The Way She Reads

To say I was looking forward to Snow in Montana would be a gross understatement. Apart from the more than enticing blurb for Ryan and Jordan’s story there was still the Justin and Adam situation to fully resolve. For the most part this book gave me exactly what I was hoping for but….

I have to admit I’m a bit torn about this book. On the one hand I loved it. Ryan and Justin’s story was adorable, almost angst free, and a pure delight to read. It makes a nice change to read a book where one partner isn’t more or less forcing the other to step out of the closet and it’s even better when the outing, when it does happen, is more or less drama free and helping the relationship move forward rather than setting it back. I always love it when a book takes me by surprise or a story develops in a way I didn’t expect and that was definitely the case when it came to Jordan and Ryan. These two men were so cute together. I loved the doubts Ryan harboured underneath all his strength and the determination and honesty of Jordan.

I could have done with fewer characters whose names started with ‘J’.  Jordan, Justin, Jason…more than once I confused one for the other. I get that in a series with as many characters as the Montana books it is impossible to not have characters with similar sounding names but when all three showed up in same chapter my addled mind had a hard time keeping up.

I’m also not entirely sure how I feel about the resolution of the Adam – Justin situation. On the one hand it makes perfect sense that their situation doesn’t suddenly find an easy answer or clean cut solution. On the other hand however it didn’t feel as if any more questions had been answered when the book ended, just that Adam had come to terms with the fact that the past would always remain somewhat murky. And while that certainly fitted the situation and felt realistic, I would have liked a bit more clarity.

However, all of the above didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying this book and reading it from start to finish more or less in one sitting. RJ Scott is a master storyteller with a special talent for creating characters who make a lasting impression. In these four books she created not only an extended family I came to adore but also managed to turn Montana into an extra character, as vivid as the people inhabiting it. Crooked Tree Range has over the course of these books turned into a place so real I’d love to go and spend a holiday there.

So while Snow in Montana wasn’t my favourite book in this quartet, it was, without a doubt, an intriguing and spellbinding finale and a pure pleasure to read.