Montana

Debbie Macomber

Molly Cogan and her sons live in San Francisco. Recently her ex-husband has been convicted and jailed for fraud and embezzlement. The publicity has been hard on them all. Also, the child support stopped when he was arrested, so they are tight financially. So when the foreman at her grandfather's ranch in Montana, she is given another curve.

Her beloved grandfather is dying. Sam Dakota, the foreman, calls her despite her grandfather's wishes that she doesn't know. When her older son Tom gets in trouble in school, Molly makes a decision. She calls her grandfather and tells him she and the boys are moving in with him in Sweetwater, Montana. He is thrilled at the news.

When they arrive, Molly realizes things are worse than she imagined. If it weren't for the mysterious foreman, her grandfather's ranch would have been foreclosed upon or have fallen down. She knows there's something secretive about Sam, yet instinctively, she knows her grandfather was right to trust him. Between them, they need to rebuild the ranch and discover who is behind the malicious and destructive vandalism that is threatening them.

This is an easy reading romance with a supportive story line. We quickly learn there is a white supremecist type militia building in the area of Sweetwater. The characters are likeable and believable. I like Macomber's handling of Sam as accepting of Molly and the boys rather than the potential resentful loner he could have been portrayed as. Instead we have a man who has had some hard knocks in his life, yet does not begrudge others. This is a great beach book, nothing deep, yet not light froth, either. It's an escape novel, so do just that with it.

Notice: Strong sexual content

Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber