Nicolette 'Niki' Ashton has been in love with Blair Coleman, her father's friend and business partner since she was a young girl. But despite being in love with him, she wishes him the very best in his life and sincerely hopes his new wife takes care of him. An old fashioned, gentle girl at heart, Niki has given up finding her happy ending with Blair but then things change and she begins to hope, maybe there is a chance.

Blair is going through some tough time and has become cynical with time about love and women but still he cannot help being attracted to the young, beautiful Niki. She is breath of fresh air in the world where he has only encountered embittered, ambitious women. What stops him from claiming her is the almost sixteen years of age difference between them. While she is young and needs to experience life and live it, he just wants to settle down and begin a family. The pull between them is strong but Blair is stubborn enough not to give in but when Niki herself pushes him away, keeping a dark disturbing secret, he cannot help but want her with him, safe and in his arms. Will age and Niki's secret keep them apart or will Niki finally get the man she always dreamed about?

WYOMING RUGGED is staple Diana Palmer style; story of a naïve young virgin and a worldly cynical man more than a decade older. Despite that, her style never goes old. I know the formula but each story and character is unique in their own way making you feel for them in a way only Ms. Palmer can justify. Niki is a very old fashioned girl as compared to current standards who is a realistic dreamer i.e. she loves Blair, thinks of love, having a family and taking care of her man but knowing that it is unlikely to happen, she moves on doing a job and trying to date. She is too naïve for someone born in this era, making it seem unrealistic at times but is practical too.

I had mixed feelings about Blair on the other hand. He may be cynical and bull-headed but he also cares and loves deeply. What did not particularly sit well with me was the actual reason he married his first wife and the reason he fell in love with Niki, the qualities he saw in her and who it reminded him of. That entered me in an uncomfortable zone I do not know how to define. Despite being a huge fan of Ms. Palmer, this book was a slight disappointment for me. I missed Jacobsville and its residents a lot in WYOMING RUGGED. Other than this, WYOMING RUGGED is a lovely new addition for Diana Palmer's fans who still appreciate the old fashioned thinking.

Book Summary

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Diana Palmer is back in Wyoming with a tale of love born in Big Sky Country…

Billionaire oilman Blair Coleman has always taken care of his business. After having been used and cast aside by a woman he thought he loved, his personal life is far from his first priority. He knows only one has ever truly cared for him—but the irresistible blonde beauty is the daughter of his best friend.

Niki Ashton has seen her father's friend wounded and she's seen him fight. Blair is the strongest—and most stubborn—man she's ever known. That very heart and passion makes him the man of her dreams, but whenever they've been in danger of getting close, Blair has always pushed her away.

It takes a possible tragedy to strip away all of Blair's misgivings. Now it's all or nothing: marriage, baby, family, forever. But will the choice be too much for Niki…or too late?