The Rebellious Rancher by Kate Pearce
The Millers of Morgan Valley #3

Ben Miller and Silver Meadows really shouldn’t have common ground. Ben is a man of the land who works hard on his father’s ranch while silver has been a star since childhood and has had a rather pampered life. The fact that the two are thrown together on a trail ride begins to create bond between them. The tricky bit is whether that bond will be able to strengthen enough to stand the test of time. They deserve a HEA if they can figure out how to make it happen.

What I liked:
* Silver: a capable woman that knows what she wants, is able to express those wants and willing to hurt those she loves to stand on her own two feet.
* Ben: a man who has always played second chair to his older brother, tried to do what is right and experienced a life changing event before he turned twenty. He is a bit stuck and needs to decide what he really wants.
* The trail ride and how it brought out the best in Silver and Ben
* The way the meddlesome parents were dealt with
* That though the parents were meddlesome they were still loved and treated with kindness
* Seeing how a family with controlling parents might end up with children feeling as the Miller and Meadow children did.
* The writing and the way the characters grew on me

What I didn’t like:
* A few of the parents – they were too much and needed to be reined in
* That people working for Silver were not always loyal to her
* The way media impacts the lives of celebrities but also those on the fringes of the lives of celebrities

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

I'm really enjoying this series.

The Rebellious Rancher is book 3 of The Millers of Morgan Valley but can easily be read as a standalone story. Since I discovered M/M romance a few years ago, I don't read a lot of M/F books but Kate Pearce has long been a favorite of mine and I really love this series.

I don't always care for stories that involve actors/actresses but this one is done very well and the story kept me glued to my ereader. When Ben agrees to take a secret client on a rustic trail ride, he is shocked to find out that client is his childhood crush, Silver Meadow. Silver may be a famous actress but she is also a strong and capable woman, regardless of what her father thinks.

Silver has a lot to learn about roughing it and Ben is happy to teach her. He becomes quite impressed with how quickly she adapts to life without a cell phone and a support team. I loved the slow burn heat between these two and when they finally given in – holy hot stuff!

Both Silver and Ben have overbearing fathers in common but Silver's is the worst even though it's evident that he really wants what's best for her. I loved how both Ben and Silver were able to grow and break free of the constraints that were put on them by their families. It took forgiving misunderstandings on both of their parts but I loved their HEA. I hope there will be more books in this series. I'm not ready to leave Morgan Valley behind just yet.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

The Rebellious Rancher is the third book in Kate Pearce's The Millers of Morgan Valley series, and it's the second book in the series I've read. While the actress/cowboy/rancher trope isn't a new one,in Kate Pearce's capable, talented hands, I had a hard time putting it down, and I gets 4.5 stars from this reader.

The main characters in this novel are Ben, the second eldest Miller son, whose father left their ranch to his older brother, Adam. That Ben feels slighted is no surprise, since his father, a loudmouthed, angry jerk ever since his wife left him 20 years earlier, treats Ben like a failure, yet dumps most of the cruddy ranch tasks on him, and Ben feels lost and betrayed, but when he gets a call from the rancher next door to give a woman a 10-day trail ride experience, the money is good and despite his father's anger at Ben leaving the ranch during calving season, Ben agrees to take the job. What he didn't expect was his lone client, superstar actress Silver Meadows, on whom he'd harbored a crush for years.

Silver is vying for an indie film role--a dramatic western, but she wants the ranch/trail ride experience which will hopefully get her the leading role, and make her stand out among the other wannabe stars. At first she comes off as a spoiled, overly indulged, movie star who expects everything to be done for her, but Ben is quick to give her a hit of reality, and the two get off to a rocky start, but eventually, the attraction between these two is something neither one of them can deny. They have quite a bit in common, once they get on the trail, at least one overbearing, controlling parent each, and drug issues in their past. Their worlds are miles apart, and they are both keeping secrets, but once they come to terms with their differences, the attraction between them takes a steamy, sexy turn.

