The Ransom Canyon series continues with Wild Horse Springs (book 5). In the small town of Crossroads, Texas (on the edge of Ransom Canyon) it’s finally time for steady Sheriff Dan Brigman to find some happiness (with the help of a lovely Country singer just passing through the area) – but the people in his life keep pressing the pause button. His daughter Lauren finds an excuse to come home from Dallas where her post-college life isn’t working out how she’d planned. When she gets back to Crossroads she’s met by the two men from her past who could help or hinder life going forward.

For a charming, small town like Crossroads there’s a dark undercurrent lately that most of the residents would be shocked to know about. The Sheriff has his hands full with a crime of arson to solve and a case of a child in peril that threatens to tear his heart out (as well as the reader’s).

Then there’s a Texas Ranger who goes for a nighttime ride that’s interrupted when his horse tosses him into the Canyon. Lucky for him a certain park Ranger finds him and calls for help. She takes control of his life from that moment (since he’s in the hospital and helpless) including making his ranch house a safe place for one of Crossroads’ favorite sons. There’s a lot going on in this novel.

Yes, there are a good deal of dramatic events in this story but also a lot of heartfelt and upbeat moments. Told in Thomas’s usual warm, folksy style, Wild Horse Springs is a strong addition to the series and I look forward to reading the next book.

This book was great. Interesting characters, a plot easy to follow but not boring. I highly recommend this book.

Wild Horse Springs by Jodi Thomas is #5 in the Ransom Canyon series, and I loved it. Jodi Thomas has a gift for setting her story in Texas and bringing them to life. Her characters are ordinary, heroic, loveable and I just want to live there among them. There is always a bit of a danger in writing a small town story, there are so many out there, I get bored by them at times. Not so with this series, so entertaining.

We meet some much loved characters and some new ones, in Wild Horse Springs. I love the way the author introduces a character and then tells their journey over a number of books. She has done this with Don Brigman the sheriff and his daughter Laura and her friends Lucas and Tim. And That or Thatcher Jones has been around a little while too, a character with a big heart. We also get to meet a few new characters - Brandie a singer on the road, with a deep sadness in her soul and a hurting heart. Also there are Cody and Tess - Rangers but of different kinds who kind of spark it off in unusual circumstances.

I loved the 'hook in' as Dan Brigman finds a wonderful boot in the snow and goes in search of his Cinderella. He might seem a bit boring and predictable but he has been alone long enough and when he finds the owner of the boot perhaps he might meet his match.

The delightful Thatcher Jones is in trouble - again and enjoying the hospitality of the town jail, while all his needs are being met by the townsfolk who are looking after him. However there might be someone looking for him that doesn't look on him so benignly.

I loved the humor in the book, one time I just put the book down and chuckled and chortled. I'll say it again Jodi Thomas has a gift for writing characters that just worm their way into my heart, they are such fun.

There is plenty of action, resolution for some loves but not for others. An extremely well written book, and ... am waiting impatiently for Lauren to go off and find herself. #6 can't come soon enough.

Finding the strength to pick up and keep going when the road of life takes a detour. Never an easy task, but through the bumps and bruises is how we learn lessons and find courage. Through the eyes of three people, Ms. Thomas takes readers on an inspirational tale of love, tragedy and the surprising twists that keep us guessing throughout the years. For Dan, Brandi, Lauren and Lucas, the journey is one of second chances, faith, healing and finding happiness. A beautiful message in a breathtaking story. Wild Horse Springs is a must have.

I received a free copy of Wild Horse Springs in return for an honest review. Again Jodi Thomas has given us a interesting story line with several romances intertwined. Dan Brigman and his daughter Lauren are characters we met in previous books. Lauren and Lucas's romance is still up in the air but Dan's is unexpected but very,very sweet. While I liked both Dan and Brandi the character's who stole the show for me were Cody, Tess and Thatcher. Cody and Tess are two lost souls who fit perfectly and manage to do it with a lot of humor and laughs out loud moments. Thatcher on the other hand is still a work in progress. Great story, good romances and fun to read; you can't go wrong with Jodi Thomas.

