Cassidy Harte and the Comeback Kid

The Plot was very good - the answers slowly fell into place - I gritted my teeth and did not look into the ending to find out who the culprit was. I did kind of grin as I suddenly suspected what had happened to Melanie - I like to hold any thoughts in abeyance and let the plot thicken - with the author's help. Cassidy's change was a little abrupt from broken hearted to willing to take a chance - but what the hey. She is enjoying working at the Lost Creek ranch catering to families and working small herds of cattle as an excellent cook. But now her life is shattered? when she finds out that her one time lover, Zach Slater will become the owner of the ranch. And she doesn't want to know his reasons for leaving. Zach has made something of himself and now owns Maverick Enterprises and a ranch in Colorado but he still needs Cassie. She is the one love of his life. Cassie knows that there will be trouble when her brothers', Matt and Jesse find out that Zach has returned. And there still is the mystery of where Melanie is? Wade Lowry is a good friend and neighbor of Lost Creek and wants to marry Cassie. Well, Cassie just does not get the same feelings from Wade and she did from Zach. Zach made her feel alive. Zach soon found out that an apology would not be enough to set things right with Cassie and he wasn't sure about involving the past sheriff who was a bit crooked. Should he just leave [again] as Cassie still does not appear to have any faith in him. Without trust they would have nothing. A really good set of stories [for entertaining reading] - great characters - decent plots - goofy females - dangerously sexy heros - DEFINITELY RECOMMEND --m -- get rid of the hormones and bed hoping and bring in the pheromones and frustrations and denials till they pop.

I just finished reading "The Valentine Two-Step" (a companion book to this one) so I decided to read this book as well. I enjoyed the characters, and it was nice seeing some "familiar faces" show up again in this book. One thing I will say, this book fits a certain somewhat predictable formula, just like the "Valentine Two-Step" did. There is an underlying "mystery" that comes to a head by the end of the story. The same kind of affable character turns out to not be so affable after all (and we have fair warning of this beforehand) just like in "Valentine". No shock or big surprise in any this. It's not hard to figure out "who dunnit" in both books.I guess I am a little surprised that the author couldn't have made it a *little* harder for us to figure out the answer to the mystery. Did she have to follow the same exact formula (that was first seen in "Valentine") in this book as well? It was painfully easy to see what was coming.But still, this does not detract from the basic appeal of the book for general romance fans. It is what it is. A nice little romance tale. Not great prose, but who looks for great literature and prose in a Harlequin Romance anyway?

The only negative thing I can say about this book as well as the other two in the miniseries is that the book covers are singularly unattractive. Which fortunately has nothing to do with the stories themselves. This third installment, about the youngest Harte, the only sister, has it all - wounds from the past, a gorgeous hero (who has to do some serious grovelling, which I always enjoy) and true love prevailing in the end. By the way: The three parts reminded me strongly of Sandra Brown's "Texas!" trilogy, also about two brothers and a sister, which I loved a lot!

The Hartes of the Diamond Harte ranch, consisting of two brothers and a sister, will find love in the miniseries Outlaw Hartes. Their father was a descendant of Matt Warner, one of the original members of Butch Cassidy's gang, and was so enamored with outlaws that he named his children after them: Matthew Warner Harte, Jesse James Harte and Cassidy Harte. CASSIDY HEARTE AND THE COMEBACK KID proves that time and distance have no effect hearts destined to be together.Ten years ago Cassidy Harte's soul mate disappeared without a word only a week before their wedding. Everyone believes that Zach Slater left with another woman - the wife of Cassidy's brother. Over the intervening years, Cassidy buried herself in the role of surrogate mother to her baby niece while living with her brother. Now both her brothers have married, and her baby niece has a new stepsister and stepmother. Suddenly Cassidy finds herself cast adrift and without purpose. So she accepts an opportunity to put her remarkable culinary skills to work at a neighboring resort. Little does she suspect that Zach, the cowboy drifter she wanted to marry, is a wealthy business entrepreneur who has just purchased the ranch where she works.When he left Cassidy ten years ago, Zach left his heart behind. But it is doubtful that his subsequent transformation will be enough to convince either Cassidy or her brothers of his sincere intentions. He only hopes that beneath the hard, angry exterior still lies the one person in the world who had once believed him worthy to love. Desperate for an opportunity to at least spend time with Cassidy, Zach offers her five thousand dollars to stay on at the resort for another month. Now he must find a way to regain Cassidy's trust if he wishes to touch her heart. Unfortunately, the past has never been resolved and may very well rear its ugly head once again. Leaving again would be so much easier, for both of them, but his heart just won't listen.Author RaeAnne Thayne provides a powerful conclusion to her Outlaw Hartes miniseries with CASSIDY HEARTE AND THE COMEBACK KID. There is something especially endearing about two hearts torn apart by circumstance reunited by destiny. The maturation of Cassidy and Zach during their years apart makes taking chances harder and the rewards extraordinary. Indeed, Cassidy's understandable reticence and Zach's conviction that they belong together is both credible and touching. Further, Zach's motivation for leaving lends the plot strength and believability. Once again favorite characters from the previous two books of the series put in appropriate appearances, providing updates with intrusiveness. Indeed, I almost regret finishing this novel as the vividness of the characterizations through all three novels makes them seem like old friends who have come to live in my own heart. CASSIDY HARTE AND THE COMEBACK KID comes very highly recommended.