The Cowboy’s Last Goodbye (Grass Valley Cowboys #6)

WESTERN:  Ben and Harper should have met years ago. Although she lived with her uncle during the summer months when she was a kid, right in his hometown, their paths have never crossed. Now she's back from Boise to take care of her uncle while he recuperates from surgery. Ben does rotations of helping on the family ranch and captaining a boat up and down the river. An accidental meeting on a deserted back road when his bike breaks down strikes an instant spark between the two.

The sixth book in the Grass Valley Cowboy series, readers who have followed these families will be reunited with them, and follow along as Ben and Harper begin their journey. As individuals, Ben and Harper are intriguing and reasonably flawed - a wonderful set up for an amazing story. However, with five previous books, there is too much telling and explaining about everyone else's lives and paths and their story gets overwhelmed. While a large set of intertwined secondary characters is what would be true of a rural town in real life, their relationship simply is not at the forefront and their interactions are...boring...like following a day in the life of normal while being surrounded by fun. This is a shame, because both Ben and Harper could have so much more to be depth to them. The largest serious event isn't even about them! The families are hysterical, and the group in this series is a solid one and fun to read. While Ben and Harper deserved more, it is a good story overall.

Julie York