REVIEW: Escape to You by Jennifer Ryan

In Escape to You (Montana Heat #1) by Jennifer Ryan, Neslted in a remote part of Montana is DEA agent Beck “Trigger” Cooke’s home, called Hope Ranch. It’s the place he escapes to when he needs to remember who he really is, which is a difficult thing to do sometimes when working undercover. Coming off of a case that left him physically and mentally wounded, Trigger didn’t expect to find a woman and young child wandering onto his property in a blizzard, on the run from an obsessed maniac. It’s obvious they need help. And he knows he’s their best chance to survive. But when his powerful connection to Ashley turns from that of rescuer to personal, Trigger is afraid it will cloud his judgement and that his troubled past–and her kidnapper–could make a move to end things for good.

“He tried to break you, Ashley, but all he did was make you stronger. Don’t for a moment think that you are anything less than amazing.”

The last year of actress Ashley Swan’s life has been one of misery and pain as she’s been held captive and tortured by a psychotic, evil man. All she’s praying for is for him to make one mistake so she can grab Adam, the young boy who is not the man’s son but who lives there, unfortunately being abused as well, and flee their situation. But when the day finally comes, mother nature doesn’t cooperate, sending Ashley and Adam to cover miles and miles of harsh Montana terrain on foot in a snowstorm. Her salvation is a rough looking man who should scare her to pieces but instead gives her a sense of safety and comfort. Beck vows to keep her and Adam safe. And as much as Ashley probably shouldn’t trust him as she knows nothing about him, she can’t seem to leave behind the man she’s come to care about so deeply.

“Maybe all a broken soul needs to heal is for another broken soul to see the whole of you and accept you, flaws and all.”

Wow! Escape to You was an intense, heartrending story of two people who had been through horrific situations finally falling in love and healing each other. This gem of a romance ranks right up there as some of the best work Jennifer Ryan has done to date.

‘He planned to do everything in his power to show her that love didn’t always hurt. That kindness didn’t have to come with strings attached.’

Possible trigger warning: Kidnapping, torture involving physical & mental abuse, murder, scenes written from the kidnapper’s POV.

For years I’ve loved the characters Jennifer Ryan has created and how she can spin such a wonderful story. And so far her new Montana Heat series (including the novella Protected by Love) has everything I enjoy about her writing plus tons of exciting action. I think what really struck me about Beck and Ashley’s journey was the realistic emotions they dealt with along the way and the amazing connection they had. Theirs was seriously one of the sweetest and most heartfelt relationships I’ve read in a while. From the start Ashley and Beck recognized that even though they seemed so different on the outside–him a DEA agent and her a world famous actress–inside they were both lost, broken, and needed that connection between them to start the healing process.

I loved Beck/Trigger as a hero. He had quite a tortured soul after all he’d done as an undercover agent and was just both physically and mentally kaput. But Ashley brought out the best in him–actually they brought out the best in each other–and I just adored watching Beck fall for her. It showed his innate kindness and how sigh-worthy of a guy he truly was. His immediate draw to poor youngster Adam melted my heart. I did get a kick out of how he called him “Little Man” and that he was so comfortable taking care of the adorable boy. Adam was everything to Ashley and Beck and I fell head over heels with his spirit and his charming personality once he opened up and knew he was safe.

Ashley was a tremendously strong heroine that I came to admire very much. She literally went through a year of hell and then had the courage to risk her life to protect Adam and free him. My heart broke for them. I was quite impressed with how Jennifer Ryan conveyed every true emotion Ashley went through after her escape and didn’t gloss over the tough parts. It was hard to read at times, but it helped me stay connected to Ashley and understand each choice she made. I also thought it was cool that she instinctively understood how to help Adam and Beck, how to reach out to them without pushing too much, showing them how much she cared. Her love for them awed me and brought tears to my eyes with how much she would endure to keep them safe.

Absolutely swoon-worthy and unputdownable, Escape to You was rich with emotion and worth every sigh, every laugh, and every tear I shed reading it. Highly recommended!
 

Book Info:

Publication: August 29th 2017 | Avon | Montana Heat #1

A Montana man always protects the woman he loves

He discovered her during a Montana blizzard, freezing cold, impossibly vulnerable, a little boy by her side. Undercover DEA Agent Beck “Trigger” Cooke is astonished to recognize Ashley Swan—award-winning actress, famous beauty—and missing for over a year. To keep her and the child hidden from a sadistic madman, he secrets the pair away to his isolated home.

No longer a prisoner, and protected at Hope Ranch, Ashley recovers and learns the tall, tempting federal agent may have a dark past, but it hasn’t destroyed his sense of honor.

As they shed past roles and find common ground, Ashley and Trigger can’t help but fall slowly, carefully, in love. But danger still lurks outside the boundaries of Hope Ranch, for until her crazed captor is brought to justice, and Trigger’s undercover past is laid to rest, none of them will ever be truly safe…