Hi guys, we have R.J. Scott stopping by today with her Montana series, we’re having a quick recap of all the Montana stories so you can brush up before Second Chance Ranch releases. So we have excerpts, Lisa’s reviews of each book and we have a fantastic $10 Amazon GC giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Crooked Tree Ranch
R.J. Scott
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
The Rancher’s Son
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.
A Cowboy’s Home
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.
Snow In Montana
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?
Crooked Tree Ranch Excerpt!
At one point, when he was trying not to stare at the dancing, he spotted Liam across the room and they exchanged heated looks. Nate recalled the young guy bending over for him the last time he was here. Maybe he could get some more of that tonight. Maybe fucking Liam into the mattress would stop the irritating thought that he wanted to fuck Jay instead. Or that he wanted Jay to do the same thing to him.
Jeez.
Jay made it through three tracks of music, and when he made no sign of moving from his place alongside two men, Nate had to make a move. He sucked it up and joined the fray.
Nate was immediately swallowed into the crowd and instinctively began moving to the beat of the song as he walked closer. When he finally made it to Jay’s side, he patted him on the shoulder. Jay spun on his heel and Nate held out a hand to steady him.
“Cowboy!” Jay shouted over the music.
In a sinuous movement, Jay gripped one of Nate’s shoulders and shuffled closer so that very little separated them. The two men dancing with Jay drifted off to face other dancers, and suddenly it seemed like it was just Nate and Jay swaying to the music.
“You need to be careful!” Nate shouted close to his ear.
“Why?” Jay shouted back.
His breath smelled of beer and his body scent was a mix of the infuriating aftershave mingled with sweat and dust. Suddenly Jay became a four-course meal and Nate was very hungry.
“Keep your eyes open,” Nate warned.
As if to make that comment mean nothing, Jay deliberately closed his eyes and moved to the beat of the music. Somewhere along the line, Jay had lost his bottle of beer, or finished it, or whatever. He had both hands free, and he used them to steady himself by gripping hard to Nate’s shoulders. He had closed his eyes and was mouthing the words along with the song. Was he aware it was Nate holding him? He’d said “cowboy,” they’d spoken, but there were a lot of cowboys mixed in with the bikers and the other varied clientele.
“Open your eyes, Jay,” Nate shouted over the music.
Jay did as Nate had asked, and Nate was suddenly seeing brown eyes glazed with emotion. Then Jay smiled and closed his eyes again.
Instinctively Nate steadied Jay and that meant his hands rested on Jay’s hips. The feel of the man beneath his touch was intoxicating and Nate held hard. Jay fit into his arms perfectly: a little shorter, a little slimmer, just the right height, and his lips, damp with sweat or beer—Nate didn’t know—were what he zeroed in on. Jay swayed with the music. The move took them closer and fuck, Jay was hard. Nate gave in to the temptation and pressed them closer still until he was sure Jay could feel how hard he was as well.
All thoughts of impropriety or fears of rejection flew out the window. Nate was lost in the smile of pleasure that curved Jay’s damp lips. What would he taste like? Would Jay return the kiss? Would Jay push him away? How could he risk this? He eased his hold on Jay’s hips and slouched a little so that their groins aligned—suddenly they were frotting firmly and rhythmically to some Eminem mix. There was no way he could stop himself.
“Can I kiss you?” Nate said into Jay’s ear.
Jay smiled at him, but it wasn’t clear that he’d heard what Nate said. Hell, he should kiss Jay and stop all this delay in taking what he really wanted. Someone jostled him from behind and the movement threw him off his spiral of the pros and cons of denial. When the person who jostled them attempted to insinuate themselves between Nate and Jay, abruptly everything was clear.
