This was a decent read. It was light and quick to read. The characters were ok, but miscommunication plot points drive me nuts! Especially when it’s a second chance romance, which is always a toss-up to me.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Complementary copy given for honest review and opinion from Netgalley.
Quick, fun and cowboy romance is delivered with this sweet book. Deliverance from speculation brings an end to years of heartache. Two stubborn people come back together after so much is learned. I loved this book and stayed up to finish it.

The Price of Passion by Maureen Child is the first book in Harlequin Desires’ new Texas Cattleman’s Club: Rags to Riches continuity series. This story exemplifies what I look for and love about continuity series. There’s love, passion, family, drama, and a little mystery.

The Price of Passion is a second chance love story featuring Beth Wingate and Camden “Cam” Guthrie. Fifteen years ago, eighteen-year-old Beth, the daughter of one of the most influential families in Royal, Texas, and nineteen-year-old Cam, the half Native American son of ranch hands loved each other deeply. They shared their hopes and dreams and planned to be together forever. That all changed when Cam suddenly married and left town with Julie Wheeler, a one time friend of Beth’s.

Cam and Julie built a good and prosperous life for themselves in Los Angeles, California. They amassed fame and fortune. But none of that saved Julie from dying of cancer. Now a year after her death, Cam returns home to work on reclaiming a portion of the dream he once had. Cam purchases the Circle K Ranch, the ranch he and his parents all worked on. The ranch where his parents died in a fire.

The fifteen years since she last saw Cam have been good for Beth. She’s gone to college and now finds herself working for her family’s charitable foundation. She’s more than happy to leave running the family business to her brothers and cousins. She’s grown as a person and is more reliant on herself. So what if her love life is in the gutter? Who needs a man and love anyway? Nothing prepares Beth for Cam’s return and seeing him all over town.

While the two strike up a truce and ultimately a relationship, things at Wingate Corporation, Beth’s family’s company, are taking a turn for the worse. It seems someone is looking to destroy the company and the Wingate name. The who and why remain to be seen.

I LOVED The Price of Passion. I’ve already looked ahead at the descriptions of the other books in the series and they all seem to be interconnected. This story mentions characters in the upcoming books and even gives you a little idea of what’s to come. As far as Beth and Cam go, these two never stopped loving each other. They are similar in so many ways. They both are stubborn and are really bad at communication. Their passion is explosive and shows that true love withstands the test of time.


~ FAVORITE QUOTES ~

“You don’t get a guarantee. You get chances. Whether you take them or not is up to you.”

“Always take the chance when you get it. Living a life with regrets isn’t the way to go.”

**Received a copy of the book from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed it. I also purchased a copy of the book myself.**

Despite their very different upbringings as teenagers Cam and Beth fell in love and were planning their future together until Beth caved to pressure from her father and told Cam that they needed a little time apart which he took to mean that they were over. In hindsight Beth believes it was the best decision she could have made as shortly thereafter he left town married.

More than a decade later Cam has returned to his hometown after the death of his wife. From the first time that he and Beth see each other again the chemistry and connection between them is stronger than ever. Will they be able to heal from the misunderstandings of the past and live the life they planned or are they destined to end in heartbreak once again?

Every time that Cam and Beth were together the sparks flew but dealing with the past and learning to trust each other again was the biggest challenge they had to overcome.

Not my favorite Texas Cattleman book, but I love the setup for the Rags to Riches series. I liked Cam and Beth, but I didn't love them as much as I should have. Why can't people just talk to each other!?!

It's been a long time since I read a Texas Cattleman's Club novel. I started reading this series in the 1990s, but when I saw that this one was written by Maureen Child, whose books I usually love, I requested an advance reader copy. This is a second chance at love, poor guy/rich gal, contemporary western romance with plenty of heat, but it saddens me to say that I didn't love this novel, and the best I can do is give it 3 stars.

Fifteen years earlier, Cam and Beth were high school sweethearts. Beth is the daughter of the old money, privileged Wingate family in Royal, Texas. Cam is a half-Native American cowboy who works on a nearby ranch, the Circle K, along with his parents. Beth and Cam can't get enough of each other but her wealthy parents don't approve. Beth is 18, Cam is 19, and when Beth suggests that they slow down, after all, she'll be leaving for college soon, Cam takes it as the kiss-off he's been expecting all along.

