Book #5 – Second Chance Ranch – Out August 28 – All Info Here.
Crooked Tree Ranch (Montana #1)
The Cowboy and the City Slicker.
On the spur of the moment, with his life collapsing around him, Jay Sullivan answers an ad for a business manager with an expertise in marketing, on a dude ranch in Montana.
With his sister, Ashley, niece, Kirsten and nephew, Josh, in tow, he moves lock stock and barrel from New York to Montana to start a new life on Crooked Tree Ranch.
Foreman and part owner of the ranch, ex rodeo star Nathaniel ‘Nate’ Todd has been running the dude ranch, for five years ever since his mentor Marcus Allen became ill.
His brothers convince him that he needs to get an expert in to help the business grow. He knows things have to change and but when the new guy turns up, with a troubled family in tow – he just isn’t prepared for how much.
A man without memories, and the cop who never gave up hope.
When he wakes up in the hospital, the victim of a brutal beating, John Doe has no memories of who he is or who hurt him. The cops can find nothing to identify him and he can’t remember anything to help… except the name Ethan and one recurring place from his dreams. Two words, and they’re not much, but it’s a start: Crooked Tree.
Detective Ethan Allens has never stopped searching for the two boys who vanished. When a report lands on Ethan’s desk that may give new leads, he jumps at the chance to follow them up. The man he finds isn’t his brother, but it’s someone who could maybe help him discover what happened twelve years ago.
What neither man can know is that facing the very real demons of the past could destroy any kind of future they may have together.
* Review updated 7/8/17
Originally, I read this book without reading book 1. When I had the chance to go back and listen to books 1 and 2 in order, I eagerly listened! I’m glad I went back and listened to book 1 to get some of the history I missed the first time. The audio performance is pretty good with several distinctive voices. Mr. Crisden does cowboy really, really well!
This book is heavy…very heavy with A LOT of emotion. I was reduced to tears so many times in this book. The unresolved emotions between Ethan and Adam, the unresolved issues between Ethan and his dad, Ethan’s brother still missing with Adam having no recollection of what happened and Adam rediscovering his life are all very overwhelming. You are kept on the edge of your seat with Adam slowly but surely remembering things that happened in his life. The tension between Adam and Ethan, not only sexual but emotional will put you through the ringer. Ethan’s strength, loyalty and determination while helping Adam recover physically and emotionally are just amazing. I love how they lean on each other and support each other through this really emotional time. I’m also a sucker for friends to lovers and second chances, both of which happen here.
There is still a lot to resolve in this series and I’m guessing the next book is going to be huge with a lot happening. We still need to see Ethan’s dad’s recovery the reparation of their relationship. Even though I understand Ethan’s reasoning, I also wasn’t thrilled with their current living and job situation so I hope that changes. We get a pretty big surprise at the end with no more answers on Justin’s whereabouts so it’s on to the next book I go!
One burned and broken man finds his way home. Can he find peace in the arms of a man easy to love?Justin made the ultimate sacrifice for his country, battling domestic terrorism, never the man he really was, using hate to avenge the death of his best friend. The friend he’d killed.
What he doesn’t count on is getting shot, and if he’s going to die he wants it to be on Crooked Tree soil. Home.
Sam is as much a part of Crooked Tree as any of the families, and the offer to buy into the ranch is a dream come true. But falling for a hidden, secretive, injured man isn’t the way to keep his head in the game.
I love Sam. I love his feistiness and protectiveness. I hate the way his family treated him and am glad he finally has something and someone to call his own.
I’m not a fan of insta-love and the relationship development between Sam and Justin was, to say the least, fast. They meet, Justin is incoherent most of the time their together and then leaves for quite a while and when he comes back they pretty much proclaim their love for each other. That didn’t really work for me but I still liked the story.
If you are a fan of the series, this one is not to be missed.
An actor in the closet, a sheriff in love, and memories that won’t stay hidden.
Jordan Darby is known as the King of Christmas. The star of eight made-for-TV Christmas movies, the leading man who always gets his girl. Filming at Crooked Tree Ranch in Montana, in the ice and snow, Jordan is fighting to make a go of his new company and dealing with fears of exposure over one huge secret. After all, who the hell would buy into him being a romantic straight lead if rumors about him being gay were proven to be true?
Sheriff Ryan Carter is advising on the new movie being made at Crooked Tree. He hoped this would be one day of work and nothing more. Until, that is, he meets the hero. But while Jordan is sexy, he’s also very much stuck in the closet—everything that Ryan doesn’t need in his life. And then lust becomes part of the equation, and Ryan’s quiet life is thrown into turmoil.
Their story unfolds against the chaos that overtakes the ranch, with Adam regaining memories that terrify him and make him look at Justin differently, and Justin leaving the ranch to make things right. Only through trusting in love and friendship can Justin and Adam learn to look to the future instead of letting the past destroy everything. But will they ever see clearly enough to do that?
There is a lot going on in this book…there are multiple points of view and this almost seemed like a series tie up but there will be another book so I’m not sure why the story was written this way.
The drama between Justin and Adam continues as they continue to work through their issues. It was a bit repetitive but I think we finally are at the end of it.
I liked Ryan and Jordan together although they had insta-love too (which I’m not a huge fan of). Ryan seemed like a big growly guy in the last book but he’s just a big sweetheart. Jordan is surprisingly perfect for Ryan…as odd a couple as they are and I love seeing them together.
The epilogue switches points of view 4 times and is really rushed. I didn’t love it. I thought that was the author’s way of wrapping things up but apparently, we’re getting another book. I am looking forward to that story as long as we don’t continue the drama of Justin and Adam any longer.
RJ’s goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.
RJ is the author of the over one hundred novels and discovered romance in books at a very young age. She realized that if there wasn’t romance on the page, she could create it in her head, and is a lifelong writer.
She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside, spends her spare time reading, watching films, and enjoying time with her family.
The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit and has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.
She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the following links below:
Email RJ ([email protected])
 |
| Hosted By Signal Boost Promotions |