“Fuck off,” Nate shouted clearly to the interloper, and in a quick move, he got his first taste of the sexy city boy. The press of his lips against Jay’s was intoxicating, and they kissed and swayed to the beat of the music. Their hard cocks pressed together and—finally—the kiss deepened. Jay let him in and Nate took every advantage. Fuck the fact Jay worked for the ranch, fuck that they had absolutely zero in common, forget that Jay had a degree and a life that would take him far away from Nate’s world sometime soon.
The Rancher’s Son Excerpt!
Ethan must have nodded off at some point, waking to another coffee from Clare and a ten-minute warning that breakfast was about to be brought up to the patients. His neck ached, and he was semi curled up in the hard chair.
“Thought you needed this. If you want to go to the cafeteria, I can keep an eye on Adam.”
“No, I’ll stay here. Thank you, though.”
“I’ll see if I can get someone to bring you up something.”
A quick glance at his watch showed Ethan it was a few minutes after six. He checked his email. He’d only sent the information to Navy Liaison at late last night, but there was already a message back saying all efforts would be made to get the information to Cole Strachan. There was a group joke sent by one of the shift officers back at the precinct, and some spam. Other than that, nothing.
Ethan stood and stretched tall, sipped his hot coffee, and watched the April morning unfold before his eyes. Clare managed to scrounge up some pastries, and he ate them at the window, a hundred thoughts racing through his head.
A nurse disappeared into Adam’s room, and Ethan tensed in expectation. He desperately wanted to go in there, but would Adam even be interested in talking to him?
“Are you Ethan?” the nurse asked. The tray in her hand carried untouched food.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You can go in. He’s asking for you.”
As he started to walk past her, she thrust the tray at him. There was a plate of eggs, and a sorry-looking pancake. “Try to get him to eat some of this,” she said.
He took the tray, because he didn’t really have a choice, and went into Adam’s room, kicking the door shut behind him. There was no one in the bed, but the bathroom door was closed, so Ethan assumed that was where the errant Adam was. He placed the tray on the table and waited, looking out of the same window Adam had been standing at last night. From this angle and at this height, Ethan could see the water of Lake Michigan and watch the hospital parking lot grow busier by the minute.
The bathroom door opened. Ethan instinctively turned and wished he hadn’t, because now he was staring. Not so much at the pajama bottoms that rode low on slim hips, or the broad chest that had a smattering of hair, tapering to a happy trail downward, nor to the muscles in Adam’s arms. No, Ethan was staring at the scars—new ones and some way older by the look of them—bruises purple and yellow and green, and the tattoos.
Tribal tattoos circled Adam’s arms, over his right shoulder, and down onto his pec: big swathes of dark ink with finer detail in curls around muscles. Something that looked like old burns marked his neck. A body that had seen a lot, felt a lot.
“I don’t remember them,” Adam said, his voice lost. He ran his fingers over the tattoos as if touching them would bring back memories. “They must have hurt, don’t you think?”
Ethan thought of the small tattoo over his heart and recalled the discomfort of getting it. His hadn’t hurt; the million tiny pricks into his skin were nothing.
“Maybe,” he offered.
Adam turned a little and checked the tattoos in the mirror, peering close. “I wonder what they mean?”
When he turned, he exposed more marks on his back and the fine lines of a horse standing on his hind legs. Ethan inhaled sharply.
“What?” Adam snapped, attempting to see his back even though he couldn’t get the right angle. “What is it?”
“Your horse.”
Adam frowned. “That is my horse? I want to see that again, the detective took a photo but he didn’t have a copy for me.”
Ethan pulled out his cell and snapped a shot of the beautiful tattoo, then passed the phone to Adam, who stared at the picture.
“Why is it—” Any energy seemed to leave him in the exhalation of a sigh, and he slumped to sit on his bed. “—I remember this is a cell phone, but I don’t recall patterns on my own skin?”
From his research Ethan learned terms like brain centers and retrograde amnesia, alongside traumatic stress, he didn’t understand a lot of it. “I have no idea.”
Adam curled into himself, hunching over his knees, looking utterly defeated.