I found it impossible to dislike Silver, despite how she was portrayed at the beginning of the novel, and instead, grew to dislike her father, who has been managing her career and her life from early childhood. He's living off her earnings, as is the rest of her family, and Silver has had enough. She's a 26-year-old, sheltered virgin whose every move and every role has been orchestrated by her father--and she's sick of it. She's tired of doing light TV series and fluffy romantic comedies and wants to sink her teeth into a dramatic, adult film role for a change. I loved the way she went from spoiled Hollywood princess to knuckling down, and working with Ben to learn the ropes needed for this no-frills trail ride. Her growth and the growing attraction between her and Ben was written in a totally believable way, but her work is in Hollywood, and Ben is a rancher through and through. Once their sexy trail ride is over, do they have any way to make their relationship work? Ben doesn't think so, and what follows is a series of misunderstandings, revelations, and lots of angst.

When Silver returns to Hollywood, and then goes on location to Utah to try and land that coveted role, her obnoxious, scheming father makes sure she has no contact with Ben, which breaks her heart, and then he does something so reprehensible I couldn't believe that Silver was willing to forgive him from meddling in her life. I know that if I were her in place, I wouldn't have been quite so forgiving. When Ben has a terrible accident while trying to get them both home, it's Silver to the rescue, but then her father meddles again, bringing unwanted attention to Silver and Ben's past and to Ben and the ranch, which is soon overrun by paparazzi.

Nevertheless, this is a romance after all, and there's an HEA ending, and from beginning to end, this novel all worked for me, keeping me reading straight through until 6:00 a.m. It was an excellent, emotional read, and I can hardly wait for the next addition to this series.

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

If it's a Kate Pearce book you know it's going to be good. They keep you entertained from start to finish. Her characters are so likable that you just fall in love with them. This is the third book in the Millers of Morgan Valley series and it's definitely a keeper.

Kate Pearce is one of those authors whose stories I covet. That may not be the right word. Close but not quite. It’s the one stuck in my head so I can’t really think of any other words right now. You know how that is, right? Anyway, you know when you find a television show that you love and you end up putting off watching the last few episodes because you just don’t want it to end? Well, I’ve had an eArc of this book for months. Months! While I wanted to read it closer to the publication day, and I had tons of other books to read, there was still something in me putting off reading this story. Not because I didn’t want to read it, but because I knew I’d get sucked into the world of Morgan Valley and not want to climb out. I didn’t want to start the book because I already didn’t want it to end. (And I was right, I read this story in one go on a rainy Sunday afternoon.) I haven’t read anything other than the Morgan Ranch series and the Millers of Morgan Valley series by this author and I’ll have to change that soon. These stories bring me so much joy and fill me with warm-fuzzies every time.

If it’s not obvious from the above paragraph, I loved this story. Ben and Silver bring out the best in one another. Silver had a tendency to slip into the rich, privileged, spoiled role a bit too easily the first couple of days she’s with Ben. But his reaction, or non-reaction, had a humbling effect on Silver and made her realize how different her life was from most of the rest of the world. Not that she was blind to her privilege and all its trappings. Sometimes when you’re right in the middle of it all and it is how your day to day life is, it’s easy to forget how lucky you really are. So, while I was quite prepared to have some dislike for Silver, she always redeemed herself. And generally, almost immediately. The author did a wonderful job of making a character who could have easily ended up an unlikable caricature into a truly well-liked character instead.

Romance often uses lack of communication between its characters as a device to move the story in certain directions. One of the great things about this story is the honesty these two tried to have with each other. Almost every single misunderstanding that happened with Ben and Silver had to do with outside forces. Other people telling them half-truths and leading them in the wrong direction. Their connection was strong enough that, even when they would huff off in their own direction, they knew it couldn’t be the end. Sure, they did enough to self-sabotage. But they had a lot of help from people who had their best interests at heart but were very misguided.

