The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch (A Gold Valley Book 9)
Maisey Yates
June 23rd 2020
Harlequin Pub.
The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch shows why author Maisey Yates is the Queen of the Cowboy stories. The characters are searching to find their place in the world. They are stories of hope, acceptance, love, and family with a small-town romance.
Yates noted, “In the first three books of this series the heroes are aware of their feelings before the heroine, which is not my tendency.”
The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch has the heroine as someone who enforces the rules, butting heads with the hero who likes to test the rules. Both are two lonely people in their own way. West Caldwell never had someone to rely on, while Pansy Daniels, although surrounded by her many siblings, grew up alone trying to make up for her little girl antics.
“Pansy was the first character I thought of for this series. She is a small woman who is a tough police officer that has an improbable name. Pansy takes herself very seriously and is committed, focused, and accomplished. Because she has to fight for everything she has succeeded at she can be prickly, stubborn, at times uptight, super self-driven, and a rule follower. In her case she had to overcome the pity people felt for her after she lost her parents. I decided to give all the girls in the family a flower’s name.”
Now a police officer, hoping to become the police chief to follow in her late father’s footsteps, Pansy had dedicated her life to safeguarding their local community, while fighting off the child stereotype. West is the illegitimate child of Hank Dalton and now has many siblings. He is learning to trust them, confide in them, and open up his heart.
“I wrote West as a bad boy type of hero, but more self-aware. At times he is mouthy, incorrigible, and always seems to try to get a rise out of her. He is a bit of a smart-aleck. Overall, he is dependable and is there for her and his step-brother. A steady guy. I have a quote in this book that Pansy says to the step-brother, but it can actually apply to West. ‘The world can take everything from you…Your money, your status, your home. Your job. Your family. But there are a few things in your soul that the world can’t have unless you give it up. Your hope. Your faith. Your integrity. That’s the measure of a person. Those things that can’t be taken and how hard you hold on to them. You’ve made mistakes, but it takes integrity to come and own up to them.’ What counts is his inner strength.”
After losing her parents at a young age and being raised by her older brother, Pansy now has to face-off against her new landlord, a hot-headed cowboy with an attitude. Both seem to have contempt for each other and push each other’s buttons. But there is a definite attraction, one that Pansy first tries to avoid. She does not want West in her life, especially since it will be frowned upon by the board who will decide the next police chief, a job she has wanted all her life. West is an ex-convict even though he was falsely imprisoned. But the more they get to know one another, the more they realize they care for each other.
This book has a touching story filled with humor, heartbreak, and finally love. The characters are brought to life and readers root for them to find their happiness.