Match Made in Wyoming

Cal Ruskoff might work out on the wide open spaces of Matty's ranch (heroine from Almost a Bride), but he's built a wall around himself that no one can quite breach. At least not until a snowstorm forces Taylor Larson to stay at the ranch. She thinks she's making a hole in this tough man's armor, but in the end, she finds she's simply knocking her head against a brick wall. Cal isn't ready for a relationship, and Taylor is settling for anything less. In Match Made in Wyoming, Patricia McLinn crafts two people with painful pasts who find a brilliant future together in this second book of her Wyoming Wildflower series!

Small town lawyer Taylor Larsen is everything ranch foreman Cal Ruskin doesn't want to want. . .and everything he needs, even though he's convinced himself the secrets he keeps buried deep in his soul preclude his ever being able to love this warm, generous woman the way she deserves to be loved. But when a mutual friend, a scrawny, abandoned Collie puppy, and a perfectly timed Montana blizzard conspire to throw Cal and Taylor together for a very cozy three days in a very small house, Cal cannot resist at least sampling what life with Taylor could be like. . .and Taylor cannot resist prying apart the shell that Cal keeps clamping around him whenever she gets too close.This story is remarkable on many levels, not the least of which is the skill with which Miss McLinn tells it. You may think you've read every ranch/cowboy/snowbound story out there, but trust me -- this one is not only different, but proves, without a doubt, that some of the best writing around is to be found in category romance. These characters -- their dialogue, their fears, their complex personalities -- are very real. As a reader, I couldn't help fall under Cal's spell -- a good, troubled, mixed-up man who forces Taylor to confront some of her own demons, even as he refuses to face his own -- even as I completely empathized with Taylor's frustration every time Cal retreated into his cave, as well as her determination not to let him get away with it! There's a lot of subtle -- and not so subtle -- humor here, the lovescenes are at once tender and sizzling, and the emotions and fears of both characters wrap themselves around the reader's heart and don't let go. This is one of those rare books -- for me, anyway - - whose characters truly stay with you long after the final page. A keeper for sure!

Patricia McLinn's Wyoming Wildflowers miniseries continues with MATCH MADE IN WYOMING, bringing together two quite unlikely characters. Indeed, they have nothing in common except a mutual friend and denied passion.A searing kiss under the mistletoe proves that lawyer Taylor Larson and ranch manager Cal Ruskoff share a possibility for explosive passion. Despite their attraction, however, it takes their matchmaking buddy Mattie and a rescued dog to bring these fiercely independent characters two together. When they are snowed in together, passion ignites, and the resulting fire threatens to consume them both. Unfortunately, snowplows to the rescue dampen the flames as Cal resurrects the walls he builds between himself and all others. Indeed, Cal's past has left him badly scarred, and unwilling to risk his heart. He only accepts Sin, the rescued dog, under protest, and allowing Taylor to know of his past leaves him unbearably vulnerable. Although the plot seems to loose its momentum toward the end, MATCH MADE IN WYOMING is a delightful read with its rich characterizations. The hero's vulnerability makes him especially appealing, despite his tendency to push the heroine away even as they draw closer. Further, the dog threatens to steal the show with his charm and theatrics. Recommended.