Families are unique, and each one follows their own journey. When Jesse, who has been in the military for 20 years, comes home, he sees the changes in his parents. He also finds out that he is a father of a 19-year-old. Their journey hits some rough patches, it has some tough love, mistakes turned into life lessons, and a love that can withstand it all.
The story flowed so smoothly, and it kept me reading. Sometimes the life lessons reminded me of a few of my own, and it also shows the choices a best friend chooses. I received an ARC from Forever Grand Central Publishing.

Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch is the first book in The Ryan family series. It is a heartwarming second chance at love story. The wonderful characters and vivid storytelling draws you in and keeps you captivated until the end. I can't wait to read the next book in this wonderful series.

This is a second chance at romance book set on a ranch in a small town. Jesse Ryan was adopted by Sonny and Pearl and has retired as an AF medic to return home to Texas. His plan is to help take care of his aging parents, but once he arrives home, he has a real surprise awaiting him. His best friend Addy, with whom he had a one-night stand the night before he left for active duty, has a teen daughter who just happens to be his. Addy is a strong female protagonist but her daughter Mia is nothing short of a rebellious brat. Jesse does not reveal right away that he is her father, preferring to try to build a relationship with her first. But Mia doesn’t make it easy on him since she resents that he gets to take over the ranch that she loves after a twenty-year absence. Addy’s relationship with her daughter is admirable; she is patient and kind in the face of Mia’s hateful rebellion. Jesse’s approach to Mia was somewhat unbelievable since he just bided his time, hoping to be friends before he became her father figure. There was plenty of tension in the story but not many twists. The characters were original, complete with flaws and some poor choices at times. The plot was well-paced, but it did lack realism at times. For example, I did not understand why Addy had not been honest with Jesse before he returned home, especially since they had been such good friends. The small town setting lends itself well to the story with busybodies and gossips ready to offer unsolicited advice and judgment. The romance was a slow build, not steamy in any sense, but simmering at times as Mia and Jesse rediscover the love that they had once had for each other. I think the relationship between these two was my favorite part and the rebellious Mia was my least favorite. This was, all in all, a charming love story with no real surprises. It was an easy, pleasant way to pass some time in Texas. It is the first book in a new series, so I look forward to finding out more about Jesse’s brothers in future books.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive book. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This was another great modern cowboy tale. The romance and family aspects are well-crafted and even though I don't think I'd make a good rancher or rancher's wife, I fell in love with the idea. Strong independent women, rugged cowboys, intimate small towns, and stalwart family bonds create a remarkable fictional world. I did find there were a number of times where the novel felt like it was a little too slow-paced and could have been tied-up a bit sooner, but overall it was an enjoyable read. I'd rate between 3 and 4 stars. I liked it, but I'm not sure it stands out among similar titles.

Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch is a great start to The Ryan Family series. I loved the story of how Sunflower Ranch got its name, and I really enjoyed Jesse and Addy's sweet second chance love story. I can't wait to read about the other two Ryan brothers!

Addison Hall and her daughter are living and working at the Sunflower Ranch and enjoying life. When Jesse Ryan comes home to stay, her life is about to change. She not only has the rebellion of her daughter to deal with, now she must face her one true love and the secret she has kept buried for the past nineteen years.

This story by Carolyn Brown was such a breath of fresh air. The story just flowed, and I loved watching the characters develop throughout the story. It did not follow the typical love story plot, and to say more would be a spoiler, so I will let you, the reader experience that for yourself. To me, it was like reading a journal of a family’s journey through life and I just could not get enough. I am already excited for the next book in the Ryan family series. I would like to thank Forever ( Grand Central Publishing), Carolyn Brown and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book to read. It was fabulous.

This is a Second Chance/Friends to Lovers Cowboy Romance, and this is the first book in the Ryan Family series. This book is about Jesse and Addison love story. They where friends during high school. Addison been hiding a secret. I have to say this is a sweet book with a small town setting and great characters. I found Jesse's parents to be so cute and fun. I really enjoyed this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Forever) or author (Carolyn Brown) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

SECOND CHANCE AT SUNFLOWER RANCH is the first book in THE RYAN FAMILY series, and I’m looking forward to reading more. This is Addy and Jesse’s story. They have been best friends since they were children, but a one-night stand just before Jesse entered the Air Force (right out of high school) seemed to derail their friendship. Addy’s been keeping a secret for twenty years, and when their paths cross all those years later on his family’s ranch, they might just get a second chance.

I loved getting to know the Ryan family and those who live and work on the ranch. The family’s lives come together, told artfully by the author. I also loved Addy’s often tough-love approach to her teenage daughter and how she doesn’t back down. The story is filled with the relationships centered around ranch life, with a truly enjoyable romance.

There are two more Ryan brothers who need their stories to be told. I look forward to returning to Sunflower Ranch over and over again!

