Ryan's Ruin -- First in the Clear Creek Series by T. E. Killian
To say that Ryan Maxwell has woman troubles is an understatement. He has women ruining his life at every turn. His two older sisters are trying to control his life. His energetic niece is too much for him to handle. A local woman wants to marry him. And yet another woman is trying to destroy his business. And all Ryan wants to do is to be left alone, run his café, fish, hunt, and play poker with his bachelor buddies one night a week. Is that too much to ask?
Candy O'Reilly just wants to start a new life away from relatives who are interfering and controlling her whole life. Will a move 350 miles away be the right thing? Will her children be able to adjust from city life to small town life? Will Candy be able to realize her dream of owning a pastry and specialty coffee shop? Will the house she bought be the right one instead of a nightmare?
Two men just released from prison want the money they say is hidden in Candy's house. A spurned woman starts rumors that cause Candy to lose business and even think about moving back to the city.
If these two who are so drastically different come together, can they help each other through a tragedy which threatens them from an unexpected source? How will God work in the lives of these two and their families in Clear Creek?
Reviews for "Ryan's Ruin (Clear Creek Series # 1)"
This novel, Ryan's Ruin, is the first in the Clear Creek Series by T. E. Killian. I found myself smiling almost all through the book. You see, I had already read the next two books, so I knew what the ending was going to be! LOL And, I had already met the man who is named in the story's title--Ryan. I bought all of these at one time and had just started reading the first I came to on my Kindle. However, I would highly recommend you start with the first book and move through the three books in order.
Ryan and his two sisters own a small mid-town cafe which had become somewhat worrisome; he was concerned whether he could meet the costs for keeping the family inherited business in the future. So, while he was pondering what to do, he had a new neighbor move in next to his family home where he and his sisters still lived. His niece who also lived with them saw that there were teens about her age, and she excitedly starting talking to and about them...
It was then that he learned that the teens' mother, Candy, who was also a widow of ten years, was going to open a cafe exactly opposite him on the main street! He was devastated, sure that another cafe would be the ruin of their own business! Worse, she seemed like little miss sunshine, just like his talkative sister, and everybody was welcoming her to her new home and town.
On the other hand, readers will quickly discover that the people in Clear Creek, or most of them, that is, were very kind, welcoming, and, worse, involved in the local Baptist Church! Groaning, he just knew that his two sisters would be hounding him even more to go to church since Candy and her son and daughter were anxious to meet new friends there.
Worse, two of his poker buddies had immediately asked Candy out and, after a while, Ryan even became a little jealous, maybe of their loyalty to him? Or, was it really because Ryan also had noticed Candy's blue eyes, her blond hair, her...everything...
To make matters worse, the arrival of two recently released jailbirds were beginning to hone in on the family who had moved in next door. Hunter, the town's chief of police and also boss for Ryan, who was the town's mayor, had explained that the two brothers had always heard that the older woman who had died and was the owner of the house into which Candy and her family had moved, had a lot of money that she had kept hidden, and safe, within that house!
It wasn't long before the brothers started harassing Candy and even breaking into her home. Hunter knew that somebody had to help guard Candy and her children, but knew he didn't have the staff or time to do it. Given the proximity of their homes, Hunter finally convinced his best friend Ryan to guard the house each night! Ryan set up a camp bed downstairs in a small storage room, but that didn't stop their meeting from time to time as they came or left the house... And, slowly, a relationship developed... along with their mutual backstories that were very similar... But whenever something about the church or praying came up, Candy quickly realized that Ryan's quickly tensed up and pulled away... A great start to a wonderful series
GABixlerReviews
Excerpt and music vids https://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2024/03/first-in-christian-clear-creek-series.html
All Carson Reno Mystery Series Books are standalone novels. It is not necessary to read them in any particular order.
A famous author is murdered, Carson is at the scene of the crime and considered a prime suspect – but he doesn’t remember anythi
Ryan and his two sisters own a small mid-town cafe which had become somewhat worrisome; he was concerned whether he could meet the costs for keeping the family inherited business in the future. So, while he was pondering what to do, he had a new neighbor move in next to his family home where he and his sisters still lived. His niece who also lived with them saw that there were teens about her age, and she excitedly starting talking to and about them...
It was then that he learned that the teens' mother, Candy, who was also a widow of ten years, was going to open a cafe exactly opposite him on the main street! He was devastated, sure that another cafe would be the ruin of their own business! Worse, she seemed like little miss sunshine, just like his talkative sister, and everybody was welcoming her to her new home and town.
On the other hand, readers will quickly discover that the people in Clear Creek, or most of them, that is, were very kind, welcoming, and, worse, involved in the local Baptist Church! Groaning, he just knew that his two sisters would be hounding him even more to go to church since Candy and her son and daughter were anxious to meet new friends there.
Worse, two of his poker buddies had immediately asked Candy out and, after a while, Ryan even became a little jealous, maybe of their loyalty to him? Or, was it really because Ryan also had noticed Candy's blue eyes, her blond hair, her...everything...
To make matters worse, the arrival of two recently released jailbirds were beginning to hone in on the family who had moved in next door. Hunter, the town's chief of police and also boss for Ryan, who was the town's mayor, had explained that the two brothers had always heard that the older woman who had died and was the owner of the house into which Candy and her family had moved, had a lot of money that she had kept hidden, and safe, within that house!
It wasn't long before the brothers started harassing Candy and even breaking into her home. Hunter knew that somebody had to help guard Candy and her children, but knew he didn't have the staff or time to do it. Given the proximity of their homes, Hunter finally convinced his best friend Ryan to guard the house each night! Ryan set up a camp bed downstairs in a small storage room, but that didn't stop their meeting from time to time as they came or left the house... And, slowly, a relationship developed... along with their mutual backstories that were very similar... But whenever something about the church or praying came up, Candy quickly realized that Ryan's quickly tensed up and pulled away... A great start to a wonderful series
GABixlerReviews
Excerpt and music vids https://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2024/03/first-in-christian-clear-creek-series.html