A Place Called Home
Grade : C+

Every time I pick up a new book, I'm hoping it's going to be the best book I've ever read. Every time I pick up a new book, I'm hoping it's not going to be the worst book I've ever read. Most of the books I read fall somewhere in between these two extremes, and A Place Called Home is one of those. Not great but far from horrible, it is an uncomplicated tale filled with nice characters, a hunky hero who's easy to love, horses and ranch life, meddling friends, and a heroine who just misses the mark but is likable nonetheless.

Cody Butler, a Wyoming rancher with Cheyenne blood running through his veins, lives for the legacy of his land, Medicine Creek Ranch. It's been in his family for generations, but he's the first who has come close to losing it. And lose it he will if he can't pay back a huge bank loan by the end of the month.

Glenn Hubbard is the "villain" in the story. He's a rich man who wants to buy up all the land in the area to turn it into a sort of wild animal park. To make sure Cody signs on the bottom line, Hubbard sends his beautiful Philadelphia lawyer daughter, Shaye Frazier, to talk to Cody. Shaye offers Cody millions; Cody refuses to sell.

The attraction between Shaye and Cody is immediate. This attraction is not lost on Cody's adopted younger sister, Maribeth (who at 13 is the most precocious teen I've ever read), or the part-of-the-family-hired-hand Roscoe, or the other like-family hired hand, or the local deputy sheriff, or all the folks at the 4th of July picnic, or the veterinarian, three dogs and two horses.

All these well-meaning folks get it in their heads to try to throw Cody and Shaye together, even though they don't really know Shaye at all. She's a damned big city lawyer, but, gosh, she's really nice, so they all decide she's the one for Cody.

That's pretty much it. Cody worries about the following: a disease that's afflicting his cattle; money; whether he'll be able to keep the ranch he loves; his agreement to teach Shaye to ride a horse; and his decision as to who to take to the big dance. But, other than that, nothing earth-shattering happens to Cody and Shaye and they do fall in love.

A problem: Shaye never tells Cody she is The Hated Hubbard's daughter, so, when Cody hears that the two of them were seen embracing, he jumps to the conclusion that she's having an affair with his enemy. When she explains that she's the man's daughter, he jumps to the conclusion that they've been scheming and laughing behind his back. I jumped to the conclusion that this was all contrived to give the story A Dark Moment, but given the feelings Cody and Shaye had shared up until that point, this seemed to be a manufactured conflict and as such, didn't work for me.

If you're looking for a nice, relaxing story with a truly hunky hero (Cody is terrific), some real nifty folks, and a light romance, you could do a lot worse than A Place Called Home. What can I say? It's just, well, nice.

Reviewed by Marianne Stillings
Grade : C+

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : November 30, 2001

Publication Date: 2001

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Marianne Stillings

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