Return to Homecoming Ranch
Written by Julia London
4/5
()
About this audiobook
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia London delivers another standalone, heartwarming love story in her Pine River series.
Curly-haired Libby Tyler never stops smiling…until her beloved boyfriend suddenly forces her out of their home and away from his adoring kids. When she learns he dumped her for his flighty ex-wife, Libby’s sadness turns to fury—and she very publicly smashes his truck with a golf club, earning herself a trip to a mental health center for some “rest.”
Handsome, hazel-eyed deputy Sam Winters has been sober for two years. Afraid of backsliding, he lives in the mountains and keeps his distance from people. Yet he never forgot Libby, his former colleague at the sheriff’s office whose charm and cheerfulness always warmed his days.
Now Libby’s back, ignoring the townspeople’s whispers (and her ex’s restraining order) while desperately trying to make Homecoming Ranch a successful event destination. She keeps causing trouble for Sam, but he finds her smile more beautiful than ever…and his touch gives her thrills she’s never felt. Could these two lost souls mend each other’s broken hearts?
Julia London
Julia London is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over fifty novels of historical and contemporary romance. She is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award. She lives in Austin, Texas. Find her at www.julialondon.com. Or visit Julia online: www.julialondon.com/newsletter www.facebook.com/julialondon www.twitter.com/juliaflondon www.instagram.com/julia_f_london
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Reviews for Return to Homecoming Ranch
29 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Return to Homecoming Ranch is the second novel in Julia London's Pine River series. This installment features another one of the Tyler sisters and it is a poignant and very heartwarming story.
Return to Homecoming Ranch opens not long after Libby Tyler's very public breakdown where she attacked her ex-boyfriend's truck with a golf club. A week of intensive, inpatient therapy has helped her regain her equilibrium, but she still has hopes of regaining her lost family. A recovering alcoholic, Deputy Sam Winters knows what it is like to pick up the pieces after a public fall from grace. So when Libby violates the restraining order her ex took out on her, instead of arresting her, Sam takes a softhearted approach and lets her go with a stern lecture. Libby keeps getting into trouble, Sam continues to rescue her and before long, their somewhat uneasy friendship leads to romance.
Libby is a passionate, vivacious and giving young woman but she is also impulsive, reckless and stubborn. The end of her four year relationship blindsided her but it was losing her ex's two young kids that really broke her heart. Libby has irrational and unrealistic expectations of salvaging her relationship with the kids and nothing and no one can convince her otherwise. It is incredibly frustrating watching her self-destruct time and again and while Sam's efforts to help her are well-intentioned, he should have let her deal with the consequences of her actions much, much sooner.
Sam works hard to maintain his sobriety and he now leads a solitary, quiet, peaceful life. He is incredibly patient with Libby and his feelings run much deeper than just friendship. Sam has serious reservations about becoming involved with Libby, and he is very upfront about what he needs from her to make things work between them. But Sam's expectations are impossible to maintain and Libby makes a rash and impetus decision that jeopardizes their relationship.
Adding to Libby's problems is the future of Homecoming Ranch. She and her sister Madeline are struggling to turn it into a hotspot for destination events, but they are running into numerous snags while working on their current project. Libby is also having problems with a fundraiser she is spearheading and in order to make it a success, she needs the expert assistance only her estranged sister Emma can provide and her arrival sets the stage for the next book in the Pine River series.
Return to Homecoming Ranch is a wonderful novel and Julia London deftly handles very difficult subjects with ease. Sam and Libby are well-developed, imperfect protagonists who eventually (if somewhat painfully) triumph over their personal demons. All in all, this heartfelt romance is compelling, entertaining and emotionally satisfying. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Loved this one! Libby is a little crazy. Sam is very stoic. Together they find a great balance but can Libby put her past hurt behind her and realize what she has?? Love Julia London's writing style and the pace of this story. Very enjoyable. I highly recommend it.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Having won Julia London’s ‘Return to Homecoming Ranch’ as a Goodreads First Read novel, I was entertained, but never completely drawn into the story. My perception was that, although the author provided a worthy tale, some of the minor characters in the story were never quite developed, and I sometimes momentarily wondered who they actually were. That being said, I did enjoy the characterization of Libby Tyler and Sam Winters, as they sought to overcome their foibles and to find happiness. The romance that ignited between Sam and Libby was captivating, although both were ridden with overwhelming issues that they were striving to overcome. I found myself cheering for them, and hoping that they would manage to take some risks in their relationship. Libby, with her eternally optimistic attitude about putting forth her best effort, was an inspiration to me, as I truly felt that she gave of herself and connected with others from her heart. All in all, ‘Return to Homecoming Ranch’ was an enjoyable novel and worthy as a beach read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a wonderful read this book was. Two people, who know of one another, but don't know the real story behind each other's problems. Family, breakups, and finding someone who loves you despite your faults. This is a heartwarming story that needs to be savored. Well done Julia!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a very enjoyable story. I loved it.Libby's comfortable family life (which included a boyfriend and his 2 children) has been turned upside by said boyfriend, when he decides to break up with her, and she was not to have any communication with himself or the children again, too just stay away from them. She then spends several months being treated like a walking time bomb after she loses her temper with her ex, very visually in the town. Everyone thinks she's going crazy.The town sheriff is Sam, he's known Libby for a while, he's liked her for a while too, but he's never told her about his feelings though. When Libby gets hit with a restraining order from her ex, Sam makes it his job to try to keep her out of trouble.He's handsome and patient, I liked him a lot. These two characters needed some one, they found each other.There was some difficult topics mentioned in this story, divorce, addiction, Post-traumatic stress disorder which was interesting. All in all I found this book to be very well written and very entertaining, I look forward to the next Homecoming with Emma.