Manager for Hart’s Horse Rescue, Lucy Lenoir, finally feels she has a handle on life after having worked hard to leave her old one behind. So hard, there are times she almost forgets what she escaped. Memories which suddenly come flooding back when she catches a glimpse of a familiar horseman in town.
What’s worse, he’s in the company of the unlikely cowboy she’s only just beginning to trust.
High Mountain Tracker, Bo Rivera, tries hard never to repeat his mistakes. A huge one changed the course of his life and made him particularly cautious, especially around women. So much so, he almost passed up on the best thing to ever walk into his life; the compact, blonde ballbuster in need of a gentle hand.
However, the more he learns about her, the more he realizes a soft touch alone won’t keep her demons at bay. Those will need a firmer hand…to keep the gun steady.
Read Chapter 1:
Lucy
Look at those poor babies.
They can’t be more than a week old but won’t last much longer if I don’t intervene. Their mother isn’t looking any better.
I got the call earlier this afternoon and wish I’d been able to wait for a deputy to follow me, but potential cases of animal abuse aren’t very high on their list of priorities. The woman who called insisted the situation was dire, and she’s right.
“Hey! You!”
Oh shit.
A rough-looking, burly guy is coming around the corner of the dilapidated farmhouse, about fifty yards from where I’m crouched next to the pen. He has a shotgun in his hands and it’s aimed at me.
“You’ve got two seconds to get off my property,” he yells, looking pissed.
This kind of rescue work isn’t without its occasional challenges and dangers. It isn’t the first time I’ve looked down the barrel of a gun held by some disgruntled farmer or rancher when they didn’t appreciate my rescue of their abused animal. Still, it never fails to scare the crap out of me.
I don’t like guns. I’ve never been comfortable around them, although I will say I won’t hesitate to grab the shotgun we have by the front door at the rescue when facing anyone who threatens our safety or the safety of the animals. Too much has happened here over the past two years since we moved from Billings.
We, being Alexandra Hart and myself. I’ve worked for Alex for over eight years now. I joined her when Hart’s Horse Rescue was on a much, much smaller property, just outside Billings, Montana. Then, two years ago, she purchased the property near Libby and I happily followed her here. Of course, since then, she’s met and moved in with Jonas Harvey at the High Meadow Ranch, just down the road.
At the rescue we don’t only provide a safe haven for the animals, but also rehabilitate injured and traumatized animals. Alex is something of a horse whisperer and has a special affinity with the animals I lack. Don’t get me wrong, I’m good with the horses—all the animals—but they certainly don’t respond to me the way they do to Alex.
Anyway, these days it’s just me and the animals at the rescue, where I look after the day-to-day operations. Not a bad gig, not at all. I have a job I love; I have a roof over my head, and I live in what has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Not that I’ve traveled much. I’m about the farthest away from where I grew up right now, although staring down a barrel is familiar.
According to Lester Franklin’s neighbor, he leaves for work every day at the same time and doesn’t return home until late afternoon. I’d parked on the neighbor’s property and was supposed to wait for a sheriff’s deputy to show, when I saw him drive off and came to investigate. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so I went in without backup. Hindsight being twenty-twenty, that had not been my smartest move.
Today being the exception to the rule, he obviously returned early and isn’t happy finding me here.
I lift my hands up to show him I’m not armed.
“Your kid goats need to be supplement-fed or they’re gonna die,” I yell back.
“None ‘a your goddamn business what I do with my goats. Yer trespassing!”
He racks his shotgun and repositions it against his shoulder, lining me up in his sights. The sound of it is a bit unnerving, but I know that’s what he intends; to scare me off.
“Look, if you’re happy to let them die, why not just give them to me to look after?”
The shotgun blast is loud as the dirt in front of me sprays up. I’m down on my face the next second. Guess he wasn’t just trying to scare me. I vaguely notice a stinging burn on my shin but my eyes are locked on Lester Franklin, who appears to be cocking his gun, readying it for another shot.
