I enjoyed this western, second chance romance. I bought this at a library sale and I voluntarily chose to review this story. I've given it a 4.5* rating. This is not for the under 18 readers but it pulls you in very quickly. The heroine can't figure out why her grandma left her house to her. But her reasons, kept unfolding, throughout the story. There were plenty of twists and turns and more than one bad guy. Hope to read the next in this series. ( )

Good second chance romance with a very intriguing mystery to go along with it. Annie had grown up in Whitehorse, but couldn't wait for the day she could leave to follow her dreams. Unfortunately, that also meant leaving behind the man she loved, breaking both their hearts. Thirteen years later, she's back in Whitehorse, broke, with her high-powered modeling career in shambles. All she has left is her grandmother's house, which she's determined to sell as quickly as possible, and leave again. The last person she wants to see is Dawson.

Dawson is not at all happy to see Annie back in town. He has worked hard to convince himself that he's over her, but as soon as he sees her again, he knows he's in trouble. In order to protect himself, he offers to help Annie so that she can leave sooner, thereby hopefully saving himself some heartache.

Annie did not come across as a very nice person at the beginning. From her attitude about the cowboy who helped her to her opinion of the town, she seemed snobbish and stuck-up. Considering the state of her career and her finances, I wondered if she had brought it all on herself. I did feel sorry for her when she saw the condition of the house, as it was stuffed with all kinds of junk. I softened a little bit toward her when she ran into Dawson's mother and was actually pleasant to her, giving me hope that there was a better person hiding inside the snotty exterior.

I enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Dawson and Annie. It's clear from the start that the attraction between them is just as strong as it was thirteen years ago. As much as he tells himself he wants her gone, Dawson can't stop himself from coming to her rescue over and over. These rescues hit Annie right in the pride, as she doesn't want Dawson to know just how far she's fallen. I got a little frustrated with her attitude when she would lash out at him. Dawson had the patience of a saint to put up with it. But eventually the antagonism faded and that simmering attraction started to heat up. Dawson can feel himself falling all over again, and knowing that she's planning to leave, that his heart will get broken again. Annie's feelings are also growing, but she can't see Dawson trusting her a second time. Even when they shared their feelings, they didn't take it to the point of actually talking about wishes or expectations, leaving each believing there was no chance. I loved the push that Dawson's mom gave him, telling him he needed to make a "grand gesture," though nobody expected the kind of gesture he ended up making. I loved the ending as Annie decided to go after what she wanted.

The suspense of the story was very good. As Annie started going through her grandmother's house, she discovered that her grandmother had been keeping some very interesting secrets. I loved seeing the layers as they were revealed, with each one being more amazing than the last. But Annie and Dawson weren't the only ones interested in unearthing Frannie's secrets. There was someone else who was equally determined, and he wasn't going to let anything get in the way. Getting the viewpoint of this player added an extra layer of intensity, especially as Dawson and Annie came closer to discovering the truth. The final confrontation had me on the edge of my seat, especially as it came with a couple of unexpected twists. The best part of all was finding the missing jewels and where they were hidden. ( )