Roman returns home to Wrangler's Creek even though he hates it. The fact that he would do anything for the betterment of his son was extremely sexy. Mila was a friend. Only a friend. But when Mila steps up and asks/demands that Roman rid her of her V-card, things start to change for him. I had a hard time putting this book down. I'm really hoping that there will be more books set in this town. The secondary characters are awesome!!!

Branded as Trouble is the third book in the Wrangler's Creek series, and having thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in the series, I was eager to read this one, and, as has been the case, this installment in the series was another excellent and fun read, and it gets 5 stars from this reader.

Roman Granger is the divorced dad of 13-year old Tate, but his work in one of the family-owned businesses keeps him away from home for long periods of time, and home hasn't been the ranch for a very long time. He wanted no part of the family ranch he owns and avoids because of a deep-seated issue with his mother, Belle. After Tate hits another student at his school and is expelled with 6 weeks left in the school year, Roman is forced to return to Wrangler's Creek and enroll Tate in school there until summer break begins.

Also in Wrangler's Creek is 31-year-old, bookstore owner, Mila Banchini, Tate's aunt. She's been in love with Roman for as long as she can remember and the talk of the town is that she's still a virgin. Thirteen years earlier, Roman impregnated and then married Mila's sister, Valerie. When Valerie deserted both Roman and her infant child, Tate, Roman divorced her, leaving Roman angry and bitter, a condition he was used to because of his poor relationship with his mother. But now that Roman is back in town, is there a chance that he'll return Mila's feelings? Mila doubts it since it's well-known that Roman doesn't do relationships, and, in fact, has a 3-and-done rule which is engraved in stone. To his way of thinking, only having sex 3 times and walking away is his way to remain commitment-free.

Add into the mix and drama some of the most well-drawn and kookiest, nosiest, most interfering and just plain strange secondary characters, a subplot of fantasy-dating, the mystery of who fathered Mila, Mila's bizarre and offbeat, fortune-telling mother, Vita, a possible lawsuit over a disputed 100 acres of the ranch, Tate's acting out, trouble at school, and the imminent birth of twins, the return of Valerie, Mila's wanting to rid herself of her virginity, and just when you think things couldn't possibly get more complicated they do. Although I've complained in other reviews about novels with too many characters to keep straight, Ms. Fossen manages to make them all memorable enough that once you figure out who's who, the large cast of characters all begin to feel real and make sense. All of this is a lot to cover in a novel, but as I've come to learn, Delores Fossen is a master at both small-town drama and comedy, and, as you get into in this masterfully written novel, you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be thoroughly entertained throughout.

Since there is the aforementioned large cast of characters, although Branded as Trouble works as a standalone, I highly recommend you read the first two novels in this series in the order they were written. Both are highly enjoyable reads, and I think you'll become as captivated with this sweet, sad, funny, sexy and quirky series as I have been.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Branded as Trouble is the third book in this series While my least favorite of the series, I still enjoyed it. This is Roman's story. Mila is a friend and has been in love with Roman for years. She is also over 30 and still a virgin. She would love for Roman to be her first, but who knows if that will ever happen. Roman's son Tate is going through a rough patch and moving back to the ranch he hates seems to be the best idea for the time being.

As I said, this one wasn't my favorite, I just didn't really feel the pull between Roman and Mila. I mean, I was told it was there and the attraction was there, but I didn't really see Roman fall in love with her. I think there was just too much going on in the background with Tate and his issues in school and his mother. As well as Roman's mother, Belle, and her love life. Not to mention Mila's mother dropping her revelation about Mila's father. The story just felt too unfocused, so the love story was lost to me.

Despite all of that, I did love the humor in the book. Belle is such a fun character because of her unpredictability. I also loved to catch up with Sophie and Clay as well. This is a fun series and I do recommend it. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book.

Mila Banchini has a lot going for her. She's smart, pretty, a good friend, and owner of the local bookstore. She also has a wacky mother most people in town steer clear of and, oh yeah, she's most likely the only virgin over the age of 25 in Wrangler's Creek. Plenty of men (of all ages) are willing to help with her "little problem" but Mila's heart has always been set on Roman Granger. Too bad Roman fell for her self-centered cousin in high school. In the years since Mila's cousin left town, abandoning Roman and their baby son, Roman has hooked up with pretty much everyone except Mila. But now, after many years away, circumstances have brought Roman back to Wrangler's Creek and Mila intends to make the most of it while he's there, even if her heart does get broken when he leaves.

