Maisey Yates has done it again. A warm comfort of a book that is an easy and nice read. I really like this series.

Shelby Sohappy has been grieving the death of her husband, childhood sweetheart for a few years now, so the sexual tension brewing between her and Kit Carson makes her feel guilty. Even worse is that she felt this tension with him even before her husband died, not that she ever acted on it or even entertained it, but that makes her feel even more guilty. Now they’re being thrown together with the wedding of her sister and his brother, Shelby the maid of honor, Kit the best man.

After the temptation is too much, Shelby decides to throw caution to the wind and spend one night with Kit. But one night isn’t in the cards when Shelby becomes pregnant. Shelby’s always wanted a baby, so while she’s not unhappy about being pregnant she’s not sold on giving her heart completely to Kit. She’s done the whole married thing and it broke her heart.

Shelby’s hesitations were a little frustrating, but thankfully they didn’t go on long. I loved Kit and how he was all in once he found out the news even though grief and loss made it so he never wanted to settle down and have children.

These Harlequin Desire stories are quick, low angst romances that I love settling into. Maisey Yates makes it easy to feel for the characters, their highs and lows, passions, and desire.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

I have not read the prior book in this series and I don't think that missing it impacted this story.

I normally love this author BUT this book while having some very deep thought provoking sections really didn't connect to me. Even with the dual POV format, I had a hard time connecting with Shelby. Granted I intellectually knew and understood her dilemma of her loving her deceased husband and feeling like she was cheating. With her attraction to Kit prior and during her marriage to Chuck but she never acted on her attraction. She never cheated. But it seemed like it was over and over with the same mental conversation that she had with herself. Now granted if this was a real person, I would understand that but after several times in a book it felt forced.

Even though this book didn't connect with me, someone else may just fall in love with it and wonder how I could say such things. But not every book of a favorite author will connect with a reader and this was one for me.

This is a very sexy book so just a word of caution on that note.

Maisey Yates always entertains this reader with a good storyline, great characters and a satisfying HEA ending. Best Man Rancher has all of these components and yes, I was entertained. But I do not think this is her best writing. There were too many phrases as opposed to full sentences. There were so many in fact that I found them distracting as well as detracting from the overall book.

This is a Steamy Cowboy Romance, and this is the second book in the Carsons of Lone Rock series. I have read and reviewed the first book in this series. I feel there were two things that stopped me from really loving this book. The first thing was I feel there were many steamy time moments in this book, and there was not enough of the characters storyline or romance. The second thing is the point of view this book is written in does not let me really connect with the characters. I really loved the end of this book, and I loved seeing the characters facing their real issues. 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

While this is a very touching story that evoked a lot of deep feelings, it wasn’t all I was hoping for in Shelby’s story. Where I struggle is with trying to figure out if that has to do with my own ideas of how I wanted to see her story play out as opposed to how it actually played out.

Kit is absolutely the right person for Shelby. Their chemistry is on point. I love that they’ve had underlying feelings for each other for years but were never in the right place in life at the same time to make anything happen with that. In fact, Shelby and her deceased husband were very much in love from a pretty young age. She had a crush on Kit all those years ago, but she was too young for him and ended up meeting her first love. To me, there is no mistaking that Shelby loved her husband. From all that is told to us, they had a wonderful and fulfilling life together…as short as it was. Therein lies my problem.

Whenever I read a romance where one or both of the main characters lost their significant other, I appreciate knowing there was love and respect between the previous couple. It always bothers me when the new love interest is viewed as better unless that previous relationship was in some way bad, such as there being abuse or no love. I believe that every love is different, which doesn’t mean better or worse. Shelby struggled with falling in love with another man, so it bothered me and surprised me when Shelby thinks about her relationship with Kit as being “more” or “better”. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen a lot, but it still rubbed me the wrong way.

