Too Far Down by Mary Connealy (Review)

Cowboys, Action, Humor, and History Collide in Connealy’s Latest

When an explosion kills men and damages the CR Mining Company, the Bodens realize their troubles are not behind them as they thought. Shadowy forces are still working against them. 
Cole Boden finds himself caught between missing his time back East and all that New Mexico offers. Sure he fights with his siblings now and then, but he does care for them. He enjoys running the mine and, when he’s honest, he admits that Melanie Blake captures his interest in a way no other woman ever has. 
Melanie has been a friend to the Bodens forever. A cowgirl who is more comfortable with horses and lassoes than people, she never expected to find herself falling for someone. Particularly for refined Cole Boden, a Harvard graduate who may not stay long at the ranch. She’s determined, however, to help the Bodens finally put an end to the danger that’s threatened all of them. But will putting herself in harm’s way be more dangerous than anyone expected?

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The third and final book of Mary Connealy’s Cimarron Legacy series starts out with a literal bang. From the get-go, this book is full of mystery and action.

If you’ve been following along with the Boden siblings, you know that Cole is the oldest and a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. Cole’s not sure where his place is—whether he belongs in New Mexico with his half-siblings on the ranch or in the big city where he enjoyed ten years of his adult life.

Cole’s struggle to find his place is just another stone in the pile that is his complicated life. He’s been forced to live at the Cimarron Ranch with his siblings even though he has a home of his own in Skull Gulch and runs the mines on the Cimarron property well. But when his mines are targeted—after the family believed they’d put their troubles with their enemies behind them—he’s determined to get to the bottom of it once and for all.

I think this book was my favorite of this series. Partly because I’ve gotten to know each of these characters over the past couple years but also because of Melanie Blake, the daughter of the man who owns the ranch next to the Cimarron. Mel is pure tomboy—rides a horse with the best of them, shoots better than many of them, and has a spine that is made of steel. She’s willing to jump into the middle of trouble and lend a hand.

And she and Cole have a dynamic that is pure perfection. Mel has known Cole since she was born and has enjoyed arguing with him as often as possible, especially whenever he tries to put her in her place. Plus there’s just the hint that the other Boden family members see something between the two that their eyes haven’t been opened to yet.

A story of finding what matters most in life peppered with adventure, mystery, dynamite, and a little gold, Too Far Down beautifully wraps up the Cimarron Legacy series with charm, humor, and the reminder that family is what matters most.

***I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.