Branded
The Cavanaugh Brothers, Book #1
By Laura Wright
ISBN# 9780451464873
Author’s Website: http://www.laurawright.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
After their little sister was abducted and murdered, life on the Triple C ranch became a living hell for the three Cavanaugh brothers, forcing them all to leave their home as soon as they were able. But now their father has passed away and they must all return for the funeral and the will reading, and to decide once and for all, what will become of the ranch they once loved.
Deacon Cavanaugh is the oldest of the three brothers and the one most hell-bent on the destruction of the ranch his father built. He will stop at nothing in his quest to see it ruined. He even bought up the land around it to create a better ranch to run it out of business. But with his father’s passing, he sees the opportunity of being able to finally get his hands on the blasted property and bulldoze it to the ground!
Will the revelation of another brother put a stop to his plans? Or will it be the only girl that could ever hold his heart that would do anything to save the land he wants destroyed that will stop him?
Ok I’ll be honest. I judged a book by its cover. The hot shirtless cowboy on the cover of this book made me want to read this story! Usually I can expect disappointment making decisions like that, but not this time! I found that this was an engaging tale filled with heat, anger, vengeance, and even love; all combined for a book I couldn’t stop reading!
Let’s start with our brooding cowboy, Deacon. Strong, successful, rich and handsome. The only thing he’s ever been denied was getting his hands on the Triple C ranch so he could erase the horrors that have happened there once and for all. But being back at the ranch to claim what is his and see his years of planning to it conclusion, also means being with his sister’s best friend, the girl that always had the hots for Deacon, Mac. She is now the foreman of the ranch and is his biggest obstacle of making his plans all come true.
I really liked Deacon and I could completely understand his need for vengeance after what his mother put him and his brothers through. The scars that are left are permanent, literally. But it’s also good to see what the love of a good woman can do to put out the fire that blazes within him.
There aren’t many female counterparts as strong as or stronger than Mackenzie Byrd though. She’s the perfect adversary to go up against our brooding cowboy! She can understand Deacon and what he’s lost better than most, as she lost Cass too. Her best friend that was taken way too soon. And only a person that can understand Deacon’s pain will ever have a chance to bring him back from the abyss. But will she be enough to save the ranch and the town who depends on it for their very survival?
As you can tell, I really enjoyed this read. My only complaints are pretty minor. In every story you read there are certain phrases and mannerisms that you can associate with one character or another. You learn how they speak and how they react, which makes it easy to identify who’s talking even when the author doesn’t specify who’s speaking. So one of my complaints throughout this story was how every single character would call people ‘Darlin’, I know that we’re in the country in this book, but I really have a hard time believing that everybody uses that endearment! It did drive me a little crazy, but not so much that I couldn’t look past it.
My only other complaint is the ending. Things with Deacon and Mac and his brothers were nice, but I really could have done without what we learned on the last few pages. I think it would have been better served as a start to the next book, but that’s just my personal preference. I still really enjoyed this book and can’t wait until October to read James’s story! Sheridan better brace herself! It’s going to be a wild ride!
Anybody that enjoys a good cowboy or western romance, should definitely give this book a try, if you like cowboys, hot sweaty cowboys, I’m sure you will love this book as much as I did! Although you may need to find a way to cool off afterwards, it’s pretty hot and steamy!
