Release Day Reviews ~ Don't Let Go by Andrew Grey

Release Day Reviews ~ Don't Let Go by Andrew Grey

Title: Don't Let Go
Author: Andrew Grey
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Category: Western
Pages: 200

Dreamspinner   

Avery Rivers is a country music sensation, selling records by the millions and playing to sold-out crowds. But behind that persona is Robert, a burned-out musician cracking under the pressure. He’s unable to write any new songs, and he wants out of the business—at least for a while. He changes his appearance and finds honest, hard work in Jackson, Wyoming. Maybe getting to be a regular guy for a while will get him past his block.

Hy Whitely was a championship bull rider until he watched his best friend thrown in the arena and decided the rodeo circuit was no longer the place for him. He wants to be plain old Zeke for a while, and when he returns to his family ranch, he bumps right into Robert—a one-night stand from his last rodeo appearance who is now working there as a ranch hand.

The heat between the men could sear the grass off the range, but each one is hiding a secret. Robert and Zeke, the men behind the public images, fall in love, but can they hold on when Avery and Hy are pulled back into the spotlight?

**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by DreamSpinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**

Don’t Let Go by Andrew Grey is what I come to expect from this author. It’s a well-written story, with real characters, a sweetness that always makes the HEA that much better. Avery/Charlie has everything he wants, but sometimes that’s not even enough. When he finally forces a break for himself, he starts learning about who Charlie is and what he wants. Zeke’s known what he wants since he was a child and it’s within his grasp but the loss of his friend has really affected him. Both men meet and neither man recognizes the other. Their one night turns into more, and soon they have to figure out what they really want from life.

I loved both Charlie and Zeke, and especially Zeke’s father. He’s the typical rancher character, but he wasn’t putting up with any BS. He thought nothing of calling each man out and reminding them what’s important. Charlie and Zeke were both hard workers and were the best at what they do. But watching the two focused, workaholic men try to carve out a life together was enjoyable. I mean, I rolled my eyes some because it was so obvious, but you know, they got there, eventually. ;) They couldn’t figure things out too quickly, or how could they appreciate what comes easily?

Honestly, Andrew Grey’s books are my legal drug. I enjoy stories that will suck me in and let me shut out the world for the time it takes to read them. I love stories with characters I can fall in love with and that I’m rooting for them to get it together. I love books that don’t have unnecessary drama or angst and stories that give me the HEA I’m looking for in a romance book. And, with this book and so many others of this author, I get everything I want. And, no matter how many books he releases, I’ve never felt like any character or book is a duplication of another. He seriously just has a wide arrange of characters and storylines, I’m always impressed with each new addition.

Rating: 5 stars

3.75 Stars!

I enjoyed this book. Avery Rivers is country music star who is getting burnt out and wants to take back control over his life. He tells his agent he's taking a break and takes off out west. Hy Whitely, also known as Zeke, watches his best friend get thrown just as he starts considering taking a break from bull riding. These two men run into each other at the rodeo that Hy is riding in, but don't expect to run into each other again. Avery, also known as Robert, continues to head west and ends up starting a job as a ranch hand. He grew up on a ranch and wants to get back to the earth to find his music again. The irony is that the man who hired him is Zeke's father.

I liked both men. They were straightforward and wanted time to sort out their current careers when they find each other and have a connection that they can't deny. I liked how Robert helps Zeke put things into perspective at times. I liked their connection and that they didn't add drama to the complicated situation that they were in, especially as word leaks out about where Avery Rivers is. I loved the conversation that Robert has with Zeke's dad before he leaves the ranch for a while. I do wish that we could have seen some of the conversations that they had when they were apart; it seemed that Robert just took control of sorting out a solution for them and I was hoping they'd work on it together.

All in all, I liked the book and the characters.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

5 stars

If a book has a way of bringing tears to my eyes it deserves five stars because I don’t tear up at every book I read, but Andrew Grey’s characters always have a way of burrowing deep into your heart and make you love them.

The way Andrew wrote Robert and Zeke’s weariness and heartache felt like it was mine and that I was feeling everything right along with them every step of the way.

Robert ‘Avery Rivers’ Cummings is a wonderful character, he wanted to do what he could to keep everyone happy but finally realized you have to keep yourself happy and healthy in order to do the same for others. He was a very relatable and likable and realistic character. He didn’t make things unattainable and worked and fought to keep what he wanted. He wasn’t whiny or a bully, which I appreciate.

Zeke is a hard-working character who also fought for what he wanted in his personal and professional life. I loved him and am having a hard time to describe how I feel about him because nothing feels acceptable. Zeke is a simple man who just wants to recover from the pain of his friend's throw and reevaluate what being in the rodeo really means to him and the dangers that come with it.

A country star and a rodeo star give the phrase “long distance relationship” a new meaning and made me ache for both Robert and Zeke. Each feels the pain from being away from the other and seeing each other when they have a free day here or there.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***