Montana Destiny

Montana Destiny by R.C. Ryan is a must-read for anyone who enjoys cowboys with their romance! It is the second book in this series, but it can be read as a stand alone novel. However, if you would like to get a better handle on the family history and the hunky McCord cousins, I suggest reading Montana Legacy first. After all, you don't want to miss out on these adorable cousins! Wyatt McCord has been searching the world for his safe haven- not realizing that his hometown of Gold Fever was it all along. His grandfather passing away has finally brought him back home, where he decides to get settled in on the family ranch and rekindle relationships with his childhood best friends and cousins- Jesse and Zane. Although Jesse's new marital status raises challenges, the cousins find common ground, the search for their ancestor's gold. Their grandfather swore that gold was buried on the family's land and although everyone called him crazy for it they were proven wrong when his death was deemed no accident. It is now up to the McCord cousins to solve their grandfather's murder and continue the intense search for the family gold. Will the clues lead them on a futile quest to solve the murder and find the gold? Now, I can't leave out the romance part, right? Right! We've got the town EMT, Marilee Trainor. Wyatt sets his eyes on her before he's been in town for five minutes and braces himself for an enthralling roller coaster ride of mushy emotions. Marilee's personality was spunky and fun and I had a good time watching her head collide with Wyatt. They share a similar past and she doesn't find herself taken with Wyatt's charm right off the bat. No love at first sight for Marilee, but before she realizes it, she finds herself furiously and irresistibly in love with our hunky hero. But love can't save you from a killer who is intent on taking you down- and just who would want to murder Gold Fever's hardest working EMT? Is it her connection to the McCord cousins' search for gold or has she created this disaster on her own? This book was great, I loved it. If the plot doesn't keep you going, the romance will! I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading Montana Glory, which comes out in November 2010. It was wonderful watching Wyatt and Marilee fall in love with each other and finally find a place to call home. These characters are magnificent, I felt like I knew them. Now, go out and pick up Montana Legacy AND Montana Destiny! You won't regret it, RC Ryan knows how to deliver an enticing mystery, suspense with deliciously inspiring romance. :) [...]

New York Times best-selling author Ruth Ryan Langan, under the pen R.C. Ryan, has written more than ninety fiction novels, both contemporary and historical in a career spanning more than twenty years. Other titles include: Montana Legacy, Montana Glory, Heart's Delight, Paradise Falls, Ashes of Dreams, Cover Up, Wanted, Passions Law, Angel, Deception, and Nevada Nights. She has also co-authored books with Nora Roberts. She resides in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Wyatt McCord is the irresistible playboy cousin in the McCord family, and the one who has traveled the globe, but the one place he feels at home is on the family's ranch. When emergency medic Marilee Trainor stumbles upon a clue to the legendary McCord gold, she not only finds herself under Wyatt's spell, but in a mysterious killer's sights. A series of accidents seem anything but, and now Wyatt and Marilee must go against their instincts to trust one another in order to save their Montana Destiny. This is book two in the series, with Montana Legacy before, and Montana Glory following. As previously stated for the first book, these aren't dark romantic suspenses, but contemporaries with an edge. Though they are stand alone books, I suggest reading the series in order to get more out of the experience. This series is mostly about three cousins coming home and searching for their late grandfather's gold hidden somewhere on their family ranch in Wyoming. There isn't a lot in the book regarding the actual search according to the legend though, and assumingly this will conclude in the last book, so I was hoping to see more action in this story. I also felt a lack of conflict between the hero and heroine, riding solely on her insecurities. This is more personal preference than criticisms. In saying that, I love R.C. Ryan's writing style. It's very elegant and descriptive. She transitions smoothly between characters and scenes, leaving the reader dying to see the happy ending. Readers also will be delighted in the Montana backdrop and secondary characters, which is what propelled my interest from the start. In a town as small as Gold Fever, the author needs to make the people in it as realistic as possible, which is no small feat. I found myself rooting for them and wanting to know them. I can't wait to read Zane's story in Montana Glory. This is a beautiful tale about love and family. Recommended. Kelly Moran, Author and Reviewer

