Reclaiming Nick by Susan May Warren

5 Stars
Nick's thoughts on Piper:~ "That lady looks like a stiff wind could knock her clear to South Dakota...........She doesn't belong out here"

Piper's thoughts on Nick:~ "Underneath that six-foot-one-inch frame, dark eyes and muscular alpha-male exterior lurked a bona-fide bully"

So begins Susan May Warren's Reclaiming Nick, the first in her new Noble Legacy Series, set in the charming town of Philips, Montana.

Nick Noble deserted his father's Silver Buckle Ranch ten years earlier, a hurt and angry 18 year old determined not to return to the land where his dreams for the future were shattered. With bitterness and guilt tormenting him, Nick can't face going back even for his father's funeral. When he discovers his father has bequeathed half his inheritance to Cole St John, Nick's best friend until Cole betrayed all he held dear, Nick can't return fast enough to reclaim what is rightfully his.

Piper Sullivan endured a tormented upbringing to become a feisty, award-winning journalist determined to expose injustice especially the one perpetrated on her brother Jimmy resulting in a jail term for a crime he didn't commit - the police officer in question, Nick Noble. Determined to reveal Nick's dark side, Piper poses as a cook and obtains a job as ranch cook at the Silver Buckle, despite her distinct lack of culinary skills and her vegetarian status right in the heart of cattle country!

Susan May Warren's story is replete with humour, attraction, betrayal, jealously, desperation and intrigue all wrapped up in a very appealing cover! Nick and Piper are genuine, three-dimensional characters drawing the reader into their past hurts and the choices that will set their future. Nick's bitterness and Piper's vendetta give great scope for Susan to communicate the message of forgiveness and redemption and she blends it seamlessly into the storyline. The ripple effect of Nick's desertion is expressed in the lives of Cole and his family adding substance and appeal to the story.

The ranching way of life and the small town of Philips is described with an honest look at the great community spirit entwined the financial pressures of living off the land. You will want to visit the Silver Buckle and sit on the porch watching the horses then mosey on down to Lolly's Diner and order a cheeseburger.

Susan's writing is both enchanting and evocative drawing the emotions the characters feel into your own heart, leaving you frustrated with the misunderstandings, laughing at the city slicker's efforts and crying with the prodigal's heartache. This book has it all and more! If you want to know more about Nick, check out his website!

Nick's siblings, Rafe and Stefanie are introduced hooking you into Book 2, Taming Rafe. If the sneak peek at the end of Reclaiming Nick is anything to go by it will be a sure-fire hit!

Click here for my interview with Susie and find out which actor she would choose to play Nick :)