Things get complicated when your teenage crush is now running your family ranch and suddenly you’re his boss.

Paige fought to get her Montana ranch back. Now that she’s won the court case, she’s spending the summer at the ranch to fix it up and sell it. She and her sisters need the money. It’s heartbreaking, but it has to be done.

Jake has been around since before her father died and he has dreams of owning a ranch just like Twisted Rivers. If he could only raise enough money to afford this one now that it would be for sale, his dream would become reality.

When Paige shows up, he agrees to help her repair the rundown ranch. What he doesn’t expect is to fall head over cowboy boots for the girl who’d crushed on him ten years ago. And now she’s his boss.

Things get dicey when progress is stalled by someone who wants to make the property hard to sell. There are too many suspects and Paige doesn’t know who to trust. Just as she pushes forward with her plan, Paige finds out that everything isn’t quite as it seems.

Titles in the Returning to Rocky Ridge series include — One Last Chance —♥— Two Cowboy Promises —♥—

This is a romance that includes no swearing, no violence, and no sexual content (beyond a few light kisses).

Title:  One Last Chance
Series:  Returning to Rocky Ridge #1
Author:  April Murdock
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  February 1, 2023
Publisher:
My Rating:  4.5 stars

One Last Chance begins the Returning to Rocky Ridge series with a change of lifestyle for triplets Paige, Kelsey, and Brooke as they return to their childhood home after years of fighting to regain ownership of their parents’ ranch.  After their parents’ deaths, the young girls went to live with their maternal grandparents who were wealthy and not afraid to show it – the ranch was a distant memory, for the most part, but Paige has done everything in her power to legally get their home back in their possession.  Yes, it might be somewhat run down now, but she’s certain that it can be brought back to the beautiful memories she has of living there… before she must sell it in order to ensure her sisters’ future.  She didn’t count on her childhood crush still being there, all grown up and handsome as sin… with his own wishes and dreams for this same property.

Jake came to Rocky Ridge as a younger man, one who was down on his luck and needed a chance.  The triplet’s father gave him that chance, and he’s forever grateful for that.  And sure, he was aware of Paige’s crush considering he had one of his own about her but now little Paige is all grown up – one beautiful, feisty, and stubborn woman who has made a plan and will stick to it in spite of not really wanting to let go of the home she’s coming to love once again.  Or the man that has helped get the ranch repaired, as well as losing her heart once again to both the man and the ranch.

It’s complicated in so many ways with the life choices her sisters have made not truly fitting in with the ranch, and Paige is all about self-sacrifice when it comes to Kelsey and Brooke – as long as they’re happy and cared for she’s willing to walk away from a dream.  Trouble is, neither of her sisters ever wanted or needed Paige to make the sacrifices she’s trying to convince herself that she can do.

I loved One Last Chance.  It’s an excellent, well-written opening romance for what should prove to be an intriguing series.  Jake and Paige fit together perfectly, even in their imperfections.  There is definitely a vile villain involved here, an entitled relative, and a love story that will be tested in the strongest ways at times.  I understood somewhat why Paige had her suspicions but also wanted to sit her down for a stern conversation about trust and love (they go together or not at all).  In all, I had fun with this story, and these characters, and cannot wait to see what comes next for the triplets.  If you love a well-written, engaging, fun romance with believable characters and a love to last a lifetime, then you should be checking out the Returning to Rocky Ridge series right now.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or author’s team via Booksprout. The opinions expressed in this review are my own – good, bad, or indifferent.*

Available for the Kindle as this title is currently in KU