“Hey! Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. Put that damn shotgun down!”
I turn my head slightly to where a fresh-faced sheriff’s deputy is standing, legs spread wide and her hand on the butt of her service weapon. Sloane Eckhart. She’s the niece of my friend Pippa’s husband, Sully, and brand-new to the department. So new, I can still see the creases on her uniform shirt.
“I have every right to defend my property! She’s an intruder.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Franklin,” Sloane fires back right away. “She’s at worst a trespasser and if you shoot at her you’re the one who’s gonna be going to jail! Now, I’m gonna ask you one more time; put the shotgun down!”
Despite my rather precarious position, I grin at the girl’s attitude. Hell, she’s probably early twenties, looks more like a child playing dress-up than an actual sheriff’s deputy, but she’s sure not easily intimidated.
“What are you gonna do about it?” Franklin challenges her.
Slow and easy, she slips her weapon in her hand, widens her stance, and aims straight at him.
“I outshot the entire department in an accuracy test two weeks ago,” she says calmly. “Want to test me?”
For a few seconds, it looks like we might have a shootout when the guy pans his aim toward Sloane, but at the last moment lowers the barrel.
I get to my feet and notice my lower leg still burning. The front of my jeans on the left side is wet and stained dark. Wonderful.
“Were you hit?”
Sloane walks over, her eyes zoomed in on my leg.
“Just some rock spray hitting me, I think. Just a scratch.”
I don’t want her distracted, I want her to control Lester while I collect these poor goats.
“Right,” she says, giving me a hard look before she walks to her cruiser, the driver’s side door still open. “Gonna call some backup. Looks like we need Animal Control out here too.”
While Sloane puts in her calls, I pull up the leg of my jeans as I try to keep an eye on Franklin, who continues to hover in front of his house. My leg is a mess. It’s difficult to see anything, but I look to be bleeding from more than one source.
“Yikes,” Sloane comments, walking up. “Maybe I should’ve called the EMTs as well. That doesn’t look good.”
Bo
“Can you hand me the wrench?”
I dig through the toolbox and give James the requested tool.
We’re out behind the ranch house, in the shed where the pump running the automated watering system is housed. The system provides water to the horses out in the fields closest to the house. There are only a few of the back meadows left to cart water to, but if we can’t get this damn pump to work, we’re gonna be back to hauling it everywhere.
It’s a time suck and a general pain-in-the-ass job no one wants to do, which is why we’re back here trying to fix it, even though neither James nor I are particularly talented in mechanics.
“Why don’t I go ask Pippa to come have a look?” I suggest when James releases a few juicy curse words.
Pippa is married to Sully, another member of our team, and she’s a mechanic. They live in one of the cabins on the other side of the ranch house and just welcomed a new baby two weeks ago, so she’s home.
“I’m sure she’s got other things going on,” James mutters.
“Are you kidding? If it was up to her, she would’ve strapped that baby to her body and already be back at the garage working.”
It’s true, I walked in on an argument about exactly that topic between her and Sully just yesterday. Pippa is itching to do something with her hands, while her husband feels she needs more time to recover.
He’s just worried about her, being protective, and she’s afraid to lose autonomy over her life with the new baby and relatively new husband. The fear-driven dynamics are clear to see from an observer’s point of view, but I guess even a couple of weeks of sleepless nights, constant feedings, and endless diapers can make you lose perspective.
Pippa is a rock and I have no doubt she’ll jump at the opportunity to get out of the house for a bit. Sully’s back to work and manning the breeding barn with Fletch today, but there are many at the ranch who’d drop anything to keep an eye on that baby girl for a few minutes.
Poor kid was born into one of the strangest families I’ve ever known, with a whole bunch of uncles, aunts, an honorary grandfather, and a handful of cousins, of which only one aunt and one cousin are actually blood related. The ranch, High Meadow, is at the center of this haphazard family. Its owner, Jonas Harvey, was my commander in the armed forces. Jonas, Sully, Fletch, James, and I were part of a special ops tracking unit. Like me, Jonas came from a ranching background. When he aged out of the unit, he bought this place, pulling us in one by one as we each aged out.
