Overall, my feelings about this book is that it was kind of... pointless.

Justin reappears on Crooked Tree ranch after 12 years of everyone thinking he was dead. He thought he was about to die and he wanted to do it somewhere he considered home. He didn't die, mostly because Sam found him and got help and basically nursed him back to health.
In the meanwhile, most of the rest of the ranch found out he's alive, including his best friends, Gabe and Adam, his brother Ethan and his father Marcus. Naturally they all wanted to know what the hell Justin was up to while everybody believed him dead, but he wouldn't tell them because he didn't want to make them a target of an assassin he's expecting to come and kill him at any second because of the things he knows. So he repeatedly brushes their questions off and is waiting to get strong enough so he could run away.

This all happens in the first 70% of the book. I was amazed at the number of ways the writer vaguely explained something without actually telling us anything we didn't already know. Justin didn't only keep in the dark every character in the book, he kept the readers in the dark too. Soon enough I got extremely bored and just wanted for the book to finally end. The last 30% of the book was more focused on Justin's and Sam's relationship, but at that point stopped caring at all.

The reason I'm giving this book 2 stars instead of one is that part of my frustration probably comes from not reading the first two books in the series - I just wasn't invested in the characters enough to care what happened to them, and maybe I would have been have I read the first two books. ( )

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

OH MY GOSH!!!!! This was SO AMAZING!!! I loved this. I really enjoyed the 2nd book, and wanted to scream when I found out the story would continue to this book. I squealed with joy when I found out the book would be released earlier than anticipated. It lived up to everything I was hoping.

We briefly got a glimpse of Justin at the end of [b:The Rancher's Son|21841440|The Rancher's Son (Montana, #2)|R.J. Scott|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1439452033s/21841440.jpg|41109187], and I was so curious about what really happened with Adam and Justin years prior when they went missing. Ms. Scott gives us the horrifying story without subjecting us to too many of the gory details. We are able to understand what happened and feel for the characters and what they had to go through, but not be bogged down by the details. It was very well done.

Justin thinks he is going to die, so he comes to Crooked Tree to die on his land, but he doesn't want anyone to know he is there. Unfortunately, Sam comes across him in the abandoned cabin. They develop a connection, and Sam is a buffer for Justin when his family finds out he is there. Sam did not know Justin before he went missing and doesn't have preconceived notions or emotions surrounding him. This makes him a very good match for Justin.

I loved the story, and loved that I got to see all of the characters from the other 2 books. I am so happy to hear there will be a book 4 and I can't wait to read it. ( )

Trust and love

There’s a lot happening in this story. Justin has a painful history and when he feels the end is near, he wants to go home. Everything comes crashing down around him and he has to decide if he deserves the love that is being shown to him. ( )

‘A Cowboy’s Home’ is not just the title of the third book in the ‘Montana’ series, it is also the perfect summary of the events, the feelings, and the drama that has been, and is, Justin’s life. I have been waiting for his story ever since the mystery of his (presumed) death was mentioned in book one, and I am impressed with the way RJ Scott has woven together all the story threads across three novels into a suspense-filled and very moving whole.

‘Montana’ is the tale of three families who jointly own the Crooked Tree Ranch: their secrets and struggles, the disasters and successes that separate and unite them, and the love they all share with each other. It took them years to deal with some of the past events, and I enjoyed every moment of their story I got to share. This third book was my favorite – and not just because it answered all my questions and pulled together all the loose ends. It also gave me two extraordinary main characters who are made for each other, whose romance is a lovely slow burn that has their feelings almost sneak up on them, and who share a passion that burns hot enough to make them forget the past.

Sam is a capable and talented chef, and he runs the restaurant adjacent to the ranch. He has been there for a while but he has never really felt as though he is part of the family. He desperately wants to belong though, and when I found out what his birth family is like when he attends his grandmother’s funeral, I could see why. Sam’s plans to use his “inheritance” to buy into the ranch are received with open arms, but then everything is derailed by the arrival of a wounded man who is stealing food from Sam’s kitchen. Rather than call the police, as is Sam’s first reaction, he ends up trying to help and feels compelled to protect him. Even when he finds out who Justin is, Sam’s loyalties never waver.

Justin is in such a mess, emotionally and physically, I was surprised he managed to make it home to the ranch at all. He has been undercover and on black-ops-like missions for years, and it was tough to see his stories and the truth of what happened to him and Adam unfold. He has suffered so much, but he won’t let himself find peace until he has completed his revenge. He can’t talk to his family, reveals only some of the truth to Sam, and is in a total mess. But as Sam takes care of him, and as he begins to reconnect with his brother and father and his friends, something changes in him and he can finally begin to heal. It was painful to watch, but very rewarding in the end.

If you like the Crooked Tree Ranch and its families with their drama and mystery, if you want to find out what happened to Justin and learn how meeting Sam is the key to his emotional recovery, and if you’re looking for a suspenseful read with complicated characters, relationships, and a grand reveal of the truth, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It’s truly a grand finale for this story arc!


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