ing to start out with just one, but then she decided at the very last moment to pick out a second title. This is the second title. When Malka first started it, she hated the story and DNFed temporarily. But now, Malka is back with a review! She picked the book back up again, read it in full, and, can it be? She even enjoyed it a bit!

So, I'm not exactly sure why that intro had to be in 3rd person, but it just felt right. The story you just read is true. This is the second Harlequin title I've ever read, and honestly, it'll most probably be my last. I've found that the format and structure of these stories just don't mesh with what I enjoy reading. However, I tried to read this book for what it was, not for what I wanted it to be, and had a pretty decent time with that approach.

So what's this book about? Well, the Carsons and the Sohappys have been rivals ever since a piece of land was unfairly stolen from the Sohappys. So you see, when Juniper Sohappy comes across Chance Carson having suffered a head injury that leaves him with no memory, she decides to have some fun. But Chance's memory soon returns, and Juniper has to face both the repercussions and her feelings.

At first, I was a bit bothered by Juniper taking advantage of Chance's memory loss. I was worried for how the romance might progress while he was in that state. Thankfully, there was nothing to untoward that went on while Chance didn't have his memory and therefore his full autonomy. I think that the timing and pacing of Chance getting his memory back was very well done.

I also think this book handled the "rivaling families" trope pretty well. The families have a lot of history to work through, so it's not just these characters that need to make amends. I appreciated how maturely some difficult decisions were handled, and I felt that it added a lot to the likeability of these characters that they went to the lengths they did to try to reconcile the families.

Like I mentioned earlier, this book wasn't quite my cup of tea, and part of that is the fact that I found it pretty forgettable. I enjoyed it and had a reasonably good time, but nothing made me want to reach for another book in the series, and so I ended up giving this book a very middle of the road 3 star rating.

I think that if you enjoy the rivaling families trope, and you want to read a romance that handles the amnesiac storyline pretty well, this can definitely be an option for you to pick up. Otherwise, I don't believe there's too much else that stands out to me. That being said, if you want to try a Harlequin cowboy/rancher romance, this may be the book for you!

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

Rancher's Forgotten Rival is a great beginning to a new series for Maisey Yates. The premise of this book is interesting and unique- though I don't know how believable. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the characters and storyline. This is the story of Chance and Juniper- two young adults who grew up amid a feud between the two ranching families (the Carsons and Sohappys) that goes back generations... Issues they face when fate throws Chance and Juniper together and forces them to sort out. This is a story of forgiveness, love, family, and romance. I look forward to reading rest if the series once they're available in the future.

I really enjoyed this boom. But then again I enjoy all of Maisey Yates book. You will also. I recommend every single one of them. They are always the right amount of tears and smiles.

Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

ARC provided by NetGalley for my honest opinion. Chance and Juniper will have you laughing and sighing. Maisey Yates pulls off another great read but adds some real-life complications with coming from two different cultures. Smut factor with the sexy cowboy.

I really enjoy Maisey Yates’ small town romances. Her Copper Ridge series is one of my favorites. This book is the start to a new series called the Carsons of Lone Rock, and those Carsons are all going to find love.

This book starts with Chance Carson. He’s out riding his property when his horse is spooked and he’s thrown. He hits his head and that’s where Juniper Sohappy finds Chance. She’s an EMT and she’s in charge of running her family’s land. She’s trying to make it a working ranch again. She wants to make her grandfather proud. But there’s a problem. The Sohappys and the Carsons have had a property dispute for generations. The Sohappys believe that when their ancestor lost his land in a card game to the Carsons ancestor, that the Carson ancestor had cheated.

So finding her enemy knocked out, she can’t help herself but to take him home and hope when he wakes up he’s not mad she brought him to her home. However, once he wakes up, instead of anger, he’s…confused. He can’t remember who he is. So when he guesses he must be one of her ranch hands, Juniper just…doesn’t dissuade him.

This book has an Overboard amnesia vibe which was fun. He works with her on her land and they get to know each other properly, without any of the Carson/Sohappy hostility that typically simmers beneath all of their interactions. No, now there’s something else entirely simmering beneath their words.

