The Rancher’s Homecoming
by Anna J. Stewart
What a great final book in the Return of the Blackwell Brothers series! Anna J. Stewart has the job of continuing the story and finalizing this series in her book The Rancher’s Homecoming. Stewart does a fantastic job with both tasks.
Chance Blackwell considers himself the black sheep of the Blackwell family because he never enjoyed riding horses (blasphemy on a ranch!), he loves music, and he eloped with the foreman’s daughter, hoping never to return. Life is full of surprises, however, and Chance’s wife, Maura, passes away from cancer leaving him with a hole in his heart and an adorable preschooler, and without an inspiration for his songs. His grandfather, Big E, continues to manipulate behind the scenes, and Chance is forced to return to Falcon Creek to cast the deciding vote on the sale of the ranch.
The story moves quickly ahead while the reader gets glimpses into the past to see reasons for various characters’ actions. The relationship between Chance and Katie, his wife’s sister, who is also the acting foreman of the ranch, becomes complicated. The always likable sister-in-laws band together to try to make things better on several fronts. Will Big E ever explain himself? Has he changed? What influence does he have over Katie? Can the Blackwell brothers trust her? Should Chance vote to sell, hurting Ethan and Ty, or vote to retain the property, hurting Ben and Jon? Life is complicated, and so is the plot of The Rancher’s Homecoming.
This book is another in the series that lives up to its “heartwarming” moniker. Interesting characters, beautiful Montana setting, and a nice balance between introspection and action combine to make this a great read. If you haven’t read this series yet, I strongly recommend you put it on your TBR list for 2019!
I would like to extend my thanks to the author, Anna J. Stewart, for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance
Notes: #5 in Return of the Blackwell Brothers but will work as a standalone because of brief explanations of characters and past events as the book progresses
Publication: December 1, 2018—Harlequin Publishing
Memorable Lines:
There was nothing for him here. Nothing except bitter memories of a place where he never belonged and a family he’d never fit into. Forget being a square peg in a round hole. For Chance, he’d always felt like a banjo in an orchestra.
The melody found itself, as it always did, skipping and hopping its way through his mind like stones across a still lake.
The late-summer air brushed over them, warm and welcoming, as the river rushed beyond them and meandered through Blackwell land as easily as a bee to its hive.
“Don’t ever let anyone tell you libraries aren’t important. It’s where our dreams wait to be discovered.”
education pathways 
Congratulations on making your goal to read the series before 2019.
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Thanks! Feels good! I have one book review that I will post tomorrow and then three more books to read that were published on Dec. 18. I would love to finish them before 2019 begins, but I doubt it will happen. I have some Christmas TBR’s that I had hoped to read, but I will probably put that off. Looking at my list, I just saw that I have 3 books to read that I didn’t request until I pretty much had my December reading laid out. I guess they will jump to the top of the January list. I’m getting closer to getting caught up!
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I don’t have many ARCs left to read. It is very unusual not finished a book but this last week I had two. I have been a number this week. U am now reading some in May. I didn’t do post today or one for tomorrow. I am reading THE SHAKERS MURDERS. It is the latest book in the series. I like it so far. Not sure what I will read next. I wrote 3 reviews this morning Betty Webb book is one of them. My review is on Goodreads. I still need to write three more reviews. Couple of the books were novellas.e
I picked up Joy Avon new book, the second in that series. I have three books pre-order for next year.
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This is the best quote ever: “Don’t ever let anyone tell you libraries aren’t important. It’s where our dreams wait to be discovered.”
I really enjoyed your review Linda. You touched on all the important points and let us know how it made you feel. Wonderful way to end this series.
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Thank you, Carla. I enjoyed writing that review almost as much as I enjoyed reading the book. The series was well-crafted with things like 5 brothers so one had to be the tie breaker. Did you think Big E still had a share? I’m not sure. Hmm. At any rate, 5 different authors collaborating long distance. Pretty amazing!
Usually I include 3 quotes, but I just had to add the library in!😍
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The way the book finished also opens a door for one more book, What happens to Elias and Dorothy? What do you think?
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You are right. I wouldn’t mind reading more about the brothers also. I don’t know if the authors have a continuation in mind or not.
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You finished the series!! Go Linda!! So glad you enjoyed it. Loved your review. 😊
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Thanks, Laurie, and thanks again for introducing me to Harlequin Heartwarming books and this series.💜
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My pleasure!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. ☺️
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