Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: ISO: In Search Of
SERIES: After Oscar #4
AUTHORS: Lucy Lennox and Molly Maddox
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 280 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 24, 2023
BLURB:
How in the world does a grumpy rancher end up falling for a rich dilettante?
Richard Dunning has it all: private school education, an exquisite designer wardrobe, a last name that ensures he’s invited to all the best parties, and a skincare regimen that’s to die for.
The only thing he doesn’t have is… well, a job. Or a home. Or money in the bank. Not since his dad cut him off.
So when his best frenemy approaches him with a bet—spend a month working as a cowhand on some godforsaken Wyoming ranch in exchange for his dream job—he’s a little too proud and a lot too desperate to say no.
But from the moment Richard and his rhinestone cowboy hat show up at the Silver Fork Ranch, nothing is as expected.
Not the beautiful vistas, not the terrifying horses, not the friendly people, not the epic quantities of cow manure, and definitely not Boone Hammond, the rugged rancher whose eyes are a little too intense, whose expectations are a little too high, and whose kisses are… a lot too tempting.
But when his month on the ranch comes to a close, Richard must choose: return to the safe, luxurious life he thought he wanted… or risk everything for the love he’s been IN SEARCH OF all along.
REVIEW:
Someone once told me, ‘Keep putting your heart out there, and eventually, the right person will grab it and keep it safe for you.’
ISO: In Search Of is an enjoyable novel in the After Oscar series by Lucy Lennox and her sister, Molly Maddox. This book covers numerous tropes: opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine, boss/employee, age gap, and city boy/country boy. It’s a low angst, romantic story.
Oscar is not one of the main characters but he is at the epicenter of all the books (if I remember correctly). In ISO, Richard is the ex of one of Oscar’s exes. He’s at a loose end, tired of working for his billionaire father anymore since he can never live up to his expectations. He gets cut off and is now jobless, homeless, aimless, and mostly broke. Oscar offers to help him find a job if he can first last one month working on his friend’s (who’s another ex) Wyoming cattle ranch. Even though he’s the antithesis of a cowboy and not cut out for manual labor, spoiled, uppity, citified Richard accepts the dare.
It’s hard to imagine anyone more different to Richard than Boone, the rancher and owner of the Silver Fork ranch. He’s surly, grumpy, and hard working. He’s in dire need of laborers, though, so he agrees to take on Richard, even when he arrives in a bedazzled cowboy hat and designer ankle boots. Richard’s first chore: mucking out stalls.
“I’d been searching for a purpose. For something real. For a life where I, with all my faults and imperfections, mattered more than the boxes I’d never fit in. And somehow, accidentally, I’d found it.”
I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I didn’t warm up to Richard for most of the book. I couldn’t understand why Boone would be attracted to Richard who he saw as an elitist, a “spoiled little rich kid”. But eventually they worked for me as a couple and as Boone came to like Richard, so did I. I began to see in Richard what Boone saw in him – kindness, hard work, loyalty, and vulnerability. He earned the respect of everyone on the ranch. Boone I liked instantly, in particular that he wasn’t afraid to publicly show his affection for Richard. There’s no homophobia anywhere, which was refreshing. The side characters at the ranch were all salt of the earth men (and woman).
For all intents and purposes, I read ISO as a standalone; it’s been three and a half years since the last book was published and I can’t remember it. The book works fine as a standalone, though, even without any prior knowledge of the characters.
I would recommend ISO for any contemporary romance readers looking for light story.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: