3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Love You Find is Book 2 of a romance trilogy by Kandace Elmergreen.
Growing up on a ranch with older brothers, Mia learned from an early age to not only be a brilliant horsewoman, but to also be stubborn, determined and strong minded as well. Her parents are at a loss as to how to control her and take her to the ranch of her father’s best friend, Like the Wind, in the hope that romance will settle her down a bit. When sparks fly between her and Like the Wind’s sons, a new kind of trouble arises.
The two brothers, Luke and Cliff, both battle for Mia’s attention. Escalating quickly, the tension between the two threatens to tear the family apart, but when Luke is mistaken for Cliff and kidnapped by Mexican bandits, his whole outlook on life changes. Can they rescue Luke in time and can Cliff come clean about his past and earn forgiveness from his family, especially Luke?
Set in both New Mexico and Mexico, the story travels from one extreme to the next in this dashing rescue adventure. Written in third person, the story shows the different characters and the challenges which they have to face. Mia, determined to not be pigeon holed as the weak girl, has to start to come to grips with her feminine side and newly discovered feelings of love. Like the Wind has lost sight of the man he was and, after a spiritual quest, he realizes he has to set his life on the right path again if he is going to be able to rescue his son. Luke and Cliff have both been caught up in the suffocating roles of eldest and middle son with seemingly no way to break the mold or choose their own future.
Of all the characters, I enjoyed the strong female role of Mia the most. I liked how outspoken she was, as well as her development into a woman in love without losing the strong minded aspects of herself, which is sometimes seen in romance novels.
The story covers a lot of ground in its 463 pages, however, at times I felt the pace dragging and the writing somewhat stilted which affected the overall flow of the story. There was also no indication of when in time the book was set. I began with assuming it was set in modern times until a phrase about Mia being unladylike and deciding to wear trousers had everyone in shock, that I realised that this was not the case. It was a bit confusing not being able to pinpoint a time reference, as it would have clarified things early on.
Even though this book is part of a series, it is a stand-alone book in itself. Only slight references are made to the previous book, which followed the story of Like the Wind and Blake, Mia’s father, while this one focuses on the next generation.
Overall I enjoyed this story but due to the slow pace of writing, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. Any reader who enjoys romance with a western aspect will like this book. It has it all; action, adventure, kidnapping, horse chases, explosions, lost treasure, deceit, love and redemption all thrown in together, as well as a spiritual animal guide for protection.
******
The Love You Find
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like micoleon13's review? Post a comment saying so!
