4 STARS

Gage Copper got injured in world finals bull riding. He decided he needed to come home and make amends for his past actions. Gage is the 11th child of 12 in his family.They are a big family. Rich in money and good health. They care about their neighbors. Gage has been angry for a couple of years since his brother went blind.
On his way home he sees Layla Silver trying to get her cows back into the through the fence and off of the road. Gage stops to help her even though he is in pain and still in leg brace and doctor told him to take it easy.
Gage knows that one of the biggest mistakes he has had in the past is with Layla. He needs to make it up to her. Layla does not want help especially Gages. He hurt her in high school.
Layla went to college for one semester than had to come home after her parents died to raise her younger brother Reese. Now Reese is a teenager and getting drunk, skipping school and not helping her. Layla is working two jobs plus taking care of the small herd of animals. She is still not making ends meet.
Her mother taught her not to share their troubles especially her father's drunken abuse. She was only 19 when she got custody of her brother. She has been praying for help but she does not want Gage's help.
Gage is determined to help Layla especially with her brother Reese when he sees him drunk. He takes Reese to work on his family' ranch and then he started to teach him to ride bulls.

This is a clean read. I liked how Gage ended up helping Layla when things got even worse for her. The characters were good. I could not think how crowded and hard it would be to raise 12 children. It was a good enjoyable story. Plot was believable and easy to follow.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley and Harlequin.
publication: September 17th 2013 by Harlequin Love Inspired 224 pages ISBN: 0373878435 ( )

Layla Silver once spun dreams, back in high school, about someday settling down with Gage Cooper, but Gage wasn't a 'settle-down' kind of guy. He broke her heart and left Dawson to compete in the bull riding circuits. Layla had to grow up quick after her folks died and she's now alone trying to raise her rebellious brother, has a loan on the house she can barely pay working two jobs plus all the chores at home. It's getting to be too much. People would like to help but Layla has a hard time allowing people in. When Gage has an accident, he heads home to recover, over Christmas, with a whole new perspective on life. He knows he's done wrong in the past, and would like to make amends; a good place to start is with Layla Silver. Layla is stubborn about letting Gage help. She knows her heart could easily fall for the handsome cowboy once again and reminds herself that he's only in Dawson temporarily. Gage only wants to help Layla but finds she has him wishing for more than just lending a hand.

I've read quite-a-few in the Cooper Creek Series and have thoroughly enjoyed each one but I have to say that this is one of my favorites. I've wondered about Gage through the other stories and was looking forward to getting better acquainted. So, what's he really like? You'll have to read the story to find out. I loved all the interaction between Layla and Gage; especially the romantic tension, which is very appealing to me. As always, we get lots of family interaction complete with Cooper bantering, which I love. The Coopers are a warm and loving family and you just wish you could go to Dawson and enjoy one of Angie Cooper's great Sunday dinners. Yum! I appreciated the spiritual message of peace. The author reminds us that God gives us peace, not as the world gives it, so we're not to let our hearts be troubled or afraid. That was a big encouragement to Layla and Gage and to me as well. Something that's always a joy when visiting the Coopers is Granny Myrna. She is a great lady who is always exercising her matchmaking skills on the family but will she be successful with Gage and Layla? If you're looking for a great get-away, I highly recommend a trip to Dawson. Get to know the Coopers, you'll be very glad you did!

*This complimentary copy was provided by Harlequin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Publisher: Love Inspired (September 17, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373878435
ISBN-13: 978-0373878437

For more information about this book or Brenda Minton's other books, I encourage you to visit her website at http://www.brendaminton.net/ ( )