The Rancher's Baby Bargain

By: Leslie North, Mary Sue Jackson

Narrated by: Robert Wrenlock

Former class nerd, Lucy Carr, comes home with a tantalizing offer for hometown hottie Aiden Harper: She’s developed a natural pesticide that will kill off the spider mites eating his crops, and she’ll give it to him for free...if he agrees to father a child for her. Time is running out to go the traditional route for finding a man, and Lucy wants her baby to be smart and good in gym class.

Aiden has put everything he has into his fields of hops, and the award-winning beer he brews with them. But one more year of mites eating half his crops and his family’s farm and legacy - as well as his dreams for his brewery - are going to go under. When Lucy shows up looking hot, and being hailed for her scientific achievements, Aiden is more than a little jealous. He remembers how fun science class was the year they’d been lab partners and how much more enticing Lucy had been than the cheerleaders on the football field. He’d never had the guts to admit his crush in high school - after all, jocks and nerds didn’t mix. Now Lucy has everything, and he’s on the verge of losing it all.

But what starts as a trade of necessity to achieve their goals turns into a tangled jumble of emotions when they realize they might have found more than bugs and babies: They may have found the person who completes their lives.

©2019 Relay Publishing (P)2020 Relay Publishing

Recommended

Not quite what I expected. #1, this story was much hotter. #2, the characters were very forthright from the get go; more than I've ever experienced, especially considering the environment. #3, Lucy certainly complained enough about the side effects of pregnancy considering it was her great desire.

Overall the story was entertaining and ended on a high note. I believe the spin the narration had influenced my point of view greatly.

Aiden & Lucy!

Aiden is trying to keep his ranch afloat and his crops thriving. When mites take over the fields, his dreams of a brewery are going under. In walks his old classmate, Lucy. She is the beautiful nerdy girl he remembers from high school, but what she has to offer could save everything! A pesticide to save the crops is his for the taking as long as he father's a baby for her. What a price to pay! There are some books that are just pure enjoyment, and this is one of them for me. It's got a lot happening, but it is not full of angst and it's just all out fun. Lucy is a pistol. She is strong willed, yet vulnerable. I love her not only for her brains, but she knows what she wants and does what she needs to get it. Aiden is the man! Not wanting to father a child from a petry dish, he is willing to take one for the team. But will it lead to more? This is a a little of a friends to lovers, second chance at love kind of story. The kind that fills your heart and puts you in a good mood!

The narration by Robert Wrenlock is perfect for this cowboy story. His twang fits Aiden and he easily flipped to Lucy. It's my first narration by him and I enjoyed his pace and his voices. Everything about this book will lead you to an enjoyable listen.

Cute story!

I liked this story. Like everyone, it was cute. There were some parts that were a smidgen unbelievable but nothing to deter me from the story. Likewise, there was no mystery to the story. It was obvious how it was going to play out. I liked the characters, how friendly the majority seemed to each other.

The narrator has an awesome voice. I don’t know what it is, since I typically don’t have “a thing” for country accents, but I liked his. I think he did a good job. Although, there were times when he didn’t pause long enough between sentences and times when he paused way too long between one chapter to the next. There were also times when I felt like he didn’t provide emotion for the characters during specific scenes. Like he’d say the dialogue and then the reader was told that the character was feeling a certain (not content) way within the dialogue tag; yet, I didn’t hear anything in his tone.

I only had one comment regarding the story. There was the part when Lucy was leaving the mediator’s office and wondered if Aidan was checking out her butt in her “business casual pants.” Yet when they got back to her house, she was suddenly wearing a skirt. I swear, it’s mistakes like that which throw me off as to how they hadn’t been caught.


I received a free audiobook version in exchange for an honest review.

Small Town Romance

Aiden Carr, former high school jock and football star, is desperate to keep his family's ranch afloat. Year after year catastrophe strikes, leaving him without extra capital to pay down the mortgage or expand his budding brewery business. Help comes in the form of Lucy Carr, former high school nerd and secret crush. She's developed a pesticide that might save Aiden's crops, but she is charging a steep price for the chemicals.

This was a quick listen with some of my very favorite romance elements, a nerd-to-hot revamp, second chance romance, and small town setting. This is a steamy book with explicit scenes, very well written. There were no flashbacks to Lucy and Aiden in high school, but there was enough there to get a good sense of they were when they were younger. They may not have been perfect for each other back then, but they sure are now! The side characters like Aiden's mom were fun. I liked how the remodeling of Lucy's home coincided with her own mental makeover. I would definitely read more by the author.

I switched back and forth between the audiobook and the kindle book, and I thought the narration was great. I do love it when I come across a romance read by a man, and the narrator's drawl made it the perfect performance. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Ok

The narrator did a good job but the story seemed a little rushed to me. There were parts that I expected to get more details but the story just moved on.

Sweet Cowboy Romance

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This was such a sweet and steamy cowboy romance. I loved the characters. I would love to read more about them. The story was interesting and so good! I enjoyed the narrator. I would read more by these authors.

The nerd and the rancher

Cute story. Rancher Aiden Harper feels stuck and almost hopeless. His dream is to produce beer using the hops that he farms but he needs to sell the hops to keep the farm afloat. Now a spider mite infestation is killing out the hops and no pesticide seems to work. Enter Lucy Carr...his former hs lab partner has grown up and is doing great things. She has a solution to his mite problem...but she wants something in exchange...a baby. When Aiden and Lucy embark on the arrangement, neither foresees the emotional entanglement that will ensue. Cute story.
I accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

GOOD READ!

I enjoyed it! The narration was good. The author did a good job with the character builds and plot. I look forward to reading more books by this author! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great story!

This is a wonderful collaboration by Sue Jackson and Leslie North. The Rancher's Baby Bargain is a well-written and charming romance, it drew me in from the start. The storyline is well-paced, with smooth scene transitions and engaging characters. Lucy and Aiden are fabulous and haven't seen each other since high school when lab partners. Given Lucy was the nerd and Adian, a Jock, their paths wouldn't have crossed if they hadn't partnered up in science class.

Now, years have passed, and they have both grown and changed. Lucy is has developed a pesticide that can potentially save Aidan's crops from ruin. In return, she wants a baby via his donation to the sperm bank. Aidan, on the other hand, has other ideas, he wants to donate the old fashioned way. The question is, will they come to an agreement?

Robert Wrenlock did a fantastic job with the narration. He portrayed the characters very nicely, bringing them to life. Overall, I enjoyed Aidan and Lucy's journey, they both had to face some challenges and overcome them.

This was a delightful listen, and I recommend it! I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook, and my unbiased review is voluntarily given.

Sweet Romance

This was my first Mary Sue Jackson's book. Aiden and Lucy's story is sweet, sexy, fun, and cute. Aiden is handsome and caring. Lucy is lovely, sweet, and determined. Robert Wrenlock is a new narrator to me. He did a good job with the narration. The characters were easy to distinguish. His voice fits perfectly this Cowboy Romance. If you are looking for a sweet listen, this one is for you. I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.