Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: ISO: In Search of
SERIES: After Oscar, Book 4
AUTHOR: Lucy Lennox and Molly Maddox
NARRATOR: Michael Dean
PUBLISHER: Ginger Cat LLC
LENGTH: 9 hours and 29 minutes
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:
It’s been a minute since we’ve had an After Oscar series book from Lucy Lennox and Molly Maddox. One of the leads in the latest book, ISO: In Search Of, is Richard, James’ ex. James and Sawyer’s romance is featured in the prior book BTW: By the Way. I admit, I had to go back and reread parts of BTW to refresh my memory about the characters and their relationships. You do not need to read the prior books in the series to enjoy ISO, although having read BTW will certainly help because that’s where we first meet Richard and get his history with James. Whether from the passage of time or fulsome character development, Lennox and Maddox succeed in turning Richard, who appeared to be the bad guy based on his break up with James, into a charismatic, relatable, endearing man.
There are obvious parallels between the stories in this series – most notably the fish-out-of-water theme, wealth gap, and improbable pairings. Lennox and Maddox give the wealth gap a bit of a twist here because Richard is an uber-wealthy man, but he’s decided to get out from under his domineering father’s thumb and has been cut off from his wealth for his efforts. He now barely has enough money to buy a pair of shoes, and desperately needs a job and a place to live. Oscar orchestrates Richard’s stay at Boone’s ranch, fulfilling Richard’s two most immediate needs. In contrast, Boone is a ranch owner who’s ostensibly done well, but unbeknownst to most, Boone is filthy rich. The wealth isn’t important to him though, and he doesn’t flaunt it; in fact, he barely acknowledges it.
On paper, Richard and Boone couldn’t be more different, like the couples in the three previous books. Apparently, Oscar wields some magic in creating love matches through his setups. He doesn’t seem to have much success himself, … but that’s for the next story.
Lennox and Maddox excel at fully realizing well-sketched characters who are colorful, complex, engaging, and endearing. They can draw out the similarities and weave them into an unlikely pairing that makes perfect sense. Then they wrap that romance up in a tapestry of details that bring an immersive environment to life around them. World-building is one of their strengths and they picked the right narrator to paint that picture for us.
Michael Dean’s vocal performance in the ISO audiobook adds to that immersive experience. Whether by default (he narrates almost all of Lennox’s stories) or not, he is undeniably the right choice here. He effortlessly communicates the complexity of Richard and Boone’s fears, vulnerabilities, love, principles, and values. He explores the nuances of their characters, conflicted feelings, and goals through the textures of the voices he gives them.
I adored Richard and Boone’s romance. Neither man is perfect – although Boone comes close – but even he initially suffers from a judgmental attitude, assuming the worst about Richard before even giving him a chance to prove himself. Richard and Boone have a surprising amount of chemistry and they fit well together. A few plot points felt abrupt though, and some issues were resolved too hastily. But otherwise, this was a smooth ride and I eagerly listened to find out what was coming next.
Richard’s frenemy Oscar is the backbone of this series: All of the stories revolve around one of Oscar’s ex-boyfriends. Nevertheless, we don’t see much of Oscar in the earlier books. In ISO, though, Oscar plays a pivotal role and has meaningful time on-page. Lennox and Maddox set up his forthcoming romance nicely. It’s evident that things are not as they might seem for Oscar, and I cannot wait to unravel the mystery.
In the meantime, I’m more than happy to indulge in the romance of Richard and Boone. They are terrific together and the authors hit all the right notes in bringing them to life. ISO: In Search Of is the best book of the After Oscar series thus far. Enjoy.
RATING: 
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