Review & Giveaway: Creed’s Honor by Linda Lael Miller

Publisher: HQN
Where did you get the book: e-ARC
Release Date: Out now

Blurb taken from publisher’s website:

Conner Creed knows exactly who he is: a hardworking rancher carrying on his uncle’s legacy in Lonesome Bend, Colorado. Maybe a small-town cowboy’s life isn’t his dream, but he owes the man who took him in as a kid. Until the identical twin brother he’s been estranged from for years reenters his life.

Conner struggles with identity issues as he gets to know his wilder brother. And then he meets Tricia McCall, a beautiful woman who knows a thing or two about living someone else’s dreams. Together, they just might find their own dreams right here in Lonesome Bend….

Tricia McCall has come back home to Lonesome Bend to sell off her deceased father’s failing businesses so she can go back to Seattle to open an Art Gallery, and back to her partner, Hunter. Tricia is also grieving as her beloved childhood pet dog, Rusty, died six months ago. And with her relationship with Hunter starting to fizzle out, she feels slightly on edge and is quite low on spirits. Tricia is also babysitting Winston, her Great grandmother Natty’s cat whilst Natty is out of town visiting her sister. And whilst at Natty’s, Tricia comes into contact with rancher owner, Conner Creed, who manages to ruffle and fluster her with his slow drawl and mischief eyes.

Conner Creed is a quiet man who is not content in life. He’s been estranged from his twin brother, Brody, for over 10 years. He has family, and loves his Aunt and Uncle who raised him and Brody, but he has pangs for a wife and family of his own. When he encounters Tricia at Natty’s place, he can’t get Tricia out of his mind. Tricia is unwilling to take that step with Conner, but it’s soon obvious to see that their attraction will only grow and grow. Brody also arrives back in town, and Conner’s issues with him blow to the surface, which makes him edgy. Conner not only has to deal with the past and his brother, but he also has a task on his hand to win Tricia, and prove to her that they are worth it.

Creed’s Honor is such a warm hearted romance. It does have a slow pace with the romance taking its time, but I liked that. It’s the sort of book where I think the long wait of the romance was worth it. Tricia and Conner have an awkward attraction to one another, and neither are sure what to do which made for a cute read. I fell in love with Valentino (such an awesome name), the stray dog that Tricia takes in. Whilst sometimes some of the behaviour of the dog was a little bit like Lassie that just tipped over the top, he was adorable. He was an instigator in Tricia and Conner’s romance, and it was cute :D.

I liked both Tricia and Conner, and whilst I understood Conner’s misgivings due to the past of his brother, I didn’t quite grasp why Tricia was so wary of falling in and taking the chance in love. Her Mother wasn’t the best, but she had a Father that loved her, so her reluctance I didn’t quite understand. Especially when she thought she had something going on with her non-existent relationship with Hunter in Seattle, who she hadn’t seen in such a long time. But despite that, Tricia is an extremely likeable character who came off as warm and vibrant, and her interactions with Valentino, Winston, and when her Goddaughter comes to visit showed off a well rounded character that had depth.

Conner is the silent type of hero, but he’s so nice at the same time. There was no broodiness despite his bitterness at what happened in the past with his brother. There is a strong theme of family in this book, and I was very taken in by the dynamics between Conner and his brother Brody. They were like two bulls butting heads with one another. I found it sad that they had missed so much of each other’s lives because of their hardheadedness. Brody was such a different character to Conner. Where Conner has felt the responsibility for the ranch for nearly all of his life, Brody is carefree and doesn’t seem to have a care in the world, but both those perceptions are turned around when both of them spend more time with each other.

I especially enjoyed seeing the hints of Carolyn, a secondary character and heroine in the next book with Brody. You find out about their past at the end of Creed’s Honor, and it really sets up the next book quite well I believe.

But back to Tricia and Conner. Like I said in the beginning, their romance is very slow, but the tension between them never wavered. It was just a matter of waiting for when the time was right, and when they did come together, I was quite surprised by how sensual it was. It was a sexy scene that made the waiting worth it.

There are quite a few secondary characters and supporting characters in Creed’s Honor that really added to the story. Conner’s Aunt and Uncle, Carolyn and Brody, and also Grandmother Natty who was a hoot. All of these characters were central to the story, and aided Conner’s and Tricia’s romance along the way. I’m usually not a fan of books that feature a lot of characters, but Creed’s Honor was done in a way that it felt natural and it really made the book that more enjoyable as there were no POV except Tricia and Conner which made it flow so smoothly.

Overall, Creed’s Honor is a warm hearted read that manages to pull off a great small town romance without the usual tropes.

I give Creed’s Honor a B+.

Big thanks again to Tricia at Meryl Moss Media Relations, we have one copy of Creed’s Honor to giveaway. Please leave a comment to enter by Saturday, 18th June.

Giveaway is open only to US/Canada.