Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Close Quarters

SERIES:  Isaiah Ranch

AUTHOR:  Romeo Alexander

PUBLISHER:  Books Unite People, LLC

LENGTH:  358 pages

RELEASE DATE:  May 8, 2024

BLURB:  

The only thing that frustrates me more than my life, is Elliot!
And the feeling is mutual.

Yes, yes, I know. I let my temper run away with me…again. That’s what got me locked up in the first place. I hit Riley, then Elliot and I got into a fight, and now I’m stuck with the idiot 24/7. What kind of hellish punishment is that?

I don’t think I hate him, and I’ll be the first to admit he’s kind of hot, but God, will he ever just shut up!

Forced together and told to work out whatever this thing is between us, it turns out Elliot may be the one person in the world capable of keeping my temper at bay. He…gets me. Maybe we could be good for each other. Maybe…more?

Turns out we are good together, very good! He brings out a softer side of me no one has seen before, including me. I can’t possibly be falling for him, can I?

But violence and death are just around the corner, and if I’d known what hell awaited us thanks to a missing flock of dumb sheep and a gang of drug runners, I might have walked away…but now, it’s too late.

REVIEW:

Note:  This does have some overlap in timeline with the first book, but can work fine as a standalone.

Elliot and Reno are two guys who have been to prison but have been accepted into an inmate rehabilitation program at Isaiah Ranch.  Elliot never stops talking.  His ADHD tends to put others off – he’s a bit “squirrel!” for the other guys in his cohort at the ranch. In particular Reno, another felon in particular does NOT like to deal with Elliot’s “energy”.  They are constantly fighting.

Reno, has anger issues (his temper is what got him in trouble in the first place) and he also has a lot of trauma and baggage from his past.  Elliott’s got his ADHD which he understands affects his ability to focus and make decisions appropriately.  A violent incident occurs however, that forces the issue.  Their mentor Leon, decides that they need to learn to deal with each other, so he decides that they are going to be paired together and learn to resolve their problems with each other.

Along with these two trying to learn to get along, there are also outside forces and real dangers that are making things difficult as well.  The challenges that each man has and how they can learn to work with an not against each other is really the crux of this story.  Nothing comes very easy for these guys and they go from more like enemies to lovers is a lot of work for them.

This is another good book in this universe that brings to light the work that is done by these men in overcoming their pasts/trauma and their personality differences.  Once again, told from dual first person POV helps the reader understand just how far these men have come and how much father they have to go.  The management of the ranch have made a commitment to this program and they are doing a good job in this alternative rehabilitation program.  I enjoyed watching thee guys go from fighting non-stop to accepting themselves and each other and learning to work together and build a genuine relationship.  Recommended for fans of hard won HEAs especially!

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

Amazon