of fun
trying to keep the two men from meeting.
What
did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I enjoyed writing all of it. I really did. The characters
practically wrote the book themselves. It was every author’s dream type book. They
were funny and sweet, hot and hardheaded, and then I got to revisit the characters
from the first book, including Lula Belle. Yep, this was one of my all-time
favorite books to write. I wish they were all this fun and easy.
Name
three things on your desk right now.
Three things on my desk, besides my laptop and mouse,
are:
1. Halo, my cat. She’s half on my lap, half on my laptop desk. Bless her. She’s been diagnosed with inoperable cancer, so if she wants to lay on my work, I let her, I just have to try to type around her, like I am doing now. J
2. Coffee mug with the phrase: Writer’s Block: When your
imaginary friends stop talking to you.
3. My phone so I can keep up with the messages from
authors about parties I’ve agreed to do, and of course, texts from my kids.
What
are some books that you enjoyed recently?
Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis. I’m so freaking
excited it’s going to be made into a movie!! I love all her books. Can’t get
enough of Jill!
What
do you like to do when you aren't writing?
When I’m not writing, if I have some me-time, I’ll either
read or watch TV. I have a lot of shows I usually have to catch up on once I
meet my deadline. Halo likes this too, because she gets to have my lap
unobstructed by the computer.
Can
you tell us about your upcoming book?
I just finished writing book 3, tentatively titled: The
Right Ranger. In it, I got to have fun causing a little chaos to Cord Brannigan
who is Beth’s brother and Brick’s best friend. He’s been kind of quiet,
unsmiling, and a little controlling in the first two books, so it was fun to
dig into why and give him a heroine who is a bit independent.
Don't Miss the first title in the series
IN A RANGER'S ARMS
Now a USA Today Bestseller
