Reviewed by Sarina

TITLE: The Sound of White

SERIES: Cattle Valley #8

AUTHOR: Carol Lynne

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing

LENGTH: 136 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 22, 2008

BLURB:

Finally healed after a beating that almost took his life, the last thing Richard Johnson needs is to be attracted to Chad Neal. He’s got a bar to open and a heart to mend.

Despite his smaller stature, Tall Pines Lodge Manager, Chad Neal, needs to be in charge, both in the bedroom and out. So why is he attracted to a six-foot-three man who looks like he could rip the limbs from Chad’s body?

Electrician, Collin Zeffer, longs for the kind of relationship he sees his friends have, but who would want someone as boring as him? When he meets the reclusive Abe Cross, Collin decides maybe there is someone made especially for him.

Hiding his face from the world, Abe Cross is content to live out his life alone. His cabin in the woods above Cattle Valley seems like the place to do it. The last thing he needs is a sexy as sin electrician showing up to remind him of what he can never have, but when an unexpected blizzard blankets Cattle Valley and the mountains above it, his life, and the lives of the three other men, will change forever.

Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series

REVIEW:

All of the books I’ve read in this series so far has focused on one main couple but in this next installment of Cattle Valley, the author has instead given us two: Richard/Chad and Collin/Abe. I actually liked both couples but for very different reasons. Richard was introduced previously and was in desperate need of some care the last time I’d seen him. He isn’t what people usually think of when envisioning a submissive but that just makes him perfectly paired with Chad because Chad isn’t your usually Dom either. Though the attraction is pretty explosive, both men are stubborn and spend a great deal of time and energy either ignoring or antagonizing each other. It was great seeing them both finally get together, even if I didn’t care for the manner in which it happened; while I could see their circumstances finally giving them that push, I didn’t like how abruptly it came about. I would’ve preferred a more natural coming together as the way it happened didn’t feel right to me. What I liked best about this couple was seeing Richard get the care he obviously needs while Chad learned that it isn’t a weakness to turn to someone else and that he doesn’t have to be a hard ass all the time in order to be taken seriously.

Collin and Abe were the easier pairing of the book; Collin has had a thing for Abe for a while and when he ends up injured and stranded with the other man, he certainly wasn’t complaining too much. These two were just so good for one another; Collin has never felt as though he’s measured up to anyone else, especially in the looks department while Abe has gotten anything he wanted due to his appearance but a harsh reality check showed him his personality and life choices needed some serious readjustment. Again thrown together by circumstance, I felt these two had the more natural coming together and I really enjoyed their interactions. Abe didn’t feel he deserved Collin while he still did what he could to boost the other man’s self confidence. Collin, on the other hand, didn’t think he would ever be good enough but was still trying to get to the bottom of why Abe hid himself away so that he could help heal him.

There wasn’t a great deal of overall story progression for the series in this one but I actually liked that; this was a nice breather from the cattle valley drama in general and I enjoyed getting to see more than one couple featured. There was a nice set up for the next book at the end and what looks to be a future pairing was also introduced so I have that to look forward to. If you’ve enjoyed the series so far, I’m sure you’ll like this book as well; it was a nice break from what I’ve come to consider the norm for these books.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Pride Publishing

Amazon