Review: Montana Glory by R.C. Ryan

From Goodreads:
The last thing in the world Zane McCord wants is a wife. But after returning home to the family ranch in Montana to help his cousins search for the lost treasure that is their legacy, Zane can't help notice that love and marriage seem to be contagious. Both his cousins have succumbed, but he refuses. Determined to stay a bachelor till he dies, Zane wants to devote his time to filming documentaries and taking care of the ranch...and then Riley Mason walks into his life.

The last thing on Riley Mason's mind is romance. Sent to the McCord ranch to save the family's accounting problems, she only wants to impress her firm in Helena and be on her way. Life as a single mother isn't easy and she needs to impress her bosses for a raise. But when Zane McCord opens the door, her breath catches in her throat and a desire she's never experienced before takes over her. When the McCords insist that she and her daughter, Summer stay at the ranch, she's forced to give in and before long, she's pulled into their search for the long lost treasure. But she absolutely draws the line at getting involved with Zane McCord, playboy and heartbreaker extraordinaire.

But as they all get closer to finding Coot's lost treasure, a dangerous series of accidents target Riley and her daughter Summer. Can Zane keep her safe while trying to win her heart?

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This is the 3rd book in R.C. Ryan's Montana Trilogy (I think it's a trilogy); I did not read the first two books in this series.

Riley Mason is an accountant who has come to work on the hapazardly-kept finances of the McCord Ranch. As we read, we learn she's originally from Philadelphia, and has come to work at the ranch with her young daughter because she figured no one would ever find her on a ranch in Montana. (ooohhh, mysterious!)

Zane McCord is the youngest of three cousins running the McCord ranch after the death of his grandfather. He's just come back from two weeks of living with wild mustangs, filming a documentary, when he opens the door, expecting a nerdy male accountant, and instead finds a gorgeous female accountant. He's attracted to her but has been warned off as she is an employee and not just some chick.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked watching Zane and Riley fight their attraction to each other. I liked Riley's daughter Summer a bit even...she didn't drive me as nuts as some kids in books do. I loved that Zane spent time with Summer even before he decided he wanted to date Riley. The storyline for Montana Glory was good - my guess as to what Riley was running from was off the mark, which always makes for a pleasant surprise (for me, anyway). The side storylines were entertaining - there's a search for family gold (I'm under the impression has been a constant through all three books) and also a second love story between the cousin's aunt and the foreman.

Ms. Ryan did a great job of unfolding Riley's storyline at just the right pace. We got to experience her getting used to her new surroundings, learning to live with a loving family, learning to trust. Her background is revealed slowly, in bits in pieces until the big reveal (which is so tender and sweet), and of course this big, loving family rallies around her.

This book was definitely a balm for my "cowboy itch" (sounds like something you'd need cream for, LOL). The secondary characters were interesting and I wanted to know their stories; I actually went out and bought the first two books in the series because I wanted more of these delightful characters.


Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: October 26, 2010
ISBN-10: 0446548642
ISBN-13: 978-0446548649

My Rating:

This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.