Return to Oak Valley [Mass Market Paperback]

Shirlee Busbee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2002

Seventeen years ago Shelley Granger fled her California hometown, devastated and alone. Now her brother's shocking suicide brings her back, filled with doubt that she ever really knew him. Yet even in the midst of uncertainty, some things never change.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Historical romance writer Busbee (Swear by the Moon, etc.) sets her debut contemporary in a remote California valley full of gorgeous scenery, thriving ranches and hard feelings, particularly between the Ballingers and Grangers. Shelly Granger's youthful romance with Sloan Ballinger seemed to bring the warring clans together; then she discovered him cheating and fled Oak Valley for New Orleans. Many years later, the suicide of her beloved brother, Josh, forces Shelly back home, where she discovers several things Josh had concealed from her-including his gambling addiction, his dismantling of the family's cattle business, his dubious friends and the fact that he may have set up the betrayal that drove her away years earlier. Little by little, Shelly works to restore the family fortune and rebuild her trust with Sloan. Dense backstory and an overpopulation of minor characters make the book slow going at times, and Busbee's assumption that a smart modern woman would isolate herself for decades from the home, man and family she adores on the flimsiest of evidence is romance writing at its silliest. Despite its modern date and explicit sex scenes, there's little here that feels truly contemporary. Still, Busbee's descriptive tale is sure to please those who like their love stories lush and laid-back.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Shelley Granger returns to her isolated California town after 17 years of self-imposed exile because her older brother, Josh, whom she revered, committed suicide. As the last remaining Granger, she intends to stay and take care of the family business but finds out that Josh has sold most of the cattle, and left her in debt. She has trouble believing that he really killed himself, but the more she learns the more she realizes that she's put Josh on a pedestal. She also has to face Sloan Ballinger, the man who drove her away all those years ago. Shelley fell in love with him even though he's a Ballinger and her family has hated his since just after the Civil War, and sure enough he betrayed her. Now Sloan wants to try again, but she doesn't know if she can trust him. Busbee's enjoyable western soap opera is filled with sexy characters just begging for a sequel. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446611891
• ISBN-13: 978-0446611893
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,875,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Contemporary winner!!, January 4, 2003

By 

Teri L. Perez "Avid reader" (Rochester, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Return to Oak Valley (Mass Market Paperback)

Having never read a book by this author, and then finding out it was her first contemporary romance was a pleasant surprise.

Shelly Granger fled to New Orleans from her hometown in Oak Valley seventeen years ago, devastated by a broken heart thanks to Sloan Ballinger. Shocking news of her brother's suicide forces her return to Oak Valley, and picking up the pieces of the ravaged Granger Cattle Company.

Many questions need to be answered, specifically why would Josh, who practically raised Shelly after the death of their parents, and her hero, commit suicide? Why is the Granger Cattle Company practically non-existent, and who might have blackmailed Josh? And what did Josh have to do with Nick's parentage? Add the old Granger - Ballinger feud, and the desire that still burns red hot between Sloan and Shelly, and you have the formula for a prefect romantic suspense. Plus all the other alpha males in this book are just too much - I can definitely see future books (at least I hope there will be) for Jeb and Roman. The delightful secondary characters are just too good not to be brought back to life in future books.

5.0 out of 5 stars Return to Oak Valley, July 11, 2011

By 

Rosalie Montagna "Rosie" (Australia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Return to Oak Valley (Mass Market Paperback)

Great book. Thanks, I finally got a copy after waiting a long time. I enjoyed the story. Book was in excellent condition.

2.0 out of 5 stars fantasy..definitely, January 13, 2010

By 

Degalisto "DCL" (Middle of nowhere U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Return to Oak Valley (Mass Market Paperback)

Picked this book up in our small rural ranching community's library. This is a commercial grade romantic fiction. Mostly a lust novel disguised as love. This writer has never lived on a ranch ..well at least never worked on one!. Perpetuates the idea that ranchers are rich...hah!! Lots of foreplay leading to sex thru out the book...it's a fantasy.

Light weight pulp.