Abilene
B.A. Mealer
Contemporary Suspense
A secret, a murder, a syndicate and no place to hide. Ronald McGuire has been stalking Abilene for two years, using her research to find oil. But, who is he really working for? Abilene Brown has no idea of how Ron finds her. In an attempt to hide from him, she rents the Haskell Ranch for six months, hoping for a reprieve of two weeks but only gets two days. Ron isn’t the only one after her. Are the two connected? Wade Chapman, who owns the Haskell Ranch, also has a secret when he meets Abilene. Will he be able to fulfill his promise to keep her safe? A twenty year old secret is the key.
Uncaged Review: This is a nicely written story that is a bit slow in the beginning, but does pick up the pace as you read. The romance isn’t really given time to brew, or give too many obstacles, it’s almost an instant like between the main characters of Wade and Abilene. Wade is one of the town’s most eligible bachelors, in looks and in wealth, to his dismay. He stays hidden on his ranch most of the time, and only goes into town when he has too, to avoid the women that are always hitting on him. Sounds a bit over the top, and it is a bit at first. Abilene, who is trying to put her past behind her and hide from a man who wants to use her talents as a geologist – is the new lady leasing the ranch next to Wade’s that everyone is talking about, and after a town dance – with Abilene spending most of her time with Wade, is now being shunned by most of the single women. Both of these characters are a bit too trusting, too quickly considering their pasts, and the man looking for Abilene finds her a bit fast too.
Even with these issues, I enjoyed the story – the suspense and intrigue did pick up and you will find yourself immersed in the story wanting to know how it all unfolds. One of the supporting cast was actually my favorite, and that’s Wade’s brother Chad, and I hope he gets a shot at stardom. Although the characters sound a bit cliché at first, once you peel back the layers you will find much more, and even though I wasn’t as attached to the main characters as I’d like, I think for a new author, this story and family have tons of potential. Reviewed by Cyrene
4 Stars
