Reviewed by Tori (Vicki)
TITLE: Second Chance Ranch 
SERIES: Montana #5
AUTHOR: R.J. Scott
PUBLISHER: Love Lane Books
LENGTH: 214 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 30th, 2018
BLURB:
Rob runs to Crooked Tree determined to find a safe place for his nephews. A family for them is the final thing on his list, and then he can vanish completely. Falling for a local paramedic along the way is a disaster in Rob’s otherwise perfect plans.
Paramedic Aaron, the middle of five brothers, would like someone to love. A great believer in fate he is convinced though, that one day he’ll find someone. He just never thought it would be a man in so much pain, or that children would be part of the package.
Rob is ready to leave. Aaron wants him to stay. Their love has an expiry date, and it’s tearing them apart. Can they find a way to save what they have?
REVIEW:
Rob appeared earlier in this series as a mysterious character attached to Justin and his drama when he was missing from the family ranch. The two were involved in some shady shit, kinda government, kinda military, kinda assassins, but not a good situation for any of them. Now as this book starts, Rob has some issues. His sister has died a year ago, he was so far out of touch that he didn’t know, and his two young nephews end up in the foster system. He’s also injured, and is on a countdown. His final goal is to get his nephews to a safe place. The only thing he can think to do is take them to the one person he used to have a connection with. Justin at Crooked Tree Ranch. So off the three go. And make it almost all the way to the ranch before Rob witnesses a car accident, and becomes involved in the rescue. Where he meets a hot paramedic.
Aaron has a lot fewer issues in his life, he’s pretty stable actually. He’s from a large family, five brothers with no parents anymore, the younger siblings being raised by the oldest. One of his siblings we’ve seen before, he’s the sexy Sheriff from book 4. Anyway, Aaron hangs out at Crooked Tree quite a bit with his niece and nephew, taking them on hikes, swims and for horseback riding lessons. He spends lots of time with his brothers, and works as a paramedic with a partner named Grace, who has her own issues. He works with Veterans as well, so ultimately is a pretty good guy. He and Grace respond to an accident at a gas station, and Aaron climbs in to the wrecked car, where he encounters a very stubborn man. The two banter, argue, and insult each other, then part ways.
Only to reunite at Crooked Tree Ranch. I’ll stop there to avoid spoilers!
So I have mixed feelings about this book. I wasn’t really getting into it for quite a while. I got Rob’s distress and his desire, but I’m not sure I understood his methods. I also had a hard time with the lack of a connection between Rob and Aaron until way late in the story. But about 60% I started getting to know them better as individuals and began to see some emotions from them. Maybe it could have come earlier, but they did get there. I did get emotionally involved in Rob’s drama as he makes some decisions, and even though I knew it had to have a happy ending, I did get wrapped up in the story enough to question whether that would really happen. I like when an author makes me question the outcome of a story…. of course I do WANT the happy ending, and I loved how this book ended.
I did like these guys as individuals, Aaron immediately, and Rob grew on me. Sure, I would have liked to see them together more, and show more emotions earlier in the book, but I did like them together by the end. Once they do get friendly I liked the sex scenes between them. They did grow throughout the story, especially Rob, who grabbed on to some love from several directions and went with it.
I liked to concept of the plot, although I had issues with the speed at which it developed. I have said it multiple times, I’m iffy on kids, but these little guys added to the drama of the story and I liked them. I also liked the other characters, not just the guys from previous books, but Aaron’s friend Grace and her issues, and Aaron’s siblings and their own dramas. My enjoyment of this book changed as I read it, from just an ok story, to enjoying it overall.
I have liked the books in this series, some more than others, but I’ve enjoyed reading them. You could probably read this as a standalone, but you’ll get more out of it if you read them in order. You really need to get the background of the folks on Crooked Tree Ranch… I’d give them a try! This one was a good addition, and I have seen that it might be the last. If that is the case, it was a great way to end the series.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: