Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Need You Close
SERIES: Second Chance Ranch
AUTHOR: Annabeth Albert
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 237 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2026
BLURB:
Friends don’t let friends fall for each other.
Two of my closest friends have recently paired off with partners of their own, and I need a new friend in the worst way. I’m busy carrying on my father’s large-animal veterinary practice and our family legacy, but the loneliness is getting to me.
Carson Jennings might be my friend’s younger brother, but we hit it off immediately upon his return to Lovelorn, Colorado. Our mutual army background gives me a great deal of empathy for Carson’s recent injuries in the line of duty.
As our friendship grows through visits to a veterans’ support group to truck shopping to dealing with a sick rescue horse, our time together fills long-ignored holes in my life. The problem? My love life is one of those empty spaces.
My attraction to Carson is undeniable, especially once I discover that Carson shares my interest. One kiss tumbles into a passion neither of us has known before. I’m scared and worried because I don’t want to ruin this wonderful thing we’re building.
However, Carson is far braver than me. He won’t wait forever for me to leap from friends to the sort of love that lasts a lifetime. Can I heal my wounded heart before it’s too late?
Need You Close is book three in beloved author Annabeth Albert’s small-town Colorado cowboy romance series with Yellowstone meets Schitt’s Creek vibes. This return to the ranch features an unlikely friendship between a highly capable horse veterinarian and a newly injured military vet turned ranch hand. Hurt/comfort, new friends-to-lovers, mature main characters, disability rep, mental health rep, found family, and big feels with a standalone HEA guaranteed!
REVIEW:
Note: This is the third book in this series. While technically it can be read as a standalone, I think the first book sets a lot of context with the ranch and the previous couples, so there are spoilers for those books.
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