There hasn’t been a single Jodi Thomas book that I’ve picked up and been disappointed with. Her quiet storytelling really speaks to me. While this book has some gripping action, overall, it’s a gentle tale of three intertwining strands.

Dan Brigman is the sheriff of Crossroads, Texas, a man proud of his job and with the integrity to have the job be the man. He lives a quiet life now that his daughter Lauren has grown up and moved to Dallas. He works and he fishes and in between he’s resigned to his single state. He’s alone but not always lonely.

One night, while driving by the sight of a previous ambush and a ton of bloodletting, Dan spots a gorgeous blue leather boot in the middle of the road. He gets out of his car with his heart in his mouth and his hand on his service revolver. Turns out the boot was just a boot with no body attached to it or an ambush waiting by the wayside.

He traces the boot back to Brandi Malone, a singer who’s been filling the Nowhere Club to the rafters. In a Cinderella moment, some unknown impulse has him kneeling down to put the boot on Brandi, and he’s smitten so fast he doesn’t know what hit him. Brandi, in turn, is dazzled by his honest eyes.

Dan and Brandi kiss at their first meeting and connect in mind and heart and with their eyes and hands in a way that is so sweet and so touching. Dan realizes that there had always been something missing in his life – beauty and vibrancy – whereas Brandi realizes that she’s been missing steadfastness and dependability in hers. Having found each other, neither is willing to let a minute go by without at least thinking of the other. Life intervenes to keep them apart but their souls are connected in ways that are too complex for them to question, only to accept.

In the meantime, Dan’s daughter Lauren returns home from Dallas, a disillusioned law student with a degree but no bar exam. She thinks she wants to be a writer but has nothing to show for it. Her relationships haven’t gone anywhere either, and she considers herself a failure. She hopes coming home will help her recover.

Because waiting at home is her high school friend, Tim, and the boy they’re both mentoring, 18-year-old Thatcher. Tim’s been in love with Lauren forever, however, she loves him only as a friend, not as a lover. And therein lies the push and pull of their friendship.

Thatcher lands himself into a passel o’ trouble by punching a convenience store owner who accuses him of stealing and tries to contain him. An assault charge lands him in jail, while the town is outraged that Thatcher’s been accused. He confesses that he was returning the canned goods, not stealing them, but the store owner, Luther, refuses to drop the assault charge. Thatcher is mum as to how he came by the canned goods.

So Lauren calls their other close high school friend, Lucas, who’s a fancy lawyer to come rescue Thatcher. There had been unresolved attraction between Lauren and Lucas, which had turned sour. Lucas’s return to Crossroads restarts the complexity of their attraction and friendship.

Lauren’s story thread is a coming of age tale even though she’s in her mid-twenties. She’s discovering what she’s capable of, what she wants to do, and who she wants to be with. It’s a story arc that remains unresolved at the end of the book.

While this has been going on, Cody Winslow rides hell for leather in a snowstorm on his horse, Midnight, skids on a patch of black ice, and is thrown into Ransom Canyon. How he manages to survive is a mixture of the miracle of modern medicine, sheer dogged luck, and a guardian angel in the form of park ranger Tess Adams. She rescues him from the canyon and has him airlifted to a hospital. Theirs is another relationship that starts out fast and develops fast, while still retaining deep tenderness, understanding, and connection.

This book is the first time an author has made me believe that insta-lust is possible and can develop into a forever kind of love quickly but deeply and meaningfully. Jodi Thomas, with her careful, gently nuanced characterization has crafted people who are emotionally mature, quietly formidable, memorable, and relatable.

If you’ve never read Jodi Thomas, Wild Horse Springs would be a good choice for a first book by her. If you’re a fan of the Ransom Canyon series, this is a strong addition to it.

review by AAR's Keira