I read and liked the first book. Skimmed the second book. And read this one. So...I liked this book on the whole. I like that all of the characters in this series are not alpha males who own their own mega ranches. The two I read are hired hands who work for the guy in the second book. Justin, the hero here, lives with his mother to help her through the grief from loss of her husband and her older son. I like a nice guy with nice manners living an ordinary life. The book was mainly told from his POV but I did like the heroine too even though she was less well developed. I had some problems with a few things. For example we've waited for the heroine, Phoenix, to meet her birth mother and while that is briefly shown, the fact that Rohn, the ranch owner, is her father is not shown in her POV. And is only shown very briefly in Justin's. That's a big fail for me since it would really have been a good scene and shown more character development for her. Not really a spoiler since it's obvious from the first even if you haven't read the 2nd book where is it discussed. This was not the only instance where a scene felt left out.

This story ends with a Happy for Now or Happy So Far. If I thought that I would get more of their story in the next book from their own POVs I might be a little happier but judging from the three books in the series so far that will not be the case. If a series is going to focus on a different pair of lovers in each one then I want a solid HEA for the main couple in their own book. Secondary couples can have a continuing story until their own book. While the way this was written might be realistic, it's not really what I prefer to read when I read romance. ( )

Strangers, secrets, seduction on a long road trip – can it lead to something more than a fling or are the secrets so big that they outweigh everything else?

Justin seems overwhelmed with the hand life dealt him. He is doing his best, or he thinks he is, but he knows that both he and his mother need something to get their lives back on track…thus the road trip for Justin. Phoenix had a stroke of luck, she hopes, when a document that arrives in the mail opens the door to secret information from a quarter of a century ago. Justin and Phoenix meet, realize they need to get to the same destination and share the journey.

Well written, full of angst, and yet…I never really connected with 100% with Justin or Phoenix. Justin is caring, can be charming and VERY Responsible. Phoenix seems career oriented, sweet and a bit scattered from time to time. I can see why they were the people they were and why there would be physical attraction but some of their story made me wonder. I have a feeling that I have not experienced what they both had so THINK I would have handled things differently but then…everyone is different so they may be like hundreds of others out there. I wondered if Kim, Phoenix’s friend, will be making a trip to Oklahoma and meeting Colter or if each of them will find their own HEA. I also wonder if Justin’s and Bonnie’s mothers will find romance before the series ends.

Happy for now books are okay but I guess I prefer a happily ever after ending. Hopefully all of the characters in this series will get that when the last book is published.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the copy to read and review.

3.5 Stars ( )