Although this book is quite predictable and riddled with painfully obvious country phrases, it gives the right dose of romance if you need a pick-me-up.

Relatively short and (mostly) sweet!

Ellie and her daughter, Dylan, have recently moved to small town life from the big city. Ellie is a vet. A large animal vet…. She’s hoping to make a name for herself here, after taking over a vet practice from an old-time vet she’d met at a conference several years ago. For some reason, when he decided to retire, he contacted her….instead of his nephew…. And she jumped at the chance! But now that she’s here, she’s having a hard time getting and retaining customers, as she also practices acupuncture…. And that’s unheard of here in this old boys town…

Matte is a rancher. He’s a good looking guy with lots of cattle and horses. He has no plans of ever using Ellie as his vet…. He also has a sweet nine year old daughter named Lucy. His sister Cassie helps to take care of Lucy, and lives on the ranch. And his brother Jessie is the local sheriff.

Matte’s daughter, Lucy has become best friends with Dylan. And, since she has no Mom, and Dylan has no Dad, they decide that their parents should get together…so they can be sisters! And so, they both sign them up to be THE COMMITTEE for the schools Valentine’s Dance! Without telling them!! 😮

And what follows is sweet, crazy, a bit unexpected, somewhat horrifying at times, and downright beautiful at times too! 🫣😮😩❤️😊

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

From what I’ve read, I believe this is one of her earlier works that’s being re-published, and re-released TODAY, 1/21/25! So look 👀 for it now!!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #HarlequinAudio for an ARC of the audiobook!

#StarValleyWinter (Outlaw Harte’s Book #1) by #RaeAnnThayne and narrated beautifully by #CarlyRobins! And yay!! It’s Book #1 in a series!! 😊

As for me… You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads.
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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

This is the first book in the Outlaw Hartes series. I love small town romances and high hope for this book. I will start by saying the narration was great! The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. I also enjoyed the daughters scheming to get their parents together. I thought it was cute and a sweet touch to the story. I also enjoyed the animals and the small town setting! The romance aspect of the story definitely left me wanting more. I know Matt had past trauma from his previous relationship, but I don’t see that as an excuse to be mean. As far as I’m concerned, he was very toxic. I couldn’t root for an HEA for Matt and Ellie because I felt like Ellie deserved more! The HEA was cute, but even at the end Matt was a covert jerk. Sadly, my dislike of Matt ruined my overall opinion of the book. The narration was great, so for that I’ll give three stars!

Modern day, parent trap, and I am here for it! Such a cute easy listen. One of my favorite narrators. Rayanne has a way of making the book perfectly romantic with a bit of excitement! Definitely spicy!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was an easy listen. Opposites attract, precocious (or annoying and totally unrealistic and I love kids so wow) scheming kids, small town nosiness, subterfuge, and more. Matt and Ellie have some real trust issues. When she moves to town to take over a veterinary practice, she is not accepted and is quite worried about her business surviving. Just when she seems to be making some headway, things go all FUBAR. There are resolutions to everything and the HEA expected, but I did find that there was a lot of repetition and I felt the story could have been a lot less wordy and still had the same impact. Also, I found this somewhat formulaic and unsurprising. Additionally, this read (listened) like some of her other stories (I know this is a newly titled re-release, so not that one). Maybe it is because I listened to a few over the holiday season that this sounded repetitive, but still easy and enjoyable.