The city of Gold Fever came by its name honestly. And everyone knows about the legendary McCord curse. All the McCord men have died trying to locate their ancestor's lost gold. When old Coot McCord died, his will brought three McCord cousins back to the Lost Nugget, the working ranch they grew up on together. Jesse, Wyatt, and Zane McCord reside on the ranch with their Aunt Cora as they continue Coot's search for the missing treasure. Emergency medic Marilee Trainor grew up as an Army brat. Having been moved dozens of times in her life, Marilee has finally chosen Gold Fever in which to settle and dig some roots. Driving the ambulance makes her happy. Often Marilee will fly her small plane to deliver and pick up supplies for various businesses in her new town. But no matter how busy she keeps herself, Marilee finds that a certain rugged, sexy cowboy is managing to slip himself into her heart. Wyatt McCord has been all over the world, but Coot's ranch is the only place that has ever felt like home. Lately there has been a lovely emergency medic that has captured his interest. When Marilee stumbles upon a clue to the McCord gold, she immediately delivers it to the ranch. That is when Marilee becomes a target in a mysterious killer's sights. ***** FIVE STARS! Watching this wild rebel and independent woman attempt to coexist was so much fun. This is the second McCord cousin's story. Though I enjoyed Jesse and Amy's story in the first book, Montana Legacy, it is my opinion that Wyatt and Marilee's is even better! (If that is at all possible.) The author, R.C. Ryan, delivers an ongoing tantalizing mystery suspense with heart warming romance. Sinfully yummy! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Montana Destiny is the second book in the Montana series by R.C. Ryan. Although I believe this could be read as stand alone, I would recommend reading Montana Legacy first to understand the family history and legend of the lost gold that the series is based on. Besides, all three McCord cousins are cute and you don't want to miss out. Wyatt McCord has returned to his family's ranch after travelling the world ready to settle down and get back to his roots. Wyatt's grandfather, Old Coot McCord spent his life searching for a fortune in gold rumored to be lost somewhere on the McCord family ranch and consequently died during his search. It was his death that brought cousins, Jesse, Wyatt and Zane back together and now they will inherit portion of the ranch if they continue in Old Coot's search for the lost fortune. Although Wyatt was raised on the ranch and is tough as any cowboy there, he is not what you'd expect in a typical cowboy. He has seen the world and prefers his Harley over a ranch truck or horse. He's also been known to be a bit of a ladies man. When he meets Marilee, an emergency medic, he falls hard and unapologetically. Marilee has fought long and hard for her independence and likes being on her own. Although she is attracted to Wyatt, and likes him very much, she fears that a romantic relationship with him could strip away her independence. When she stumbles across some old papers of Coot's that could be a clue to the missing gold, she finds herself immersed in the mystery of the lost gold and spending a great deal of time with Wyatt as he seeks to win her heart. Unfortunately, someone wants her out of the way will stop nothing to distract that McCord family from their search. This series is becoming a guilty pleasure for me. I find myself loving these McCord cousins and the trouble that follows them in their search for Old Coot's gold more and more with each book. The romance is sweet, the cowboys are sexy and the although the mystery is a tad bit predictable, it's still entertaining and keeps me turning the pages. I enjoyed Wyatt and Marilee's love story and look forward to Zane's adventure in the next installment, Montana Glory.

Home is where everything in your life evolves from and revolves around. You find peace there and fill the empty gaps in our lives. Wyatt McCord was searching for his haven called home and believed that traveling the world would fill the gap left in his heart after his parents' death. But when he returned to the place of his childhood after his grandfather passed away he realized that home was the ranch in Montana and family was his cousins Jesse and Zane. He had spent his youth running wild with his cousins and the friendship he formed with them was the foundation of his existence. They worked through the initial struggles of being back together after many years apart and now that Jesse was married new challenges presented themselves. However the one constant in the background that kept everyone talking was the search for the gold his grandfather swore was buried on the family land. Everyone called the old man crazy but when it was proven that his death was no accident the mystery surrounding the gold and where it might be hidden became escalated and Wyatt leads his cousins in an intense search to solve this mystery. Notes and clues are being found all over the ranch and even in unlikely storage containers in neighbors' basements. Coot's notes are helpful and validate the gold's existence but not enough to just say X marks the spot. Before Wyatt is even fully settled into the ranch he meets Marilee Trainor and his entire life takes another huge jolt right to the heart. She is the town's EMT and has a past similar to Wyatt's with having moved constantly as a child keeping her unsettled and looking for a place to call home. She was always trying to find a place that was a good fit for her and feel like she belonged and it seems she has in Gold Fever working hard for the town and its inhabitants. She is at first not enamored by Wyatt's smooth talk and charming way about him but he wins her over and before either realizes it they have fallen fast and furious in love. But someone does not want them to be in love or even alive. One accident was scary, a second terrifying but the third is horrifying and has everyone running for cover and trying to figure out who wants Marilee dead and why. Wyatt thinks it could be her connection to the family and specifically him but does that make sense or has Marilee stepped on the wrong toes and created this crisis in her life. Finding the place you belong is very difficult when you have had an unsettled childhood. You wander for far too long looking for just the right fit and when you find it the pieces come together and you take a deep breath and say out loud the phrase you have craved forever - I am home. Wyatt and Marilee have both been wanderlust at times but when they come together they realize that home is more than a place to live it is a state of mind. It is a place where you snuggle up at night next to the person you love who keeps you warm and makes you feel the comfort of their existe