High Meadow is a stud farm, but in recent years we’ve been developing our own breeding program as well. In addition to that, the ranch is also the base for High Mountain Trackers. We may all have been too old for Uncle Sam, but we’re still able to put our skills to good use with HMT, which is a search and rescue—or recovery—unit on horseback. We get a variety of calls, anywhere from missing children to hunting down criminals, and often work together with local and state law enforcement.
The ranch is our home, even though I’ve never lived here like most of my brothers. I have my reasons for choosing an old apartment in town over one of the staff cabins on the ranch, although there’ve been many times I wished things were different. That’s life though, you’ve just got to roll with it. I’m sure there’ll come a day I can wake up to beautiful views and sweet mountain air instead of the parking lot at the rear of the restaurant next door, but that day isn’t here yet.
There’s no one at the cabin, but I find Pippa and the baby in the kitchen at the main house. Carmi is being burped by Alex, Jonas’s woman, with his old man, Thomas, looking on. I bend down and give that little downy blond head a kiss.
“How’s my little girl?”
“She sure don’t look like yours,” Thomas pipes up, unable to resist a tease.
There were too many years I would’ve taken that the wrong way, especially coming from an old, white, Southern boy, but I know he would’ve said the same thing to Fletch, who is white but dark-haired. This isn’t about the color of my skin but the blond hair the baby inherited from her father.
“Hush, after her daddy, Bo gets dibs. He delivered her,” Pippa reminds the old man with a grin.
I did. Two weeks ago, at the horse rescue.
It wasn’t my first baby—before I joined the military I worked as a nurse in different departments—but it had been a few years, maybe even decades, since the last one. Luckily, the basic mechanics of childbirth stay the same and, other than the baby was coming fast, there were no complications.
“Hey, you got a minute?” I ask Pippa. “We can’t get the motor on the water pump to—”
I don’t even get a chance to finish my sentence before she jumps in.
“Yes. You don’t mind, do you, Alex?”
Alex makes a face as she snuggles the baby closer. “Like you need to ask.”
Pippa follows me outside where we almost bump into Sloane, Sully’s niece, who moved here over the summer. She’s a sheriff’s deputy.
“I was looking for you” she addresses Pippa. “Where’s the baby?”
“Kitchen.” Pippa cocks her thumb over her shoulder. “I swear,” she continues when Sloane rushes up the porch steps. “I’ve ceased to exist since she was born. Don’t get me wrong, I love my baby beyond measure, but it’s a little unsettling when I’m being treated like an extension of that little human instead of my own person.”
I hear her. Fuck, I’m guilty of it too, heading straight for Carmi without even a hello for her mother.
Throwing my arm around her shoulder, I give her a little squeeze.
“Good thing we have a busted water pump to remind us you’re not just good at making babies,” I tease.
“Haha,” she grumbles, elbowing me in the gut.
“Oh, Bo?” I hear Sloane call.
“Yeah, what’s up?” I ask, turning around.
She’s hanging over the porch railing.
“You may wanna swing by Lucy’s, when you have a minute.”
As always when I hear her name, my attention is piqued.
“Why?”
“She had a run-in with a rancher north of town. She didn’t want me calling EMTs, but I think she got hit with some buckshot.”
I don’t realize I’m already moving until I hear Pippa yell out behind me.
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
Not much has gone according to plan for mechanic, Pippa Freling, recently. With lots of bridges burned behind her, she decides to stick close to her sister and give Montana a try.
Things are looking up when she joins a local group of animal activists, buys an auto shop for a steal, and even tries her luck with the opposite sex. But it doesn’t take long before her hopeful new future is derailed once again.
This time permanently.