Compassion welled inside Ethan, and he sat next to his old friend, pushing the tray toward him. “Eat your eggs,” he said gruffly.
Adam side-eyed him and huffed before taking the tray and resting it on the small hospital table. He forked some into his mouth, grimacing as he chewed and swallowed, but at least he ate half of what was there, and one cold, dry pancake.
“I need a proper breakfast,” Adam grumped.
“Like what?”
“Hot fresh bacon,” Adam said immediately, paling at what he was saying. “I think that I love bacon. I’d eat plates of the stuff if you gave them to me.”
“And real pancakes,” Ethan added. He reached over and poked at the sorry excuse for one that had been served. “But not like this one. Fluffy, steaming pancakes.”
Adam nodded and darted his tongue out to collect a small piece of egg resting on his lips. “Maple syrup,” he added softly.
“You always liked maple syrup.”
Adam finished the eggs and grimaced again. “When we get out of here, will you find me bacon?”
“Of course.”
“Real bacon, and pancakes with maple syrup. That sounds just like what I want to eat.”
Ethan’s chest tightened as Adam looked up at him under his eyelashes, his dark eyes holding humor. Adam and Justin had spent their childhoods getting Ethan to do what they wanted: the older brother with money from a part-time job, the one with the car. And he’d done everything they asked.
“I wouldn’t take you anywhere bad,” Ethan said
Adam pushed the tray to one side. “I need a shower, and then we go, right?”
“Right.”
“You should take photos of all my tattoos, so you could maybe find out more about me.”
“I know who you are. The rest will follow when your memories return.” He didn’t want to say that he’d already decided to email the tattoo of the horse to Jen, just in case she could track down where it had been done. It was a beautiful piece of work, and likely whoever did it would have it in a portfolio somewhere. Of course, that was a needle in a haystack. Who knew where Adam had been in the last twelve years? Chicago, where he was now? Or had he traveled from Montana to another city?
Adam looked at him, confused. “You said I disappeared. How old was I when that happened? Fifteen, you said?”
“You were nearly sixteen.”
Adam glanced down at himself, “And I’m twenty-eight now, so what happened in between?” He stood up and half turned. “You should get them all.”
Ethan did as Adam wanted, and pulled all the photos into one email, sending the whole lot to Jen with a particular request about tracking down the artist. Meanwhile, Adam went into the bathroom, closed the door, and left Ethan staring at the wood.
A Cowboy’s Home Excerpt!
And then he heard it, or at least imagined it enough to tense. Someone outside the place, the noise of shoes scraping on the stony ground, and Justin finally moved. He clung to the wall as support, moving around as quietly as he could until he was right behind the door.
Light flooded in as what was left of the door was opened, pushed in.
A person entered, and Justin put the barrel of the gun to the back of the man’s head. Pressing hard and not caring when the other man nearly fell at the shove. The guy was carrying a duffel and another bag over one shoulder. He wore a leather jacket— but that was all Justin made out before his vision blurred.
“Drop your weapon,” he spat, “or I’ll shoot.”
He used all his remaining energy just to hold the gun and get out words that made any sense.
“Fuck,” a distinctly male voice said. “I’m unarmed.”
“Drop the bags.”
The man stepped away from him, holding his hands up and turning to face Justin. Very carefully he dropped a hand and eased the duffel and the bag off his shoulder, placing them deliberately on the floor.
It was the guy from the restaurant, the one who’d locked the goddam window on him.
That was way too close to home.
“Step back.” Justin gestured with the gun and moved away from the door.
“My name is Sam Walter,” the man said.
He still had his hands up and Justin quickly appraised the situation. Sunlight spilled in through the hole in the roof, making a weird halo around Sam’s head. He was shorter than Justin, by maybe four inches, and slight, with stubble, short brown hair, and really blue eyes.
“I’m the chef at Crooked Tree,” Sam said in a soft, almost reassuring tone.
