What a treat to discover a new-to-me author whose novel is the first in a new series and also an extremely engaging read. I give The Reluctant Cowboy 4.5 stars.

We first meet Chase Morgan as he's returning to the family ranch for the first time in years. He's a multi-millionaire, Silicon Valley, techno-nerd, and when he receives a note from his beloved grandma Ruth, to come home to the family cattle ranch, he does, finally taking a much-needed vacation from the company he co-owns with two of his fellow nerds and former college roommates. His involvement in his company and his control-freak nature led to what he thought was a stress-induced heart attack, and he's only 32. At soon as he arrives, we meet the heroine, January Mitchell, a graduate student and history major who is in the process of writing her thesis on the 150-year history of the Morgan Ranch, which includes not only the founding of the original town of Morganville, the remnants of which she is cataloguing for posterity, the silver mining operation, hot springs and the remnants of original site of the town, all of which are still contained on ranch property. Additionally, she's being paid by the local historical society to share her findings. While doing her research, she is living at the ranch, something that doesn't thrill control-freak Chase, who almost immediately plans to have her and everyone else on the ranch quietly investigated.

January was raised on a commune by her free-spirited mother and never learned who her father was. As a result, she always dreamed of having a real family, and when she realizes how dysfunctional the Morgan family is, she wants to fix it, but she has her work cut out for her because Morgan and his brothers haven't spoken to each other in decades. When Chase was only twelve years old, the oldest of the brothers, there was an incident involving their parents that completely changed the family dynamic, tore the family apart, and 20 years laters his brothers still all blame him for how things turned out. The background mystery of what happened that particular night, how continues to weave itself throughout the novel and how it deepens the character development is addictive, and also sets the stage for later novels in this series.

Chase is not the most likable hero, he's very closed off, unemotional, and wary of January while at the same time being attracted to her. January, whose two-year marriage ended in divorce, isn't particularly trusting either. What I loved about their relationship was the chance it gave the author to really offer the reader something that's been missing in a number of novels I've read (and complained of) recently, character development and depth. Although Chase and January aren't the most obvious of couples, and haven't known each other long, they each somehow manage to bring out the best in each other, although it's definitely a rocky road.

All of the romance and the clash of intentions is in the foreground of this novel, but in the background is the basic dispute. Chase is a numbers guy, and now that grandma Ruth is getting up in years, he wants her to sell the ranch, seeing no way to make it profitable. January and Ruth want to save it and it's history, and have their own ideas on how to accomplish that. Additionally there's more drama when Chase's investigator turns up at the ranch rather than call, and he's January's emotionally abusive ex-husband. We also get to meet one of Chase's brothers, Blue, but not his twin brothers, who are still distancing themselves from Chase. As if that wasn't enough, a twist near the end of this novel was both unexpected, surprising and enlightening. The introduction of all these secondary characters lays the groundwork for the rest of the series, and while there's still a bit of the mystery left unsolved, I wouldn't call it a cliffhanger--it's more of a gentle enticement to follow the series, and the reader most definitely will.

Why did I give this novel 4.5 stars rather than 5? Little things bugged me. There's an inordinate amount of shower-taking at odd times, such as showering both before and after mucking out stalls and castrating calves. Then there's Ruth, who doesn't bat an eye at any of the sexual shenanigans she walks in on. Yes, she thinks that Chase and January are perfect for each other, but she's also a grandmother, from an earlier generation, whose only complaint is when someone uses the f-word. Her lack of concern over the sexual escapades going on under her roof with two people she cares for and who barely know each other about was simply hard to believe.

This is a well-written, moving, and engrossing start to a series that I'll most definitely be following.