Review: Chemistry Lessons by Rebecca H. Jamison

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

 Synopsis

Everyone in Lone Spur knows Rosie will accept even the most unlovable animal into her life. Men, though, are a different story.
Take Destry, the guy who bought the ranch next door. Sure, he’s handsome and wealthy, but he wears flip-flops to work his fields. Not that Rosie should worry about him getting hurt.
Her biggest concern is that she needs to buy her grandfather’s ranch before her uncle sells it out from under her. The problem is that on her teacher’s salary, she doesn’t qualify for a loan. Her long-time boyfriend, Tanner, proposes a solution—they can get married and qualify for a loan together, only Rosie isn’t sure if her heart is with her faithful fiancé, her ranch, or her swoon-worthy neighbor.

My Review

I enjoyed this book for the most part. The characters are strong and are doing their best to succeed in the midst of their trials. I was impressed by Rosie's tough work ethic and her determination to save her grandfather's ranch. Destry is a nice counterpoint to her often uptight demeanor with his more laid-back and charming personality. He is also a hard worker but takes things in stride. The story was interesting and engaging, but I had a hard time that even though there is attraction from the beginning, Rosie and Destry spend practically the whole book in other relationships, for reasons of convenience. There is fear on Rosie's part to put her trust in someone new, and Destry puts his heart on the line but rather quickly turns to another woman. Most of the angst is from the characters' own flaws, yet they handle their real world problems much better than their relationships. The ending wraps up the happily ever after nicely, but I would have liked to spend more time with Destry and Rosie while they were in a relationship together.

(Thank you to Ebooks for Review for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)