Of course Chance remembers who he is after a couple of days and he’s really mad at Juniper. But…he’s also really attracted to her.

This book is a quick read, and has the enemies to lovers trope which I always love. It’s an easy and enjoyable book.

***ARC courtesy of Harlequin via Netgalley

This has everything you need in an easy read romance. A fabulous enemies to lovers romance, it follows Chance and Juniper who have hated each other their whole lives. Fuelled by a feud which goes back for generations, there is no doubt that sparks fly whenever they are close to each other.

When Juniper finds Chance injured on the boundaries between their land, Juniper takes advantage of his amnesia for a little pay back. However, before long Chance’s member returns and that when things start to REALLY heat up!!! Quick and easy with plenty of heat, this is a great summer read.

This book has a triple threat of amnesia, enemies to lovers, and an epic family feud spanning generations over a piece of prime land. The Carson and Sohappy families have been neighbors for many years, and the two families have been at war for almost all of those years over a piece of land that has water. The Sohappy’s claim that the Carson’s great-great-grandfather got their great-great-grandfather drunk, ultimately losing this prime real estate that’s vital for their ranching operations in a rigged card game. The new generation has kept the feud going, but will Chance Carson and Juniper Sohappy be the ones to put this feud to bed?

Juniper finds Chance in a field near the border of their lands, unconscious and all alone. When Chance awakes, he doesn’t know who he is or how he got the blow to the head. She is an EMT as well as a rancher, so she takes Chance to her cabin to tend to his wounds. Telling him that he works for her in a moment of weakness and confusion might not have been the best idea, but it let’s her get a little bit revenge on him and his family.

Juniper is spunky, extremely loyal to her family, driven, and a bit stubborn. Chance is a ladies man, but has the same family values as Juniper. Neither of them want to settle down, so it’s surprising when the feelings for each other that they’ve kept buried surface as they get to know each other without the family feud between them.

Chance’s amnesia only lasts a few days, so where do they go from here once he remembers who he is and who Juniper is? Their attraction is undeniable and their verbal sparring is ever present, but can they join the two families in a way where they can ultimately be together if they want to?

I give THE RANCHER’S FORGOTTEN RIVAL a four out of five. This was a fun, quick read to start off a new series set in small town Lone Rock. Having Chace’s amnesia only short term while the rest of the book deals with their struggles to join together their families made the plot move along nicely. I enjoyed the characters of Chase and Juniper, as well as their families. The rural setting was nice and descriptive, and I could imagine the setting easily. I enjoyed the racial differences between Juniper and Chance, and the author’s way of showing Juniper and Chance’s different experiences due to this. Overall, I’m looking forward to seeing more from the Carson and Sohappy families.

I really enjoyed this one. I just couldn't put it down and I didn't because boy is it a good one.

I do recommend this one.

Maisey Yates is one of my favorite authors and I own or have read every book she has written. I loved beginning to delve more into the Carson family and meeting the SoHappy sisters. Carson and Juniper are both strong-willed individuals and their romance story was a fun one to read. I look forward to more books particularly Shelby and Kit's story.
My only dislike for this story was the use of the "Overboard amnesia" trope. I am not a fan of that idea and think it has been overused in books and movies. Luckily for my enjoyment of the story, it was dispensed with fairly quickly and the real relationship between the characters could continue.

2/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

I'm going to start by saying this is completely personal preference but unfortunately this is not the book for me. I didn't really enjoy it. My least favorite trope is the amnesia trope, so I wasn't the biggest fan of the story already, on top of the intentional deciet and such. It just wansnt for me in any way. I'm sure there are people who enjoy this trope and therefore could love this book. I will say the writing was good and the pacing was good.

I can always count on Maisey Yates for complex, emotional, and steamy western romance. In this first book of her new series, she brings readers an enemies-to-lovers story complicated by both amnesia and a generations-long feud between families. She sure doesn't make it easy for Juniper and Chance!