Maintaining tight control is the stronghold in Sully Eckhart’s life. It served him well during his years in special forces and has kept him out of trouble since. But his self-restraint stretches only so far whenever he finds himself faced with the one woman who has the ability to shake his determination. A woman he’s tried to avoid for months—since the first time she shook his resolve—but who now finds herself in the middle of a serial murder case.
However, when she not only ends up a person of interest to the FBI, but firmly in the crosshairs of a killer, he has no other option but to stick close.
We got the vibe that Sully was interested in Pippa from how he was with her in the previous book but I wasn’t expecting to enjoy them together as much as I did.
They didn’t start off quite the way they should have, I got why Sully felt the way he did but I wanted him to get his head together and see that it could be a great thing and maybe exactly what he needed. Pippa had reservations about relationships too, again, there were valid reasons that I totally understood but anyone could see that this pair would be great together….
Getting together the way they did wasn’t ideal but there was a definite spark and attraction between them so you knew that things would be ok….. well, between them anyway!!!
I loved that once he wrapped his head round everything Sully was all in. Yeah, he put his foot in it more than a few times, was a tad overbearing at times which drove Pippa crazy but his heart and intentions were in the right place and that endeared him even more to me…
Pippa had had a helluva experience in High Stakes but unfortunately her luck didn’t get much better for a while in High Ground, the hits just kept coming but thankfully she was such a stubborn, determined and strong-willed woman that she got there…. She did show her vulnerability at times but that was ok as she had a load of people who were there to support her and keep her going.
The supporting cast of characters are so different but they’ve all got each other back and once you become a part of the High Mountain ranch family – whether you realise you have or not – they’re all there for you too, which Pippa found out time and again. We met Ira, the new guy at Pippa’ garage and while I wasn’t sure about him at first he turned out to be another great addition.
Freya Barker is a definite favourite author of mine and as I’ve said before I love that her characters are a little older, have got flaws and a tendency to mess things up a bit, but they all deserve a happy life with someone by their side.
I’m looking forward to the next book in the series but I’ve got to say Bo is gonna have a challenge and a half on his hands with Lucy….
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories. With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy. Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
Get book 1 High Meadow for $2.49 with a Kindle Deal
An emergency call to pick up an injured stallion on the side of the road sends Alexandra Hart, the new owner of Hart’s Horse Rescue, into action. A recent addition to the area, she is not impressed when the animal’s taciturn owner shows up. With his less-than-stellar disposition, he’s the kind of man she normally avoids at all costs, unfortunately, he owns the ranch just down the road.
However, when the manhunt for a pair of escaped prisoners gets a little too close for comfort, Jonas turns out to be a better neighbor than she expected.
The Alex who shows up at his ranch to help with his prize stud’s recovery is not exactly who Jonas Harvey expected. This is the same bleeding heart he met on the side of the road. Worried she’s not up for the job, he’d prefer to keep a close eye on her but his High Mountain Trackers team gets called in to track down a group of domestic terrorists.
But the slip of a woman proves him wrong. On all fronts. Alex not only charms his horses but him as well, and when trouble comes calling she proves to be a worthy ally to boot.
When her sister, Pippa, goes missing, Nella Freling tells her boss she’s taking time off from her job as a research librarian, hops in her sensible van, and heads south of the border to Montana. However, local police don’t seem too concerned about a missing woman living in her motorhome. So Nella will have to look for Pippa by herself, unless she can convince a highly recommended tracker to help her, but sadly the rude and angry cowboy won’t even listen to her at first.
But Nella can be persuasive.
The first time High Mountain Tracker, Fletch Boone, laid eyes on Nella, her ass was stuck in his grocery cart. The next time was at the ranch; she was wearing mud, head to toe. But when he catches sight of her a third time, hanging off a cliff, he can’t turn his back again. What Nella lacks in survival skills she makes up for in sheer determination. Unfortunately, neither of those is enough protection when bullets start flying.
