This is typical Diana Palmer. As I was reading the story I kept checking the sale date, because I was swearing I had read this before. Nope, just recycled story lines. Older hero, teenage virgin heroine. He - battle scarred, she - naive beyond words. This is a story she has written so many times. The main difference was the addition of the "faith" element. There was a lot of preachiness to this novel, and it really did not fit into the story.

Also, I have never known a 2 year old who could talk as well as their little girl did. The novel felt very disjointed and several unrealistic moments would pull you out of the story completely.

Received as an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

Another great addition to this series. Beautiful setting, engaging characters. A must read.

Diana Palmer Books were one of my gateways into the romance genre. I fell in love with her Wyoming men AGES ago! And JC didn’t disappoint. The men of this series have made me fall in love with them even when you’re angry at how they treat the people in their lives.

Colie has had a crush on JC for a bit but hasn’t done anything about it. JC has noticed his former BFF’s little sister who is a bit younger than him. He hasn’t had good experiences with women in the past so he’s not looking for any relationship and definitely not marriage. And Colie is a marriage type of girl.

Colie and JC’s story spans a few years and a couple states. They have both hurt each other and grown in the past years apart so hopefully they can find their way.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

FINAL DECISION: A more complex version of Palmer's standard formula which I enjoyed with the exception of the too quick resolution of the problems between the hero and heroine.

THE STORY: Colie Jackson falls hard for her brother's friend J.C. Calhoun. Colie ignores, however, J.C.'s differing values and his distrust of women. While the two get close, J.C.'s past keeps him waiting to be betrayed. When he is told that Colie has been cheating on him and is pregnant, J.C. rejects Colie. Years later, Colie returns to town and again sees J.C. The two have to work through their past while Colie is in danger from a criminal gang because of secrets only she knows.

OPINION: This book has Palmer's standard formula: innocent woman misjudged by man angry and mistrusting because of lies and a past woman's actions; he breaks her heart and then realizes he was wrong and they reconcile. One thing I really liked about his book was the time it took in J.C. in reforming himself. That was different than what I have seen in Palmer's books in the past.

Longtime readers of Palmer will recognize one of her enduring formulas. These characters are what you might expect except that Colie has more determination and self-reliance than I expected.  J.C. is the expected jerk as the book begins, but he also goes through a three year struggle to change himself.

I am also a big fan of how the story works out through both J.C. and Colie working through their own faith struggles. (Readers who don't want to read about characters who have religious backgrounds and struggle through life and try and connect it to their faith and God should probably skip this one).

The problem that kept this book from being rated higher was that, for me, the resolution between J.C. and Colie was too quick. There needed to be more time or more discussion or more groveling. Everything between them seemed to be fixed within only a few pages and I needed more to resolve the years that these two spent apart and the magnitude of what occurred.

Despite this, I enjoyed this book as a whole.

WORTH MENTIONING: I enjoyed seeing characters from prior books.

CONNECTED BOOKS: WYOMING WINTER is the seventh book in the Wyoming Men series but can be read as a standalone. The book is also connected with the Long, Tall Texans series if you have read the series otherwise the connection is slight.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Review will be posted on October 31st.

Wyoming Winter is book #7 in Diana Palmer Wyoming Men series. And fans of Diana Palmer will find it a little warmer this coming winter. In her latest title Wyoming Winter, we come to learn that betrayal is not always from the outside. Colie has always been in love with J.C., and being a minister daughter doesn’t negate the fact that Colie can’t feel desire. And when J.C. finally seen that Colie is the woman feel him, Colie was on a high. However, their happiness was short lived. When Colie witnesses something she shouldn’t have and was betrayed by the one person she should have been able to trust with her life.
Now, not only is Colie’s life in danger, but her daughter’s life is as well, and there is only one man she is able to trust to at least keep them both alive.
Wyoming Winter was so good that I stayed up well into the night to complete. This title had you going through so many emotions.
Only thing I didn’t like about this book is J.C. for a security expert he was pretty dumb when it came to his relationship with Colie. But I think that is what made the book so good.

