Taking the Reins

April 6, 2015
Murray (The Game of Love) introduces readers to an authentic setting with likable characters in this promising contemporary Western series starter. Peyton Muldoon has a lot on her plate. The family ranch is struggling, thanks to her late motherâs mismanagement. Her siblings are scattered to who knows where, and horse trainer extraordinaire Redford Callahan is too sexy for her peace of mind. In order to get her ranch back on solid footing, she ignores the attraction, swallows her pride, and offers Red the head trainer position at M-Star Ranch. Red clamps down on his lust and takes the job, against his better judgment. When the two hotheads arenât arguing, they work well together and are explosive in bed. Despite Redâs reputation as a commitment-phobic wanderer, he accepts his feelings for Peyton early on, and is gentle and patient as he earns his passage through her defenses. The question is whether Peyton will trust Red to stay and accept that she canât control everything. Itâs a tall order for anyone to take that leap of faith, and especially so for Peyton.

December 1, 2012
Horse whisperer Redford Callahan has been trying to ignore his attraction to ranch owner Peyton Muldoon since he first laid eyes on her, and some instinct tells him he needs to keep his distance, or she might actually wind up taming him--a good intention, until she asks him to come on board as her full-time trainer. Peyton Muldoon will fight to her last dying breath to rebuild her father's ranch and horse-breeding business, and as much as she'd like to deny it, she knows that Red Callahan is the best man to help her do it. She also knows that with his stellar reputation and her ranch's decline under her mother's watch, the fact that he'd even consider working for her is a godsend. When he actually accepts the offer, Peyton's elated, and she's determined to keep her sizzling attraction to the distracting man under wraps. So she's flummoxed when it becomes clear that the sensual temptation is mutual. Ranching is a man's world, though, and since her mother barely kept the business afloat while gaining a reputation as a floozy, Peyton is a little sensitive to the thought of sleeping with her employee, especially with the added deterrent that Red isn't known for staying in one place for long. As desire smolders and the business stakes get higher, they are confronted with the added pressure of family complications. Peyton's sister, brother and nephew will all come to nest in the homestead, while their mother's shiftless ex-lover and Red's malicious father will threaten everyone's well-being and happiness. With good pace and an appealing plot that explores family dysfunction as well as a hot, conflicted romance, this book succeeds in keeping romance fans engaged and invested.

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