Review: Once Tempted by Linda Moore

Title: Once Tempted
Author: Laura Moore
Series: A Silver Creek Novel
Release Date: March 26th 2013
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance (Western-flare)
Rating: 4 HOOTS
Reviewer: Karia
Buy From: Amazon/ Barnes and Noble

Sum It Up! Ward always was a
Thoroughbred kind of man.
 

 Summary:
Sweeping passions, family drama, and searing scandal play out at the
magnificent Silver Creek Ranch as the heirs to a powerful dynasty seize
their legacy of love.

Oldest son Ward Knowles feels the sprawling California ranch in his
blood. And now that the family business has expanded to include a
popular resort, he's working harder than ever. Silver Creek is his
legacy and his life, which is fine for the ruggedly sexy ladies' man and
committed bachelor. Love and trust don't come easily for Ward since he
lost his heart to a gold digger-until he meets a shy, unpretentious
beauty whose sweet grace is about to turn his jaded heart into a hungry
one.

Tess Casari has found sanctuary at Silver Creek, working as an assistant
to Ward's mother, Adele. Grateful for her busy new life running the
ranch's spa and resort, Tess can escape the heartbreak, humiliation, and
secret shame of her failed marriage. The last thing she needs is
temptation-especially from a man who reminds her so much of the husband
who shattered her faith in love. But passion and destiny are about to
change the rules for two people who have stopped believing in the
healing power of love. (Goodreads)

Review:
Okay, Okay...I see how it goes! Romance, cowboys, money and lies...good
start! Now what to do you have? Well, let me tell you...dying
husbands, birthing sheep, horses, hot/witty cowboys, jealous ex's, Pins,
tweets and more!

Tess is an Italian New Yorker who packs up what little she has in life
and moves to the location she scribbled on a map while playing "pin the
X on the US". The X was quite literally on top of Silver Creek Ranch,
owned and operated by the Knowles family, specifically the handsome,
jaded, committed-bachelor Ward Knowles. The first moment he meets Tess,
he scowls, if only to stop himself from kissing her senseless. Then,
when his mother hires her on as the newest assistant, Ward works double
time to bury his feelings for Tess. I really enjoyed this angst part of
the story.

I loved how this couple resisted their urge to just hook up and move on.
They developed a work relationship, then an amiable silence, then a
friendship...after all that...they built a tenuous and beautiful love.
So, of course, Ward's greedy gold digging ex has to show up and quite
literally demand Ward back. Ward seems to waiver there for a bit, but
then he sees her for the true cow that she is! Ward always was a
Thoroughbred kind of man. I loved how these two worked on their
respective closure in their pasts and gave each other a great HEA.
Enjoy!