Justin faltered, the name “Crooked Tree”
sending a chill skittering down his spine. “What are you doing over here?” he asked. Although he had other questions in his head—how did he find Justin, what did he want, that kind of thing. They were a mess he couldn’t get out.
“I came to find you.”
Fear sliced into Justin. Someone from Crooked Tree had come; did that mean everyone else was looking for him? He’d told Adam to forget him.
And then you got shot, and what did you do? Told yourself you were going to die on Montana land. You went to the one place you felt safe—the only place you actually aren’t safe at all.
“Why would you… do that?” Justin’s tongue felt too big for his mouth and pain kept arcing up his thigh. His vision blurred further, but he didn’t falter. If anything, his grip on the gun was harder than ever.
Something passed over Sam’s face. Uncertainty? Sadness? Justin couldn’t tell, but whatever made Sam find him had been something more than idle curiosity.
“Found your blood in my larder, the open window, thought you might need help.” Sam tilted his head. “Can I put my hands down?”
“Who else knows you’re here?” Justin waggled the gun again and fear passed over Sam’s face.
Too late Justin realized that question would make Sam think too long about what he should reveal. Sam could have the whole ranch coming up after him, in which case he would probably say he was alone.
Or he could be alone, but pretend others knew.
My head is fucked.
“Everyone knows,” Sam said.
But he didn’t sound convincing, and Justin had been in way too many situations and he could tell that Sam was lying. “And have you called the cops?”
“Yes.” Sam met Justin’s gaze steadily, daring him to call him on the lie.
At least that was how it looked to Justin.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
Justin gestured with the gun. “No sense in me staying here alive, then.”
“What?”
“I have three bullets; I can take you down with one, kill the next person through the door, and use one on myself. I’ll be okay.”
Then he very deliberately aimed at Sam’s head.
“You first.”
Sam’s mouth fell open. “Fuck, okay, I didn’t tell anyone.” Justin just stared, and terror skittered across Sam’s face. “No one else knows I’m here, okay?” Sam admitted after a moment’s hesitation. “I promise you, no one other than me knows you’re here.”
Then he bit his lip and rolled his eyes at the same time. “Shit, did you just reverse psychology me?”
Justin searched his expression for signs of lying or betrayal, but Sam met Justin’s gaze steadily and didn’t put his arms down, even though he’d pretty much told Justin no one would know where to find the body if he disappeared.
Is he some kind of idiot?
Snow In Montana Excerpt!
“Hey,” someone said from his side, “Good morning, Sheriff.”
Jordan was there, in so many layers of coats and scarves that it was difficult to see any more than a thin strip of his face, but Ryan would recognize those eyes anywhere. Then he remembered Jordan had a twin; was this Micah? They hadn’t looked the mirror image of each other, and Ryan couldn’t recall the color of Micah’s eyes.
Which reminded him he needed to google the man and find out about the father, then look for photos of Jordan and his twin, Micah.
For information purposes only, obviously.
“Hey,” Ryan said, abruptly very unsure.
Something in his tone must have shown hesitation because Jordan—or possibly Micah—pushed down the scarves from his face.
“Jordan. Remember me? I fell asleep in your car.”
Ryan held out a hand and they shook, which wasn’t easy when both were wearing heavy gloves.
Jordan kept talking, his voice less gruff than it had been two days ago, and he was staring right at Ryan.
For a second, Ryan imagined he had egg on his face and dismissed the idea. Just because a guy stared at him didn’t mean he had food on his face. He hadn’t the last time, and he didn’t now.
Still, he brushed at his mouth with his gloved hand, just in case, because Jordan made him feel like he wanted to look perfect.
What the hell? Where did that come from?
“I’m sorry about that, by the way,” Jordan carried on. “I usually don’t go sleeping in sheriffs’ cars.” He smiled, and Ryan’s brain short-circuited because, fuck, dimples.