That being said, the journey that Kit and Shelby take together is lovely. For Shelby to allow herself to move on with her life and for Kit to trust in the realities of love and let it happen for himself, they both have many internal barriers to overcome. Even with the problems I had with this story, I cannot deny it touched me and I would still recommend the story.

With each new cowboy romance I read, I forget about all the previous hotties. Yes, I’m that fickle.
Cut -me -off -at -my -knees Kit Carson has a wanted Shelby for as long as he can remember, but she was just out of reach. Shelby has a deep itch where Kit is concerned and she finally decides to scratch.
I’ve read enough romances I knew what was inevitable. I knew what would happen.
Kit is so sweet in his actions and gestures and also the first to say it.
My iPad Almost incinerated with the sizzle and crackle!
I loved reading this on a cool fall evening.
I need a cowboy starter Kit.

A great weekend read!

I really enjoyed Shelby and Kit's story. They have a history, growing up together in the same community, although they weren't close. Their story is filled with a backstory of loss, on both sides. Which hurt my heart for them.

They managed to make it work in the end, working through many obstacles to get there. Love really did win in the end, and both characters allowed someone new into their heart.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a family oriented, small town romance with great chemistry and plenty of heart.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5007780842?book_show_action=false

He thinks its chemistry.

Kit Carson is not the brightest of men. He has been attarcted to Shelby Sohappy for years, but she''s been unavailable for most of that time. First dating, then married to Chuck. Don't worry, he's hooked up with plenty of women,, had sex with plently of other women and buckle bunnies. But he' still wants to see Shelby naked. So he gets his chance. And well, a pregnancy ensues.

Shelby has always been attarcted to Kit, though she was married to Chuck and even knew she loved Kit, another man.
They have plenty of chemistry, though, perhaps, Shelby needed a fresh start else where and to date other peoplle.

This book has depths that I just didn’t see coming. Right away, of course, I knew there would be grief discussions, but the author skillfully handled complex emotions that may confront people dealing with some hard and difficult times. I was glad that the “feud” didn’t stay front and center, but instead more realistic problems were allowed to unfold.

Thank you NetGalley, Maisey Yates and Harlequin for the ARC of Best Man Rancher. This is my personal review.
This is a book in The Carsons of Lone Rock series. I have to say this book took my heart in so many directions as I was reading it. The cover of the book grabbed me right away and I knew it was going to be good.
If you enjoy contemporary western romance story you will want to read this one. Kit and Shelby are worth reading their story.

A perfect example of hated attraction

Shelby and Kit have known each other forever, their feuding families keeping the lines between them drawn very clearly. Now that her sister is marrying his brother, however, the feud seems to be forgotten and the lines have disappeared just as quickly.

Shelby married her childhood sweetheart at age 18 after six years together and they had another eight before he was suddenly killed in an accident. She'd always been attracted to Kit, but for a myriad of reasons, she knew better than to act on any of that attraction.

Kit tried to put Shelby - a very married Shelby - in the box labeled "off limits" but that lasted only as long as her marriage did. When his best man duties crosses paths with her maid of honor responsibilities, one explosive night was supposed to satisfy everyone's curiosity so they both could move on. Until the unthinkable happens.

Realizing that their lives are going to be forever joined regardless, Kit and Shelby have opposing ideas about how to move forward. I really loved the careful exposition of their thoughts and feelings, making it easy to understand both her hesitation and his insistence. I also loved how they eventually worked out a resolution. Even if it still left a lot unsaid, it allowed them to spend the necessary time working through all their emotional hurdles and paving the way to their HEA.

Both Kit and Shelby have suffered tremendous losses, which gives them an avenue to understand each other that becomes a very solid foundation for their relationship. I really enjoy the thoughtful, introspective writing from this author, and this short but packed story is an excellent example of her skill with words. If you love contemporary cowboy romances, you don't want to miss this. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Kit and Shelby are two wounded souls who need to work through their grief to find true love and happiness. It's a painful transition but Kit won my heart and I was cheering for his success from the beginning.

