Very good book. Tori had been desperate to leave Charlotte and start over when she found Eli's ad for a bride. Even though she knew nothing about ranching she applied anyway. The one thing she didn't do was to tell Eli all about her past right away, deciding to wait until she knew if she was going to stay.

I really liked Tori and Eli. Tori was making the best of a bad situation by getting away from her father's scandal in Charlotte. Even though she had lied about her experience she was determined to do the best she could. I loved seeing the way she threw herself into everything she tried. Even when she messed up she retained a great sense of humor about it. That went a long way toward her acceptance by Eli's dad and by Eli himself. She envied Eli's relationship with Buck considering she'd had a miserable time with her own father. There was one place where she told them both off which stunned them both. The attraction she felt for Eli was very intense and I could feel the heat between them. That attraction also contributed to her growing feelings for him and she really worried about what would happen when he found out about her past. Their confrontation at the end had me in tears, which for me is the sign of a great book. I really loved seeing Tori fall in love, not just with Eli, but with the ranch also.

Eli had been burned by a woman he thought he loved when he was younger. She had used him to try to get partial control of his ranch and he was distrustful of the emotion of love ever since. When he decided that he needed a wife he did it in a logical way instead, never expecting anyone quite like Tori. Even when he was interviewing her he had a feeling she was hiding something but nothing stopped him from choosing her. He tried to fight his intense attraction to her, wanting to wait until they knew each other better but it was a losing battle. I enjoyed seeing the way that he didn't seem mad about her inexperience but was amused by seeing her try to do things without giving herself away. He was also surprised by her obvious love for the ranch and the way that the isolation didn't bother her. He really tried to control his emotions but he just couldn't resist how she made him feel. I wanted to smack him at the end when he was being so stubborn. ( )