“You spend a lot of time in sheriffs’ cars?” Ryan asked before his brain caught up with his mouth. I’m losing it.
Jordan shook his head. “No, I guess not. I was dosed up and ill.”
“I know.” And then he recalled the usual thing that normal people might say at this point. Normal, sane, rational, people. “Are you feeling better?”
Jordan wrapped his hands around himself and stamped a bit. “Much. Just freaking cold.”
Ryan searched his brain for an answer to that one while trying not to lose himself staring into those gray eyes. “It’s Montana,” he said lamely.
Jordan chuckled, coughed a little. “So it is. You want me to show you around?”
Ryan didn’t want to take Jordan away from whatever he was supposed to be doing, so he said, “I can do my own thing.”
“No, it’s okay. Follow me.”
Jordan pivoted and led Ryan through the maze of tents and wires, stopping and explaining that this was Production, this was their version of a green room, and this was Editing.
Ryan spoke to everyone, got a feel for the way things were running, and filed away as much information as he could. There wasn’t much he could say, although he had a list of things he needed to check when they were somewhere warmer. Not for his sake—he was plenty warm enough, a Montana native with enough layers to make him look like a snowman—but Jordan still hadn’t got the idea and he was shivering under the coat. Which had Ryan considering one question they hadn’t covered…
“How will you film outside scenes without coats?”
Jordan looked a little panicked for a moment, but it soon cleared and cheerful optimism seemed to carry him through. “We’ll be fine.”
Ryan didn’t want to point out that this was early in the day, and if there were night shoots, Jordan was in danger of becoming a Popsicle.
Jason arrived a little after nine, in uniform and clearly just off shift judging by the tiredness bracketing his eyes.
“Hey, little brother,” he said on a yawn.
That was the way he always addressed Ryan, but somehow, in front of Jordan, Ryan didn’t want to be identified as little. Then, Jason held out a hand, and he and Jordan did that whole awkward glove-slap thing.
“Jason Carter, MFD liaison,” Jason said and yawned again. “Sorry, long night.”
“Thank you for coming.”
Jason did that thing when he smiled and winked and showed way too much happy despite being exhausted. Ryan often wished he could channel Jason’s eternal happiness.
“You’re welcome,” Jason said with another smile. “Show me the way.”
And like that, Ryan’s part in this was over. He watched Jason and Jordan leave to check out whatever pyrotechnics plan they had cooked up, and realized he was standing there like a prize idiot and Jordan was looking back at him and sketching a small wave.
So, Ryan waved back, a thank-you wave—not at all a sexy wave, really—and then he felt even more of an idiot, so he left to find Jay, with his list of concerns in his head.
Second Chance Ranch
Rob arrives at Crooked Tree determined to find a safe place for his niece and nephew. A family for them is the final thing on his list, and then he can vanish completely. Falling for a local paramedic along the way, is a disaster in Rob’s otherwise perfect plans.
Paramedic Aaron, the middle of five brothers, would like someone to love. A great believer in fate he is convinced though, that one day he’ll find someone. He just never thought it would be a man in so much pain, or that children would be part of the package.
Rob is ready to leave. Aaron wants him to stay. Their love has an expiry date, and it’s tearing them apart. Can they find a way to save what they have?
Now available for pre-order on all platforms except Amazon:
Kobo| B&N| iTunes | Add to Smashwords Library
Release Date: August 28 (wide) – August 30 (Amazon & KU)
About R.J.!
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.
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | LibraryThing | mailto:rj@rjscott.co.uk
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Review
Title: Crooked Tree Ranch (2nd edition)
Series: Montana 01
Author: R.J. Scott
Genre: Cowboys, Contemporary, Family
Length: Novel (214pgs)
ISBN: 978-1-78564-032-2
Publisher: Love Lane Books (16th November 2015)
Heat: Moderate
Heart: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Reviewers: Lisa
Blurb: When a cowboy meets the guy from the city, he can’t know how much things will change.
