Review & Giveaway: A Family for the Rancher by M. K. Stelmack

Welcome to the Blog + Review Blitz for A Family for the Rancher by M. K. Stelmack, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: A Family for the Rancher

Series: A Ranch to Call Home #1

Author: M. K. Stelmack

Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming

Release Date: January 24, 2023

Genre: Clean Contemporary Romance

Can the prodigal cowboy…

Teach her to hope again?

Horse trainer Mateo Pavlic wants to buy back his family’s ranch. But Haley Jansson isn’t interested in selling…or forgiving his twelve-year absence. Mateo has loved Haley since they were kids, and he feels a deep connection with her sweet son, Jonah. Soon, Mateo wants to be all in with Haley and her adorable baby. But can he convince her to risk her land, her child and her heart?

From Harlequin Heartwarming: Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookDepository | IndieBound | BookBub

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My Review

This story was a bit of a second chance romance, although it was less about an earlier romance and more about a second chance for these two adults who had grown up as kids together and hoped for more during the teen years. However, it was mostly about two people who had both been very hurt by certain events in their lives. And those events continued to impact them, even as they tried to start afresh together. Haley and Mateo sometimes gave me emotional whiplash as they backtracked and second guessed each other throughout the book! It really emphasized how damaged they both were emotionally.

Haley had huge trust issues, related not only to Mateo leaving twelve years earlier, but to also having been abandoned by her ex-husband. Mateo had also been betrayed by someone who should have loved him no matter what. It was what sent him running all of those years ago from a father who should have loved him instead of spewing hateful words. Mateo had struggled to feel loved and important ever since.

I liked the way Mateo immediately loved Haley’s little boy, Jonah. What a sweet relationship they had. Although these characters frustrated me throughout a good bit of the story, I was happy to see things work out for them by the end of the book.

(3.5 stars)

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

M. K. Stelmack writes historical and contemporary romance. She is the author of Heartwarming’s A True North Hero series, the third of which, Coming Home to You was made into a movie called Love by Accident. She has also written ‘The Montgomerys of Spirit Lake’ series. A Family for the Rancher marks the first in her new series, A Ranch to Call Home. She lives in Alberta, Canada, close to a town that the fictional Spirit Lake of her stories is patterned after.

Connect with M. K. by visiting mkstelmack.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a print copy of A Family for the Rancher and $20 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight January 25, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February 1, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway Here

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