I've been intrigued by the absent Granger son, Roman since the first book in this series. We knew he was estranged from his mother, that he owns the Granger ranch but wants nothing to do with it, that he's a successful businessman in his own right, that's he's a motorcycle-riding hottie with a badass attitude and that he's trying his best to be a good father to his troubled son...and failing miserably. What we didn't know was what had happened in the past to bring Roman Granger to this point, why he'd never given Mila a second glance (or had he?) and why he never, ever, under any circumstances, had sex with a woman more than three times. I was more than ready to find out the answers to all these questions and more in Branded as Trouble.

Delores Fossen has become one of my go-to contemporary western romance authors. She creates wonderfully complex families and well-developed, likable characters, giving them challenges to overcome and journeys to love in stories infused with heat, heart, and plenty of humor. She isn't afraid to tackle serious topics - as she does in Branded as Trouble - but does so with compassion and hope. Her books are filled with realistic characters: some quirky, some serious, some annoying, some fun, some shy, and some oozing with sex appeal, playing them against one another like a well-tuned orchestra. I've enjoyed all the books in this series but Mila and Roman's story is my favorite. What can I say? I've always loved a bad boy with a wounded heart. And Mila, what a terrific heroine. I loved her strength, her compassion, and her determination to take control of her destiny and not settle for less than what she deserved.

If you enjoy western-set, contemporary romances filled with fun, sizzle, humor, and emotion, go no further than Delores Fossen's Wrangler's Creek series: Those Texas Nights (Sophie Granger and Clay McKinnon), No Getting Over a Cowboy (Garrett Granger and Nicky Marlow) and Branded as Trouble (Roman Granger and Mila Banchini).

4.5 Stars

Every book by Delores Fossen I read only reinforces my belief that she has mastered the ability to write the craziest, wackiest and funniest small town stories that capture the good, the bad and the ugly; stuff that will make you cringe, roll your eyes and laugh out loud; and BRANDED AS TROUBLE is no different. If you need a book to make you laugh or need a lighthearted and entertaining pick-me-up, this book and this author's work is sure to do the job.

Roman Granger has stayed as far away from Wrangler's Creek as he possibly could since he left, but the needs of his teenage son outweigh any of the issues that drove him away and he'll take on his demons to give his son whatever he needs, but coming back also means he has to deal with his past so he can focus on his son's well-being.

One person who has always been there for Roman and his son Tate is Tate's aunt, Mila Banchini. Mila has always had feelings for Roman but she's also made her peace with the fact that those feelings will never be reciprocated. Until Roman returns and both he and his son need her, bringing her into close contact with them and reviving the hope that maybe this time, things could be different.

And there's also the 800 pound elephant in the room that Mila needs help with and who better to help than the only man she's ever wanted? Especially when it's such a well-known secret and every man within a five mile radius is lining up to help. But Roman has a firm rule that he's not willing to break even for Mila, not to mention his determination to avoid emotional entanglements as well as Mila's family ties to his ex could complicate things even further. Not to mention the nosy townspeople and Mila's own mother, who could charitably be described as a kook.

To be honest, this story was heading towards over the top territory for me, with both Roman and Mila's mothers bringing more drama in their wake than an acting troupe, but I'm always down for a good laugh. There is definitely a large cast of characters, fun and not-so fun to contend with in this story and I would recommend reading the previous books before this one, to get a good grasp of who's who.

I enjoyed Mila a lot, especially because she was pragmatic and resourceful. Roman was also an enjoyable character who endeared himself to me with his determination to be everything his father was not.

Overall, this was a really great read and if you don't mind a lot of family drama in your stories, this is definitely one book and series I'll recommend reading.

This book, and this entire series, feels like a “train wreck” read for me. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – after all, the reason why gazer block is such a problem after a highway accident is that we can’t turn our eyes away from the disaster.

And so it is for me with the Wrangler’s Creek series. The entire thing is so overrun with stampeding drama llamas, in so many coats and stripes and colors, that even as it drives me absolutely bananas I can’t turn my eyes away. I have to keep going to see what other brand of crazy happens next.

Branded as Trouble is plenty crazy, and plenty entertaining.

This series has been the story of the Granger siblings of Wrangler’s Creek. Or rather, the story of the Granger siblings coming back to Wrangler’s Creek. In Those Texas Nights, sister Sophie comes home to stay. No Getting Over a Cowboy was her brother Garrett’s story, and now it’s bad-boy older brother Roman’s chance to find his own happy. If only he can only get out of his own way.