What started out as showing Shelby the depth of his caring and commitment, evolved into love. As they shared the meals he made her to show that he would never leave, their friendship grew.. They talked about their lives and revealed so much that bound them to each other. Would it be enough for marriage and a lifetime of happiness? You're going to want to read this to find out. I can't wait for the next book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Best Man Rancher is the second novel in Maisey Yates' The Carsons of Lone Rock series, and while I loved the first book in the series, Rancher's Forgotten Rival, this novel proved yet again that Ms. Yates just gets better and better with every novel. If you've ever suffered the heartbreaking loss of a loved one, family or friend, and tried to get past the pain and devastation of it, Best Man Rancher will tug at your heartstrings and resonate within you--if I could give it 10 stars I certainly would.

Shelby Sohappy has been attracted to Kit Carson since grade school, but since their families had been feuding for generations, Shelby knew that's all it ever could be, and so she married her high school sweetheart, Chuck, right after graduation, and had a happy marriage for 14 years--until he died, two years before this novel begins. Shelby has been grieving her loss ever since. Anyone who's suffered such a loss will certainly understand the depth of her sorrow, and her struggle to move on. What complicates matters is that even though she loved her late husband, she was always secretly attracted to another man, Kit Carson, and although she remained faithful, her feelings of guilt at this secret attraction still haunt her.

The Carson/Sohappy feud ended in Rancher's Forgotten Rival, when her sister, Juniper, fell in love with Kit's older brother, Chance, and as this novel opens, Shelby is helping to orchestrate her sister's bachelorette party, and will be Juniper's Maid of Honor at the wedding, and Kit will be his brother's Best Man, putting these two former enemies into close contact, closer than either of them expected, much closer--an attraction both finally act on, and one that ends up with Shelby getting pregnant, something she always wanted to happen with her late husband that never happened, and certainly something she now has no idea how to deal with, other than to let Kit know the result of their one-night stand.

Kit, who lost his younger sister to disease when she was still a child, was also deeply affected by it, and has avoided serious relationships ever since, never wanting to experience such a devastating loss of a loved one ever again, yet when he finds out that Shelby is pregnant, suddenly, he's willing to step up, marry Shelby, and be a father to his unborn child, and that's when this novel gets really interesting, and it's also when Maisey Yates really hits her stride as an author, as she delves deeply into the harsh reality of heartfelt guilt, loss, grief, and grieving--really gets inside her character's heads and hearts, and delivers one heck of an emotional, second chance romance you'll not soon forget--I know I certainly won't.

If any of this subject matter has ever touched your own life, this is a novel that will definitely resonate, and it's one I highly recommend. Although it works as a standalone, I also recommend reading the books in this series in the order they're written, for a better understanding of some of the references and characters in this novel, and the basis of feud between these two families.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.

Best Man Rancher was a fast read that took you on a journey of grief and pain. If you're looking for complicated plot lines, you won't get that here. You will get a love story of two broken people who have suffered so much hurt and loss that it bottled all their love up inside them, and neither knows how to let it out again. The book is a love poem written by Kit and Shelby as they take steps toward healing. The poem could have finished once they discovered that loving each other was scary but worth it, but Ms. Yates gave us more. She finished the poem by scrawling the truth of life, loss, and grief with emotional truth. We only get so many trips around the sun, and both Kit and Shelby needed to come to grips with that, to stand at the very pinnacle of their grief, and look down to see that they could find everlasting love again. With all the heat and steam you expect in a Harlequin Desire, you also get so much more than you're expecting when you read page one. You don't want to miss this Carson brother romance.

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day. Yates is one of my favorites!

Shelby and Kit have a conflicted relationship. Their siblings are about to get married. Shelby is a widow, who married her high school sweetheart, who later died. Kit and Shelby are in charge of planning the bachelorette and bachelor parties. The two of them hook up for one night. Shelby finds out she is pregnant, when in all the years she was married, getting pregnant never happened. Shelby and Kit work things out and reveal their feelings for each other.