Series:
Runaway Ranch (Book 1)
He made it home from a war zone.
But danger remains in the mountains of Montana…
Navy SEAL Brett Morgan has come home to recover after a
disastrous deployment, desperate to remember what happened. As he struggles to
find his feet as a civilian, he intervenes in an armed robbery, saving the life
of waitress Anna Larkin. But there's more to Anna's past than meets the eye and
as that past circles dangerously closer, Brett will have to draw on all of his
combat experience to keep them both alive..
This book pulled me in and kept me hooked from start to
finish - though Harlequin's titling department blew it on this one. Brett is
not a Navy SEAL and never has been. He was in the Army's Special Forces, a
Ranger. Nor did he have a deadly secret.
After his last disastrous deployment, Brett returned to
his hometown and his family's ranch. Hurting in mind, body, and soul, he can't
remember the events leading up to the event that left him and the dog Reggie as
the only survivors. Fighting survivor's guilt and PTSD, Brett has holed up in a
cabin on the ranch, drinking too much and only leaving the cabin once a month for
supplies. Everything changes during his latest trip to town when he saves a
waitress from an armed robber.
Anna left town right after graduation, along with the
town's golden boy, Eddie. Both had Hollywood dreams that turned into a
nightmare for Anna. She gave up her dreams to support them while Eddie drank
and drugged his life away. Eddie became an abusive husband, and her time with
him was heartbreaking. Her escape from him left her with deep-seated feelings
of guilt and a belief that she didn't deserve to live. That belief is front and
center when a drugged-up armed robber takes her hostage when he attempts to rob
the café where she works.
I enjoyed reading about the ups and downs of the
relationship between Brett and Anna. Brett was a reluctant hero when he saved
her from the robber. He couldn't stop himself from intervening, but it was a
subconscious reaction, not something he wanted to do. He was stunned to realize
that Anna expected to die and wouldn't fight it. Stopping the robber was, as
Anna described it, "A totally one-sided smackdown." Anna and Brett
parted ways, but Anna later drove to Brett's cabin to return something to him.
He wasn't wholly welcoming, but an accident formed an unexpected connection
between them. Brett found himself visiting Anna the following day to find out
if she was okay and ended up helping her with her house project.
The events that haunt Anna and Brett have each trying to
escape the memories. Because they understand each other's pain, their time
together gives them some of that escape. As their feelings for each other grow,
they discover that the pain begins to fade. I liked how they were sensitive to
each other's triggers and took care with what they said and did. I liked how
their support of each other helped further their healing, but that each knew
there was still work to be done.
The suspense was excellent. After her husband's death,
Anna returned to her hometown but could not escape the memories. She also had
to deal with Eddie's family, who blamed her for his failures in California and his
death. Brett's protective instincts are aroused when unexplained things happen,
like a brick through her window and someone running her off the road. Nasty
confrontations with the exes add stress, and matters are complicated by the
creepy store owner who provides Anna with her home renovation supplies. When Anna
disappears, it's up to Brett and the sheriff to figure out what happened. I was
glued to the pages until the final confrontation ended, and Anna was safe.
I felt for Brett, his fear for Anna, and how his
flashbacks fought with his efforts to find her. Combined with Anna's flashbacks
about Eddie's death, this was a very emotional section of the book. I liked how
some good came out of the ordeal, including Brett and Anna admitting their
feelings.
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