I was going back and forth between rating this book 2 stars or2.5 stars. I finally settled on 2 stars because, to be honest, thisbook drove me up a wall. Wait, let me be clear, the characters in this book drove me up a wall.I have to say that the heroine especially was the most annoying for me.She was too wishy-washy and couldn't make good decisions about her lifeand her relationships. She flip-flopped around too much for my likingand came off rather whine-y and unlikable. The hero, well, he wasn't as bad but he also wasn't much better, either.I swear to all that is Holy, if I wasn't reading this book on my kindle I would have thrown it against a freaking wall.I get that both characters had their issues. Victoria Baker, who just recently lost her scheming husband due to him offing himself becauseof all the people that he stole from, is back on Crooked Creek ranchafter the death of her father and is trying to make a go at running the ranch and making something of herself, and not having to depend on a man for security.Eli Turnbull, is the ranch's foreman, and has been working on the ranchfor the past fifteen years, is trying to sabotage any and all of Victoria's efforts at running the ranch by selling off more thanhalf of the ranch's livestock. And this is all because he wants what is owed to him and his family: The land now known as the crooked creek ranch that his grandfather sold of bit by bit whilst in a drunken stupor.He succeeds, but Victoria isn't so easily cowed, or so she pretends to be. It isn't until he does something that is so unforgivable, like bringing her seven year old son into the mix.I did agree with Victoria in that regard, if you wanna mess with me, fine. But do not ever bring my son into your little game of revenge.The only time I started to actually feel and relate to these characterswas at the 80% mark, not gonna lie.So yes, overall, this book just wasn't for me. It wasn't as engaging as I'd have liked and while the storyline was what caught my attentionit just didn't deliver. Many thanks to the publisher who sent me this eARC via Netgalley in return for my honest opinion
