Capturing the Texas Rancher’s Heart (The Tremaynes of Texas) – ARC Review

Capturing the Texas Rancher’s Heart
by Debra Holt
Release Date:  June 3, 2021
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Book #1 in the Tremaynes of Texas series
Number of pages:  170
Kindle
Source:  ARC from publisher
Contemporary Romance/Western M/F
Rating: PG-13
Read 5/29/21 to 5/30/21

She thought she’d protected her heart…
After a tumultuous childhood, nurse Jamie Westmoreland craves the comfort of predictability. She loves her quiet life in a small Texas ranching town and finally feels in control until a handsome rancher becomes her newest patient. He challenges her at every turn, but Jamie is too stubborn to admit she enjoys their sparring, and that he makes her heart race. But when his charming little cowboy son starts following her around, her long-neglected heart opens.

Thomas Tremayne, the eldest son of a well-respected local ranching family, is both mom and dad to his young son and has no plans to change. When a ranch injury requires an in-house expert, the nurse who called him out on his attitude is sent to help him heal. She’s even harder to resist on his ranch than she was at the hospital, but Thomas is determined to try—except he’s out-numbered. His son decided he wants a mom, and nurse Jamie is his choice.

Can two stubborn adults let down their guard long enough to let love in again? 

This story really sucked me in from the start. It can be tricky when a child is featured prominently in a romance. Now the main characters have to have chemistry between each other and with the child. Let’s face it, a parent is not going to jump into a relationship with someone who doesn’t get along with their child. The author does an amazing job with the relationship between Jamie and little Andy. She never oversteps her role as his dad’s nurse, but still manages to give the young boy love and support.

Not to worry, there is also plenty of chemistry between Jamie and Thomas. He’s the classic grumpy cowboy who is used to being in control. He has a hard time letting anyone, especially a stranger, take care of him. He is never disrespectful or rude, per se. But it’s obvious Thomas isn’t comfortable having Jamie in his home, winning the hearts of his son and the rest of his family.

Jamie has a dark and traumatic past. (CW: abuse, neglect) She doesn’t trust easily, especially when it comes to men. She’s also extremely caring and giving so it’s hard for her to keep people at arm’s length as she would prefer.

There was a lot to like about this book. There were some timeline issues, but nothing major that disrupted the flow of the story too much. There is some interesting and terrible history in the Tremayne family past and I’m hoping it gets delved into a bit more with the other sibling’s stories.

4 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**