Reviewer's Bookshelf: No Way Up by Mary Connealy

Book summary (Goodreads): When Cimarron ranch patriarch Chance Boden is caught in an avalanche, the quick actions of hired hand Heath Kincaid save him. Badly injured, Chance demands that his will be read and its conditions be enforced immediately. 

Without anyone else to serve as a witness, Heath is pressed into reading the will. If Justin, Sadie, and Cole Boden don't live and work at home for the entire year, the ranch will go to their low-down cousin Mike. 
Then Heath discovers the avalanche was a murder attempt, and more danger might follow. Deeply involved with the family, Heath's desire to protect Sadie goes far beyond friendship. The danger keeps them close together, and their feelings grow until being apart is the last thing on their minds.

My thoughts...Once again, Mary Connealy takes us out to the wild west in another series called The Cimarron Legacy.  No Way Up is the first book in the series, but there is a novella prequel that is worth the read.  It gives the history of the characters and how Chance Boden became the owner of the ranch.

     I always enjoy the way Connealy writes the west.  Strong men, strong women, and often a lot of sass and magnetism between the characters.  The chemistry between Heath and Sadie is one of my favorite parts of this novel.  The bond between the Boden siblings and the way they gave up their own pursuits to serve and help each other (even though they were forced to do so at first), was also a favorite aspect of the novel.  Connealy starts her novels with an action-packed beginning, and that was present as well.  An element of mystery rounds out the plot, which concluded in a way that I did not fully expect.

     The only bit of this story that I missed was more of witty, sassy banter between the characters.  I was waiting for it and in the end it seemed to pick up, but, for me, it took a while.  I wanted a little more spark. 

     Overall, I think this series has great potential and I look forward to seeing how the next parts of this story play out.

**I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in order to give an honest review, which I did.**