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.
Purchase Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Review: This is the 2nd edition, there is an additional chapter and the story has been re-edited.
Adam and Justin had disappeared over fifteen years ago, but Adam has no memory of it. He has no clue who he is, where he is from or his past at all. Ethan is Justin’s brother and had left to be a cop after the boys disappeared. His father thought they were dead and wanted to grieve. However on a tip, Ethan went to a hospital out of state to see if the John Doe that was found was one of the boys. He had loved Adam when they were young and missed him. He missed his brother and wished he was home. The man he found was not his brother but the man he loved.
Adam had no memory of the past and feared he would never know. He didn’t know the man who had come for him but he felt the connection. He just wished they knew if Justin was alive and how to find him. However it would seem trouble has found them.
I thought what I felt when I read the last book in this series, that it pulled at my heart strings but this one goes even further than that. It was like my heart was being torn out with Adam and Ethan’s feelings of loss in a way, but also in the fact that at least one had been found. This story was very captivating and I absolutely loved it.
The way this author had Adam with amnesia was brilliant. It was so authentic in the way she wrote it that my mind was blasted with it. I love how, even though it is a romance story, the romance is not what the story is focus on. You have two young men that had been in love when they were just teens and something tragic happened and they didn’t get their happy ending. Then fifteen years later they are brought back together. It is a very emotional story and I can’t wait to read the next book again. This is one series I would recommend.
Title: The Rancher’s Son
Series: Montana 02
Author: R.J. Scott
Genre: Cowboys, Western Romance
Length: Novel – (200pgs)
Publisher: Love Lane Books Ltd (March 22, 2016)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Blurb: 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.
AISN: B01DCM6Q0A
Product Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Reviewer: Lisa
Review: Adam and Justin had disappeared over fifteen years ago, but Adam has no memory of it. He has no clue who he is, where he is from or his past at all. Ethan is Justin’s brother and had left to be a cop after the boys disappeared. His father thought they were dead and wanted to grieve. However on a tip, Ethan went to a hospital out of state to see if the John Doe that was found was one of the boys. He had loved Adam when they were young and missed him. He missed his brother and wished he was home. The man he found was not his brother but the man he loved.
Adam had no memory of the past and feared he would never know. He didn’t know the man who had come for him but he felt the connection. He just wished they knew if Justin was alive and how to find him. However it would seem trouble has found them.
I thought what I felt when I read the last book in this series, that it pulled at my heart strings but this one goes even further than that. It was like my heart was being torn out with Adam and Ethan’s feelings of loss in a way, but also in the fact that at least one had been found. This story was very captivating and I absolutely loved it.
The way this author had Adam with amnesia was brilliant. It was so authentic in the way she wrote it that my mind was blasted with it. I love how, even though it is a romance story, the romance is not what the story is focus on. You have two young men that had been in love when they were just teens and something tragic happened and they didn’t get their happy ending. Then fifteen years later they are brought back together. It is a very emotional story and I can’t wait to read the next book again.
This is one series I would recommend.
Title: A Cowboy’s Home
Series: Montana #3
Author: R.J. Scott
Genre: Gay Erotic Romance
Length: Novel (200pgs roughly)
ISBN: 978-1-78564-050-6
Publisher: Love Lane Books (July 8, 2016)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Reviewer: Lisa
Blurb: 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.
Product Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Review: This story is part of a series and must be read in order.
Justin, sixteen and badly burned had been told that his best friend Adam had been murdered by the men that had hurt him. He wanted revenge, he wanted to cause them just as much pain as they had caused him, and he wanted them to die. He was given that chance by someone in the government. Offered a job that would help rid the world of domestic terrorism but also a chance to kill those who had killed Adam. It had all been a lie.
