Mason Hall, Navy SEAL, knows all about difficult
assignments, but his current mission is one for the record books. Not only must
he find a wife and get her pregnant or forfeit the ranch his family has prized
for generations, he must also convince his three brothers to marry, too before
the year is up. Who knew one city girl and three wayward brothers could put up
such a fight?
Regan Anderson can't wait any longer to meet Mr. Right,
so she's taken matters into her own hands. She's quit her job, given up her
nice apartment and undergone all the preliminary appointments to prepare for
artificial insemination. Still, becoming a single mother is daunting, so when
she spots Mason's Wife Wanted ad on the Internet one night, she's ready for a
few laughs. She's sure the ad must be fake, but when Mason answers back, she
soon finds herself wanting more than a long-distance relationship.
If Mason can just keep her talking until he makes it home
from Afghanistan, he's sure he can convince Regan he's her man. But when he
whisks her off for a trial run in Chance Creek, they're in for an unpleasant
surprise. The ranch is in ruins, the house has been stripped, and they're going
to have to work day and night to beat Mason's deadline to win it back.
Can two strangers pull together against all odds? Or is
this mission doomed to fail?
Fun start to this series about four brothers, each in a
different branch of the military, and their attempt to regain possession of the
family ranch. In a convoluted inheritance process, when Mason's father died,
the control of the ranch went to their Uncle Zeke. He has passed away, and his
son doesn't want it, so their Aunt Heloise offers it back to the brothers. But
she has particular requirements for them to meet. All four brothers must marry
within a year, with one of them having a baby on the way at the end of that
year. They must fix up the ranch and have one hundred cow/calf pairs on it simultaneously.
Mason is none-too-happy about the requirements, but he'll
do whatever he must to get the ranch back in the family, and he'll drag his
brothers kicking and screaming along with him. As the oldest and the first to
be leaving the military, Mason takes the lead by placing four "Practical
Wife Wanted" ads online - one for each brother. He starts going through
the responses while he waits to leave Afghanistan, separating the ones that
sound promising until he gets to one that tickles his fancy.
Regan Anderson is tired of waiting for The One. She decides
to become a single mother through artificial insemination. She quits her job as
a bank loan officer to start a new career as a consultant and moves to a
smaller apartment to save money. When she arrives home after her last day on
the job, she pours some wine and, feeling bored and lonely, browses the web.
When she comes to the "Practical Wife Wanted" ad, she's just tipsy
enough to respond to it. I loved her Austen-esque, over-the-top email to Mason.
I loved the communications between Mason and Regan while
he was still overseas. She was surprised to hear back from him and made sure he
knew she hadn't been serious in her response. But Mason is determined that
Regan is exactly who he wants and refuses to give up on convincing her. I liked
how they went from emails to chats to Skype. I loved their exchange of
questions and answers and how much they had in common. It didn't take long for
Regan to start thinking that maybe this would be possible after all. Mason
sealed the deal when he showed up on her doorstep, ready to add his in-person attempts
to the mix. He suggests that Regan accompany him to the ranch for a month and
see it for herself.
This is where things get tricky. The ranch is in much
worse shape than Mason expected. Uncle Zeke let things go near the end and sold
anything that wasn't nailed down. Further complicating matters, Zeke also died
owing money to many people. These people now look to Mason for repayment. I
wanted to shake Mason and tell him Zeke's debts weren't his problem, but
Mason's sense of honor won't let him do that. Mason's frustration leaps off the
page, but he's determined to succeed. I loved that Regan was with him each step
of the way and seeing her go from city girl to ranch woman. It isn't easy, and
the problems are realistically portrayed. There are some heart-wrenching scenes
as Mason deals with his memories of the ranch and its current condition. There
are also heartwarming scenes, such as the neighbors who come to help, not
collect, and the help Regan gets in recovering some of the things so important
to Mason.
I loved seeing the relationship between Mason and Regan develop.
Working and living together 24/7 gives them a lot of time to get to know each
other. Mason's honor and commitment continue to inspire Regan, and her feelings
for him grow stronger. There are times when his single-minded focus makes her
feel unseen, but he usually pulls himself out of those situations quickly. Mason's
love for Regan grows stronger as he sees her throw herself into restoring the
ranch. However, there comes the point where Mason starts to lose faith in his
ability to make it happen. I loved seeing Regan bring him back from the brink
and laughed out loud at how she did it. She also steps in with his brothers and
makes her own pitch for their cooperation.
I loved the ending and seeing the progress made when
Mason and Regan get married. It was great to see all three of his brothers
arrive for the wedding, knowing that Austin was now there to stay. I can't wait
to read his story and see how his wife hunt goes.
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