Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Anti-Hero
SERIES: Wild Heart Ranch
AUTHOR: Kelly Fox
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 286 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 19 , 2023
BLURB:
Spoiler alert: This isn’t some sad exploration of my tragic past. I have a list of the people who bought and sold me. And they aren’t getting a redemption arc.
I was luckier than most. I was rescued by a team of guys who search out people like me, and now I get to work with them. But I’m not the hero of this story. I don’t forgive. I don’t forget. And I’m about to cut a bloody swath across this part of the globe in retaliation for what they did to me.
My only problem? I’m in love with one of my rescuers, and he still thinks I’m a helpless kid, even though I’ve been killing evil men for months. When he offers to help with my little revenge spree, I know it’s only because he worries about my safety.
If he’s going to keep looking at me like that, though, he might be the one in danger.
Anti-Hero is for the wild hearts out there who, despite being all love and light, still need their revenge.
REVIEW:
Note: While this is the fourth book in this series, it is a spinoff from most of the other series of this author including Rebel Sky Ranch, Wrecked: Guardians and Mobsters & Billionaires, so there are a number of crossover characters and some spoilers for those series too. There are also major spoilers for the previous books in this series. It’s recommended to read them in order.
Antonio Allende, aka Ant is on a mission. He survived being trafficked – sold by his own grandfather and told his family didn’t want him. He was liberated by Charlie and his team and he’s been living at Wild Heart Ranch getting his life back. And the focus of that life, is revenge. He’s trained and made himself ready – even if not officially sanctioned – to assist Charlie and Erik and their team in rescuing other victims and getting them out of terrible situations and providing them with the tools and the care to take their lives back. But now he’s ready to take down those who exploited him. And he’s got just the right friends to help him do it (I’m looking at you Hopper and Anders). 😉
Erik Bash has been working with Charlie for some time. He’s got his own family issues to deal with. He’s glad to be doing good with Charlie’s team and of course his cousins, Andres and Odd and their family are not his family too. He’s seen a lot of really terrible stuff. But he’s never felt so protective of anyone as he is of Ant though. He’s aware that he’s overstepping a bit trying to keep Ant out of danger, but Ant puts him in his place. Literally. Ultimately Ant needs to be the master of his own destiny and Erik can either get onboard or get out of the way.
As Erik and Anders and Hopper and the team help Ant with his mission, Erik is forced to reckon with his feelings for Ant. He can no longer ignore the way he aches for the smaller man, although he’s terrified of saying/doing the wrong thing given Ant’s past. It’s takes him some time to realize that he just needs to listen to Ant and believe him when he says he’s ok and that he knows what he wants. They also have the best support team in the business.
When Ant is reunited with his family, things seem to be going the right way. Ant has made some decisions and Erik is fully supportive. But some people can’t just leave well enough alone and the chapter with Ant’s extended family isn’t over yet. Between Ant, Erik, Javier and the rest of the team, nobody is going to get away with undoing all their hard work 😉
Well. This was a total wild ride. Ant is hell-bent on revenge and Erik is hell-bent on protecting him. It’s seems we have an impasse. Until Ant forced Erik to see him as his own man. They have been dancing around each other for months. Erik is terrified that he will do something to trigger Ant and he cares about him too much. Ant has backup with Hopper and Anders the support team who is ridding the world of one baddie at a time. For fans of this author’s other series, there are a lot of really fun cameos in this final book of this series. The interplay between Ant and Erik has been a long time coming. And when things change, hoooo boy. It’s like the fuse has been lit. FYI, there is a LOT of sex in this book, so if that’s not your jam just be aware. For those who are fans of size difference/opposites, this will be your catnip. A good part of this book reads like an action movie, so if you enjoy that kind of adventure, action and revenge, you’ll enjoy the heck out of this. At the end of the day, these two find a way to deal with their pasts and look towards a brighter future. Together. It’s a hard won HEA, but well deserved. Recommended.
RATING: 
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