The bonus novella, SMALL TOWN CHARM, held my interest from the first page to the last. I loved the characters and the small town of Bloom, Texas. This is both Cricket and Anna Grace’s story. While never friends growing up—since they come from different sides of the tracks—as adults, Anna Grace needs Cricket’s friendship and her help. Will Cricket turn the other cheek when Anna Grace asks for her help? (Anna Grace turns her back on her society parents in favor of that true love, and her society friends are soon nowhere to be found.) Cricket unexpectedly finds love, and both women bloom. The story’s lovely friendships and down-home activities enrich the tale and really make it stand out. And the town gossip and bets placed on different town happenings are a hoot! Well worth the read, especially with several happily ever afters.

I love Carolyn Brown's cowboy romances! This is a second chance/secret child trope. The secret "baby" in this book happens to be 19 years old and really doesn't like the guy who is actually her father. Addy and Jesse had one night together that changed their status as best friends for 20 years. Jesse left town for the Air Force and Addy never told him about the pregnancy. Now he's back in town, the sparks are still flying and their daughter is a grown up pain in the butt. Surprise!

Will telling Mia that Jesse is her dad make her behavior better or worse? Will it change his chance at a real relationship with Addy?

This was an easy, clean read that won't disappoint!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley and Forever Pub. All thoughts are my own.

I am excited to have a new series from Carolyn Brown. I adored her previous series, and was excited for the next installment.
This first love, second chance romance did have another trope wrapped up in it as well, that isn't necessarily my favorite, which is secret baby.
After a one night stand before he left for the military, Jesse sleeps with his childhood best friend. After he retires and goes back to his family farm, he finds her there, with her 19 year old daughter. When he finds out that this daughter is his, it changes things.
Though the secret baby portion of this book isn't handled in a way that I like, the first love, second chance part of this book was quite sweet. I am very excited for the next book in this series.

Just loved this book. Jess comes home after years in Air Force to help with the ranch. Addy has been keeping a secret from everyone for years. Sparks fly between them. A real page turner

Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch was a great start to The Ryan Family series from Carolyn Brown. This friends-to-lovers romance was enjoyable and made me want to learn more about each member of the Ryan family.

Jesse Ryan left Sunflower Ranch nearly 20 years prior to follow his dream of going into the Air Force. He did that and served as a medic, but now he's home and he's ready to help his father out at the ranch. When he arrives home, he's surprised to find that his long-time best friend, Addison (Addy) Hall, is not only his Dad's nurse, but she is a single mother and her daughter, Mia, live at the ranch and they both help with the operations as well.

Jesse and Addy lost touch after he joined the service, but they both held tight to the memories of their one steamy night together right before he left. Neither wanted to act on their feelings long term because they didn't want to ruin their friendship, but now that they are back in the same place after all these years, it seems the feelings may not have gone away. Can anything come of them? They are also dealing with Mia rebelling for the first time in her life and for some reason she has an issue with Jesse who will be her new boss. Will the two of them be able to work together?

I enjoyed this book so much. I liked all of the characters and how things unfolded for all of them. It was obvious the connection that Jesse and Addy had from the outset and I was rooting for them from the start. I'm really interested to see what is to come for the rest of the family in upcoming books. I think there is going to be a lot more fun to come at Sunflower Ranch!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I love a good second chance book. Jesse Ryan is home after serving in the Air Force for 20 years. He is there to take over now that his Dad's health is failing. His best friend, Addison Hall is there as nurse to help with his Dad. Never knowing what happened when he went away, he misses his best friend. Now Addy has dreaded this day. She knows that you can never go back but needs to make peace with the past in order to have a future.. Mia, Addy's daughter is a trip. She is strong and independent just like her Mom. The clashes that take place are monumental. The small town grapevine is in full bloom. The more Jesse and Addy are around each other, the more their feelings are growing for each other. When all the secrets are out, it takes his brother to smack him up side his head. Every woman wants to hear the words, "I love you". Actions are nice but the words are better. I just loved the ending.

I really wanted to like this, but it was just okay for me. I'll start by noting I absolutely hate the secret baby trope. Had I know this was a secret baby book (I failed to read that part in the description), I probably would have skipped it. But since I like the author, I decided to continue reading.

The reason why I hate this trope is that oftentimes, the mother really has no good reason for keeping the baby a secret from the father. I can even overlook it sometimes if the father is informed within a few years of the baby being born, although that's not okay either. But in this one, Jesse doesn't find out for 20 YEARS!?!?!?!?!?! And the worst part, Addy has absolutely no good reason for keeping him a secret. Her big reason? She wanted him to pursue his dreams of being in the Air Force and didn't want him to get distracted at Basic and then decide to marry her out of a sense of obligation. I get that fear, but what was her excuse a year or two later or even 10 years later? Why did she have to wait until he finally retires 20 years later to tell him he had a daughter? As much as I tried to understand, I 100% could not back her reasoning at all. To make matters worse, she kept the truth from Jesse's parents, even though SHE WAS LIVING WITH THEM for years!!! They had figured it out when they came to live with them, so they weren't oblivious, but they didn't say a word. When everyone does figure it out, they all agree she had good reasoning and let it go. Say what? Jesse and his family missed out on 20 years of a relationship because Addy was an idiot mother and they were just like 'yeah, okay, no big deal.' There was nothing respectable about her decision or even remotely realistic. For this alone, I have to give the book 3 stars.