Within a week or so, Beth is shocked to learn the Cam has married Julie Wheeler, another classmate of theirs, and that the newlyweds have moved to California. She assumed that Cam's words of love to her were a lie, and that he'd been cheating on her during the entire 3 years they were a couple. She was crushed, but eventually managed to move on with her life, and 15 years later, and still unmarried, she knows that Julie died of cancer two years earlier, and she isn't at all happy to learn that Cam, now a multi-millionaire, has just bought the ranch he used to work on, and he is back in Royal to stay. When they bump into each other at the bank, both realize that there is still plenty of sizzle between them, but Beth has one very large chip on her shoulder and Cam doesn't seem to fully understand why, since all along he believed she'd ended their relationship 15 years ago, assuming that "slow down" meant, "we're over."

This is a story of wrong assumptions and sexual attraction, but I found Beth to be more than a tad bitchy and bitter, and Cam seemed only to be attracted to her looks and his memories of the heat between them. Beth also still finds Cam's good looks hard to resist, but where was the love? Where was the romance? At no point did I see common ground or affection between these two main characters, and Beth still is harboring hurt feelings without fully knowing the truth behind Cam's hasty marriage to Julie. And Beth is in for a major surprise. Will the truth draw them together or tear them even further apart? You'll have to read his novel to find out, since I don't do spoilers.

I respect Maureen Child's ability as a romance writer, but was disappointed by this novel. I think this would have been a far more successful story had the two characters spent more time talking it out rather than locking lips and/or trading barbs whenever they saw each other. It's not a bad read, but it's not a great one either--there were simply too many missed opportunities for this reader.

As stated earlier, I read an advanced reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

I really struggled with this one. The Price of Passion is a short read which was good because if it was any longer I may not have finished it. Most of my issues with this book revolved around Cam who is a bit of a shit. When he was 18 his girlfriend wanted to have a little space as things were moving too fast. His response? Run away that same week after marrying her friend. He disappears for 15 years and when he comes back blames her for everything. He takes ZERO responsibility for his actions and everything has to be done on his terms. She has to be the one to want him, she has to be the one to call him. At one moment when she is being very clearly hassled by some guy he gets his knickers in a twist because he thinks she wants it. I really hate him. A lot.

The ending was stupid. They spent all of 2 hours in each other's company when they were ripping each other's throats out and they think they are ready to get engaged. They sorted out none of their problems at all.

Nope.

This one is not for me.

Normally I enjoy these short Harlequins as a nice break from routine and am never super critical of the story. This one for some reason rubbed me the wrong way.
Camden and Beth were high school sweethearts who spun many plans for their future despite the fact that he's Native American born to working parents and Beth is a princess in the small town they live in daughter of a rich billionaire. They had a falling out and before you could say Jack Robinson, Camden has married another young lady from the town and left for California while Beth licks her wounds and creates a life in Royal.
Now Camden has made his fortune and is back having bought up the ranch which was once the focus of their dreams and wants to establish a life in Royal and maybe even win Beth back.
What rubbed me up the wrong way is that they had a falling out and Beth asked Camden to wait and he ups and marries someone else and leaves town without even trying to reason with Beth or win Beth back. It's a story and I guess the author needed a reason for their original breakup but it just did not ring the right note for me.
I enjoyed this second chance at romance and I absolutely can't wait to find out what happens with who's sabotaging Beth's family business.

Second Chance Love: Check
Enemies to Lovers: Check
Rich Cowboy: Check
Steamy Love Scene: Check

The Price of Passion has all this and more. This is the first book in Texas Cattleman's Club: Rags to Riches series and let me tell you it does not disappoint.

I enjoyed reading Camden and Beth reconnect after 15 years apart. While I wish the story had been a little longer to be able to see them reconnect a bit more. I am a sucker for a good quick romance. There was a lot of passion between these two and I am glad that after 15 years and a misunderstanding they were able to reconnect.

Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review. I give the book 3.75 stars but rounded up.