Narrated by Greg Boudreaux
Lucky Break is the fourth book in A.M. Arthur’s Clean Slate Ranch series, and although it’s the first I’ve listened to, it works perfectly well as a standalone. Characters from the previous books do appear in this one, but there are no overarching plots or storylines, so I didn’t feel I was missing anything by not having read or listened to their stories (although I do plan to go back and do that!) The romance in Lucky Break is a sensual slow-burn that allows the leads plenty of time to get to know one another after a rather inauspicious beginning, although their reticence about their pasts does make for some frustrating moments. But for the most part, this is a tender, character driven story about two emotionally scarred individuals and in spite of the aforementioned frustrations, I enjoyed it.
Clean Slate Ranch and nearby Bentley Ghost Town are popular holiday destinations for people wanting an Old West experience, and true to its name, the ranch has provided fresh starts and new opportunities for workers and visitors alike. When Lucky Break begins, it’s the end of the tourist season, and the Tango Saloon in Bentley is serving up its last meals before shutting up for a ten-week break. Everyone is making plans to go on vacation, to visit friends and family for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but cook Shawn Matthews doesn’t have the luxury of going on holiday – or even a home to go back to – and ten weeks without a paycheck is a serious problem. He sends almost all his earnings to his elderly grandparents, who brought him up after his parents died, but an unpleasant situation five years earlier prompted him to leave home and he hasn’t been back, not wanting to make life awkward for them. He enjoys his work at Bentley and likes the people he works with, but he keeps himself to himself, partly because he finds it hard to trust but mostly because he doesn’t want anyone to find out he’s homeless and living in his car.
After finishing his shift, and with no idea what he’s going to do, things go from bad to worse when Shawn realises his car battery is dead. A similarly dead phone battery means he can’t call a garage, so he ends up walking to the cabin at the Clean Slate occupied by Bentley’s owner, Mack Garrett, to ask for help, something he absolutely hates doing. He also finds it difficult to accept help, but when Mack offers him a bed for the night Shawn can’t find it in him to say no to a night in a proper bed for the first time in two years. The next morning, Shawn wakes to learn that an accident means that the ranch is in need of someone to cook for the skeleton staff and early season guests in January – and (with a huge internal sigh of relief) he offers his services. He very soon finds himself ‘adopted’ into the close-knit circle of friends at the ranch – who are more like family to each other – something he isn’t quite sure how to react to given that he’s been so very alone for the past few years. The same afternoon, he accepts an invitation to go riding with Mack and a small group of the other staff, which is how he meets cowboy Robin Butler for the first time –and is confused and a bit pissed off at the other man’s dismissive reaction to him.
Robin lost his husband Xavier almost three years earlier in a tragic accident, and is freaked out by his first sight of Shawn because he’s the spitting image of his dead husband. Robin is so unnerved by that split second thought he was looking at Xavier that he all but ignores Shawn and determines simply to keep out of the other man’s way for the duration of the ride. He knows he’s being unfair and irrational, but Robin can’t help seeing Shawn’s presence around the ranch as a constant reminder that Xavier is gone.
Fortunately, however, it doesn’t take Robin long to realise he’s being an idiot and to apologise to Shawn for his behaviour. After this, the men strike up a friendship, and as Robin gets to know Shawn, he realises that the similarities he’d noticed between him and Xavier are merely superficial and that they’re very different personalities. The author takes their time to develop the relationship from initial attraction to friendship and then to more, and the lovely slow-burn of the romance is one of my favourite things about the book. There’s a real sense of emotional connection between the couple that feels natural and deepens as the story progresses.
Both men are emotionally bruised and struggling to come to terms with things in their pasts, and while on the one hand, I appreciated that two damaged people would be unlikely to offer up their entire life stories to a new partner straight away, I did sometimes find the piecemeal divulging of their truths to be a little frustrating. On the other hand, I loved that they were so open and honest with each other about the things they did talk about, especially when it came to their physical relationship. Shawn has never really had the time or opportunity to explore his sexuality, and although Robin is older (eight years) and more experienced, he makes it very clear that he’s going to take his cues from Shawn and never pushes for more than Shawn is ready for.
The depth of caring between them is brilliantly illustrated in the last quarter of the story when Shawn has to return to his home town and face many of the people who turned their backs on him. Robin is unstinting in his support and helps Shawn to see that what happened wasn’t his fault and that he’s a good person who deserves to be loved. And later, Shawn helps Robin to start shedding the weight of the guilt he feels over Xavier’s death and to move forward. Because of this and the way they communicate so well, I was completely convinced by the HEA and could easily see these two riding off into the sunset (literally!).
I also enjoyed the wonderful camaraderie and the strong friendships the author has created amongst the characters; there’s a real sense of ‘found family’ and trust among them I loved the way they so quickly brought Shawn into the fold.
Greg Boudreaux’s narration is, as one would expect, flawless. I’ve enjoyed listening to him in a variety of genres and stories and as many different characters – he’s excellent in all of them, but I think he’s at his best in stories like this one, where his ability to convey the tiniest emotional nuance and to portray the truth of the characters is his greatest asset. He’s one of the best vocal actors around, his voice is warm and inviting and his delivery is expertly timed; if you’ve listened to him before, you’ll already know why he’s top of my list of go-to narrators – if not, then you need to get on that right away! Lucky Break might be a good place to start.
Caz
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Awesome reviews of this book . I love it.