Some mistakes haunt you forever.
Harlan Young knows that from personal experience. Walking
away from Grace Townsend, even with the best intentions and no other choice,
still haunts him to this day.
So when he had the chance to return to Montana, and be
part of something as special as the Resting Warrior Ranch, he took it. Here he
can help train service and emotional support animals for former soldiers with
PTSD.
And maybe, just maybe, convince Grace to give him a
second chance.
He never expected that second chance to be in the form of
a fake marriage in order to save the land she loves so much. But he’ll do it,
as well as help fight the danger closing in on her. She thinks she’s alone, but
she’s wrong.
She knew him as a boy, but now he's a man. And real men
don’t run.
Fantastic second chance story and incredible suspense. I
started reading last night and kept going until I was finished - way too late
AGAIN! I simply could not stop reading. We met Harlan and Grace in Montana Sanctuary, and even then, it was obvious there was something between them;
there were so many sparks flying. In this book, we discover why Grace is so
rude to Harlan and why he takes it without protest.
Harlan and Grace knew each other in high school and had
plans to elope after graduation, getting Grace away from her abusive father. Then
one day, Harlan was gone without a word, leaving Grace alone, devastated, and
angry. Ten years later, Harlan returned to Montana with his SEAL buddies to start
the Resting Warrior Ranch and found Grace married to another man. When her
husband dies in an accident, Harlan hopes for a second chance.
Grace is struggling to hang on to her ranch. The
documents she needs to prove her right to it are missing, and the state is
threatening to take the land. Her creepy neighbor pressures her to sell him the
ranch and gets belligerent when she refuses. As the deadline draws near, Grace
doesn't know what to do.
Harlan can tell something is eating at Grace and won't
give up until he finds out what it is. Despite their animosity, when there is a
break-in at her house, Harlan is the first one she calls. Harlan's protective instincts
are further aroused when he finds out an archaic law may keep Grace from hanging
on to her ranch. So, he offers to marry her to give her the time she needs to
find her paperwork.
I loved watching the rekindling of the relationship
between Harlan and Grace. Harlan never stopped loving her despite how he walked
away. Grace spent many years nursing her anger toward Harlan and convincing
herself that she hated him. But there was no denying the way he made her feel. I
felt like it wasn't too much of a struggle for her to accept his help. It also
gave them a chance to put the past to rest. The story of why Harlan left the
way he did broke my heart for both of them. It also opened the opportunity to
start again, and I loved seeing them get to know each other as adults. They grew closer as they worked together to discover why her neighbor was
so determined to gain control of her ranch.
The story's suspense was complex and kept me glued to the
pages as I puzzled out the clues along with Harlan and Grace. Her neighbor,
Wayne Gleason, appeared to be pulling every dirty trick in the book to force
Grace to sell. The harder he pushed, the more curious Grace and Harlan were
about what was driving him. As they closed in on the truth, the intensity of
the attacks increased. I did not expect what they found, as my mind was leaning
in another direction, and I loved the surprise of it. I liked the plans that
Harlan and Grace made to trap Wayne, but they didn't realize that there was
another player. I wanted to yell at Grace when she decided to go off on her
own. My heart beat double-time when it went wrong, and I felt Harlan's fear
when he realized what had happened. Wayne's evil was palpable as he carried out
his plan, and things looked really bad when he put the second part in motion. I
wasn't sure how Harlan and Grace would get out of trouble, but one can never count
out his brothers-in-arms. The capper was Harlan catching up to Wayne, which
made me very happy. I loved the ending and seeing Grace and Harlan's love
stronger than ever.
I loved seeing more of Lucas and Evelyn from Montana
Sanctuary and that they are moving forward from the trauma of that book. I
especially loved the realism of the lingering effects of what happened. I also
liked getting to know a little more about the other Warriors. The bonds of
their brotherhood are strong, and I like how they watch out for each other. I
can't wait for the next book in the series.
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