Montana Heat: True to You audiobook

NOW LIVE!Amazon US * Amazon UKTrue to You was my first book by Jennifer Ryan and was a great introduction to her writing. Not reading the first book in the series didn't seem to matter, I was never confused at all or feeling lost because of that. Though, I definitely want to go back and read it since I liked this one so much. The story was actually a little surprising, I wasn't expecting it to have that strong sense of suspense, but I loved that it did. Right away the book opened up with this quiet intensity and from there it never seemed to stop. I was captivated by these character and the way the author's writing made it feel like I was right there with them, living out this story. Through everything that was going on in the book, the connection that Dawson and Cara shared was still able to shine through that. I really liked that it all blended together so well between them and the cartel part of the story and in the end everything came together and made me love it. ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 starsI received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.With a drug kingpin father, paranoid delusion uncle, and deceased mother, Cara has learned and protected herself with her trust issues. She runs a truck stop coffee house devoted to giving parolees second chances but trying to keep her life separate from her father's is proving more and more difficult. As a DEA Special Agent, Dawson has devoted his life to taking drugs off the street and taking down the bad guys. When a drug dealer uses his skills as a sniper to take out a rival, he makes it his personal mission to send him to jail. Trying to get an in with the man's daughter may prove fruitless in entering the drug world but Dawson may have succeeded in finally finding love. So he couldn't trust her. She didn't trust him. Second in the Montana Heat series, True to You focuses on Dawson King, a DEA Special Agent sniper. His bestfriend was the hero in the first book and while his story was summarized nicely, I felt a little rushed and lost in the very beginning while the set-up involving the drug cartel plot opened up. Reading the first book would have definitely helped but after a couple chapters I was able to settle into the world the author had created. Even though I had a bit of a whiplash feeling as previous events were rattled off, the prologue was incredibly gripping with our DEA sniper hero being put to the fire. She didn't even know his name. Not his real name. The set-up of having our hero Dawson going undercover to try and get close to his target's daughter Cara provided a great tension filled romance. Cara was an extremely distrustful heroine, she was a tough cookie but what kept her from crossing into the stubborn for angst sake well was her willingness to put it on the line when she couldn't fight getting close to the hero anymore; she was strong and passionate. While Cara learned her trust issues, Dawson's was trained and because his work and life depended on his cover, he couldn't just reveal all to Cara. I know we're dealing with fiction but the author did such a great job of creating realness to not only the characters but the story. The focus wasn't mainly on Cara and Dawson's sexual relationship, although there are some sexy times, but their emotional one. They had a full circle of meeting, distrust, attraction, bonding, betrayal, hurt, and then coming together. All the building blocks were there to create and enjoy a rounded out romance. This was no lie. With a cover that seems to project a more light and fluffy story, this was anything but. The drug cartel plot gets slightly more attention than the romance. The suspense doesn't come from overt action scenes but more from the reader watching and learning who and how the chess pieces are moving. The author did a great job of creating a multifaceted villain, the heroine's father named Iceman, but I thought the story lacked from getting more of his point of views. I would have also liked a smidge more drug cartel action with a little less hammering of how crappy Cara's life had been, it felt like trying to force the reader to really be in sympathy with her. "There is right and wrong, truth and lies. We are in between those lines." The story has a little bit of a sputtering ending with the action being over and the emotional relationship aspects staggering to the end but this also gave the readers a fully constructed ending, however, the added epilogue then seemed a bit unnecessary and cheesy. This had trust issues that cover secrets that are too important to be openly revealed, action that occasionally flirts with believability, but hotness that endangers and seduces. True to You was an impressive, fun, and hot romantic suspense story that also had a sexy hero who made a mean cherry tart. I'll definitely be checking out Jennifer Ryan's backlist and future releases.

