Wrongly Accused/Just Released from Jail
Hearts of the West is a double volume containing two full length novels, both of which feature main characters who have recently been released from prison.
Rocky Mountain Rancher by Pamela Toth
Luther had an unhappy marriage to an unfaithful wife. When her lover was killed he was wrongfully convicted and sent to prison. While he was there his ex sold his ranch and left the state. While driving away she got into a car accident and both she and their son were killed, leaving Luther with nothing.
After 8 years another man confessed to the crime and Luther was released. That didn't convince his neighbors of his innocence. When the man was killed in prison many people became convinced that Luther had called in favors to have him murdered in order to prevent him from recanting his, supposedly false, confession. The only thing Luther had to hang onto was the idea of getting his ranch back. To do that he hired on as a hand to the new owner.
Maddie has had her share of problems. She's a widow raising her 15 year old stepson and her 8 year old daughter and trying to run the ranch after losing her husband to cancer. She's as warm and open as Luther is closed off. They become lovers fairly easily, but getting to the point of admitting that they're in love is much more difficult, especially with the issue of the ownership of the ranch hanging between them. When a series of robberies in the area casts new suspicion on Luther he has to decide if he should stay and fight, risking Maddie's reputation, or give up and move on.
I liked this one quite a bit. It's my favorite sort of story---two people who have each had a hard time meet, fall in love and make things better for each other. I like people who have really earned their HEA and Luther & Maddie certainly did. I also liked the fact the the children were good kids, but in a realistic way, not overly cute as is so often the case in books.
Grade: B+
The Last Chance Ranch by Ruth Wind
Tanya Bishop fell in love and married young only to find herself in an abusive relationship. She stayed until after she gave birth to her son Antonio, then she ran to protect herself and her baby. She got a divorce but her ex, Vic, wouldn't leave her alone. She moved repeatedly and got a restraining order, but he always tracked them down. Finally Tanya realized that hiding would never keep them safe, so she bought a gun. When Vic came after her again she took her son to a babysitter and waited for Vic to return to her house. When he tried to kill her, as she knew he would, she shot him. As a result she was sent to prison for murder.
Her husband's family hated her and fought her over custody of Antonio. In order to keep him from being raised by people who hated her she asked that Antonio be allowed to live with the only one of Vic's family who had ever been kind to her---his cousin Ramon. Vic's sisters agreed on the condition that she allow Ramon to adopt the boy and that Tanya never have any contact with him. While she's in prison her only way of feeling a connection to Antonio is to write him letters which she never sends.
After eleven years Tanya gets out of prison and contacts Ramon. He agrees to modify the custody order and allow her to meet Tonio. However, the boy is bitter that his mother “abandoned” him and Ramon is concerned that he won't give Tanya a fair chance. Ramon is raising Tonio at the ranch he runs for juvenile offenders. He suggests that Tanya work at the ranch as a cook to give Tonio a chance to get to know her as a person before they tell him that she's the mother he resents so much.
Tanya agrees, but finds it difficult to be with Tonio without telling him who she is. Things are further complicated by the reawakening of the attraction that Ramon & Tanya felt for each other many years ago and by the troubled boys living at the ranch. When Tonio accidentally discovers Tanya's identity his anger threatens to destroy the the new life Tanya is struggling to build.
This was a solid story with likable characters. It was easy to root for Tanya to rebuild her life. While still in her teens she made one common, easy mistake when she fell for the wrong guy and she paid a high price for that mistake. Ramon has demons of his own and Tonio's struggle to understand what happened to his parents is understandable. All the elements came together to make a story that was heart-warming without being sappy.
Grade: B-