(I have mixed feelings about whether one needs to read the series from the beginning to “get” what’s going on. I think not. The siblings obviously appear in each other’s stories, as do many of the background characters. But the individual books stand mostly alone.)

Roman doesn’t want to come back to Wrangler’s Creek. He doesn’t want to live anywhere near his mother Belle, and while I can’t blame him, it was good to find out the cause of all the bad blood between them. And there was plenty of cause, and knowing what it was makes a whole lot of their past and present interactions make a lot more sense.

It’s also clear that Roman needs to get past a lot of the bad stuff in his past, not because it wasn’t bad, not because his feelings aren’t justified, but because hanging on to all that old baggage is hurting him more than the people he throws it at – and it’s really hurting his teenage son Tate, who needs Roman to get his head out of his own ass and do what’s best for both of them.

Not that Tate doesn’t have plenty of growing up of his own to do. And his own share of baggage to lose.

Mila is there for both of them. She’s loved Roman since forever, but is all too aware that the feeling is not returned. And she’s mostly made her peace with that. Until Roman comes back to Wrangler’s Creek for the summer, and they find themselves thrown together over and over. Tate needs their help. And they need each other.

Escape Rating B: A great writer, probably several of them, have said that one of the differences between fiction and nonfiction is that fiction has to be plausible, while nonfiction merely has to be true. Branded as Trouble may be the point where the Wrangler’s Creek series fell over the line between crazy-fun and too crazy to be plausible. At least for me. Which doesn’t mean that I didn’t still have a good time, but the amount of eye-rolling I did as I read it was starting to hurt!

I have never liked the character of Belle, Roman’s mother. She’s slightly less offensive in Branded as Trouble, but no less crazy. And she’s not crazy in a fun way, she’s crazy in an annoying and overbearing way. (If no one has guessed, yes, some of her characteristics remind me a bit too much of my own mother. It just doesn’t make a comfortable read for me. Your mileage on this probably does vary).

Mila’s mother Vita is just plain nuts. She’s out there, marching to the beat of her own drummer – and it’s probably some kind of spirit drummer, because Vita seems like a caricature of a practicing witch. Or she’s listening to the voices in her head, or a bit of both. Surprisingly, Vita’s wacky pronouncements do usually make sense in the end, but her method of getting there makes her, as her daughter Mila describes her, into the “ultimate person repellant”, no one wants to get near her. Being Vita’s daughter in a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business must have been absolutely hell.

Where things past plausibility for this reader was in both the hero and the heroine have mothers who are way out there in different left fields of cray-cray land. This did pass “over-the-top” for me. Which does not mean that I didn’t like both Roman and Mila, because I certainly did.

Mila owns the local bookstore, which of course makes her my heroine. But the other thing I really like about her character is the way that she makes her own happy. She’s always loved Roman, but has no expectations that it will ever work out. That she’s come to the realization that she has to move on because he won’t make a move on her makes her brave, even if some of her efforts involve more drama llamas than the possibility of actual romance.

But she’s not pining. She keeps moving forward. And that’s what eventually makes her dreams come true.

This is the first time I’ve read this author’s work and I was so glad I read this book. The characters are so unique and wacky and really interesting, and the prose is crisp. The dialogue is snappy and the story events keep a fast pace throughout the book.

In fact, the only thing I would have liked more of would have been deeper scenes that explored the hero’s reasons for steering clear of relationships. The couple’s romantic conflict is based solely upon that, and I wanted maybe a little more emotion, a little more page time as to why it was such a huge barrier to him.

The ending discussion with his son was really well done, and the story resolution was very sweet. I enjoyed this book a lot.

Favorite Quotes:

… her eyes narrowed, and she jerked on her clothes as if she’d declared war on them.

Ian Busby. He was in his early twenties, as skinny as a zipper, and his pinched, flushed face reminded her of a rooster. He also had horny written all over him. Literally. Well, it was printed on his T-shirt, anyway. Me So Horny was emblazoned above a picture of a rhino… The Busby brothers’ claims to fame were cow-tipping, peeing on electric fences and wearing T-shirts with horny written on them.

When it came to her mother, most people wanted to be anywhere else. Vita was the ultimate person repellant… Vita wasn’t your ordinary mother. Nope. She had her freaky flag flying with her Bohemian clothes — a long brown shirt, peasant blouse and dozens of cheap bead necklaces and bracelets. When she walked, she sounded like a chained Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol.