Sometimes book covers can be deceiving, which do a great disservice to the stories in them. What looks like a cowboy romance is in fact, a romantic suspense (yay for me) novel that I would have missed out if I hadn’t taken the time to pick the blurb apart. Jennifer Ryan is a new author to me, but ‘True to You’ is a fantastic introduction to her writing style; the story is an articulate read, done for most part, in a way where I didn’t find myself bored or skimming through what I usually call ‘filler pages’. Cara and King were relatable protagonists and good together, and Ryan certainly didn’t waste any time setting up the scene for their paths to intersect. The on-the-edge, delicious tension between them tightened with each fine line that King crossed, as he desperately juggled his attraction to Cara and his work, while trying to be the good guy in the whole thing. But the usual problem with undercover work as a plot device is as always, the extent and depth of the deception (no matter how King tried to mitigate the damage) that cuts to the core, particularly when Cara paid yet again for it, with her already eroded trust in people who had betrayed her in the past. The story was a little roundabout however—I did have some questions swirling around that weren’t satisfactorily addressed from the start, as were the lack of differentiation of speech/characters at times—and it did take me a while to unravel the facts on my own and get the whole plot straight before I could fully get on board with it. There were also several repetitive lines profiling the characters that didn’t feel necessary, as was the choppy pacing towards the end. The climax happened at the 3/4 mark, leaving quite a long resolution that was filled with angst, inner monologues and huge emotional turmoil in both Cara and King, the latter of whom seemed to have ‘softened’ so much from the hardline, driven guy we saw in the breathtaking first few chapters. I’d hoped to see more action—more DEA agents scurrying around and King working in his element—in my romantic suspense reads in any case, which simply stopped after the climax took place after a short build-up. Also, with King referred to as ‘Flash’ and ‘Dawson’ as well, then Bennett as ‘Jay’ (all in the same scene) so the name changes threw me off sometimes. ‘True to You’ was in all, a good read, though not a perfect one. Still, Ryan is someone I’d be looking out for the next time something of hers gets published. *ARC by the publisher via Edelweiss

This review was originally posted on Addicted To RomanceI received this book for free from Avon in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.True To You is a wonderful book that just gave me all of the feels here folks...I swear Jennifer Ryan is so bad for my heart because I am always afraid I am going to have a stroke while reading one of her books. But alas....I am safe, for now until her next book comes out. True To You is one of those books that deals with some serious yet important issues that we tend not to think about in real life and I love that Jennifer Ryan implements these elements into her stories. These are NOT fluffy or lighthearted reads...so if that is what you are looking for, then don't read Jennifer Ryan because that isn't her style and I truly admire that about her.True To You begins when our hero, Dawson King, is going undercover. He has just spent time in jail to make sure his cover is solid. He is a military sniper but he hasn't done undercover much and this mission is pretty important. His goal is to either capture or kill a dangerous criminal in the drug business. The DEA has been after him for quite a long while but he keeps slipping through their fingers. King's plan is to get close to his innocent daughter to get to him. Cara is nothing like her father. She is completely innocent and is a bit of a straight shooter. She still suffers nightmares of being caught in her father's world. She suffers both physical and emotional scars from a traumatic event in her past. Everyone she has ever loved has either died or betrayed her in some way. She has learned to deal with lost but she hasn't broken. She keeps trying to believe for the good of others. When King first meets her she is pretty blunt about her rules in her coffeehouse, but she offers so many advantages to working for her. The more King gets to know Cara, the more guilt he feels in lying and deceiving her even if he works for the good guys. But will King lose Cara once she learns the truth about him and who he really is....True To You is one of those books that will keep you on edge, keep you up all night reading and is guaranteed to get to you on a very deep emotional level. I definitely always make sure I have plenty of tissues when I pick up this author because she puts me through the ringer and that definitely holds true with True To You. The whole secret undercover mission set up really works for this book. The connection that King and Cara have with each other is instant and at first, they try to resist the chemistry they have together but they soon realize what they have is unique and special and is worth fighting for. It's very interesting to see these two together because they are both fighting for the same thing but our heroine doesn't realize who King really is or what he will sacrifice for her. He wanted to break down the walls that hid her smile, laughter, and everything else she kept to herself and from the world. He wanted to know her secrets and desires and not so he could put her father behind bars. He wanted to know everything she didn't want to share with anyone else. He wanted her to want to share it with him. And we do have some characters that become redeemed, some characters that seem like the "good guy" but turn out to betray the good ones so there are some surprises and alterations to a story that becomes unpredictable and put the reader on edge at times.I would have to say this is one of the most thrilling of books that this author has written. Granted, many of her books have that edgy and compelling feel, but True To You felt slightly different than anything I have read from her previously. The "undercover" element really adds more mystery and intrigue to the story, with secret identities, an unpredictable plot that keeps you guessing, and a love story that is epic and worth fighting for, you will find yourself falling head over in heels with King and his lady Cara....buckle your seatbelts because this story will take you on a wild ride of suspense, passion and a fight for love!! 

