At first I felt really bad that Mario wasn't with his old boyfriend anymore. And I wasn't really sure about Gordon, the way he was introduced to the story made me not want to trust him. But then we find out why he's the way he is, how he's struggling with having been in the Marines, and losing frinds. This story was such a surprise. I was really sucked into the backstory of Gordon, as well as wanting Mario to truly find happiness. I liked that Mario got his own story, his story with David was briefly touched on in a previous book, but I liked how it was all told here. Number 6 in the author's Range series, this story is about Mario, Dakota's ranch foreman, and Gordon, a drifter who is caught while trying to free the wild cats kept on the ranch. Gordon is a former marine who has been living out of his car while moving around the country taking odd jobs. He suffers from PTSD and memory loss due to a bombing which occurred while serving in Iraq. He's been told that the animals being held in cages on the ranch are being abused and starved, so when presented with a cash job to go free them, he gladly takes up the offer. What he didn't know was that the cages contained wild cats such as lions and tigers. And, he didn't know that owners Dakota and Wally run a wild cat rescue. While attempting to free them, he's mauled by one of the cats and caught by Mario and Wally while trying to get away. What follows is a combination of mystery, action-adventure and romance, told in the author's usual highly engaging and detailed style. Once informed of the truth, Gordon is offered a job on the ranch and starts the long, slow process of making up for his past mistake, at the same time starting to heal from the crippling side effects he suffers from the PTSD and memory loss. He's lost his two best friends to the battle that he can't remember, and not only blames himself for their death, but he's fearful of remembering the details in case it's worse than his imagination has conjured up. Mario has been grieving the loss of his long-time partner, David, who left to pursue another job and another man two years previous. But something about Gordon starts to get to him, and he too begins the process of recovery from his hopes of getting David back into his life. With Gordon sharing his cabin, the chemistry between the two soon flares and Mario comes to see that he needs to move on. Of course, complications arise for both of them. David returns to the ranch and Gordon has visitors from the Dept. of Navy seeking details about the incident he can't recall. How it's all resolved makes this a very intriguing story, and I quickly became engaged with both MC's and their issues. I love the way Mr. Grey sketches his characters quickly, yet fully, and keeps the story tight and moving along. I also love the way he manages to fit in some highly erotic sexual encounters between the two MC's, yet it's not overdone, and it doesn't get redundant and boring. I highly recommend this to all fans of Andrew Grey, to lovers of cowboy stories, and to those who like a good story with a pretty good heat index and a sweet HEA.
Do You like book A Volatile Range (2013)?
I really enjoyed this one, I fell in love with Gordon, and was so happy that Mario got his HEA!
—1Thereisno
Definitely one of my favorite books in this series!
—MBerrones