Jeff Miller, Ben’s dad, always seems to somehow come through for his kids by the end of their stories. And even his mom is slowly trying to pull herself out of the whole she put herself into 20 years ago. Yet I still cannot forgive either of them. Being nice and helping things along once in a while does not give anyone, even a person’s father, the right to be a jerk the other 95% of the time. We find out that Ben’s mom did something important for him in the past. That’s great. But it was her being a mom, not being some sort of altruistic stranger. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over these two. There are couple of Miller boys still waiting for their HEAs, so we’ll see.

Speaking of families, I wouldn’t be averse to Silver’s siblings getting HEAs, too. I love how they banded together and stuck up for each other. And I still want to know what Aaron’s birth name is!

Complementary copy given for honest review and opinion from Netgalley. This book was one that started a bit slow but pulled me in. It was what I call an all nighter. I was up all night finishing this book. It was a great romance with addition scars.

After his father decides to leave the ranch to his older brother Adam, usually calm, steadfast Ben Miller struggles to deal with his resentment. When he’s invited to develop a trail riding experience on the Morgans’ dude ranch, Ben jumps at the chance. Soon he’s assigned a mysterious client, an actress whose family secretly wants her removed from influences in LA. Ben’s determined to teach her to fend for herself. But he quickly discovers she’s more than a pampered pretty face. Silver Meadow believes she’s preparing for a serious dramatic role—one that will free her from her controlling father. She’s certainly not going to be controlled by Ben, especially when he takes her out in the middle of nowhere to learn how to survive. Yet gradually, far from her cell phone, Silver begins to open up to him about her life and finds they have more in common than they thought.
This is the third book in this series, which is a spin off from the Morgan Ranch series & is another very well written book that drew me in from the start & totally captivated me until the end. Strong believable characters & I loved Ben & Silver both had had their problems. They were thrown together on a trail ride then being stranded by a storm, it gave them time for reflection & as their attraction grew & they had to rely on each other they also opened up to each other. I loved how Ben didn’t pamper to Silver & how she learned to fend for herself. A very different trope with the couple being alone for the majority of the book & I found it very hard to put down
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Another in the Morgan Valley series, I loved this book. I was hooked from the beginning, and read late into the night to finish. The characters were well written, with a lot of depth to them, giving the reader a great deal of emotion while reading the story. The plot was complex, with many twists and turns, and couple of sub-plots to keep things engaging and interesting. The romance was enough back-and-forth to build appropriately, and really have me cheering for their success, even while I would sigh in exasperation at their dumb moves, as they worked toward the HEA. Good romance, good characters, good plot, good suspense. A great book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. This is my freely given, honest review.

It had been a while ago, since I read something of Kate Pearce (The Billionaire Bull Rider I read 2 years ago). But I'm not one to turn down a fine cowboy, when offered, so I dove in. And this one is kinda cute. We meet Silver, a young and famous actrice, who wants to learn how to survive on her own in the wilderness to prepare for a new role. And secondly, she wants some time for herself and some privacy. Being in the spotlight all the time has taken a toll on Silver.
When Ben's neighboring ranch asks for help to guide a young female on a trail for two weeks, Ben jumps at the chance. After learning that his father will hand over the reigns of the ranch to his eldest brother, Ben has been frustrated and feeling useless. To get over his resentment, he offers to do the job.
Soon, Silver will learn that a 'pampered princess' will need to step up to do her part of the chores on the road. And that there is no such thing as a plug in the wilderness to charge your phone. And to Ben's surprise, Silver steps up and picks up the survival skills easier than expected. Both learn to talk to each other (since there is not much to do out in the wilderness...) and they find they have more in common than they thought. A great read, with twists and turns. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Kate Pearce's The Rebellious Rancher is wonderfully written, it will keep you engaged and surprised all through out the book.
When Rancher and Trail Guide Ben Miller agrees to take Hollywood's Silver Meadows on a 10 day trail ride neither of them really understand or can appreciate what they are in for. Simply could not put the book down.

This is the third book in the Morgan Valley series but it can most definitely stand on it's own. While I did enjoy this book, I can definitely say I'm glad it was not the first Kate Pearce book that I picked up. I say this only because I had trouble liking Silver. And if you don't like one of the main characters, it is difficult to want to see the romance succeed, which is the whole point. I just wanted Silver to stand up for herself a little bit more with her family. Instead, she was just portrayed as a spoiled Hollywood actress that wanted independence without actually doing anything towards getting it. Fortunately, I think by the end she redeemed herself. But then again maybe we need the heroines to be a little less perfect every now and again....

Ben Miller is shocked when his father signs the ranch over to Adam and leaves the rest of them to just working the ranch - so when he gets the chance to make some money doing a one on one trail ride for a greenhorn he is all for it - then when he sees who she is he is very surprised and can hardly believe his eyes to see Silver Meadows and find her a apt pupil that is learning how to be a cowgirl - little does she know that these skills will come in handy for a life or death accident that will happen!

I enjoyed the trail ride part of this story. I liked how Silver started to blossom into a more self sufficient person. I felt like Ben and Silver had chemistry during this part of the book.

After Silver went back to LA, I didn't feel like they had much of a connection at all. I was so glad when she started to get a backbone, until she didnt. I also didn't think we were ever going to get to find out about Ben's past. Ben seemed really unhappy and angry throughout the majority of the book. It was a bit of a downer.

I didn't like Ben's father or Silver's father. One was mean and the other was manipulative. I didn't like that their behavior was covered under the umbrella of "fatherly love". Let's just call it what it was, mean, manipulative, selfish behavior. And it seemed like both mothers enabled that behavior.

A sweet romance that I would have liked much more without the Hollywood aspect of it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed the Advanced Reader Copy of this book received via NetGalley.

The cowboy and the actress hit the trail together!

Take one slightly frustrated rancher at loose ends in his life, add in a sheltered yet feisty young actress researching her next role, send them out on the trail just minutes after meeting with nothing more than what their pack animals can carry, add in an unexpected storm and life-threatening events and you'll end up with this exhilarating romance that has all the sass and steam a romance reader could ever hope for!

Ben doesn't quite know where he belongs, now that his dad has made it clear that the family ranch is being left to his older brother. He occasionally picks up work on the Morgan Ranch leading their guests on trail rides. He can't pass up the chance to escort the now-grown up actress from his sister's favorite childhood show.

Silver has had every part of her life monitored and controlled, some of it for good reason. She's ready to move past her past and show that she's not the spoiled princess everyone thinks she is.

Their trail ride ends up much more exciting than either of them had ever considered, and it's a difficult - yet perfectly reasonable - transition back to their previously separate lives. By this point I could really appreciate the emotional connection between these characters - the experiences they shared along the trail built a bond between them that neither one was prepared to acknowledge, much less pursue. Their HEA really did seem impossible to achieve.

The story becomes much more emotionally intense in the second half, as both Ben and Silver have to deal with a myriad of obstacles in their pursuit of their own life goals before addressing the obstacles to a future together. I was completely involved in both families' stories and while there are no true villains involved, there are enough dragons to slay to make their HEA satisfying and triumphant.

I really loved this return visit to the Morgan Valley fictional world. Each book is just as captivating as the last, with an easy-going writing style and vibrant, memorable characters. If you love modern-day cowboys as much as I do, this series is not to be missed. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Kate Pearce certainly knows how to write a compelling cowboys romance. She has continued to do so with the Millers of Morgan Valley. Even with the Hollywood actress aspect (not my favorite type) of the story I enjoyed the story. The Rebellious Rancher, Ben Miller didn’t seem so rebellious to me. Instead it seemed that he had a hard time of it since it all fell apart at college, maybe even before then. I liked him from the beginning, bad attitude and all. As for Silver Meadow, she had to grow on me. I realize her entire life had been one of acting but still she carried an air of entitlement that had to fall away before I could warm up to her.

Like other books in the series this story is character driven. Not only how Ben and Silver are together but how they are with family and how their past has affected them. There was one huge twist I didn’t see coming in the Ben’s past. This became a big part of the problem. Of course, their fathers were also problems in the story. Well-meaning actions is no substitute for reasonable actions which neither father seemed to possess. If they only had a brain.