Special Agent Dawson King is smart, sexy, broody and completely focused on his job as a DEA Agent intent to take down and out the people who allow illegal drugs and other nefarious deeds to occur under their purview. King’s job is to find a mark and make the arrest. Lies by omission and tacit deceit is standard course of action, but nothing about this op is standard. Especially his attraction to Cara Potter. Cara’s the daughter of a drug dealer. A father who’s been more absent than present and that’s just fine by her. She wants absolutely nothing to do with the “family” business. She owns her own business—a coffee shop—where she hires those who are trying to make their lives better, those who learn from their mistakes. But her trust doesn’t come easy because she’s been lied to her whole life. She doesn’t believe in words but actions. But what happens when King actually gets behind Cara’s carefully constructed walls? What happens when the truth is exposed? What happens when love and trust fight for control—will Cara let her heart lead, or will her head win out?Okay, I have to admit I binge-read the entire Montana Heat series over the course of a couple days. There’s something magical about Jennifer Ryan’s writing style and her words—her ability to convey the full storyline and thread the romance throughout it. I love her ability to keep the romance in the forefront and keep the growing love between the leading characters out of the hubbub that threatens them. It’s not dumb couple issues, but larger, life-threatening ones that could keep them apart. And that is just perfect to me. Much like True to You is a perfect blend of edge-of-your-seat suspense and romance. I loved how King and Cara circled around each other—how they were attracted but kept their feelings buried until they just couldn’t resist any longer. I loved watching their romance unfold as all the other craziness happened around them. That they found their own truth between the lines of the lies. I loved every minute and I cannot wait to read more! ~ Missy, 5 stars

Review to come

3.75This was a nice, emotional and suspenseful read with very likeable MCs. The two had an awesome chemistry and even though there was very few romantic scenes you could feel the emotional connection between them from the moment they meet until the end of the book.The book started off with an awesome prologue where the hero, Agent Dawson King, one of the DEA's best snipers gets played by Iceman, a drug lord, into eliminating his nemesis. A furious Dawson vows not to rest until he takes down Iceman. On discovering Iceman has a daughter, Cara Potter, who runs a small coffee shop --and according to Trigger, his fellow DEA agent (and hero of book one Escape to you) “On the surface, she appears to be a do-gooder. Takes in strays on parole or with a record that keeps them from getting gainful employment, so long as they swear they’ve left that life and want to remain on the straight and narrow. She doesn’t give second chances if they break the law.”-- he decides to use her to get to the drug lord. The story he and his fellow agents build up for him to get into her employment is that Flash --Dawson's undercover name-- was out from prison where he was sent for possession of drugs with intent to sell, a first time offender, and is out on parole because of a good deed and needs to clean up his image and as he is completely down and broke he needs the job. To perfect the alibi, Dawson had to endure prison for one fifty-three days where he gets close to a prisoner, Scott, who is Iceman's man, even saves the man's life twice. I enjoyed the banter between Dawson and Trigger when he walks out of prison.Ashley Swan, movie star and Trigger’s fiancée, pulled back and looked up at him. “You don’t look so hot.”“You’re gorgeous as ever. Ditch the dirtbag and run away with me. I haven’t had sex in months. The first time will be fast, you probably won’t even notice, but after that, I swear I’ll treat you right.” King found his smile when Ashley giggled.“With your tiny pecker, no woman would notice, no matter how long it took you to get your rocks off. Now unhand her or I’ll shoot you.” Trigger might be joking about his “tiny pecker,” but not about shooting him if he didn’t hand his fiancée back. After all they’d been through together after Ashley escaped her year-long captivity from a psycho serial killer, King understood Trigger’s protective streak. On his way to Cara, Dawson runs into Iceman when he stops to save a teenager being beaten by his thug father, who happens to be Iceman's lieutenant with Iceman looking on. Dawson gives the drug lord his undercover identity further telling him about Scott sending him to Cara for a job. Iceman begins to get suspicious of him. Having saved the teenager's life who happens to be employed by Cara, Dawson has no problem finding employment and accommodation with Cara. She's however disturbed by him because of the desire he's awakened in her. Having had a very bad experience in her last relationship she was wary of all men. Dawson is equally attracted to her but knows he has to treat her as a job. He keeps an eye on the people she associates with - her reclusive and eccentric uncle whom she loves, her employees --the teenager, her chef, an elderly ex-con and Tandy, an ex-con and promiscuous waitress, who cannot stop feeling Dawson up every moment she gets thereby evoking Cara's jealousy. He is also slowly discovering that Cara actually hates her father and wants to sever all ties with him but is unable to do so contrary to his initial suspicion that she had to be helping her father in his drug business somehow. She's wary of all people because every person she cared for had betrayed her. Which is why, it baffled me that she still kept employing these ex-cons, instead of making a clean break with everything that associated with her father.As the truth keeps unraveling and the more Dawson gets closer to Cara, he is plagued with guilt for lying to her. He discovers the real reason why Iceman had set him up and the torture Cara had gone though for just being a drug lord's daughter. For those who are squeamish be forewarned there's mutation of a body part. Her story both horrified and saddened me. However, from the moment Cara and Dawson meet until Cara discovers Dawson's real identity, barring those couple of times she and Dawson had sex which drew them closer, the book takes on a very sad, grim, dark turn as the author sketches out the lonely and pathetic life Cara leads between running her coffee shop and visiting her reclusive uncle once a week. I thought in trying to evoke sympathy for Cara --which it did to me-- the author dragged the melancholy and grimness for a bit too long that when the action takes over as Cara discovers the truth about the people close to her and also Dawson's real identity, I found it a welcoming relief. It also brings Dawson's family into the picture infusing some cheer into the book. Loved every one of them and how they plot to bring the two miserable lovers together. As I said Dawson and Cara made an awesome pair and the suspense was good. Also I liked that the book didn't end abruptly once the bad guys are taken care of instead there was a sort of an epilogue showing Cara and Dawson living happily together and how they deal with a stalker. I also liked what I read about Trigger and Ashley in this book and I'm tempted to read the book about them.This book is for those who like romance between two strong, likeable characters with a nice suspense thrown in.

