A Chaotic Range

3.5 Review by Barb
This is the seventh in the range series, which I’ve enjoyed immensely, but the first audiobook I’ve listened to in this series. Listening to audio gave voice to many of the characters I had come to know, and I found that it reinforced my view of a few characters and simply added to my enjoyment of the whole series.
This story features David, the man who broke Mario’s heart when he left him years ago and returned six months previously to find that Mario had found the love of his life in the intervening years. David’s been at loose ends all this time, not making peace with Mario, and still thinking about what could have been. He’s working on Haven and Phillip’s part of the ranch because Wally and Dakota felt it was better to have him away from Mario and his new partner, Gordon.
David and a group of men are out patrolling the ranch when they discover a car ditched in a snowbank during a particularly bad snowstorm. The man inside, Brian Applewright, was trying to find shelter and lost his way as his car ran out of gas. He’d been fired from the ranch he previously worked at, ostensibly because he was stealing things, but in reality it was because he was gay and he was set up.
Once they get him back to the ranch, David and Brian discover that they attended high school together and they’re immediately drawn to each other. They begin a tenuous relationship, one that is shattered when David hears the rumors about Brian and blindly believes them.
David has to find the answers within himself before he can go forward with proving to Brian that he is worthy of Brian’s trust again, and the surprising ally he finds backing him makes the story all the more endearing.
This story is fairly simple, without any major drama. I enjoyed this one, and I honestly hope the series continues because I’ve come to enjoy Wally and Dakota and their gay and not-so-gay ranch-hands with all their life dramas.
Andrew McFerrin did a great job with the vocalizations, providing a different tone for each character. Some of the voices were exactly what I would picture for the character, others were a surprise. I would recommend this story in this audiobook format since it’s fairly short and easy listening.
http://heartsonfirereviews.com/audio-review-andrew-grey-a-chaotic-range-range-series-7/

This is truly one of the best installments to the entire Range series and a must read. There are lots of ups and downs with no easy path to love.
Brian is out driving in the middle of a snowstorm after being fired from his last ranch. He ends up getting found by David, Phillip, and Hayden but doesn't hold much hope for the future. Brian remembers David from high school although they ran in different circles. Side by side they work and slowly grow closer. David has his own set of problems and lets old doubts and unsettled issues creep in. Both Brian and David have to work together for any hope of a future together.

Andrew Grey delivers another great story about redemption and finding love ...
When Brain lost hope ... He found in the range the thing he wanted and needed the most ... He found love.
David needed redemption ... He needed to change... He needed to accept the past was no longer important.
Brain and David found that happiness is something you can have with the right person ...

I love The Range series, it’s like seeing old friends again while you meet new ones. I can tell you however I did not like David for the first part of this book. Feelings got hurt and I wasn’t in a place to forgive him for what he did to Mario yet. I know I wasn’t the only one he hurt. Seriously, I didn’t like him at first but as the story went on, he redeemed himself. I think Brian had a lot to do with the change in David though.
You know that saying. “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.”? Yes, well David finally found himself and finished unfinished business. Then he was able to grab onto what was in front of him. Up until the arrival of Brian, David was just there to do his job and lay low. Everyone deserves a second chance and I’m glad now that he got one and it was because Andrew Grey has a kind heart.
Brian, what can I say about Brian? He’s very sweet and he came across to me as innocent. I cannot imagine not wanting a man like him around. But there were things and I do mean things, the word human is too good for them, who hated him just because of who he chose to love. They made his life miserable where he came from. That’s ok though, he found his place with David, Dakota and the rest of the good looking cowboys. Brian is a strong person and a survivor as he has demonstrated quite a few times in this story. I really hope to see more of him in the future.
This book is terrific, I read it straight through from beginning to end in one day. I highly recommend this book and if you haven’t read the Range Books yet.