#BookReview: Second Chance Ranch by Cindi Madsen - 5 Wine Glasses

Title: Second Chance Ranch 
Series: Hope Springs
Author: Cindi Madsen 
Format: ebook, 232 pages
Published: September 15th 2014 by Entangled: Bliss
ISBN: 1633750701
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | ARe
Source: Netgalley
Reviewer: Linda
Rating: 5/5

Sometimes love is right where you left it.

Sadie Hart has a plan: return to her small town of Hope Springs so she can regain her confidence—and bank account—before giving one more shot to her country music dream. The dream that means more to her than anything. The dream she chose over her high school sweetheart, the brooding and sinfully handsome Royce Dixon.

Royce has moved on from his memories of the beautiful Sadie. Now he’s focused solely on running Second Chance Ranch, where he rehabilitates troubled teens through ranch work. But when he needs a new employee and Sadie’s the only one to volunteer, he has no choice but to offer his old flame a job.

Whether riding a horse with the wind in her hair or mucking out the stalls, Sadie can still get Royce’s heart beating like no one else. But Nashville is her dream, and Royce can’t settle for second best.

Thoughts:
Sadie scooped up a big pile of crap and placed it in the wheelbarrow.  Royce turned to leave, but then she said, "You know, when I quit my last job, I told my boss I'd rather shovel horseshit than work for him." ....

Damn, damn, damn.  He wanted to stay mad at her -- to hold on to how badly the girl had hurt him when she'd left him the way she had.  But years had passed, and here she was, thanking him for the opportunity to shovel shit. 

SECOND CHANCE RANCH by Cindi Madsen is the perfect second-chance-at-love tale!  It's another winner for Entangled Bliss!  I'm a huge fan of Cindi's books.  I know when I pick up one of Cindi's books that I'm going to be treated to a sweet, fun romance that will hold my attention to the end.  SECOND CHANCE RANCH does not disappoint!  Add in the small town aspect, the humor and the ultra-sexy cowboys, and I was hooked for sure.   I easily connected to and really liked both lead characters - they were each fabulous, well-written personalities.

Sadie Hart, our heroine, was going through a rough spot.  She'd aspired to hit it big as a country music singer in Nashville but the stars weren't aligned for her when they needed to be.  So... she's taking a break to replenish her cash back home.  Sadie was downtrodden, but spunky as heck.  She certainly wasn't going to give up on her dream.  Sadie was appreciative of any job - even one with her high school sweetheart as her boss - and wasn't afraid of hard work.  Her attitude rocked!  I love animals, too, so I really appreciated the way she could relate to the animals, cajoling them to do what needed to be done and calming them as required.    

Royce Dixon, our hero, was a sweetheart.  He had fallen hard for Sadie years ago.  He'd even asked her to marry him only to have her suddenly bolt days later, leaving him with a broken heart.  Since then, he's devoted himself to his family's ranch and their home for troubled kids.  He has too much on his platter and is working himself to death.  He desperately needs another hand but hiring his ex-girlfriend wasn't what he had in mind.  Regardless, he's determined not to give Sadie his heart this time. 

I loved the western setting, the cowboys, the troubled kids, the rodeos, the animals, each of the lead characters' relationships with their families and the singing!   LOL!  I just LOVED this book!  It was a wonderfully entertaining read that I couldn't put down until I'd read every page!  Cindi devised the most awesome surprise HEA ending too... you just have to read it to enjoy it too!

Following please find just a few of my favorite quotes illustrating the humor and sweet romance to be found within the pages of this book:

“Is this where you demand I admit defeat?”
His eyebrows drew together, then understanding dawned on his features and his forehead smoothed. “No. This is where I thank you for helping me tonight.” Everything inside her unraveled as he undid the button at her navel.
“Besides saying it with your mouth?” Her voice came out as shaky as she felt.
“My mouth will definitely be involved.”
---
She glanced at the horse's stomach.  "You got yourself knocked up, girl?"
"Actually, it takes two to tango, in case you haven't heard."
Sadie laughed, the happy noise filling the air.  "Horse tango.  Sounds like quite the show."
---
She kissed him with all the built-up frustration inside her and drew it out, gently biting his lower lip.  He groaned, and she moved her lips to his ear. "The longer you make me wait, the harder I'm gonna make you work for it."
---
He kept trying to come up with words to say, but his brain and mouth were having a disconnect.  So he crashed his mouth down over hers.  She made a little gasp noise, and he took advantage, deepening the kiss, taking her stolen breath in and letting himself get lost in the feel of her soft lips, the familiar taste of her tongue.
He was half tempted to take her right here in the back of the truck, despite all the people nearby --the horse trailer mostly hid them, after all.
There was a small whispering in the back of his mind that they were gonna make a mess of things, but with her draping her legs across his lap and her nails running over his back, he couldn't help thinking that -- Well, actually it was more like he couldn't actually think at all.

I highly recommend SECOND CHANCE RANCH to anyone who loves heartwarming contemporary western romances.   Every time I read one of her books, I think that it's the best yet!  Well...this IS the BEST YET!