I enjoy a story where the main couple has a history of animosity and mistrust. Throw in secret attraction and that makes it even better. I'm not always a huge fan of amnesia but in this book I felt it was a good way to allow Juniper and Chance to see different sides of each other and take tentative steps away from the feud that defines the suspicion between their families. Yates let it go on just long enough to get them over that initial hurdle before giving them the opportunity to start building something in a better direction. I will say that while I appreciated the plot device, I had a real issue with the way Juniper handled Chance's amnesia and the lies she told, especially in light of his medical condition and her job as an EMT. It took me a while to get beyond that.

I enjoyed peeling back the layers of both Chance and Juniper and discovering the events in their lives that had been a driving force in molding the people that are today. The author touches on life-altering issues such as loss, guilt, and prejudice, dealing with the topics with candor and care.

The steam is real in this one, folks but it never feels gratuitous. I enjoyed the progression of that part of their relationship as much as the emotional journey.

This was an enjoyable start to a new series and has me intrigued enough about secondary characters (Chance's brothers and Juniper's sister) to return for the next book in the series.

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

4.5 Stars

A sexy, sassy and sparkling cowboy romance you will want to read in a single sitting, Rancher’s Forgotten Rival is the latest must-read by Maisey Yates.

The Carsons and Sohappy clans have loathed each other for generations. After all these years, there is still some bad blood between the two families and Juniper Sohappy only has to look at Chance Carson to find herself getting riled up. Of course, the fact that Chance is the sexiest man that she has ever laid eyes doesn’t help in the slightest. Still, with her beloved grandfather loathing the Carsons with every fiber of his being, Juniper knows that she could never act on her attraction to Chance even if she wanted to – until she finds him on her property injured and having lost his memory!

Chance is completely at her mercy and as a volunteer EMT, Juniper finds herself duty-bound to help him in his hour of need. With Chance thinking that he works for her at the ranch, Juniper finds herself reluctant to disabuse him of this notion – even if keeping him around is making her feel certain things she is reluctant to admit to!

As the two of them find themselves getting closer, giving into temptation proves inevitable and as Juniper begins to fall for Chance, she wonders whether their burgeoning romance could survive the truth and the many obstacles standing in their way.

Maisey Yates is such a talented writer! In Rancher’s Forgotten Rival, she gives a fresh twist to tried and tested tropes and delivers an irresistible enemies to lovers contemporary romance with an amnesiac cowboy who will make you swoon and a resilient and kind-hearted heroine it is impossible not to root for.

A fun contemporary romance that sizzles with heat and humor, Rancher’s Forgotten Rival is another winner by Maisey Yates.

Chance and Juniper's families are rivals over something that happens in the past. Imagine Juniper's surprise when Chance shows up injured and missing his memories. Now she's going to have a little fun with this and got him helping her out as a ranch hand. They never expecting for anything more to come out of this.

This was a pretty good book and a quick read for me. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and what started the feud between families. Growing up with that hate pretty much put Chance and Juniper in a sticky situation of hating eachother but then after somewhat getting to know more about eachother a chance to see if theres anything more there. I mean it'll get more complicated when Chance has his memories back but with that amnesia it gave them a moment to stop and learn more about eachother but once it came back whew was Juniper gonna be in trouble. There was steamy times and overall this book was an enjoyable read.

For three generations, the Carson and Sohappy families of Lone Rock, Oregon have been at odds because of a strip of land between their ranches, which was allegedly gambled and lost in a poker game. The feud is still very much alive between Juniper Sohappy and Chance Carson, who have been enemies since they were children. Despite their animosity, when EMT Juniper finds an injured Chance passed out in a field, she takes him to her nearby cabin and diagnoses him with a concussion. She's trying to figure out what to do with him when he wakes up and claims not to recognize her or even remember his own name. Because of the history between their families, Juniper is sure Chance is playing some kind of trick on her, but she decides to play along. She even tests him by pretending that he's a ranch hand who works for her, but he doesn't change his story. He really is suffering from amnesia, so she continues the ruse. Over the next few days, Juniper gets to know a different side of Chance than she's seen before, and it's difficult for her to resist his charm. When he regains his memory, can their new understanding help put the feud between their families to rest, or will Juniper's deception only make things worse?

