"The Heart of a Cowboy" by Jody Hedlund

[reviewsbyerin]

Flynn McQuaid has taken over the care of his younger siblings since his mother's passing and his stepfather kicking them off their Pennsylvania farm. When older brother Wyatt sends for them from his new ranch in Colorado, Flynn knows it's the new start he and his siblings need, even if things were tense the last time the brothers saw each other. 

Linnea Newberry fought hard to be included in the group of botanists heading west. Alongside her grandfather, she and the team are cataloging the regional flora and preparing to write a manual on western plants. However, Linnea has a penchant for falling into trouble and she's worried that her grandfather will find an opportunity to send her back home. 

After saving Linnea from nearly drowning, Flynn is surprised when her grandfather offers to hire him to be Linnea's guard while they travel west. The older man insists on keeping the arrangement a secret. Flynn tries to stifle his feelings of attraction for the young widow, especially because he intends to shun marriage and fatherhood, but the more time they spend together, the more he is drawn to Linnea.

I really enjoyed Flynn as a character. As an involved big sibling myself, I always appreciate stories about the same. The romance here was a little heavier than I like, but it's balanced by plenty of historical and scientific tidbits to make the setting and characters come alive. There was also a big unexpected twist that I quite liked. The last chapter sets up the third book in this series so well. I'm already looking forward to its release!

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.