Fairest Of All Book Reviews

Review

How is a city girl supposed to run a ranch in Sterling, Montana, build up its business, and learn how to depend on herself in order to get put back into her father’s will and have her trust fund reinstated? Well, Brielle Storm is about to find out.

Brielle has had everything handed to her since she was born. She hasn’t had to work for anything until her father realizes that she and her brothers have become over privileged snobs. He wants them to know what it feels like to earn what they get, so he disinherits all of them and buys up five less than stellar businesses. His plan – each one of his children will choose a company and then have one year to turn it around. If the task is completed and they’ve learned a bit about themselves through the process, they’re back in the will and all goes back to the way it was. At first, Brielle refuses to accept her father’s plan, but then a year or so later, she finds herself out of money and out of job, so even though she doesn’t want to, she heads to Montana to give ranching a try – too bad she doesn’t know what she’s doing and no one’s really willing to help the rich girl figure it out.

Colt Westbrook has had his eye on Ponderosa Pines Ranch for many years, and he figured that once the owner died that he could easily snatch it up and add it to his own property. But that doesn’t happen and now he has to contend with a woman who has no business being here. Pretending to be a ranch hand, his objective is to get Brielle to sell the land to him and hurry back to the city where her manicured nails and high heels belong.  But what Colt doesn’t count on is the fact that the more everyone treats her poorly and tells her this isn’t the place for her, the more determined she becomes to make it work. As Colt spends more time with Brielle, he soon realizes her tough and cold exterior is not who she really is, and as his attraction to her and feelings for her grow, he finds himself in a rather precarious position – does he tell her the truth of who he really is and what he originally wanted and risk losing her, or does he continue the charade and keep everything a secret, hoping it never comes out until he can tell her himself?

Hidden Treasure is a sweet and sexy read that shows how much people take for granted and what happens when people wear a façade that isn’t who they truly are. It took me a bit to get into the story because in the beginning, Brielle is not a likeable character. But I think Melody Anne deliberately portrayed her that way, so readers could see her growth throughout the rest of the text. Colt is a true alpha cowboy, and his confusion over his desire/need for Brielle is clearly demonstrated through his actions. The supporting characters are an interesting bunch, especially the meddling elderly women. Their matchmaker methods are quite comical, which only adds to the dynamics of the story. Overall, it’s a great read and a perfect addition to Melody Anne’s Billionaire Bachelors Series.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4 poison apples

Excerpt

“I hate it here!” she shrieked, feeling like a fool but not caring. She hadn’t been at the ranch for five minutes and already her world was crumbling. “Spiders, cobwebs, rocks, dirt, grime, and who knows what else! Lions and tigers and bears…”

Her angry tears soon stopped, but Brielle was still in a foul mood as she sat there trying to breathe normally. After a few moments, she pulled herself together. Wasn’t she better than this? When she heard the crunch of footsteps behind her, she grimaced, not wanting to deal with anyone or anything else right then.

Whipping her head around, she got ready to tell whoever it was to go away when her tongue got stuck on the roof of her mouth. When the person who’d invaded her privacy spoke, she felt even more disoriented.

“May I help you?”

Brielle couldn’t seem to find her voice. Since she was still sitting on the ground, the man standing before her was so tall, he seemed to block out the sun. His boots looked old, his jeans dusty — like that truck — and the shirt plastered to his chest had seen better days. Brielle tilted her neck all the way back to examine his face, which was shadowed by the brim of his faded cowboy hat.

“Are you real?” she asked.

When his lips tilted up in a sardonic smile, she thought for a moment that she might be fantasizing. No, not likely. Where she was from, girls never fantasized about cowboys — she preferred a man in a suit. Still, she had to admit, if only to herself, that the guy towering over her was one hell of a hot piece of man candy.

And then he spoke again. “You must be Brielle Storm. I’m Colt Westbrook.”