Fletch has no choice but to jump in before the woman gets herself killed.
And that would be a damn shame.
BLP REVIEW – Tracy
I’m so enjoying this new series from Freya. Acton packed, eventful, with a slew of new characters I’ve liked finding out about, it’s so far been a really good read….
Now, I have to admit that I honestly wanted to throttle Nella more than a dozen times or so throughout High Stakes. I liked her tenacity, her determination and belief that she’d find her sister but the gods, even though she obviously cared about others, the woman had no sense of self preservation for most of the story.. even when circumstances suggested she rethink her line of thinking!!! She was so bloody stubborn, so in that way, amongst others, she was very similar to Fletch.
Fletcher was definitely the loner of this band of brothers. Yeah he worked with the guys and spent some time with them but for the most part he preferred his own company. His initial meetings with Nella totally showed the surly, ass of a man he could be but as we followed their story we discovered the layers he had and that there was more to him than he liked people to see.
The story was suspenseful, quick paced and kept me interested and guessing for a good part of the book. As you’d expect with Ms Barker the characters are a bit older – which I love – have lived live to varying degrees and have their own demons that dictate how they live their lives.
There was a potential couple in the making and another that I cannot wait to read about.
I’m excited about the next book in the series and looking forward to getting to find out more about the rest of the High Moutain Trackers. A solid 4.5* read.
Author bio:
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
An emergency call to pick up an injured stallion on the side of the road sends Alexandra Hart, the new owner of Hart’s Horse Rescue, into action. A recent addition to the area, she is not impressed when the animal’s taciturn owner shows up. With his less-than-stellar disposition, he’s the kind of man she normally avoids at all costs, unfortunately, he owns the ranch just down the road.
However, when the manhunt for a pair of escaped prisoners gets a little too close for comfort, Jonas turns out to be a better neighbor than she expected.
The Alex who shows up at his ranch to help with his prize stud’s recovery is not exactly who Jonas Harvey expected. This is the same bleeding heart he met on the side of the road. Worried she’s not up for the job, he’d prefer to keep a close eye on her but his High Mountain Trackers team gets called in to track down a group of domestic terrorists.
But the slip of a woman proves him wrong. On all fronts. Alex not only charms his horses but him as well, and when trouble comes calling she proves to be a worthy ally to boot.
A new series from Freya Barker and a host of new characters to get to know and love…. abs it’s gonna be fun!!
High Meadow was a really great start to the new High Mountain Trackers series. Suspense, action, intrigue and danger along with great characters and world building all added to the read.
As always with Ms Freya, or MCs are older, have experienced life, love and loss in different forms but are still trying to live their best lives.
Alexandra (Alex) has raised her son, see him grow and leave home and is now running her Horse Rescue Centre in Montana. Living a new life in a new area her first interaction with Jonas didn’t make for a good impression.
Jonas is ex special-ops, now running a ranch with the men he considers family from his military days. When they’re not in the ranch, they work as Trackers, using their skills to help the police and others when hired.
Neither of them play games. They’re past dancing around what they want. They say what they think, even when what the have to say is blunt as all get out. Jonas has a little bit of a ‘pita issue’ at times, that being he is one on occasion with some of the things he says…. coming across as overprotective and stubborn while hiding the softer, caring man he can be!!
I loved Alex. She sees people. Cares about those around her but isn’t afraid to get involved if she thinks it’s the right thing to do. Working in what is traditionally considered a ‘man’s job’ she’s a little defensive at times (understandably) when her abilities are questioned but she soon proves her doubters wrong!!!
Jonas is loyal to those he cares for, protective of his friends and family and though he can come across as harsh, when he sees (or is told 😉) what he’s been missing, he’s a good man, steps in and does his bit to help.
I loved meeting the other characters so far. Jonas’s dad was fab (I know a man or two like him and while they vex me I love them dearly!!?). The other guys I feel are gonna get a run for their money with their significant others… and I’d love to see more a bit more of Alex’s son or find out at least how he’s doing. 🤞🏻
I’m so looking forward to the other books in the series and Freya had already paved the way for the next couple…. I’m excited to find out what our upcoming leading man is all about!!
