Finished McKettricks of Texas: Tate by Linda Lael Miller. This is the latest book in her contemporary western series about the McKettrick family.

In this one, the biggest regret of Tate McKettrick’s life was losing Libby Remington after he cheated on her and got another woman pregnant. Now divorced with two twin girls, Tate is determined to win Libby back, even though he knows he really doesn’t deserve a second chance. For her part, Libby has never gotten over Tate and is wary about trusting him with her heart again. But the love between them just can’t be denied …

I didn’t think that I would like a hero who cheated on the heroine, but Miller manages to make Tate likable and relatable, and his devotion to his girls is admirable, as is his determination not to spoil them, despite the massive McKettrick fortune. Libby is also a likable heroine, who struggles to make ends meet even as she takes care of everyone around her and runs her small coffee shop.

Another thing that I enjoy about Miller’s books is that she gives her heroes and heroines real-world problems. There are plenty to go around in this book — Libby’s strained relationship with her mother, who left when Libby was young, Tate’s problems with his ex-wife, the death of a close friend of Tate’s. I did think that there were a few too many problems in this book, and at times, they made the pace drag. Also, Miller has quite the cast of characters in this one, and I thought that the book felt a little crowded at times as she tried to include everyone. (Libby has two sisters who will be hooked up with Tate’s two brothers in future books.) 

I did think that a subplot toward the end of the book about Libby trying to find herself and wondering if she’d be better off moving away from Texas was a little contrived. It seemed to me like it was just a way to keep Libby and Tate apart for a few more chapters, more than anything else.

Overall, though, Miller’s books are like comfort food to me — warm and filling, if a bit predictable. Sure, you know where you’re going every step of the way, but it’s still fun getting there. So thumbs up.

Up next: Frostbite by Richelle Mead.

Books in my TBR pile: About 20.