Love is nothing without trust. J.C. has first hand knowledge of that. Colie is beginning to learn how the secrets of others can affect the lives of many. Now, she's running from her past to protect her future. What happens when those two worlds collide? Wyoming Winter is a romantic thriller. There's always a new secret to expose, a hint of danger around the bend and an attraction that is as explosive as the suspense is nail biting. Colie and J.C. bring the heat and deceit as they keep readers on the edge of their seat.

If it's a Diana Palmer book, I love it. This title was no different. Loved so many of the plot elements in this story.

I really enjoyed this new book by Diana Palmer, called Wyoming Winter. The main character in this book is JC Calhoun, a rugged but handsome man who does not trust anyone or anything. He has lost the most important thing in his life as he always rules his life by past experience, bitterness and betrayal from the time he was 10 years old.

Colie is a 19 year old innocent young woman, who is the preacher's daughter, and she is beautiful, soft spoken, and very unworldly. Sh lives at home with her father and brother, who is back from the military. As a matter of fact, he and JC served in Iraq. Colie works at a law office downtown.

JC notices how beautiful Colie has grown up, and although JC knows better he seeks her out, not knowing she is innocent, but has some experience. He tells her up front he is not a marrying man, and encourages her to go to a clinic but of the three times they had sex, a condom broke and that caused her to get pregnant.

When he gets back her brother meets JC at the airport and introduces his friend as Colie's new boyfriend who got her pregnant. He goes home and throws Colie out in the snow and she has to call her father to pick her up.

As time goes by he realizes that certain things just do not add up, and he starts going to Colie's dad's house to talk and he is told something by the Reverend, that changes his whole life, "Forgiveness is important than retribution" and he thinks back over everything and realizes he has judged Colie harshly and can't believe he has been so stupid. When Colie's Dad shows JC pictures and videos of Colie's baby he realizes he is looking at his mother!

Will it be too late? I Loved this book, and loved the ending, I have been reading Diana Palmer since 1980, and always read her books, but I especially have enjoyed all 7 of her Wyoming Men series.

I gave this book 5***** wonderful stars!

Diana Palmer books were once (a very long, long time ago) my go-to escape, but it has been a very long time that I enjoyed any of them. The Hero's are always a....s and the h's virginal doormats. H always treats h badly and she takes it so that when they separate, H is always moving on to someone else. However in this case, it is the h that has married someone else but it is a platonic relationship. Anyway, I have read this story so many times that I just didn't care at all and took me weeks to finish.

Classic Diana Palmer. I stayed up until 4am to finish this book. Once you start it, you can't put it down. A love story of a love that is soul deep with a little bit of magic thrown in.

I couldn't get into the story and gave up. I love the covers of her books which I think is what drew me in initially. The story just didn't hit the right note with me though.

Ex-military, J.C., is drawn to Colie, a naïve minister's daughter and based on his past with women he thinks her behavior is all an act. He's been burned before and he won't let her get too close or play innocent. J.C doesn't realize how much younger Colie is than him and soon her love for him has her doing whatever he wants with no commitment. Unfortunately when his love is tested he fails and Colie is left to pick up the pieces of her life. Great second chance at love book!

Die-hard Palmer finds will find a little more magic in this latest installment in the Wyoming series. The overt, ofttimes slightly sanctimonious ode to "traditional values" has gotten worse-this series has been particularly heavy handed in this regard. The Rancher also rankled a bit at the end. It puzzles and disheartens me, because someone needs to do a little "tough love." It would be far more meaningful if it was illustrated in the actions of the characters versus using an almost preachy narrator or condescending characters.

LOVED, LOVED, this book! This was just an amazing story I loved JC and Colie they were so amazing, I wanted to shake JC a couple of time and Colie was so amazing and strong and I was so happy for her and after when everything went wrong so sad for her, this book had me going through an emotional roller coaster. This was such a wonderful story and I wanted JC and Colie to get together so bad and so excited when they did and after I felt so bad when everything fell apart for them, but it was amazing to go through their love story and see how wonderful they were together at the end. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a truly romantic story, with some emotional ups and downs and some thrills thrown in and an amazing happy ending at the end!