If you’re a current readers of FB’s books you’re gonna love this. If you’re a new reader, it’s a good place to start… though you really should get on her other series asap!!!
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
From brothers in arms – to teammates on horseback.
Meet the men of High Mountain Trackers, a specialized, mounted search & rescue team in the wilds of northern Montana. Bound by a brotherhood forged as a former special ops unit, they now put their skills to good use finding missing people and helping law enforcement track down criminals.
While at home in the mountains, they are out of their element with the women who cross their path.
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
Even with a degree in psychology and a keen ability to read people, security specialist Bree Graves can’t seem to get a bead on her boss. There was a time she thought she had him figured out but she’d been wrong. Still, she loves her job with PASS and her team has become her family. However, she doesn’t realize how much she needs them until her latest assignment puts her on the radar of a dangerous stalker.
For Yanis Mazur the safety of his PASS team is paramount. Even if that means sacrificing his personal life. Not only did he spend years building his security firm, but also the shield protecting his emotions. Yet when the one person who could breach his walls goes missing during an assignment he sent her on, he’s willing to risk both his business and his heart to get her back.
A victim of obsession, betrayal, and violence, Bree has no choice but to put her faith in the man who almost broke her.
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
Horsepower and green thumbs meets justice and flip-flops.
I’m a late bloomer.
A geek, an introvert, an enigma, and a watchdog.
My name is Paco.
I’m determined enough to bide my time, yet too clever to pass up on opportunity.
I’m a steadfast rebel.
An outcast, a defender, a hothead, and an eccentric.
My name is Mel.
I’m resolute enough to carve my own way, but not too blind to see a better path.
We are established loners—each limited by the boundaries we set—but when a young boy’s life hangs in the balance, we discover we have more in common than we thought.
BLP REVIEW – Tracy
Five books in and I’m still really enjoying this series from Ms Barker…..
Edge Of Reality was Paco and Mel’s story…. I’ve been looking forward to finding out more about this pair from when we met them in earlier books. Mel is ballsy, stubborn, independent but one helluva person to have in your corner…… kinda like Paco in many respects!!!!!!
Mel didn’t really stand a chance once Paco set his sight on her….. he took his time, has his ducks (pretty much) in a row before making his intention known…… not before talking before engaging his brain a time or two!!! Mel for her part didn’t make it easy for him and that a lot of fun.
Individually they were great, together they were a force. Add in the suspense, drama, family issues – let’s face it, it wouldn’t be a proper Freya book without some family trying to feck thing up for our leads – the heartbreak, chemistry and heat and this pair made for a fabulous read. Possibility of an upcoming couple – which I do hope comes to pass- and catching up with some of our favourites from Ms B’s book world all added to the enjoyment.
A definite recommended read, but check out the rest of the series first to fully enrich your reading of this book.
Edge Of Reason (2019) Edge Of Darkness (2020) Edge Of Tomorrow (2020) Edge Of Fear (2021) Edge Of Reality (2021)
About Freya:
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
Freelance journalist and single mom, Katrina (Trin) Paige, has recently returned to her hometown to help her sister care for their elderly father. They’ve barely settled back into Durango’s daily life when her rebellious teenage son gets himself in tumultuous waters. While being rescued by the local fire department, he unwittingly uncovers a decades-old crime hidden underneath the churning rapids of the Animas River.
Once Trin’s life is back on an even keel, her sharp nose for a compelling story starts twitching and she dives headfirst into an investigation of her own. The more she uncovers, the closer she gets to the firefighter who not only pulled her son from the river, but who also seems present everywhere she turns.
