Review: Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch

Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of Queen of Cowboy: regrets and old heartbreaks are unearthed in this sweeping love story as hometown sweethearts get a second chance at love—and being a family.

Retired combat medic Jesse Ryan hasn’t been home much since he enlisted twenty years ago. Now he’s headed back to Texas to help take care of his aging foster parents and run Sunflower ranch. But when he gets there, he finds his parents’ live-in nurse is Addison Hall, his high school best friend and the woman he always regretted leaving behind after their one steamy night together before he shipped out. He’s not at all surprised that their chemistry is still sparking, but Jesse is shocked to learn Addy gave birth to a little girl about nine months after he left—his little girl.

​Addy has her hands full as a single mom of a nineteen-year-old daughter who suddenly wants to rebel at everything. The last thing she needs is Jesse Ryan complicating her life even further, especially since she’s always had a crush on the handsome cowboy. But the more time she spends with Jesse, the more she wonders what might happen if they finally let their friendship blossom into something more and became the family she’d always hoped for. 

Includes the bonus novella Small Town Charm for the first time in print! 

Rating: 4.5-stars

Review:

Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch by Carolyn Brown is a small-town romance read. Inside, I find a woman who loved her best friend and had a one time fling. Soon after, he left for the military and she gave birth to a child. Now, after 19-years, the cowboy has finally come back home. Only he does not realize that the spunky attitude young lady is his daughter. She has her mom’s hair but his eyes and height. It does not hit home until his best friend tells him the girl’s birthday. Tension builds up with every page. The teenage girl is struggling with the fact that the ranch has gone to the prodigal son. Then, to make things worse, she is in an abusive relationship with a man. Jesse finds out he has a daughter, his dad’s health has gotten worse, and his long time best friend lives on the ranch. Addy has always missed her best friend, Jesse. She knows she needs to tell both their daughter and Jesse about each other. But she cannot find the right moment. Things go from bad to worse quickly. Addy just like her daughter, Mia are strong and sassy. They want to make their own choices. The women love with everything they have. Jesse is a true hero. He let God into his life and it shows as he deals with all the trouble headed his way. He lets Addy and Mia make their own conclusions. He gives them both space and time to get used to him at home. However, Jesse cannot take anymore sass and bad attitude from Addy’s daughter for too long. Jesse will be patient and kind. I enjoyed following him as he gave Mia what she needed from a dad. Then, there’s Jesse’s parents. They adopted him and his other brothers. They always wanted grandkids. Mia is similar to Jesse in a lot of ways that made his parents think she was his kid. But they gave Addy the time and space she needed. Addy had to let the secret out of the bag when she wanted to…I loved that Carolyn Brown created a dramatic story. There is plenty of action, tensions, fears, and heat to keep readers like me hooked. The story was family centered. That was well-done. The family felt real. Their problems unrolled just like they would in real life.Overall, this novel is full of second chances and love.