Do you believe in second sight? You know those legends or myths that some folk are born with very special talents – gifts some might say. Those that have them often question that description. Is it a gift to have visions or feelings that foretell of events that you have no control over? You may know they are coming but have no means to change the outcome or future.

In WYOMING WINTER both lead characters have some personal knowledge of these second sight issues. JC Calhoun’s lineage includes Native Americans and he has been witness to many a fortune telling of sorts. Of course naysayers discount all that as bunk – but in WYOMING WINTER we are sort of eye witnesses. Diana Palmer really enjoys bringing this element into the storyline of WYOMING WINTER. Just when we wonder what significance it will have Palmer reintroduces it along with a darling character. No more clues – you have to wait for it.

JC seems to have had his eye on his friend and former military buddy Rodney’s sister Colie. Problem is JC makes assumptions that have no basis on fact – based more on his attitude and history with women in general. Then JC follows through with actions that have unfortunate consequences. In short could end any chance of a real solid relationship with Colie and put a kibosh on any future dreams.

Colie is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of girl – no pretense, no act. Brought up by a minister father who expected certain behavior from his daughter. Colie was an extremely thoughtful, caring soul who wouldn’t think of causing her father any embarrassment. Her brother Rodney followed a different life path since his return.

JC for some reason just can’t accept the fact that Colie is an innocent, definitely inexperienced younger woman than she appears to be. His expectations are far above the truth. And because of that this relationship, friendship, whatever you choose to call it is doomed from the start. Colie has stars in her eyes and believes she can change JC but her father valiantly tries to warn her not to be foolish. But in the end everyone makes their own choices and mistakes and perhaps regrets.

Hopefully there is a happy ending for Colie but perhaps it won’t have JC in it.

In WYOMING WINTER Diana Palmer takes us back to Jacobsville which as any fan knows is one of the kindest place on earth and filled with some of those most eclectic characters by far. But that is probably why a visit to this place is so wonderful. And I couldn’t think of a better location for Colie to get her head on straight. The people of Jacobsville will definitely make Colie one of their own and that means she will be loved, cherished and cared for. Sure it will be difficult moving away from her father but life sometimes sets the road ahead. And for Colie this move is essential on many fronts. It was just what Colie needed and deserved. WYOMING WINTER is another heartwarming yet challenging romance story by the master of small town conflicts and love.

Guys, I think it's finally happened. I think it's time for me to break up with Diana Palmer. I'm a sucker for her books. She was one of two authors who hooked me on romance books 26+ years ago but I think it's time. She's changed in her writing. Or maybe I just changed in my reading? I don't know but something has been off with the last few of her books that I've read and this was no different. I had a lot of issues with this book.

Heroine's father is a preacher. She lives with her father and her older brother. Hero is a friend of her brother's and comes over the house at times. Decides one night to ask her out and they go dinner & a movie. She loves him. He tells her he's not the marrying kind and never wants children. Her father warns her against him because he's "not a person of faith." Her brother warns her against him because "he just likes to use people and you'll get hurt." Hero himself warns her against him but she doesn't listen to any of them because she's in love.

She's 19. He's 32. He doesn't know she's 19 because whenever her brother mentioned she had just finished school, hero assumed it was college, not high school.

Then comes the day that hero asked her on another date. He takes her to his house. Makes her dinner. They end up on the couch to watch TV. They're watching WWE. Hero mentions Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and heroine says "Oh! The guy who voiced Maui in Moana, I didn't know he used to be a wrestler." *insert eye roll here* They end up having sex on the couch. She's a virgin. She doesn't enjoy it. At all. He doesn't notice that or the blood and assumes she's on her period when he does finally see the blood. A week goes by because he thought she was on her period and she never told him she wasn't. They have sex again and again she doesn't enjoy it but tries to fake it because she loves him. He asked her to move in with him but told her up front that he would never marry her and he doesn't ever want to have children with her. That he wants to be free to come and go as he likes but that he wouldn't ever be with another woman while they were together. *insert another eye roll here*

Hero finds out a few weeks after she moves in what her real age is. Town gossip in a small town gets back to them and while she hates that they're embarrassing her father by living together outside of marriage she loves him too much to move back home.

