Sometimes the worst wounds can't be seen.
Lucas Everett knows that firsthand. It's why he and his
former Navy SEAL brothers created the Resting Warrior Ranch.
They aren't doctors, but they can offer the healing
freedom of their Montana range. And they specialize in training service and
emotional support animals to help soothe even the worst emotional scars.
Usually, soldiers show up at their door. But this time
it's Evelyn Taylor—a soldier in a very different kind of war.
She's as skittish as one of the horses Lucas gentles. But
he's learned how to be patient with animals, and he's more than happy to be
patient with this quiet beauty too.
When Evelyn's past nightmares show up in Montana, she
thinks she has to run again, but Lucas isn't going to let that happen. He's
protected his country against the worst types of threats, and he'll protect her
too.
She's met the rancher, but now she's about to meet the
SEAL.
Fantastic start to a new series about a group of retired
SEALs and the ranch they started to help others who also have PTSD. This
collaboration between newcomer Josie Jade and veteran author Janie Crouch sucked
me in from the first page and didn't let me go until I turned the last one.
I've been looking forward to this book since Janie introduced the Resting
Warrior Ranch in her latest book, Code Name: Virgo, and I was not disappointed.
Five years earlier, Evelyn was young and in love. She had
no idea that the handsome, wealthy, and charming Nathan West was a psychopath
until she ran afoul of his obsessive jealousy. After what he did to her, she
was fortunate to escape when she did, but she has spent the last four years
running. The book opens as Evelyn receives a delivery that shows he's found her
again. Once more on the run, Evelyn ends up in Garnet Bend, Montana. When she
shows up at the ranch holding a year-old advertisement for a job, Lucas
immediately recognizes the fear and desperation in her eyes. He offers her a
house on the ranch and finds her a job in town at Deja Brew, all while attempting
to harness his protective instincts.
I loved watching the relationship between Lucas and
Evelyn develop. They are immediately drawn to each other, but like the horses
he gentles for the ranch's therapy use, Lucas realizes that Evelyn needs time,
space, and patience to heal and believe in her safety. Those scenes as Evelyn
slowly learns to trust Lucas are intensely moving. And when her past comes
calling, that trust allows Evelyn to stop running and let Lucas and the others
help her.
The twists and turns of this story kept me reading long
into the night, unable to put it down until I swiped through the last page. Lucas's caring and support gave Evelyn the strength to stand
her ground and trust the guys to stand between her and Nathan. The emotion
ramped up as Nathan's actions escalated in intensity. The ending had me on the
edge of my seat as Evelyn faced her worst nightmare, Lucas fought to prevent
his greatest fear, and the men of Resting Warrior Ranch came together to help
one of their own. A final twist provided an intense finale, and Evelyn and
Lucas looked toward a brighter future.
The vivid descriptions of everything from Evelyn's
injuries to the Montana landscape to the ranch and its activities gave the
story an extra layer of realism. I also enjoyed meeting and getting to know
Lucas's co-owners and Evelyn's new friends, Lena and Grace. I can't wait to
read the next book and learn more about the source of the tension between
Harlan and Grace.
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