My Review:Okay, I'm not sure how this happened because I know that I have a ton of Jennifer Ryan books in my TBR pile, but this is the first time I've actually read one of her books. And it should also be noted that I was only about 25% into this book when I got online and ordered the first book in the series...because I NEED to read Trigger and Ashley's story...it sounds amazing. But this review is about this book...which was pretty darn good, too. King has just gotten out of prison...after a 150+ day stint to set him up for his undercover DEA operation. You see, he's trying to get close to Cara who is the daughter of a criminal drug-running mastermind. On the surface, Cara has an honest business, but she hires down on their luck ex-cons...and gives them the opportunity for a fresh start. Regardless of what the DEA thinks, Cara is innocent and hates her father for the chaos his life has brought to hers. She's doing what she can to make up for his life...by offering ex-cons a way to start over. So many times, ex-cons don't have good choices they can make. But as much as Cara wants her father to stay away, he doesn't follow her wishes and continues to show up which continues to drag Cara and her business into his business...which isn't good. I enjoyed this book. I had no idea how it was going to all play out and was shocked when the climax started happening so early, but that meant that there was a great closure to the story that I did really enjoy...even if it did drag on for a tiny bit too long. It may have been my first Jennifer Ryan read, but it definitely won't be my last. It was a completely engaging story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.NOTE: The best line in this entire book happens way early when King is talking to Ashley...'he'll be in and out quick...so she won't even notice' (that's a summary), but two days later, I STILL crack up when I think about that scene. Needless to say, I loved the friendship between Trigger and King and am dying to go back and read Trigger's book now. I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I may be a bit bias as each new book gets added to the Montana Heat series, I find a new hero to just absolutely love. I thought no one would step past the brothers but I was wrong. King won me over quickly. Cara stepped up to the plate and made this one fabulous. Action, drama, suspense, intensity, chemistry, passion, protection. King was there for the Cooke brothers in the previous books and falling for him was just so easy to do. He was strong, determined, dedicated, protective, and he had a past that he needed to get past to see his future. Cara was caught in the middle. She had her family on one side and the right thing on the other. With her family being who they were and what they did, she was one smart, cautions, strong young woman. King and Cara both had issues with trust. Following along while these two fall in love and learn to trust was more sensual then sweet and had a bit more mystery/suspense attached to their coming together.