He has to travel for work at one point and is gone for weeks. While he's gone, she goes back to stay with her father & brother because hero doesn't want her staying home alone. She finds out not long after he's away that she's pregnant. She hides it from her father because she knows he'd be more ashamed of her than he already is. During this time she sees her brother accept a suitcase full of drugs from his drug dealer friend with the instructions to give it away for free to hook kids/adults on drugs so they can make money off them. Heroine tells her brother he's working with the devil. Brother tells her to mind her own business. He makes a remark to her that he knows she's pregnant and she better not tell their father what she saw or he'd spill her secret since they all knew the hero didn't want marriage and children.

A few days later she mentions that the hero is coming back home and she's moving back to his house. Her brother devises a plan to ruin her life. He meets up with the hero at the airport & with him is his drug dealing friend. He tells hero that his sister has been lying to him. That she's pregnant with drug dealing friend's baby and trying to pass it off as the hero's. Hero heads home and after calling heroine some names and yelling at her, kicks her out of his house. Tells her he never wants to see her again blah blah blah. Heroine has her father pick her up and take her back home. Heroine admits to her father that she's pregnant and that the hero kicked her out and that her father was right about everything. Her father tells her not to worry, that everything will work out.

The next day heroine decides to move to Texas to live with cousins so no one at home will find out she's having a baby out of wedlock. She gets a job at a lawyer's office. The lawyer is dying of cancer. He knows she's pregnant because her cousin told him so he suggests they marry in name only. To give her baby a name and so he can have some enjoyment with the baby before he dies.

They get married real quick and by this time the hero has realized he's been lied to by the brother. He doesn't know what is going on but he knows the heroine would never have cheated on him because she loves him too much. Blah blah blah. He calls the house, her father picks up but as soon as he knows it's the hero, he hangs up. He tries finding the brother with no luck. Ends up going to her previous job to ask her friend about her and the friend lets it spill that it's too late. That the heroine is married already and won't be returning home. Hero is devastated but knows he's to blame for everything that happened and he can't change anything.

Months go by and the heroine has her baby. A little girl. She sends pictures to her friend and while the friend is showing them off to another friend, the hero ends up in the same place and hears their conversation. He asks to see the picture. He immediately knows that baby is his because the baby has red hair like his mother had and she has the same eyes he and his mother had.

Heroine comes home two months later when she gets a phone call that her father is in the hospital. At this point the husband is getting hospice care because he doesn't have long to live. She takes her daughter and goes home to check on her father. Ends up meeting the hero in the grocery store while she's doing some shopping. She never admits that the baby is his and he never comes out and says he knows the truth. She heads back to Texas soon afterwards. Her husband dies not long after that but because of the threat of her brother and his drug dealing friend, she decides to stay in Texas with her daughter.

Two years go by. In this time, the hero is now a weekly visitor at her father's house. They play chess, they cook dinner, they talk a lot. He confesses why he is the way he is and apologizes profusely for hurting both him and his daughter when he asked her to move in with him. He goes to church now when he never did before.

Heroine's father ends up having a heart attack one day while he's there visiting and playing a game of chess. At the same time that's going on in Wyoming, in Texas his baby girl is telling her mother that "Gimpa is hurt." Heroine calls her father's house only to have the hero pick up the phone and tell her that her father is on the way to the hospital because of a heart attack. Tells her to get there ASAP. Heroine is rushing to get home to her father when again, her daughter says "Gimpa is gone." Hero meets them at the airport and tells her he's sorry but the heart attack was massive and her father had passed away. Ludie, their two year old daughter is crying and saying "Gimpa is with Gampa now." Hero asks heroine if she's always like that and she says yes, that she can see things like her grandmother did and like the hero's grandmother did.

Not only does Ludie speak in full sentences she tells her mother later, when the hero isn't there, that "She wants daddy."

