Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Beautiful Mess
SERIES: Redemption Ridge
AUTHOR: Aimee Nicole Walker
NARRATOR: Lance West
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 7 hours and 49 minutes
RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2025
BLURB:
Kerry likes his beer cold, his coffee hot, and sex without strings. Running an emergency response crew takes up most of his time, and he reserves the rest for his family. Besides, he’s experienced enough heartache for two lifetimes and isn’t looking for more misery. Kerry’s carefully crafted peace shatters when he meets Keegan, a hazel-eyed hottie and his brother’s new friend.
Falling for Kerry is a collision waiting to happen, but Keegan can’t resist the heroic hunk’s charm. Smoldering eyes and wicked grins tempt Keegan to go flat-out, even when he’s barreling toward a dead end. Rejection is the last thing his newfound confidence needs, but the crash might be worth the risk if Kerry’s there to give him mouth-to-mouth.
A crowded bar. A slow song. Months of mutual pining reach a fever pitch, and the invitation is out of Kerry’s mouth before he can stop it. Three minutes. wo battered hearts. One dance that changes everything.
Brick by brick, Kerry and Keegan dismantle the walls around their hearts to build something beautiful together. But old habits die hard, and traumas are slow to heal. Their love will either be the most beautiful gift or the messiest mistake.
Contains mature themes.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the sixth book in this series and there are spoilers for the previous books.
Kerry is sort of a no relationship/no commitment kind of a guy. He’s got a very busy responsible job and he’s also got a big family who he feels pretty responsible for. He’s also dealing with grief and he’s not willing to let anyone else into his heart because he’s convinced that way only lies more heartache. So he keeps it casual. Until Keegan, his brother’s friend.
Keegan is a resident at Redemption Ridge. He’s also been through A LOT. He’s been rejected and abused because of his sexuality. He’s working on healing. He needs to figure things out for himself, so he’s working with a therapist and he’s determined to experience all the things he’s missed out on. He wouldn’t mind experiencing them with Kerry.
Kerry asks Keegan to dance and thus begins a slow burn, hot/cold whole OTHER kind of dance. While their relationship is building and they are building trust even though they aren’t ready to pledge themselves, Kerry is distracted by a lawsuit. He’s got more on his plate than he needs, but he’s got friends and family who have his back. And he’s got his relationship with Keegan 😉
As Keegan gains confidence, he and Kerry are able to forge a real relationship. Despite what he’s been through, Keegan turns out to be a strong man who is learning who he really is and what he really wants. Kerry, it turns out, is more than willing to help Keegan get exactly what it is he wants and needs 😀
I really enjoyed this story. I was so hopeful for Keegan finally getting a happy ending. Kerry is such a good guy and he deserved something good for himself. Their chemistry is spot on. And as usual, Lance West does a stellar job performing this story for us. The consistency in voices and the right emotional pitch helps this story stay engaging and a delicious listen from start to finish. In my opinion, this is one of the stronger books in this series – partially because I just loved these two characters and really wanted to seem them together and happy. Well done! Recommended.
RATING: 
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