This audiobook is a delightful romance with some suspense mixed into it.
Veterinarian and single mom Ellie Webster and her adorable daughter Dylan, have recently moved into town as Ellie takes over the former veterinarian’s practice. Being a woman and new, has not helped her business. Instead of working with big animals in the ranches, she’s been forced mostly treating domestic pets.
Wealthy rancher and single dad Matt Harte doesn’t trust women after his ex abandoned his daughter, Lucy, in favor of city life.
Nonetheless, the girls, Dylan and Lucy have become close friends. So much so that they do all they can to get their parents together and hopefully marry so the girls can become sisters.
Their manipulations get their parents working together in the Valentine’s dance fundraiser for the local library .
As they get to know each other, feelings develop. But someone is sabotaging Ellie’s job as well putting doubts on the ranchers in her abilities as a vet. All this making Ellie not only doubt herself, and causing friction between Ellie and Matt, but also reconsidering going back to California.
Who is endangering the animals and why?
In the end will the culprit be found and Ellie and Matt find their HEA or will Ellie and Dylan end up leaving town forever?
This delightful audiobook had an engaging plot filled with family, adorable and a tad mischievious girls, suspense and of course romance.
The narrator, Carly Robins did an excellent not only with the voices, but also in bringing the story to life.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Harlequin audio. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Matt has avoided romance since his wife left him, but his daughter plots to set him up with Ellie, a veterinarian new to town. Despite their initial reluctance, sparks fly between Matt and Ellie as they plan the local Valentine’s Day dance.

This small-town romance has a suspense subplot and a hint of spice. It’s an insta-lust story between two single parents who’ve been burned by love. They have no interest in romance, but their daughters have different ideas! I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

4.5 stars. Honest ARC Review:

⭐️ Single dad
⭐️Contemporary Romance
⭐️Small town Romance
⭐️Western Romance
⭐️ Romantic Suspense
⭐️Holiday Romance


Dylan Webster and Lucy Harte are fourth grade girls who have become close friends. They girls believe that the next step would be to become sisters. They go about attempting to set up their single parents.

Both Matt Harte and Ellie Webster find themselves spending a lot of time together between vet visits and working on the Valentines fair. There is an attraction that builds between them but both try to resist. Each has a history that allows greater depth of character to be revealed.

The story becomes more complex as Ellie (and her practice ) is threatened.

Overall, the story is interesting, heartwarming and enjoyable to read.
Thank you for sharing this ARC with me. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I had a nice experience, though it was a bit slow at times. The pace was steady, but it gave me the chance to truly enjoy the moments. I appreciated the calm atmosphere and the opportunity to unwind. Even though things weren’t fast-paced, the overall vibe was pleasant, and I left feeling content. Sometimes a slower, more relaxed experience can be exactly what you need.

This is the first book about the Harte siblings and the book starts with two nine-year old plotting how to become sisters and their parents married. Think Parent Trap. Dylan Webster and Lucy Harte are fourth grade girls who have become best friends since Dylan and her mother moved to town. They are such good friends that they've decided that the next step is to become sisters, to do that, they're going to have to find a way to get their parents together. So without parents knowledge, Ellie and Matt get volunteered to co-chair the annual Valentine's Day school fundraiser. This is not just a romance but a mystery as well since Ellie is getting threats and is trying to determine should she stay or go back to California. Meanwhile Matt is falling for the person he didn't want to but has a connection. The mystery of who had it in for Ellie really wasn't too hard to figure out. I was a bit surprised they hadn't suspected earlier. Each thing that happened was pretty creepy, but the last was definitely the worst. As scary as it was for Ellie, I loved seeing how everyone supported her. The resolution of it was especially well done. Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity.

This is a dramatic story. Rancher Matt Harte has a massive chip on his shoulder – for reasons that soon become clear. Ellie Webster is the new veterinarian and is having a tough time being accepted by the small, close knit community of Salt River. She wants to keep her practice solo and just needs a foot in the door with the area ranches.

Adding to the story are the daughters of Matt and Ellie. They gave the book a Parent Trap vibe. The story has a bit of mystery, a lot of romance and emotional drama.

This is a re-release of an older book. I noticed a difference in Thayne’s writing style. The romance is more open door than recent books. Not a criticism, just an observation. I prefer the books of recent years that are more Women’s Fiction than Romance.

Narration: Carly Robins delivers a fine performance that kept me listening to one more chapter. The seven plus hours flew by.

Thanks to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my opinion.