Bodhi (Roadkill) Jones doesn’t believe in things like fate, although, he can’t deny the way his life seems to be entwined with the spunky redhead is more than mere coincidence. In fact, he’s been wondering how it is possible she escaped his attention growing up in the same town, even though she is a few years older. Swept up in an unfamiliar current, he finds himself looking for ways to spend time with her and her family.
However, when a murder investigation touches his personal life, it invades Trin’s as well, leaving him scrambling to make sure the woman he’s fast falling for is protected.
Watching Trin may be the seventh book in the On Call series from Freya Barker but I enjoyed it just as much as I did book one.
Bodhi and Trin made great main characters. I loved Trin’s strength of character and determination and the way she raised Tucker on her own. Bodhi was someone Trin never expected but once he had his sights set on her, I don’t think she had a chance….
My heart broke at her family situation….. personal experience of the things Trin and her sister were going through with their dads dementia were so close to home that I felt the characters pain. To write about ‘losing’’ a parent when they are still here, the way Freya did, can only be done justice when you have first hand knowledge or experience. Gods, it was difficult to read at times but made the story so much more as it was so relatable.
The relationship Bodhi and Tucker fostered was lovely to watch and Bodhi became a great role model for the teen. I loved the appearance of some of our favourites from other series – personally, I think it’s fab when an author crosses series and characters when you least expect it! i really liked Bodhi’s folks and as ever we had a sense of family, blood and choice, which is a mainstay when it comes to Ms B’s books.
There was action, suspense and mystery that we’re right in Trin’s wheelhouse, given that she’s a journalist, that brought out Bodhi’s very protective side ….. not always a good thing given how stubborn and used to taking care of herself Trin was, but that made for good reading and making up!!!
Another great instalment and I’m looking forward to much more in this series!
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barkerloves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
Even with a degree in psychology and a keen ability to read people, security specialist Bree Graves can’t seem to get a bead on her boss. There was a time she thought she had him figured out but she’d been wrong. Still, she loves her job with PASS and her team has become her family. However, she doesn’t realize how much she needs them until her latest assignment puts her on the radar of a dangerous stalker.
For Yanis Mazur the safety of his PASS team is paramount. Even if that means sacrificing his personal life. Not only did he spend years building his security firm, but also the shield protecting his emotions. Yet when the one person who could breach his walls goes missing during an assignment he sent her on, he’s willing to risk both his business and his heart to get her back.
A victim of obsession, betrayal, and violence, Bree has no choice but to put her faith in the man who almost broke her.
Lost&Found is the fourth book in the PASS series and Ms Barker gave us another great instalment which, as always, kept me engaged with and interested in the story.
I’ve been looking forward to Yanis & Bree’s story for most of the series to date…. There’s been this electricity / antagonism synergy whenever they’ve been together that’s made me itch to find out what their backstory was!!
I love the real life issues and personal flaws that Freya adds to her stories. They help make the characters more relatable and believable.
I liked how the characters balanced each other out and that even though their history was difficult, they knew each other and could consider the possibility of a second chance!
There was action, suspense and the expected heat and attraction when this pair got their heads on straight. The overlap of favourite characters from previous books and others series always adds an element to the stories that I definitely enjoy!
I’m pretty sure we saw a potential couple for a future book and I’m looking forward to that if it happens.
A definite recommended read (though start at the beginning of the series to get the full experience of the PASS team). 4.5*
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
Ink and sawdust meets brisket and moxie I’m a tattooed casualty. A charmer, a fraud, a skeptic, and a carpenter. My name is Tse. I’m cocky enough to believe my own lies, but too oblivious to see the truth is already out there. I’m a cautious perfectionist. A sister, a scrapper, a dreamer, and a workhorse. My name is Sophia. I’m capable enough to plan ahead, yet too powerless to avoid getting blindsided. We’re complete opposites—one who plays it safe, the other a thrill-seeker—but when old sins resurface bringing violence to the present, our path forward becomes clear.
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
RT @felicityheaton: ★💗★ JUST FOUR DAYS TO GO! ★💗★
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