BOOK REVIEW- HEARTS DON'T LIE

BOOK REVIEW- HEARTS DON'T LIE-Mitch MacLaren has reasons for avoiding relationships, and in his opinion, they’re pretty darn good. As the new president of RTC Bucking Bulls, difficult challenges occur daily. He certainly doesn’t need another one in the form of a fiery, blue-eyed, redhead. 
Dana Ballard’s new job forces her to work with the one MacLaren who can’t seem to get over himself and lighten up. Their verbal sparring is second nature and entertaining until the night of Mitch’s departure when he surprises her with a dare she doesn’t refuse.  
With his assignment in Fire Mountain over, Mitch is free to return to Montana and run the business his father helped start. The glitch in his enthusiasm has to do with one irreversible mistake—the dare Dana didn’t ignore. Now, for reasons that confound him, he just can’t let it go. 
Working together is a circumstance neither wants, but both must accept. As their attraction grows, so do the accidents and strange illnesses of the animals RTC depends on to stay in business. Mitch’s total focus should be on finding the reasons and people behind the incidents. Instead, he finds himself torn between his unwanted desire for Dana and the business which is his life.  
In his mind, a simple proposition can solve one problem. Will Dana make the smart move and walk away? Or take the gamble and expose her heart? 
Hearts Don’t Lie, Book Six in the MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary series.    AMAZON

Hmm, I've read a few of the other books in this series.  So I thought it wouldn't be too hard to just catch up fast on this one.   Sorry, to say it wasn't quite that easy for me.   Although this is a stand-alone novel, I kept getting lost every so often with the fairly large cast of characters.  Now, that doesn't mean I didn't like it.   I did, it just probably wasn't my favorite out of all of them  have read so far.   There was a good mystery when it came to all the trouble that RTC Bucking Bulls, seemed to keep encountering.  A good twist when it came to the who and the why of the source of that trouble.  Mitch was one tough, gruff, moody man with a commitment phobia.  He had plenty of reasons why he was that way.  Just too much betrayal from women, beginning in his life from his teen years.  I did like how the story showed that not only was he a talented businessman but also that he had some hidden creative talents too.    Dana was such a warm, loving person who took some incredible risks with her heart, when she entered into a basically "friends with benefits" relationship with Mitch.   She was hoping for more but knew she might just have to get as much of Mitch as she could until he got tired of her.  
There was a satisfying ending to the story. 

"I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review."