The setup for this book really intrigued me because of the family feud angle, but unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. I was kind of bored by the first half of the book because it didn't seem like much was happening, and the chemistry between Juniper and Chance was pretty lacking. I would have liked to see a confrontation between them before he lost his memory to get a sense of their usual dynamic, because while he had amnesia, they got along a little too well IMO. The second half of the book was better because Chance had regained his memory and the sparks between him and Juniper really started to fly.

What really bothered me about the book, however, was that it seemed as if Juniper's sister Shelby was slut-shaming her because she'd been with more than one man in her life. On multiple occasions, Shelby made snide comments about Juniper's experience compared to her own, because she had married her high school sweetheart. Just because that was Shelby's experience doesn't make her the morality police, and I really could have done without the commentary.

Overall, I had mixed feelings about "The Rancher's Forgotten Rival" and am undecided on continuing with the series. I do think it will appeal to at least some fans of cowboy romance, however.

*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a Harlequin romance and even longer since I read a Harlequin Desire, which is their shorter and sexier category. However, Maisy Yates’ Rancher’s Forgotten Rival was calling to me and I had a reading gap and thought, why not?

In typical Maisy Yates’ style she puts a lot into a couple of hundred pages. While the whole amnesia-thing is kind of cheesy, she turned it on its ear by having the amnesiac’s “enemy” find him and watch over him to make sure he doesn’t have complications from hitting his head. (She’s an EMT so she’s somewhat qualified.)

Juniper the EMT, however, lies to him about their relationship, leading him to believe that he works for her. Frankly, this is kind of inexcusable and irrational for a woman who, for the most part, is rational from then on. But, you know, it’s a short romance and this couple needs to start fresh, discover who they really are without preconceived notions, and fall in love in a short time. (wink, wink.)

Chance (I love that when Juniper tells him that that’s his name, he thinks: no, that’s not a name–haha) recovers his memory quickly and is not too taken with Juniper’s lie, but he seriously can’t deny that there’s something between them, sexual attraction which he is very happy to act on. Now, mind you, this is a Harlequin Desire so you have to expect that there’s going to be quite a bit of steamy sex on hand (and elsewhere 😉 ) and there is.

What I really liked was that that was not all there was as has been my experience with some Desire novels in the past.

Juniper, whose grandmother I presume is of Native American or Mexican roots, has experienced prejudice, classmates who treated her badly because of the color of her skin. Chance realizes that while he never saw it happen didn’t mean that it never did. It opens his eyes to the experiences that Juniper’s had, widens his perspective of her.

Also, Chance and his family have had their own heartache that has affected the way that he perceives relationships. He realizes that this is a personal hurdle that he’ll have to overcome.

And, of course, there’s the feud between the Carson and Sohappy families, the question of whether a card game was won fair and square generations ago, whether the Carson great-great grandfather cheated and stole land from the Sohappys. While that wasn’t completely settled in this book, perhaps it will be in the next.

While a lot of dialogue dominated Rancher’s Forgotten Rival, I don’t think that was particularly a bad thing since the dialogue was well-written and punchy. But it was something I was very aware of as I was reading, but I will say that a lot of romances trend that way.

All in all, a great start to a new series. Yates, as always, tells and writes a good story with interesting fully fleshed characters that I enjoyed reading about.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Juniper is trying to balance her career as an EMT and managing the family’s ranch. Her family has been involved in a bitter dispute with their neighbors due to water rights that they claim were taken by less than honorable methods. When she comes across an injured man, she realizes it is her nemesis Chase and since she realizes he has amnesia she decides to nurse him back to health without anyone knowing.

Chase has been told by Juniper that she works for him, so he has been helping her out while he heals. When he regains his memory, he decides that turnabout is fair play but as they spend time together the sparks fly but can they find a way to bridge the distance between the two families?

Chase and Juniper take us on a heartwarming journey as Chase’s amnesia allowed them to get to know each other without the turmoil of their past history and realize that they make much better lovers than enemies.

Chance Carson and Juniper Sohappy are born enemies due to a longtime land dispute between their families. The Carson’s are what the Sohappy’s feel are entitled, so-called cowboy royalty, partly because they won Sohappy land in an infamous bet between their grandfathers. The Sohappy’s are still sore about the deal and this animosity spilled over into Chance and Juniper’s relationship.

