The Troublemaker (Four Corners Ranch) – book review

The Troublemaker
by Maisey Yates
Release Date: November 28, 2023
Publisher: Canary Street Press
Book #6 in the Four Corners Ranch series
Number of Pages: 371
Contemporary Romance
Ages 15 and up
CW: past child abuse, abandonment, grief
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The heart wants what it wants—even if what it wants belongs to someone else. After the death of her father, veterinarian Charity Wyatt feels particularly lost. Thankfully, she’s not alone. Living beside the McCloud Ranch brought good friend—and notorious bad boy—Lachlan McCloud into her life at an early age, and they’ve had each other’s backs ever since. To Lachlan, Charity is the best thing that ever happened to him. She’s the reason he survived his traumatic childhood and he’d do anything for her. But with his brothers all settling down, he also needs a favor. Charity agrees to help Lachlan reform into the family man he never thought he could be—if Mr. Swagger himself can help her build her confidence in return. The only problem is the not-so-subtle attraction they’re both harboring! But the fire between Charity and Lachlan, once lit, is proving difficult to extinguish…

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This story wraps up the McCloud family’s portion of the Four Corners Ranch series, all of the brothers have found their HEA. Although I didn’t feel the author got as into the nitty-gritty of the abuse these boys experienced at the hand of their father as she did in Gus’s book, Lachlan is known to be the brother he took out most of his rage on. While I think this book can be read as a standalone, I also think the depth of the pain (emotionally and physically) Lachlan has can’t be known if you haven’t read The Rough Rider.

Charity and Lachlan have been best friends since they were teenagers. In truth, they were each other’s only friends. While Lachlan had his brothers and the other kids on the ranch around while growing up, he had a terrible home life. Charity’s father was wonderful. Kind, patient, and very loving. But she was an only child to an older single man who homeschooled her. These two couldn’t be more different, yet fit together perfectly.

The way Lachlan is so clueless about love and relationships is at times endearing and at times frustrating. Yet Charity isn’t much better. Neither had a great role model of what a good relationship is. Now Lachlan’s brothers are in wonderful relationships and he thinks it’ll be some magic wand if he gets married, never thinking of why these marriages helped his brother or how much work they put into them. But I still love the chemistry and connection Charity and Lachlan have and that they both are trying so hard to not hurt each other, even if they are hurting themselves.

I wish there would have been something added to this story about therapy. A significant other cannot be the “savior” for anyone. It’s not that Charity is that for Lachlan exactly, but it’s not like the love of a good woman and a few talks with your big brother will fix all his issues. This is fiction, but I still think with the things this family has been through it would have been nice to have it mentioned.

4 stars