Series: Navy SEAL Cowboys (Book 2)
Three former Navy SEALs
Injured in the line of duty
Desperate for a new beginning...
Searching for a place to call their own.
Jack Armstrong's been slowly piecing his life back together after a career-ending injury bounced him from the SEALs. The only trouble is, his family's on their way to his new haven in Montana...and Jack refuses to let them know he's still hurting. Desperate, he makes a deal with local bad girl Rose Rogers: in exchange for some extra security, she'll play the perfect loving girlfriend.
Rose doesn't trust any man, much less some tough-as-nails former SEAL. But the more they settle into their ruse, the more things start to feel real, and the more Rose's true fear surfaces--that she'll never be good enough for love. But Jack isn't about to lose Rose. He's done running when things get tough, and he's determined to prove--once and for all--that even the most troubled hearts can find their way to redemption.
Good book. After having his life turned upside down by injury, Jack has joined his Teammates Alex and Gabe at Alex's ranch in Montana. There the men plan to create a place for other veterans to come to transition back to civilian life. Jack has been indulging himself in something of a pity party for one. Physically he is still recovering from his injuries. Mentally he is a bit lost, because if he isn't a SEAL, who is he really? He also still feels sorry for himself, as well as angry, over the fact that his fiancée slept with his brother, got pregnant, and married him while Jack was deployed. There is also the anguish and guilty feelings over the death of a friend in the same attack that injured Jack and his friends. As the icing on the cake, his family, including his cheating ex and brother, are coming to visit, and Jack doesn't want to deal with the pitying looks. This is where Rose comes in.
Rose is the owner and bartender of the local watering hole. She is tough as nails, puts up with nobody's attitude, and is haunted by her own demons. She is the second of five girls in her family, all of whom survived their childhoods with abusive parents. But Rose blames herself for some of the things that happened to her sisters, and as a result, considers herself to be unworthy of anyone's love. Though she thinks of herself as selfish, her driving force seems to be to protect those around her. When she overhears Jack talking to his mom about their visit, she offers to help, by trading favors. She will pose as his girlfriend if he acts as a bouncer at the bar.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Jack and Rose. While it starts as complete fiction, the sparks between them are obvious from the beginning. Jack realizes quickly that Rose is someone special, and also that she is going to resist any attempt to make it real. I loved his attempts to do so by making them "practice" for when his family arrives. Rose fights hard against Jack's appeal, constantly reminding herself that it's all fake, that he wouldn't like her if he really knew her, and that she's bound to ruin it anyway. Meanwhile, Jack shows an amazing amount of patience and sensitivity as he tries to get past Rose's walls.
One of the things I absolutely loved about Jack was that he loved Rose for exactly who she is. When she tries putting on a sweet façade, he calls her on it right away, making it clear that he wants to see the real Rose. Though Rose puts on a really good show of being only in this as a favor to Jack, she admits to herself that her feelings for him are growing. That scares her to death because all she can see is pain in the future for both of them. Because of those same feelings, Jack has become one of the people that Rose will protect any way she can. There is a terrific scene involving a confrontation between Jack and his brother, where Mike gets what's coming to him and it isn't from Jack! This scene was the catalyst for another great scene where Jack can open up to his family, and some old hurts are finally laid to rest.
While the need for a fake girlfriend has passed, Jack doesn't want to let go of what he has with Rose. I loved how he was there for her when an unexpected crisis arose. Her fears were real and deep-seated, and I loved seeing him be the support that she needed. However, those fears, on top of a confrontation with her parents, have Rose ready to run. But her friends and her family have her back and step in to show her the truth. That scene was heartbreaking and heartwarming as so much of Rose's past is revealed. I loved the way that her sisters gave her a new perspective and the effect that had on her relationship with Jack. It's not all immediately unicorns and rainbows, as both realize that they still have things to overcome, but they do see that they are much stronger together than they are alone.
Having read this book, I want to go back and read Alex's story and have put Gabe's story on my want to read list also.
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