Sam’s family had disowned him when he was younger for being gay. They kicked him out and forced him to survive on his own. Now his grandmother had passed, leaving him a quarter of a million dollars to keep the family face. He just has to show up for her funeral and be done with it. However Sam has other plans, he wants to buy into the Crooked Tree Ranch with his friends. On a little ride to gain perspective he finds a badly injured man on the property. One look at him, and Sam had made the decision to help him. He just had no idea that the man he helped was Adam’s best friend, Ethan’s brother and Marc’s son… Justin. A young man who had disappeared when Adam had so many years before; a man that had been thought to be dead for so long, and now he’s back and he says someone will come to kill him for his past deeds.
I basically read this series out of order, which I do not recommend so I was missing just a bit. However I can tell you that as soon as I finish this review I am going to go read the first book in this series and go from there. Every once in a while there is an author who leaves you with a tale that will not only captivate you but keep you begging for more. R.J. Scott is that such author for me.
I normally do not read stories about cowboys because they just don’t give me that thrill, but this one has excitement, adventure, danger, death and forgiveness in it. Not to mention all of the action and hot touches. I hadn’t bothered reading the blurb with this, which was why I just ended up reading this book first. Now that I know I was definitely missing something, I can’t wait to start this series from the beginning.
It isn’t your normal romance story, but an action pack, suspense filled, danger story that has a love burning deep inside of it. Now normally one would pick the tender hearted of the bunch to be a favorite, but Justin is the one I chose. He was badly burned, had been raped and beaten, built a tough skin to go after those who had hurt him and his friend, did what he thought was right, and with a broken heart and soul at that, only to turn around his life in the end. There is just something that pulls at your heart strings with his story and makes you want to just hold him tight.
This story is fully developed, fast paced, action packed perfection in my eyes. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to start the others in this series.
This is one book that I would definitely recommend.
Title: Snow in Montana
Series: Montana 04
Author: R.J. Scott
Genre: Contemporary, Cowboys
Length: Novel (Novella 160pgs)
Publisher: Love Lane Books Limited (December 7, 2016)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Blurb: 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?
ISBN: 978-1-78564-059-9
Product Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Reviewer: Lisa
Review: Each book in the Montana Series collection features a different romantic couple. To enjoy the overall story arc and crossover characters, I would recommend reading the series in sequential order.
This book is not just about our romantic couple but also has important events related to two of the other couples that are in love. I have always loved how ranchers name their ranches, it is always so unique. This story is based at the Crooked Tree Ranch, and I suppose you will just have to read the previous books for that reason, but it is fairly understood. I have always loved a good Christmas story and the way this author writes them makes it even better for me. You have action, hot sex, a little bit of danger, suspense and so much more going on in them. The only thing that I am not a fan of is the jumping from one perspective to the next.
You know when you meet someone for the first time, you look at them and make an assumption about them, well let’s just say that was Ryan. Ryan is a sexy sheriff who is going to be doing security on the ranch while a film company is there. He takes one look at Jordan and assumes the man is a drunk and an ass. Comes back to bite him in the ass, because he also notices Jordan is one hell of a sexy man. Too bad Jordan doesn’t plan on coming out to his fans that he is gay, for our sexy sheriff is already out. It turns into a sweet romance with very little problems, well except for the out part.
Then there is all the other characters in the story, that is where the angst comes from. Justin was a killer for the government, sent in to kill Jamie, who just so happens to be Adam his best friend. Adam has no memories, but his dreams are showing him what has happened with a little bit of help. And for him Justin is in the middle of it. And that is just a part of the angst in this book. I love the secondary characters and am very glad there was no sexy time with some of them.
Let’s just say that it isn’t really all that Christmas themed in a sense but it works out pretty good. Not all that much drama well except for the, well you will just have to read that. Jordan’s sexy twin Micah and Micah’s girl friend were a great add in as well. This whole story just rocked for me and I enjoyed reading it. I can’t wait for the next book that comes out and I would definitely recommend it.
