Stroke of Luck

B.J. Daniels

Feb 2019 · Sterling's Montana Book 1 · Sold by HQN Books

About this ebook

He’s hoping to bury the past. She’s ready to settle the score.

The Sterling Ranch’s season opening isn’t going so smoothly. With the ranch’s lodge full of guests and a Montana blizzard threatening, Will Sterling needs help—and he needs it fast. So when his childhood friend Poppy Carmichael agrees to lend a hand, he’s grateful for a second chance…and more enticed by the woman she’s become than he cares to admit.

For Poppy, it was supposed to be a retreat full of horse rides and hoedowns—with a side of showing Will what he’s been missing all these years. But as the snow deepens outside, the guests’ suspicion and mistrust turn sinister inside, catching Will and Poppy in the crosshairs.

Weathering the storm in each other’s arms is all too easy for Will and Poppy, but will a confrontation with a killer mean their reunion is short-lived?

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author B.J. Daniels starts her Sterling’s Ranch series off with a bang in this suspenseful story of romance and revenge.

Ratings and reviews

Stroke of Luck is more mystery than romance, and there is some decent suspense at its core, but it's a little more cozy mystery-ish than I prefer. I like my mystery with a bit more grit than this one. That said, I did enjoy the suspense more than the romance here. It all hinges on Poppy holding a twenty year grudge over a broken heart. I might've bought it had the elapsed time been shorter or Poppy been older when the said heart breaking occurred, but the fact that she was twelve is just a little too out there for me. There were also a few turns of phrase that just didn't mesh with a rugged cowboy and only served to pull me out of the story. I do think many will find this one more enjoyable than I did, but all in all, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I can always count on BJ Daniels to give me a great romantic suspense novel and that's just what I got with this book! A great way to start out the new year! It's also the beginning of a new series. Will is the oldest brother who has taken over running the family guest ranch. He has been looking forward to running the guest ranch by himself since his father passed on because he wants to make some changes. However, when an old friend of his father's wants to bring his company's employees up to the ranch for a retreat too early in the season, he feels obligated to let them come. He's not ready but he lets them come anyway. His employee, Dorthea, whom I loved!!!, predicts doom and gloom will happen....and she's right! Things begin to happen from the get go! I wont give away any spoilers but one thing after another happens form the moment the guests arrive - even before they arrive! Will's "love interest" is Poppy. She's someone Will used to know when they were both young. Will hires her to be the ranch cook. I don't want to give away what their connection is but I did have kind of a hard time understanding her "mission" as to why she took the job. It seemed petty but I did like her character other than that. Lots of action and twists in the story, plus interesting characters. A great story!

This is the first book I have read of B.J.Daniels and didn’t know what to expect, I admit I fell in love with cover and the blurb. So I was expecting a cowboy romance, but this was so much more. We have Poppy who has come back to Whitefish Montana to start her catering business. Will runs the Guest Ranch Retreat, and its his first year and they have opened early for a special client. A four day work retreat, what could go wrong. The cook has broken his leg, and Will’s brother Garrett recommends Poppy Carmichael. Poppy and Will know each other from when they kids and hadn’t parted well. So we have employees who don’t won’t to be there, Poppy is determined to get back at Will. Then there Dorothea who has lived on the Sterling Ranch as a housekeeper walking around saying there is something bad going to happen. That’s just the beginning, and this book kept me gripped until the end I did not want to miss anything. It was well worth the read and I want to go back to Sterling Ranch for another adventure. This had it all, a handsome cowboy, love, murder and mayhem and right up my street. It is told in multiple povs so you get a real feel for whats going on. I’m hooked on B.J.Daniels, so go and read it yourself.

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author B.J. Daniels lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, and two springer spaniels. When not writing, she quilts, boats and always has a book or two to read. Contact her at www.bjdaniels.com, on Facebook at B.J. Daniels or through her reader group the B.J. Daniels' Big Sky Darlings, and on twitter at bjdanielsauthor.