Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: A Chaotic Range
SERIES: Stories from the Range #7
AUTHOR: Andrew Grey
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 Pages
BLURB:
Stories from the Range: Book Seven
Most of the time ranch hand David rescues stray cattle, but this time he and his fellow cowboys Wally and Haven save a stranded motorist. David is surprised to find his former high school classmate nearly frozen in his car. After learning that Brian Applewright’s boss fired him from his ranch for being gay, they invite him back to theirs to take a job.
David and Brian moved in different social circles at school, but working together brings them closer. However, David has a rocky history on the ranch. The foreman is his ex, and he only recently returned after a heartbreakingly unsuccessful attempt to find greener pastures. He can’t risk his heart getting close to anyone.
But on a ranch, nature has a way of forcing an issue. When a snowstorm threatens, David and Brian head out to mend a fence and round up some stray cattle. David gets injured, and they must survive in the snow, cold, and wind. It might be the start of a relationship… or the end of their lives.
REVIEW:
Another successful chapter in the Stories from the Range series.
A Chaotic Range starts out with a blizzard, and a man named Brian who has given up hope. He is almost out of gas and out of money. Brian has just been fired from his last job as a cowboy on the Flying C ranch, where he worked for three years, because the other cowboys found out he was gay. When he slides off the road into a ditch it seems his time is up. Although he puts on every bit of clothes he has, the cold is quickly killing him.
Luckily David has noticed a spot of red in a snowbank by the road in front of the ranch during a break in the storm. With the help of others, they find Brian in time to save him. Thus begins the story of David and Brian. Along the way they are trapped again in the snow after David is injured. They also face prejudice and rumor in town after the men from the Flying C spread vicious rumors about why Brian was let go.
Can they work past the part of Brian’s story that he isn’t sharing? Can they work past the unresolved tension between David and his ex Mario, the foreman of the ranch? And finally can they work past the uncertainty both feel about their relationship?
I really liked this book, as I have the entire series. I recommend Andrew’s books highly. Honestly, I’ve never read one of his that I didn’t enjoy. Do yourself a favor and pick up one today. With this particular series, you would be better served to start on book one and work your way through the series. While you could read this book as a standalone, it would lose something if you didn’t know the background on all the characters that flow through the story.
RATING: 
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