In spite of the fathers there is a happily-ever-after with an interesting epilogue. This is a romance series after all.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ben Miller doesn't know where his place is in the family. He's a little lost. When the Morgan family offers him a job as a guide for a mystery person. The mystery person being Silver Meadows a well known actress who needs to learn how to survive in the wild for a movie role. The longer out on the trail the closer they get even though they are so opposite of each other. I liked the first half of the book a lot. I enjoyed the trail ride part and how they got together. The whole time i wondered how it was going to work out when that all ended. They are really from two different worlds. The second part was ok but Silver's dad is annoying and overbearing and so is Ben's. It was all kind of awkward is places. It was a ok read that started off strong but i struggled to keep reading the second part of the book.

I loved the Morgan Ranch series as well as the 2 previous stories in this one and was looking forward to this one .
The story centers around Ben Miller and Silver Meadows.
Ben is the second oldest Miller sibling. A quiet hard worker who was shocked and hurt when his father left the ranch to his oldest son Adam. A father that knew how hard Ben worked and should have been given a fair share. Undecided as to what he will do next , he quickly accepts an offer to be a trail guide to an unknown person.
Silver Meadows is that person. She’s a Hollywood star wanting to prepare for a movie part. Though at first he wasn’t crazy about Silver and her potential pampered and spoiled attitude, his opinions starts to change as Silver adapts .
But things don’t go as expected and feelings develop. She’s a star, and he’s a rancher and living far apart. Add to that family dynamics and responsibilities, and the opportunities of having their HEA seem but a dream. His past also comes back to haunt him.
I have to confess that I never warmed up to Silver and poor Ben struggled with her fame. At times found myself skipping pages.
In the end, the plot was ok and if you’re looking for an easy reading contemporary western romance , then this one is for you.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Ben is feeling unwanted and at odds with his family. Despite it being one of the busiest times on the ranch he jumps at the chance to guide beautiful Silver Meadows on a trail ride. The eventful few days challenge them both in different ways, creating an indelible bond. When nature throws down the ultimate challenge they emerge stronger than ever but is there a future for him somewhere between Hollywood and Morgantown?
From the get go Ben challenges Silver to own the trail riding experience and make it her own. Even as he would do things for other groups he makes Silver fend for herself and feel the stronger for it. Soon he discovers that in reality Silver is more than a pretty face and beside she does not have a drug habit as her father has warned.  As they come closer together on the trail they share intimate secrets and yet there are secrets that Ben hangs on to which are explosive and will take readers by surprise when they finally do come out.
I have to be honest and at the risk of **spoilers** I have to say that I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop with her father given how the story plays out with his character but that too will end up not quite being what you think it is. The other character who surprised me is Ben's father who is a gruff drill sergeant with apparently a heart of marshmallow, who figured.
All in all I totally enjoyed this story, I believe it might even be my favorite in the series so far.

This is a nice story without angst or outside problems (okay, you can say it had outside problems but they weren’t awful). The trail ride was the best part of the book. I liked how it showed Silver as expecting everything to be automatically done and learning that is not the way “real” people live. I thought she adapted really well. After the trail ride, the book fell. I think if you like sweet books with low angst then this is the book for you. I was not enamored with Ben like I have been with the other Millers and the Morgans. The writing is terrific, as always. Rating rounded up.

I have never read anything by Kate Pearce and was very excited to dig into Rebellious Rancher. Thank you to TLC Book Tours for sending me an early copy!

This book contained tropes that I just love - cowboys and celebrities and forced proximity. Ben and Silver both have some deeply rooted family and personal issues to sort out but when they are put together on a trail ride for her movie research, sparks fly and issues are challenged. I love the community feel of the ranches. I loved Silver's growth and determination to control her life after an unusual and challenging upbringing. During a busy week, I wanted nothing more than to stay in this world and find out what happens next.