Hero for the Holidays (Four Corners Ranch, #9)
Maisey Yates
This Christmas, could the cowboy from her past unlock the key to her future?When Landry King shows up at Four Corners Ranch with Lila, the teenage daughter no one ever knew he had, it sets the gossip mill churning. Landry’s daughter has lost her adoptive parents and is in desperate need of a new family. So this Christmas, the untamed cowboy is finally getting the chance to become the father he could never have been when Lila was born. Even if it means dealing with his other biggest regret…Fia Sullivan hates Landry King. That’s how it’s always been. At least, that’s how it’s been since their dramatic teenage love affair ended in a way that shattered their hearts and left them with wounds that never healed. When Landry dredges up her most agonizing secret, Fia’s devastated…and also overjoyed at the possibility of the new life they could have. But there's only so long she can be near Landry before their simmering desire reignites. Can they finally overcome their past pain to find new love—and new family—this Christmas?
Publication Year: 2024
No posts yet
Kick off the convo with a theory, question, musing, or update
Your rating:
4.5 stars
Whew! This book is heavy. But it’s also hopeful, joyful, and gives a fantastic HEA.
If you’ve been reading this series, you may have been anticipating this book as much as I was. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to discover the root of the animosity between this couple. As everyone at Four Corners Ranch had their theories about why Landry and Fia could hardly be in the same room together, so did I. Their back story is even more tragic than I had assumed.
There are a lot of things that happen in this book for “romance reasons” and you just have to go with it. From the way Landry ends up in the life of his daughter who was given up for adoption 13 years ago to the way Fia learns of Lila living at King’s Crest with him, on and on. All that being said, this book also does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to women and girls, their rights, how the world looks at them as opposed to how men and boys are viewed, choices, options, etc., etc. This bit of wisdom from Fia after Landry tells her he feels like an emotional preschooler next to her is a case in point:
“Because the world only demands men ascend to the emotional level of the preschooler, Landry. That’s the problem. So if it seems outrageous to you, it’s only because I don’t thing you realize how much is asked of women.”
BOOM! Mic drop.
Yes, in real life this story wouldn’t be so neat and tidy. That’s not to say there weren’t raw emotions on the page, but through it all I knew there would be a happy ending. I’m still going to say this story is so important in this day and age. It brought me the things I love in my Romance books (love, chemistry, butterflies, happiness) while also discussing important issues without cramming those issues onto the page without thought. It all flows smoothly and plays out organically.
I’m so glad there are more books in this series so I can watch this little family grow in the background of the other stories.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
0
© 2024 Pagebound