A Reason To Stay
Las Vegas casino manager Ruby McPhee needs to lay low while the police deal with a stalker at work. So she's trading in her high heels for cowboy boots and assuming her twin sister's identity at the Gold Nugget Ranch. Ruby only plans on staying in Sweetheart, Nevada, until the threat back home has passed. But then she discovers a detail her sister forgot to mention�the handsome sheriff she's dating.
It only takes a single kiss for Cliff Dempsey to realize the woman in his arms is someone entirely different…and completely irresistible. To protect Ruby's secret, Cliff maintains her ruse, but soon the lines between duty and desire begin to blur. Ruby and Cliff know they have a once-in-a-lifetime connection, but will they have a chance to let their love grow?

Received from the publishers Harlequin via Netgalley
Ruby, threatened by a stalker, swaps places with her twin sister in order to hide out for a few weeks. Little does she realise that the game she played with Scarlett as a child wouldn’t work out the way she thought as adults. First she has to work on a ranch, having not ridden a horse in over a decade, and then she meets the local, and very sexy, very single Sherriff, with whom Scarlett has being having an on-off relationship with.

Cliff, the Sheriff, has his own problems. After returning to his hometown of Sweetheart – his career in Reno damaged after a less than appropriate relationship. He liked Scarlett but realises that he is very much attracted to (then in love with) Ruby.
Rest of the book covers about 2 weeks, whilst waiting to deal with Ruby’s stalker which leads to a tense situation outside of town, and Ruby trying to make amends for putting the town’s people in danger
The romance is strong, involving two people who are resisting commitment for various reasons, whilst under pressure from Cliff’s extended family to commit to something more.


The side issue of Sweetheart’s faltering economy due to a fire the year before is a good subplot, and allows for an interesting finale and denouement.
What sex there is is sexy enough, without making too many people blush, however there is some appropriate language in these scenes, so be warned if you’re not a fan of this kind of scene
I understand it’s difficult to develop the characters of people who are not part of the story until the second half (e.g. Ruby’s bosses at the casino, from where she’s had to take a sudden break from), so I felt they were a little flat when they did arrive. Wondering if Ruby, in talking to Cliff etc, could have expanded them out a little more – such as why Earnestino apparently didnt back her up much to the casino manager at the time she reported the harassment. Anyway, minor point, they were useful characters when they were needed in order to progress the romance between Ruby and Cliff.

A Reason To Stay
Las Vegas casino manager Ruby McPhee needs to lay low while the police deal with a stalker at work. So she's trading in her high heels for cowboy boots and assuming her twin sister's identity at the Gold Nugget Ranch. Ruby only plans on staying in Sweetheart, Nevada, until the threat back home has passed. But then she discovers a detail her sister forgot to mention�the handsome sheriff she's dating.
It only takes a single kiss for Cliff Dempsey to realize the woman in his arms is someone entirely different…and completely irresistible. To protect Ruby's secret, Cliff maintains her ruse, but soon the lines between duty and desire begin to blur. Ruby and Cliff know they have a once-in-a-lifetime connection, but will they have a chance to let their love grow?

Received from the publishers Harlequin via Netgalley
Ruby, threatened by a stalker, swaps places with her twin sister in order to hide out for a few weeks. Little does she realise that the game she played with Scarlett as a child wouldn’t work out the way she thought as adults. First she has to work on a ranch, having not ridden a horse in over a decade, and then she meets the local, and very sexy, very single Sherriff, with whom Scarlett has being having an on-off relationship with.

Cliff, the Sheriff, has his own problems. After returning to his hometown of Sweetheart – his career in Reno damaged after a less than appropriate relationship. He liked Scarlett but realises that he is very much attracted to (then in love with) Ruby.
Rest of the book covers about 2 weeks, whilst waiting to deal with Ruby’s stalker which leads to a tense situation outside of town, and Ruby trying to make amends for putting the town’s people in danger
The romance is strong, involving two people who are resisting commitment for various reasons, whilst under pressure from Cliff’s extended family to commit to something more.


The side issue of Sweetheart’s faltering economy due to a fire the year before is a good subplot, and allows for an interesting finale and denouement.
What sex there is is sexy enough, without making too many people blush, however there is some appropriate language in these scenes, so be warned if you’re not a fan of this kind of scene
I understand it’s difficult to develop the characters of people who are not part of the story until the second half (e.g. Ruby’s bosses at the casino, from where she’s had to take a sudden break from), so I felt they were a little flat when they did arrive. Wondering if Ruby, in talking to Cliff etc, could have expanded them out a little more – such as why Earnestino apparently didnt back her up much to the casino manager at the time she reported the harassment. Anyway, minor point, they were useful characters when they were needed in order to progress the romance between Ruby and Cliff.

Good book. Ruby has come to Sweetheart to hide from her stalker. She'd rather lie low, but sister Scarlett wants to take off to visit an old boyfriend. So Ruby pretends to be her sister and fill in for her at work. Scarlett forgot to tell Ruby that she's dating the local sheriff.

Cliff realizes immediately that Ruby is not Scarlett. Her kiss blows him away, making him feel things he never felt for Scarlett. He's wary of Ruby until he confirms her story and agrees to go along with her ruse and protect her.

Cliff tries to keep things professional. Earlier in his career in Reno he had fallen for a witness who used him to help the criminal who was being investigated. This ruined the investigation and damaged Cliff's reputation so he doesn't want to take that chance again. But his feelings for Ruby are growing quickly and he's having trouble staying away.

Meanwhile, Ruby is falling hard for Cliff. His protectiveness makes her feel safe and his care for her is something she's never experienced. Ruby worries that by coming to Sweetheart she's put the people she's come to care about in danger. Just as she and Cliff admit their connection their whole relationship is endangered by her stalker.

I really liked both Ruby and Cliff. Ruby is a nice person caught in a bad situation. She takes the opportunity to escape Las Vegas, but she does worry about what could happen. When things go bad at the end she is devastated by Cliff's actions and the attitudes of some of the townspeople. I liked the way that she went out of her way to try to repair some of the damage that had occurred. Cliff was a man caught in a dilemma. He really liked Ruby and the more time he spent with her the more he fell for her. But he was so worried about his reputation that he nearly threw away the best thing that ever happened to him. I wanted to kick him, the mayor, and a bunch of the other people for the way they blamed Ruby for everything. I really enjoyed the ending and seeing how the townspeople tried to make things right. ( )