Conversation that follows:

Heroine: Honey, your daddy is in heaven.
Ludie: Not my real daddy.
Heroine: What?
Ludie: My real daddy. He just picked us up from the airport. I want him.
Heroine: *shocked*

At one point in the book, the brother and his drug dealing friend show up. Heroine kicks them out. They come back the next day and the drug dealing friend kidnaps the heroine and Ludie. Just before he shoots heroine, she opens the car door and tells her two year old daughter to run as fast as she can. In a blizzard. By herself. The deserted road he took them on happens to be near where the hero is so he finds Ludie in the snow crying. He asks her how she got there, she tells him "bad man hurt mommy! I want my mommy!" Hero calls 911 and the two year old is able to tell them that Uncle Rod's bad man friend hurt mommy and had a gun and shot her before mommy told her to run away. Then in the middle of all this Ludie tells the cop and paramedics that hero is her daddy.

Hero takes baby girl to the hospital to get checked over, as they're leaving, Ludie points and says "Mommy is there." Hero says "no, she's not." just as paramedics roll in a gurney with the heroine on it. Surgery is needed to save her life. Ludie stays with hero while her mom is recovering in the hospital and the bad guys are tracked down and found. Hero tells heroine she's moving in with his friends to help with recovery because he won't have town gossiping about them like they did before. Heroine suggests they get a special license and get married and hero agrees immediately. Pulls out rings he had for her from years before when he came back from his trip where her brother met him with the lies he told him.

In the process of getting engaged, he tells her he's been reading books. She's puzzled and says what books? He tells her you'll see later after we're married. Turns out he read how-to books on how to satisfy her in bed so that she enjoyed it as much as he did. Said that the women he'd been with before just wanted it rough and he'd never learned to be gentle so now with her, he needs to be gentle.

This was another crazy train ride on a Palmer book. I feel I rambled in this review just like she rambled in the book. Not only was it crazy but I noticed a lot of references to God and forgiveness and staying on the right path and not veering off to sin town. When did Palmer become so preachy?

Be warned, it's repetitious in many parts. Very repetitious.

Diana Palmer's romance never disappoints! Colie and J.C. separated long ago but a turn of events has them reconnecting. Danger is following them, and with their rocky past, survival means they have to trust one another. With a surprising twist, this story comes full circle and of course leaves you with another happily ever after!

I love these ranch and western themed books. Diana Palmer is an amazing author that has a true knack for telling a story that will melt your icy heart and this book is no exception.

I have to be honest, in the beginning I didn't think this book was going to work for me. I didn't Like JC very much and thought the potential for him to become the hero of the story seemed thin. He had such an attitude problem and I didn't see how it could work, but once again, this author proved that not everything is what it seems.

If you like your romance to come with some thrills, this would be a good book for you to choose. The love story elements are all there, but this is more than just a simple boy meets girl romance. There is danger and excitement, a bit of mystery and hard feelings to take you on a ride that you won't forget when you've finished.

In order for a romance to work for me, there has to be a decent amount of believable tension between the characters and this one has it in spades. The Wyoming air is so thick with the chemistry between these characters you could cut it with a knife. With both of them suffering from memories of their pasts and afraid to move forward, this book got it just right.

Overall, I really liked the characters by the end, and am happy to recommend this book to other romance readers. This is a complex story that a lot of thought went into and it shows in the tight plot and solid writing.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book is good. If you like Diana Palmer you will enjoy this book. The summary of the book seemed very off in my opinion as the book really starts at the start of JC and Colie's relationship and most the book is them getting to know the other and dating in the early part of their relationship.

This book starts off when Colie is 19 and JC is 32. That is a huge gap but JC knows she is young just not a teen. Her father is also a minister and JC and Colie's brother Rod were friends and served in the military but now Rod is involved in the drug scene. It makes Rod very nervous that Colie and JC date.

This book has a lot of overshadowing and to me it made me not enjoy the story I was constantly waiting for something bad to happen. Also this book has no joy, it seemed very dreary and there was no humor. Even JC's and Colie's passion I just did not feel in this story.

Yeah it is very dramatic and the story really builds on that but I wanted more romance and passion and this story did not deliver that.

Sorry to say that the book is just a repeat of other Diana Palmer books. Older hero and young heroine.