Second Chance Ranch

Isaacson artfully combines disparate threads in her contemporary Western Christian romance, the first of seven installments in her Three Rivers Ranch series. Recently divorced Kelly Russell is living in her parents’ house with her four-year-old son, Finn. When she heads to Three Rivers Ranch in West Texas to apply for a position as a financial controller, she runs into Squire, the younger brother of her childhood friend Chelsea. Squire’s grown up a great deal since high school, returning injured from the Army to help his parents on the ranch. What he hasn’t done is forgiven Kelly for refusing his invitation to the prom. Kelly and Squire are forced to spend a great deal of time together as boss and employee searching for $1.6 million that is missing from the ranch’s profits. Due to her wounds from a recent divorce and his from war (and from her previous rejection), they are both hesitant to pursue a relationship. Though this initial offering could have benefited from additional editing to tighten the plot and improve dialogue, the series has potential as a slow-building tale of healing and redemption. Isaacson’s love of all things cowboy shines through in this tale of two old acquaintances rediscovering each other on a welcoming Texas ranch. (BookLife)