ARC Review: A Rancher's Song (Heart Falls #2)

A Rancher's Song (Heart Falls #2)

by Vivian Arend 

Blurb:

Ivy Field's heart nearly broke when she left Heart Falls, but her high school sweetheart insisted she follow-through on her dream of becoming a teacher. She thought that meant putting their relationship on hold briefly, but it's taken eleven years to return. Now she's back, no longer a painfully shy young girl but a confident woman who knows exactly what and who she wants--a home and a family--with too-sexy-for-his-boots Walker Stone. He was her first; she wants him to be her last.

Walker "Dynamite" Stone was still reeling from his parents' unexpected deaths when Ivy left. He let her go, throwing himself into work on the Silver Stone ranch and dangerous living on the rodeo circuit. But lately Walker's adrenaline junkie ways have crashed--he's having panic attacks. Potentially devastating to his budding music career, they're a deadly handicap when shooting for eight seconds aboard an angry bull. He needs to learn to face his fears to save the family fortunes. If he succeeds, this time Walker will be the one to leave Heart Falls, and Ivy, behind.

Will Ivy and Walker have to give up on forever, or can they turn this rancher's song into a winning duet?

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 
Review:

So the story of the amazing Stone family continues with Walker and his first love, Ivy, taking another chance on one another, but sometimes love isn’t enough…or is it? For devoted Arend fans this spin-off series, set in the ranching world of Canada is just as amazing as her original, but the issues each couples face continue to be as unique as the men and women themselves. Arend has the ability to pull her readers into the lives of her characters and make you live each harrowing moment and dramatic turn in a relationship right along with them, bringing tears to our eyes as often as she makes us laugh.  This newest series is one that I wasn’t sure I would enjoy after being so attached to the characters from the previous one, but I find that I am becoming just as attached and falling more and more in love with the supporting characters as I learn more about them. If you are looking for an engaging read about a sexy cowboy and an amazing woman that steal his heart, you can never go wrong with Vivian Arend, but this one will definitely give you some extra thrills and pull you into their love even more. I cannot wait for the next in the series and to see the rest of the family again, but I am wondering what will come after that as there haven’t been too many hints of another spin off series to come.

Ivy and Walker were once both sure that they would be together forever, but when it came time for Ivy to go into her future she never imagined how long it would take her to return to their lives together.  Now that she is back the love she feels for Walker seems to have not paled in any way even after 11 years and she is determined to see if there is a chance for them to rekindle their love.  Walker has returned home, feeling his own failures, never knowing that he would find Ivy back in their hometown, or that she would still pull him like a magnet to her. Walker doesn’t want to rekindle a relationship because he doesn’t think he’ll be around for very long, determined to make his mark on the world if only to bring in the money his family needs in order to save their ranch.  Together they still burn up the sheets, but only time will tell if they are going to find a way to get everything they both want out of their present much less their futures.

Walker is the type of sexy cowboy that every woman thinks and dreams about finding for herself, especially since he is a gentleman on top of that.  His willingness to do whatever he needs to in order to help his family, even if it terrifies him, shows that he will always been devoted to those he loves and feels responsible for. I enjoyed seeing him find his way through the minefields he has discovered in his life recently and of course watching him rediscover his love for Ivy was an experience all on its own.  I was thrilled with the way he showed Ivy just how much she meant to him still and that she should never have doubted that he would be there waiting for her no matter came their way.  Ivy has gone through a lot in her short life already and one of her greatest regrets was leaving so much time before returning to Walker. She loves him beyond anything, but she doesn’t know how she can convince him to give her another chance.  It was so amazing to see her finding her feet now that she has returned to her hometown, all grown-up, but it was also heartbreaking to see her having to explain why she made the choices she did to Walker.  Together they are a great match and it is obvious immediately that they can conquer whatever the world throws at them.

Ultimately this story was a rediscovery of a love that never really ended, but instead was just back-burnered, and how those two lovers find their way back to each other forever. Walker has lived his life on his own terms for a long time, but his devotion to family and love for them always brings him back to his responsibilities. He is an amazing man and a true hero is every sense of the word, and seeing his love for Ivy made him even that much more lovable and sexy. Ivy was a sweet and unassuming woman, with a spine of steel hidden deep that comes out just in time for her to battle for the man she loves and the future she wants.   She is just the type of woman that I love to read about and to see find her feet in life and love.  The two of them together, going on an exploration of their passions and finding their way to a lasting relationship, burns up the pages and leaves the reader burning right along with them.  I was thrilled to enjoy this story and the love that built again between Walker and Ivy, and am looking forward to what might be coming next.  Vivian Arend can make any story into an amazing thrill-ride, I never doubt it, but sometimes I wonder how she manages to come up with all the emotional grenades she throws at her lovers.  Not to mention how she manages to get them past those problems and ultimately to an HEA.  Whatever comes next I know I’ll love every second of it.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.