An Unsettled Range by Andrew Grey
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: GLBT, M/M, Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Length: 200 pages
Summary:
The last thing Liam Southard expects when he flees his abusive father is to be taken in by a couple of gay ranchers. Soon he has a new job and a new perspective on his sexuality, and his life starts to turn around. Then someone pulls a gun on him.
In Troy Gardener’s defense, the gun thing was a mistake. Between his marriage falling apart and living in his uncle’s isolated hunting cabin, he’s been a little edgy. He wants to make it up to Liam, and once he discovers how much they have in common, he wants even more. But with Liam’s father popping in unexpectedly and a mining company threatening the ranch’s water supply, the only guarantee is that life is never going to be boring.
Mrs. C’s Review:
Andrew Grey’s An Unsettled Range very effectively reminded me why I love this series. Mr. Grey never avoids the difficult topics, yet deals with them sensitively and always finds decency and kindness in his lead characters.
Sometimes we who live a middle class life forget how close to the edge we really are since the safety nets aren’t set to pick up all of the misfortunates in all places. Liam, kicked out and maligned by his abusive father to the point that finding another job is impossible, begins walking across the country. Initially he is trying to find work but soon his trek becomes more basic than that as he begins to starve, suffer from exposure, and then thirst. His rescue calls out to me to be more sensitive to the homeless. You never know what may have brought someone to this state of affairs.
Troy is either bi or a deeply closeted gay man who finally realizes that the lie he is living with his wife and daughter is damaging them as much as it is Troy. He has one of the most difficult decisions to make: continue to hurt everyone with the lie or rip the scab off and cause terrible pain to his wife and daughter by leaving them. Short term it’s a no-win situation, but can it become a positive act in the long run?
Both men must learn to live with themselves first, then with each other, and finally with those they’ve either harmed or were harmed by. An Unsettled Range is a very emotional book and you have to see the HEA at the end as a miracle.
I always enjoy Mr. Grey’s style of writing, the topics he chooses to write about, and most of all his characters. Wise old Jefferson, animal-loving Wally, Dakota who is finally living his dream of becoming a doctor, and all of the other major and minor characters who interact with new characters make each book a voyage of discovery and a pleasure to read.
Rated 5 Ravens and a Recommended Read by Mrs. C.!