Mia, the daughter, was incredibly bratty for half the book. She does redeem herself, so I'll give her that, but I strongly disliked her the first half because of how hateful she was.

They do get their HEA and I'll admit, the proposal was incredibly sweet and the epilogue was cute. So the book does get better, as long as you can get past the secret baby part and the slow plot.

This is one of the first books by Ms. Brown where I can say I could tell her age just by the writing. That's not always a good thing when the readers are younger (I'm nearly 40 and the conversations felt 'old'). The language/actions just came off too antiquated at times, even for the younger characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I chose this book because of the colorful cover and the popular author.

Because of the declining health of a family member, high school best friends, Jesse Ryan and Addison Hall meet again, twenty years after graduation, at Jesse's foster parents' ranch, Sunflower Ranch, in Texas. Added to the mix, is Mia, Addison's nineteen year old daughter, going through a rebellious stage, and the dilemma of Jesse and Mia being unaware of their father-daughter relationship. The story is around these three characters becoming acquainted and reacquainted. It is supported by interactions with the foster parents, friends, good and bad, townsfolk, and siblings.

Overall, I found this an easygoing read with times I was waiting for something to happen. I also questioned the believability of some of the characters' actions, past and present.

Thank you again to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch
Book 1 in The Ryan Family series
Rating: 3 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch is exactly what that the title states. It's a second chance at being close to being together with family and reuniting with the one that got away.
It was a good story, but to me it seemed that romance played second in this story. I felt it was more about a loving family who find themselves with one of their sons, Jesse, coming back to work on the family ranch. Jesse and Addy shared a past, mostly as friends, but also find themselves being a parent to a 19 year old who I didn't much like.
Overall it was a sweet story.
Bonus Novella: Small Town Charm was great read!

Harlequin Junkie Top Pick!

Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch by Carolyn Brown begins the Ryan Family series.

Addison "Addy" Hall is a live-in nurse at Sunflower Ranch whose job it is to care for the elderly ranch owners, Sonny and Pearl Ryan. Sonny has been diagnosed with MS and having Addy helping out full time makes the whole family feel more secure. Addy's nineteen-year-old daughter Mia also lives and works on the ranch. Mia doesn't know who her father is. Addy has kept that secret all these years. But Mia's father, Jesse Ryan is retiring from the Air Force after twenty years and coming home to run the ranch and help care for his adoptive parents. Addy knows she is going to have to tell Jesse the truth. Then maybe together they can tackle telling Mia.

Jesse Ryan is more than ready to retire from the Air Force and return home. He thinks he is prepared to be there with Addy Hall, the live-in nurse for his father. They were best friends since they were kids. They never wanted to take a chance on ruining that friendship but then crossed the line once - the night before Jesse left for the Air Force. He never understood why Addy stopped communicating with him. Upon returning home to the ranch he discovered they had a daughter together and that Addy didn't want to tell him she was pregnant because she was concerned he would insist on marriage. In her mind that probably would have ruined his dream of serving his country. Jesse believes he and Addy have a good chance of having their relationship become more than friendship. Time will tell.

This is a wonderful second chance romance story. I was emotionally invested in this story from the very beginning. I felt the family's pain when Mia leaves. I felt their joy when Mia returns. I enjoyed sharing the experiences and feelings of Addy and Jesse as their relationship develops. They come together so naturally. Ms. Brown always tells her stories in such a way that I feel the reader can't help but be drawn in. The Ryan family is one that I'm sure I will greatly enjoy following as the series continues.

This was a sweet book about farming life, but I felt like the farming and the family and the town gossip were all more of a focus than Addy and Jesse's relationship. They just seemed to get together again really easily after 20 years, and they excused or ignored a lot of things. This book dragged a bit for me.

SECOND CHANCE AT SUNFLOWER RANCH was exactly what I needed to read this week. It is the first book in the Ryan Family series and is a second chances western set in a small North Texas town. I had to laugh as my MIL lives outside Paris, TX so I know a bunch of these towns mentioned in the book!

I don't always love a mystery baby, but I liked the Ryan family and this friends to lovers/second chance romance. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

Could Jesse get a second chance with Addy?

Jesse Ryan gets his second chance when he reunites with Addison (Addy) Hall who had been his best friend all through school. But Addy has a daughter Mia who just happen to be born nine months after the night they had spent together before he left for the Air Force. Now he needs to figure out if he is Mia’s father and could he be the father that she needs right now.

I loved Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch because you have the slow building romance between Jesse and Addy that never really ended and their love for Mia letting her learn from her mistakes plus all the hints for Cody and Stevie’s book!

P.S. I enjoyed the bonus story Small Town Charm!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.