Reviewed by Heather C.

TITLE: Love, Like Water
AUTHOR: Rowan Speedwell
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 284 pages
BLURB: Three years undercover with one of the worst gangs in the country left FBI agent Joshua Chastain shattered. Battling nightmares and addiction, he leaves the concrete jungle for New Mexico horse country, hoping to start over on his uncle’s ranch.

Foreman Eli Kelly spends his life rehabilitating abused animals, and Joshua is just another lost soul. But as Joshua slowly begins to put his life back together, Eli realizes that Joshua is a lot more than his newest project.

Joshua’s plan seems to work—maybe a fresh start was just what he needed. Then, just when he has finally found a sense of peace, crime and hatred nearly destroy all his hard work, forcing him to reevaluate what he wants out his relationship with Eli and his own life.

REVIEW:

I’ve been waiting so long for another Rowan Speedwell book that I snatched this one up for review without even reading the blurb! I may have been more hesitant at choosing this if I had snuck a peak first since I’m not usually a huge fan of cowboy stories….normally.

Beautiful! I know I probably sound a little lame, but that’s the only word I can articulate right now. The beauty of this story has left me speechless! So, please bear with me while I blather on…

Joshua Chastain has come to his Uncle Tucker’s horse ranch to get a new start in life following a horrific undercover assignment that has left him broken and drug addicted. There, he meets Elian Kelly, the ranch foreman with a specialty in helping abused and traumatized horses. Eli immediately takes a liking to Josh and is determined to help him mend just like any other horse on the ranch. Oh, but what is to be done about that slow boiling attraction between them?

I loved everything about this story. I said it earlier, and I will say it again…it was beautiful. Rowan, as always, did an amazing job of giving us a broken, traumatized hero, barely living, who is then brought back to life through love and the power of a relationship with another man. And Eli was the perfect man for the job. Their HEA didn’t come easy, and it got really, really angsty there for a bit. There were a few scenes near the end that had my chest tight and made me want to scream! I felt for both of these characters sooooo much…they were so real to me.

Other things I loved:

The Pace: This was not a fast paced story. No, it was a slow, meandering journey, and I couldn’t tear myself away. So, it actually ended up being a very fast read for me.

The Sexual Tension: I was especially hooked in by all the sexual tension. So no, the romance was definitely not rushed. Plus, it was resolved by some very hot, passionate sex…outdoor sex…near public sex… Josh and Eli were HOT!

The Uncle: Uncle Tucker was awesome!! One of the funniest old cowboys…ever!

The Imagery: Lots of beautiful New Mexican landscape…

The Horses: I know absolutely nothing about horses, but all the horse talk didn’t bother me, and I actually found it interesting. Not sure of the accuracy but it all sounded good to me.

The Epilogue: I will just say that this had one of the best epilogues in all my romance reading history. Now I want a follow-up!

I easily give this 5 Stars. Recommended.

PRE-ORDER LINK: Dreamspinner Press

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Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: HEATHER’S REVIEWS
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