ExcellentThis is an excellent romantic suspense. Heavier on the suspense, lighter on the romance. Well written with a great plot that had me glued to the pages. Recommended read.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads. Triggers: domestic violence, drugsA dab of this and a dab of that and you have a book with lots of elements that came together wonderfully.Trying to dismantle a drug cartel, Dalton King spent five months in prison to create a cover story to fool even the stoutest doubter. Cara Potter is that person. She trusts no one, especially after the last person she trusted almost killed her. As Dalton aka "Flash" gets to know Cara, he realizes she's the real victim in this war. She's tried to live a life outside her father's long shadow and somehow she's always pulled back in. He realizes that she's doing what she can to limit her exposure to his way of life but knows that without her help it may be impossible to put her father in prison for his crimes.Cara knows that there's more to Flash that what he's telling. He's too smart, hardworking, etc to get caught up in the drug racket, but she can't figure him out. Not to mention, her uncle is acting even more paranoid than usual.This book took a lot of different strands and wove a story that kept me interested from the first chapter to the last, hating to put it down to even do my chores.~~Wicked Reads Review Team~~

True to You is the third book in Jennifer Ryan’s Montana Heat series. The series is based around D.E.A. agents working in Montana. It is a loose spin off of the Montana Men series where we were first introduced to the Cooke brothers Caden and Beck (Trigger) whom the first two books are based upon. I’ve read just about everything Ms. Ryan has published so I’m admittedly a big fan. I enjoy the way she combines modern romance and suspense. This book was no exception. I will warn anyone not familiar with her books that they often involve some terrible and often graphic violence visited upon the heroine, at the start of the story. So if you have a low tolerance for such things her books are probably not for you. While I find the description of such things difficult it does help you appreciate the inner strength of the heroine having survived and pushing forward. While the men in Ms. Ryan’s stories ride to the rescue, the heroine is hardly some helpless damsel in distress.In True to You the hero is Dawson Gold, like Trigger Cooke his best friend, Dawson is a crack sniper for the D.E.A. and is currently working undercover to help bring down a drug cartel hit man called the Ice Man. To do so Dawson must pretend to be an ex con nicknamed Flash, and ingratiate himself to the Ice Man’s estranged daughter Cara who runs a roadside restaurant where she tries to give ex cons who want a second chance an opportunity to rehabilitate their lives. Problem is the minute Cara and Dawson’s eyes meet it’s instant attraction. Dawson learns that Cara is the most caring woman he's ever met, but has been deceived, betrayed and abandoned by every man she’s ever loved beginning with her father with whom she has serious daddy issues. The fact that it is Dawson’s assignment to be another man who deceives and uses her for his own purposes is tearing him up. He wants her. He wants forever with her but he knows the minute she finds out who he really is and that he’s used her to get to her father, that’s never going to happen. And worse he’s going to hurt her like every other man she’s trusted. As the attraction between the two grows it becomes harder and harder for Dawson to resist his physical attraction to Cara. And Cara who despite her sad history with men longs for someone to love her both emotionally and physically stops playing hard to get. Add to the story the only living relative Cara is close to is her father’s crazy older brother her Uncle Otis who lives like a hermit in a cabin on the same land she inherited from her grandparents. And Otis doesn’t want Dawson anywhere near his vulnerable niece. This certainly isn’t what I’d call a fast paced book as the relationship between Dawson and Cara develops slowly along with his investigation of the Ice Man. But it is a page turner. To her credit I think Ms. Ryan took her time letting our hero and heroine find their H.E.A. once the exciting confrontation between good and evil take place and Dawson’s true identity is revealed to Cara. I also enjoyed the fact that while the book was focused on Dawson and Cara, to give the series some continuity Ms. Ryan included Beck and his now wife Ashley in several spots unlike many authors who give the characters from previous books only a token if any appearance in follow on books. IMHO Ms. Ryan has another winner here with True to You.