It’s a rubber, and it’ll stop you from getting knocked up. You put it on the man’s secret place when he’s decided not to keep it secret from you any longer.”

The moment he stepped into the house at the ranch, he felt as if he’d gotten sucked into a circle of hell that Dante had forgotten to mention.

My Review:

Delores Fossen tells clever and funny stories about cowboys, and she throws in some family drama, sexy love scenes, and a few intriguing mysteries to solve along the way. Her writing has never failed to leave me with a smirk and a book hangover as they are so sharply amusing and entertaining, I find them hard to put down. Her characters are quirky, flawed, and simultaneously obnoxious and endearing. I adore her colorful descriptions, highly amusing visuals, and ironic humor and doubt I could ever tire of her crafty tales.

Roman is too busy workings and being a single father to a troubled teen to have a relationship. When his son manages to get expelled from his school they decide to start over in a new school back to his home in Wrangler's Creek. Little did he expect to be seeing a lot of Mila who is very different from his son's mother in every way and its she who is slowly but surly making him question his rule of not getting close to any one.

I've been so busy lately that I just needed a moment of escape and this book did that for me. I loved getting to know Roman and Mila and getting their own point of views. I thought it was interesting getting to see the father son relationship. I loved getting to konw the back stories to Roman and seeing why he's a bit guarded and what was up with him and his mothers relationship and no Mila's side seeing her as she searches for her actual father and seeing if he would get any where. I enjoyed seeing the spark between the two and there were a few steamy scenes in the book that were pretty good. The story was well writing with an interesting set of characters and overall story line. I really enjoyed this book.

I try not to get all fangirl and start gushing out about Branded As Trouble but I can't guarantee it will not happen. I loved the story, absolutely every brilliant word of it. Delores Fossen's writing is something else. She can capture into one sentence so many emotions and layers of meaning it is delightful to just read the books, not to mention enjoy the stories. There can be so much tragedy and sadness in the meaning of the words and in the story yet it is said and expressed in such a way I could not help but chuckle as I was reading.
The bad boy Roman Granger is used to keep people at the arm's length to avoid emotions. Except for his son and Mila Banchini. Yet his son would rather keep his dad away from his business, and Mila, she has had a crush on him since they were teens.
Both Roman and Mila are complex characters, there is much more to them than you might catch on the first look. Their emotions run deep, they love fiercely, they fight for and protect those they care for, and they both adore Roman's son, Tate.
I loved the connection between Roman and Mila. There was raw honesty, openness, and deep-rooted emotions. They said what they meant, they did what they wanted, no smoke and mirrors between them. Yet there was passion, humor, and adoration that was striking.
There is so much more going on in the story than just romance like there always is at Wrangler's Creek. There are family drama and trouble, there are issues with parenting both teens and toddlers, there is an undercurrent theme with teenage angst and relationship with their parents. All this is well twined into the tale of Roman and Mila finding their way to each other. There is chaos, mayhem, and turbulence in town, in families, and in relationships just like there is in life in general. Yet it is all told with an enjoyable sarcasm and humor, with emotions that captivate and touch your heart, presented by characters that allure and charm you completely, and you end up wishing the story would not end, enchanted by the world they live in. Yes, I absolutely loved it!
~ Five Spoons!

Roman Granger, the Granger's bad boy, has finally met his match in Mila Banchini who has had a crush on Roman since their high school days. My favorite scene in the book was between Roman and his 13 year old son, Tate. Tate asked just the right question of Roman who avoids relationship like they are a plague. Roman says he is bad at relationships and Tate asked him how he knows. Just the right question at the right time. The other Granger's make a appearance in the story and at least one other gets an HEA. This had some really great laugh out loud moments while also dealing with some of the very serious issues facing teens today. A very nice addition to the Wrangler Creek series.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

The characters in this book were full of troubles, wrong thinking, and have a slanted world view. Felt the author could have downplayed the lesser characters and focus more on Mila and Roman.

Mila Banchini has always been in love with Roman Granger, even when he got her wild cousin Val pregnant. While Val wasn't interested in motherhood, Roman embraced fatherhood and Mila was Tate's devoted aunt.
When Roman returned to town to clear up family issues, he found himself wishing for something different, you see, he has a rule...sex three times and gone..but Mila makes him want so much more......But...Mila is still a virgin.
Mila never had any interest in sex with anyone...but Roman. She decides this is her chance and offers to play by the three times rule. Roman is not happy with the limit that he put on himself.
Both have very interesting family members, who are vividly described.
This is a fun western romance that is over way too soon.