Zoe Jensen is in love with her best friend, Grant Cortez, the multi millionaire rancher. Zoe is a fun loving, vegetarian, animal loving kindergarten teacher. Zoe has been in love with Grant since she was sixteen but she was hurt by Grant at nineteen. What else can Zoe do to get over him, but to have an affair with him so she can move on? She is having a very bad week. Grant asks her to hold a pet hamster for him. Then her landlady freaks out about all of her animals and evicts her from her apartment. Now she is homeless and the only place she can go is Grant’s, but he does not want her staying with him. No one in Sunshine Springs wants to rent to her and her pet zoo. What can be worse? How about all the rumors flying around about her and Grant, she must give her pets away, and Grant is trying to get rid of her and now her parents are not coming home for Christmas.

Grant Cortez has been protecting Zoe since she was six years old and now is protecting her from him. Grant has to get away from Zoe before he does something they will both regret. Grant is torn between starting a physical relationship with Zoe and risking his friendship with her. Her friendship is the only permanent part of his life besides his ranch. Grant wishes he would see Zoe as a sister and not with the desire of a lover. Grant hurts Zoe, not intentionally, but he does with his no kissing rule and starting a relationship with her and then backing off. Will Grant wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to Zoe?

Lucy Monroe lets the reader have it with The Rancher’s Rules. Ms. Monroe shows her sense of humor through her characters. Zoe is a powerful heroine with her fun loving ways and her willingness to give up everything to get the man she loves, and Grant is an alpha male hero that needs to get his head straight before he can see what is right in front of him. Zoe has a spirit that will call to the readers and Grant’s heart is in the right place even though his head is not. Ms. Monroe knows how to get the readers’ attention with The Rancher’s Rules and keeps it with this fabulous story. I cannot wait to see what she will come up with next.

Reviewed by: Sonya