When Juniper stumbles upon Chance unconscious and injured on her land she immediately goes to his aid, but when Chance wakes up with amnesia Juniper takes the opportunity get him back a bit by telling him he’s her ranch hand.

This setup wouldn’t have worked for me had the deception gone on for a while, but it was short-lived. Also, it gave Chance and Juniper a chance to spend time together not as lifelong enemies, but just as man and woman, getting to know each other without the past spoiling things. Juniper soon realizes that Chance isn’t the entitled, arrogant man she’s thought him to be, and Chance admires Juniper as the strong, passionate woman she is. They’re able to acknowledge the long-time simmering attraction that had been brewing for years. The spark was finally allowed to ignite and flame, and it was hot!

In the aftermath, Chance and Juniper really examine the grudge between their families and realize they don’t have to continue it. They could change and do better. I loved that with a different mindset and determination to mend fences these families could bury a decades long feud and get along.

The gorgeous Oregon countryside is brought to life in vivid detail, and I could totally understand how both Juniper and Chance had such a passion for their land. Oregon is such a beautiful State!

At 224 pages, Rancher’s Forgotten Rival was a fast, fun, sizzling romance, one I breezed through in one day!

Its a mashup of Overboard and the Hatfields and the McCoys.

I had so much fun with this book. Set in Eastern Oregon, the Carson family has done the Sohappy family wrong and they have been feuding over land and water rights. Chance is the happy go lucky brother who enjoys sparring with Juniper Sohappy, like pulling her hair all mixed up with wanting to do other steamy things with her. I enjoyed Juniper putting Chance to work when he wakes up on her property with amnesia. Fun and steamy. Better work it, Chance.

Recommend.

This is a Cowboy Romance, and this is the first book in The Carsons of Lone Rock series. Maisey Yates is one of my favorite Authors, but this book was just for me. The characters just rubbed me wrong, and I did not love any of the characters. I really did not like Juniper's character, and I really hate the she lied to Chance after she found he injured and without his memory. I feel that she handle this situation so wrong, and I think that made me not like the rest of the book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Desire) or author (Maisey Yates) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

3.5 stars

I’m used to this author’s books being over 350 pages, with her novellas closer to 100 pages. This story was moving super-fast and I realized, although it’s not a novella, it’s not as long as I’m used to with her books. Not that this is a bad thing. I enjoyed that the story didn’t meander about too much. Juniper and Chance may be enemies, but maybe that’s why they get straight to the point with each other.

The premise of this story, Chance losing his memories and Juniper telling him he’s her ranch hand, is so much fun. I was afraid it would turn out being problematic, though. Not so! Maisey Yates does a spectacular job of straddling that line with Juniper trying to do the right thing and kind of falling into this opportunity. Then still, albeit weakly, trying to do the right thing. And seriously, there is a reference to the original Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russel version of Overboard and, for a bit, this book totally has that fun and quirky vibe.

I don’t know if it’s because the story is a bit more condensed, but there were some blatant timeline issues that I’m not used to from this author. While they gave me a blip when they came up, they weren’t really a big deal when it came to the story itself. Just my picky brain noticing and getting stuck. There’s also a bit of telling and not showing once the couple’s relationship picks up. Again, something I’m not used to with her books. It’s not a problem throughout, but does happen for a bit of time in the middle of the story.

Juniper and Chance have chemistry that is so obvious to everyone, even while they were hating on each other. It was the unspoken truth in both sets of siblings that they love to hate each other because they don’t want to admit they actually have sparks when they’re together. Like I mentioned earlier, there’s a bit of telling at one point. But overall, the chemistry is felt.

There is some beautiful heritage stories, especially with Juniper. With Chance being a cishet white male, there is a lot he really has been blind to when it comes to Juniper’s family. For his part, when Juniper starts opening up to Chance he is not only aghast over how she was treated, but also upset with himself for not seeing these things that were going on around him. If nothing else, this book has a very strong message that I wasn’t expecting. It’s done in an organic way so it flows right in with the story seamlessly.

There’s a lot to learn about the Carson family. I have a feeling their series will be a wild and fun ride.