ROCKY MOUNTAIN RIVALS – Joanne Rock
Return to Catamount , Book 1
Harlequin Desire #2877
ISBN: 978-1-335-73566-9
June 2022
Contemporary Series Romance

Catamount, Colorado – Present Day

Fleur Barclay and her two sisters inherited their grandmother’s property at her death, much to the dismay of their father. Fleur arrives in Catamount knowing that she will need to decide, along with her sisters, whether to sell the property or utilize it for income. Fleur hasn’t been in Catamount since her engagement ended with neighboring rancher Drake Alexander’s brother. Drake hated that they were engaged and asked her to break it off. She did, but not because of him. While searching for a job in Catamount, Fleur encounters the one person she doesn’t want to see: Drake.

Drake retired from the bull-riding circuit and is now back ranching the family property. He wants the Barclay property to expand, but so far, his overtures have been met with silence. Seeing that Fleur is back in town has him with conflicted feelings. He can never forget how she hurt his brother so much that they haven’t spoken in years. Or maybe he can’t forget how much he was attracted to her years ago, only to see her fall for his brother? But here she is, back in town, and he will do whatever it takes to convince her to sell him the land, even if it means seducing her.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN RIVALS is the first book in the Return to Catamount series by Joanne Rock. The three sisters grew up together, but due to sibling issues, aren’t as close as they should be. In fact, Lark and Jessamyn don’t get along, which is why Fleur is the one in Catamount to scout out whether to sell the ranch or not. Meeting Drake again brings a mix of emotions for Fleur. On one hand, she can’t forget that he thought she was a gold digger trying to get her claws into her brother and the family’s money. Then there is the fact that she’s attracted to him. She should avoid him before she gives in to the passion of desire that rumbles between them. But he’s too hard to resist.

Because this is the first tale in a series, part of ROCKY MOUNTAIN RIVALS sets up the premise for the other books. Besides Fleur’s sisters, we meet Marta, who runs the Cowboy Diner. Also, Drake’s sister Emma is getting married and hires Fleur, who went to culinary school, to cater her upcoming wedding. Finally, lurking in the background is Colin, Drake’s brother and Fleur’s ex-fiancé. There was a reason they got engaged and it had nothing to do with love.

As ROCKY MOUNTAIN RIVALS ends, hopefully on a happy note, another wrinkle in the sisters’ plan comes out. Will it affect the future happiness of Fleur and Drake? Learn what happens by grabbing a copy of this book today.

Patti Fischer