Miguel Rodriguez hires heroine Samantha Monroe to ghostwrite a memoir about his great-great-great grandmother after he finds some journals written by her in the attic. His son, hero Mike, is opposed to the idea. He is a very private person and he doesn’t like strangers staying at the family ranch. But the more time he spends with friendly Sam, the more he opens up, and begins falling for her…

At first, Mike was very abrupt and rude towards Sam. But the more Sam tried to get Mike to come out of his shell, the more likable he became. Sam was a wonderful heroine. She was a widow, having lost her husband in an auto accident. She was very sweet and warm. I particularly liked the way Sam went all out for the Rodriguez Thanksgiving celebration at the ranch, helping to cook, and putting up decorations. She really loved spending time with Mike’s family (who made her feel so welcome) since Sam had no family of her own. I also liked Mike’s father, Miguel. He was a big, teddy bear kind of man who was playing matchmaker between Sam and Mike. I liked the book's small town feel, (in Forever, Texas) with everyone knowing each other. This wasn’t especially a Thanksgiving book, since Thanksgiving didn’t really come into the plot until the last fourth of the book, but I still enjoyed it.

Another lovely read by Marie Ferrarella. ( )

First, the cover blurb isn't entirely accurate. It wasn't Mike's idea to hire Sam, it was his father's idea. Mike started out against it. He doesn't like having strangers on the ranch and is initially afraid that Sam will be some kind of con artist who will take advantage of his father. Sam is surprised by how warmly she is welcomed by most of the family. It's her reaction to Mike that has her wishing for something she's never had.

I really liked Sam. She had been on her own a lot as a child because, as a single mother, her mom spent a lot of time working to make ends meet. That made her pretty independent. When she was eighteen her mother married and left with her husband leaving Sam completely alone. She later married her high school sweetheart but he died in an accident soon after the wedding, leaving her alone again. Her ghostwriting job came about as a way for her to deal with the loneliness. I really liked the way that she had no trouble standing up to Mike and his negative attitude. I really loved how most of the family made her feel so welcome and how she started to feel a little bit like part of the family. She wasn't sure how to deal with the attraction she felt for Mike as it was unlike anything she had ever felt before. As Mike's father found ways to throw them together she began to see a different Mike than the one she first met and her feelings for him began to grow. She was excited to have the job working on the journals because it was something very different than she had ever done before. She also began to identify with his ancestor's feelings about her life and choices. I loved Sam's involvement in the family's Thanksgiving celebration and how much it meant to her. I loved the change in her relationship with Mike and ached for her lack of confidence that anything would come of it. I loved the way it ended and what Sam told Mike about her dream for her future.

Mike is sort of the odd one out in his family. As the oldest he's always felt the responsibility for his family and the ranch. He doesn't seem to resent it, it "just is what it is". He's also not as social as his siblings. He does value his privacy and is frustrated by the way his father is constantly inviting strangers to stay at the ranch. He seems to have a more cynical view of life as he is sure that the writer who is coming is some sort of con artist out to take advantage of his father. Meeting Sam seems to put an end to that viewpoint. He also is so stunned by her beauty that he has a hard time thinking around her and making sense when he tries to talk to her. He's a bit frustrated by the way his dad keeps making him take Sam to do things off the ranch. He'd rather stay away from her and the feelings she's causing, but there's no way to say no to his father. I loved the way that he got to know her and discover that she's not the kind of person he thought she was. Just being around her caused changes in him that everyone else noticed but he didn't want to admit to. It was fun seeing the way it took his brother Eli making him face the truth for him to have the courage to go after what he wanted. It was so sweet seeing what he offered just so that they could be together.

I loved seeing more of Miguel and how much love he had for his family. I really enjoyed the way he got his kids to do what he wanted them to do without threats or yelling. It's always great seeing more of the previous characters and what they are doing now. Mike's comments to Cash about getting sleep while he can before Alma's baby arrives were fun to see, as were Alma's suspicions about what Mike was telling him. ( )