This was unnerving, no one quite knowing what was going on and therefore leaving the reader in the dark as well.

Ethan is my favourite type of hero and I adored that his love for Adam never faltered in all the years he looked for him. ( )

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

This book was incredible. It had all the feels for me: happiness, sadness, sweetness, anxiety, and the “OMG are you kidding me?!?!”.

Ethan has been looking for his brother and friend who have been missing for 12 years. He became a cop to keep looking because he never gave up. He got a call out of the blue one day because there was a John Doe who had no memory and whom no one could identify, but the only things he was able to remember was “Ethan” and “Crooked Tree”. When he gets there, he finds Adam-his brothers friend and Ethan’s first love. Adam doesn’t remember anything, and Ethan takes him home to take care of him. As Adam begins to get some memories back, the emotions that come with it are beautifully written.

We got a nice glimpse of Nate and Jay from the first book, and it was great to revisit with them. I am in serious withdrawal now as I think about having to wait 6 months until book 3 comes out. This didn't end on a cliffhanger per se (we get the HEA for Adam and Ethan) but there are still questions unanswered and I can't wait to find out the whole story of what happened to Adam and Justin when they disappeared. ( )

This was unnerving, no one quite knowing what was going on and therefore leaving the reader in the dark as well.

Ethan is my favourite type of hero and I adored that his love for Adam never faltered in all the years he looked for him. ( )

A mystery

This story really kept me excited to read more, I couldn’t put it down. There is so much happening on The Crooked Tree Ranch, and what a cliffhanger! ( )

The Crooked Tree Ranch and the three families who own it are back, and this second book dives deeply into the secrets of their past that were mostly hinted at in book one. Since the Todd family, or rather the three sons who are left after their parents died, is the one who runs the ranch, their story was an excellent introduction to the series, and I do suggest you read that book before this one or you’ll miss too much of the background. Nate as the oldest brother and his newfound partner Jay are still around, and I loved that. The Allens family, with widower Marcus and his two sons Ethan and Justin is a little less involved in ranch business, and the Strachans are pretty much absent – Cole is in the Navy and Adam, like Justin, hasn’t been seen for twelve years.

Ethan never got over the loss of his younger brother, and essentially became a cop so he could keep looking. This is the story of what happens when he finally finds one of the two men he’s desperate to find – in Chicago. At first it’s not easy for him to deal with the fact that the John Doe who triggered law enforcement’s flags is not Justin. But as it turns out, finding Adam has its benefits. Dealing with Adam’s loss of memory is hard for both men, and their struggle to make sense of who they are now and if they still mean to each other what they were beginning to figure out when they were teenagers was heartbreaking. Ethan’s stubborn determination is incredibly impressive, and he has Adam’s back all the way, no matter all the scary and strange discoveries they make.

Adam has been severely beaten and suffers from amnesia as a result of brain trauma. He struggles to remember who he is, and the names (Ethan and Crooked Tree Ranch) he mentioned when police questioned him make no sense to Adam. But when he sees Ethan and they begin to talk, things begin to pop up in his brain. Flashes of memories first, and as they make their way back to Montana, Adam starts to make sense of what happens in his nightmares, and the feelings he sometimes gets when Ethan tells him something. But the more he remembers, the clearer it becomes that whatever happened twelve years ago drove him away for good reasons, and the slow reveal of the horrific events had me glued to the pages.

If you like family drama, mystery, and the gradual discovery of the truth, if two men reunited after a long separation and loss of memory sound exciting, and if you’re looking for a suspenseful read with complicated characters, stressful family relationships, and plenty of twists and turns, then you will probably like this novel. I can’t wait for the next volume – that was a clever twist right there at the end, RJ. Way to maintain the suspense!


NOTE: This book was provided by Love Lane Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )