Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Most of the time ranchhand David rescues stray cattle, but this time he and his fellow cowboys Wally and Haven save a stranded motorist. David is surprised to find his former high school classmate nearly frozen in his car. After learning that Brian Applewright's boss fired him from his ranch for being gay, they invite him back to theirs to take a job.

David and Brian moved in different social circles at school, but working together brings them closer. However, David has a rocky history on the ranch. The foreman is his ex, and he only recently returned after a heartbreakingly unsuccessful attempt to find greener pastures. He can't risk his heart getting close to anyone.

But on a ranch, nature has a way of forcing an issue. When a snowstorm threatens, David and Brian head out to mend a fence and round up some stray cattle. David gets injured, and they must survive in the snow, cold, and wind. It might be the start of a relationship... or the end of their lives.

 

Book Review

In the best tradition of the ‘Stories from the Range’ series, this final book focuses on two men who have made mistakes in the past and are trying to build a new life for themselves. That one of them was David, the runaway ex-lover of ranch foreman Mario from the previous book, made me especially happy. Yes, he made a huge mistake, but everyone deserves a second chance. That is, after all, what this series is all about. Most of the men at Dakota, Wally, Phillip, and Haven’s merged ranches are “rescues”, so David and Brian with their checkered pasts fit right in. As always with Andrew Grey’s books, their journey to love had a few stops and starts and some heartache, but it was a joy to follow. The scary moments and encounters with a freezing cold Wyoming winter kept up the suspense.

Brian is desperate when he arrives at the ranch, and almost dies in a snow storm. He has been fired because the ranch hands where he used to work didn’t like that he is gay and set him up. He has no money, no food, and runs out of gas not far from the ranch house – except he can’t see anything due to nonexistent visibility. Luckily David, Phillip, and Haven find him and take him in. And even though he is determined never to look at another man again, David quickly works his way into his heart. Brian is hesitant, having been a man’s “dark little secret” before. And he also still has a lot of rumors to deal with, so things aren’t as easy as they look.

David is back at Dakota and Wally’s ranch despite the fact he left Mario, their foreman, two years ago to be with another man. Now that Mario is with Gordon, David has some truths to face and feelings to deal with, and it isn’t easy. He feels awful about having run and doesn’t really believe he deserves a second chance. His attraction to Brian is undeniable and after a couple of life-threatening close encounters with more snow storms, David needs to reconsider. But he also has to learn to stop running when things get tough, and that is hard for him.
 
If you liked the other books in this series, you will love this volume. If you like reading abut life n a ranch and what some cowboys get up to behind closed doors (and elsewhere!), this is your opportunity to find out. And if you’re looking for a sweet story about two men who are fighting their pasts as much as their own nature of jumping to conclusions, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did. It’s a shame this is the final book, so I’ll just have to go back to the beginning and read them all again!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 197 pages/60509 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	07-November-2014
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/a-chaotic-range-by-andrew-grey-5798-b