Hi, everyone!
Today I am very excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for the Release Blitz of THE PATRIOT (Hayden Family Book #1) by Jennifer Millikin. This is the first book in a new contemporary cowboy romance series that has everything I am looking for in an emotional romance read.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and social media links and an author giveaway. Good luck on the giveaway and I know you are going to love Wes and Dakota’s story!
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Book Description
I’m a soldier.
A cattle rancher.
A Hayden.
My family’s legacy is spread out in front of me, just waiting for me to seize it. If it weren’t for one outdated rule, I’d be the owner of the Hayden Cattle Company and my aging father could retire.
When Dakota Wright shows up to buy and develop twenty acres of Hayden land, I see more than a pretty mouth and strawberry blonde hair. I see a way around the decree keeping me from getting what I want.
And, as luck would have it, Dakota has a big problem of her own. We strike two deals: one for the land, and a second that’ll make both our problems a distant memory.
It isn’t too long before I realize I’m in over my head. I’ve convinced myself the ends should justify the means, but everything begins to fall apart when my birthright is no longer all that I’m after.
I never thought there’d be anything I could love more than my ranch and my country.
I was wrong.
Turns out, I want it all.
Including her.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56032746-the-patriot?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=n3Dk2vqgGA&rank=3
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE PATRIOT (Hayden Family Book #1) by Jennifer Millikin is the start of a new contemporary cowboy romance series that has everything I am looking for in an emotional romance read.
Hayden Cattle Company is the largest spread in Sierra Grande and was established and run by four generations of Hayden men. Beau Hayden and his wife have three grown sons and one teenage daughter.
Wes Hayden is the oldest son and after serving three tours in the Army overseas has returned to take his place on the ranch. But the Wes who went to war is not the same Wes who has returned. Beau has decided to sell of a small portion of land next to the town and he wants Wes to decide between the prospective buyers and their plans for the land.
Dakota Wright has returned home and gone to work in her father’s company Wright Build + Design. He has decided to bid on the Sierra Grande land and development and he tells Dakota that he wants her to design and lead the project.
When Wes and Dakota come together, they not only realize they have already met and more, but they may be able to help each other with the other’s problem. They discover that what drew them together five years ago is still there. What started out as a business deal just may turn into something much more permanent.
I absolutely love Wes and Dakota! Wes has a big loving family, but after a terrible incident in his third deployment, he comes back to the ranch and closes himself off from family and friends while suffering with PTSD. Dakota has a lot of guilt going on in her own life which may be why she can see it in Wes and she can get through to Wes unlike others. The H/h tell the story in alternating chapters and even when it is difficult, they maturely handle problems with communication or action. These two characters work through a lot of heart wrenching emotions, but it is all worth it for the satisfying HEA. The sex scenes are brief and not extremely explicit, but not G-rated either. All the secondary characters are fully fleshed and bring the family and the other small town citizens to life. I am looking forward to reading the siblings’ stories in future books.
I can highly recommend this contemporary cowboy romance!
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Excerpt
She’s late.
Dakota was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago and I feel like a dumbass for being so keenly aware of that. Watching the clock like a whipped schoolboy. Pathetic.
I walk away from the window that faces the road, and go to the kitchen to rinse out my coffee cup and set it on the drying rack. Somewhere in the distance, a car door slams shut.
Before I open the front door, I’m careful to rearrange my features. Cool indifference is what I’m going for, maybe with a side of I forgot you and everything about that night.
I pull open the door just in time to watch Dakota falter on the second step. She regains her footing and keeps going. When she notices me standing in the open door, she stops short, her eyes wide, and she sucks her bottom lip between her teeth.
Jesus… this girl. How am I going to spend a morning with her in my truck? From three feet away I can smell her sweet, mouthwatering scent, the same one I couldn’t define that night at the lake and don’t have a prayer of defining now.
Her jeans are so tight she might as well have them painted on, and they’re tucked into cowboy boots. I draw in a shaky breath, but it doesn’t quite fill my lungs.
“You’re late,” I say, and it sounds angry even though I don’t mean it to be. I don’t like the way she puts me off-kilter.
“My apologies,” she says tartly, in a way that conveys she isn’t sorry in the least.
A throat clears and we both follow the noise with our eyes. Gramps sits in a chair, watching us. I must not have noticed him when I was looking out the window. I was too busy watching for Dakota.
He stares at me, waiting for me to introduce him. “Dakota, this is Leroy Hayden, my grandpa. Gramps, this is Dakota.”
Dakota walks over and shakes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” she tells him, smiling down at him.
I can already tell he is dazzled by her. “You can just call me Gramps. Are you a friend of Wes’s?” The excitement in his voice at me possibly having a friend is mortifying.
“Uh, no.” Dakota shakes her head. “I’m here on business.”
Gramps turns a confused look to me. “We need to get going, Gramps, but Dad is inside. He can explain the business that Dakota is here for.” To Dakota, I say, “Ready?”
“It was nice to meet you, Gramps.” She winks at him and turns, going back down the steps.
For a moment I’m frozen, struck dumb by the sway of her hips and remembering the night she was swinging them on the dance floor.
I hurry after her. “This way,” I tell her, chucking my chin sideways toward the side of the house where I park my truck.
She keeps three feet between us as we walk, and I can feel her silent questions coming at me through the separation.
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About the Author
Jennifer Millikin is a contemporary romance and women’s fiction author. She lives in the Arizona desert with her husband, two children, and Liberty, her Lab who thinks she’s human. Jennifer craves vegetables and refuses to apologize for it, can probably beat you in Spot It, and believes chips and salsa should be a food group.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferMillikinwrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenmillwrites
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14441655.Jennifer_Millikin
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennifer-millikin
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Enter the Release Giveaway HERE (pinned post)
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