Escape from Abundance (Abundance #3) by Shanna Swenson
Summary:
Trouble finds us all at some point…
Cole Callahan has been in trouble - or better yet - running from trouble his entire life, so it’s no surprise that when his best friend, Adam, is murdered in cold blood, he’s once again running… Only this time, he’s running from the law, and he’s a suspect!
When his get-away ride breaks down in the small Texas town of Abundance, Cole decides to take an impromptu job at Kinsen ranch. He’s thinking he’ll blend in and hide out for a while before heading out of the country. He’s soon astounded by the intense love this amazing family has for one another; a love he’s never experienced before, and Dallas Kinsen starts to become the woman he simply doesn’t want to live without…
Little Dallie is all grown up. She’s eighteen years old now and spending her last summer at home on her family’s horse ranch before heading off to college. The thought of leaving home and going out to make her mark on the world is becoming an overpowering concern for her as she tries to mentally prepare herself to leave the nest. She’s not sure she’s ready for college life and a premature homesickness starts to tear at her fragile heart. She’s also not eager about leaving behind the new ranch hand her father has hired on… Cole is charming, good-looking and has a profound wanderlust unlike any Dallie’s seen before, but how will she take the deep, dark secret he’s been hiding when it comes bursting out from the seams?
Cole is on the run for his freedom! Can Dallie be his saving grace or will she just become yet another let down in his second-rate life?
Let their love story carry you away as they escape from Abundance…
This is book three of the Abundance series. Read my reviews for book one, Abundance, and book two, Return to Abundance.
Romance with a touch of reality is no understatement when it comes to Shanna Swenson’s novels! Once again, she’s crafted an intense, multilayered love story - with the perfect problem to keep the plot moving.
Cole Callahan is a man on the run after finding his best friend murdered in their auto body shop. With his criminal record, Cole fears being viewed as the murderer, so he runs and finds himself at the Kinsen ranch in Abundance. It was fun to watch Cole slowly fit into ranch life - at times being a “green horn” around the horses and then surprisingly skilled as he reveals pieces of himself to Dallas Kinsen.
Little Dallie is back - and quickly growing up! On the brink of heading off to college, Dallie is still her sweet, wonderful self around her family and on the ranch, and she’s still incredible with horses. She’s still daddy’s little girl (whom he fiercely tries to protect), but when mysterious Cole arrives, their relationship becomes strained as “daddy’s little girl” realizes she wants to become a young woman.
I can’t give enough praise to Swenson’s writing. Each character is given their own voice, their own set of goals and morals, and they’re fleshed our beautifully as the plot progresses. You connect with each person that arrives on scene and can easily relate to them. And each couple Swenson has created throughout this series is distinct and lovable.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the comparison between the mature couples - Jack and Natalie, Nathan and Jordan - and the relationship blooming between Dallie and Cole. The young couple sees examples of true love and what it means to be loved, and this shapes the relationship they embark upon. It’s a great blend between sweet and sensual.
As always, Shanna Swenson teases at the next book in her series by introducing a couple going through their own struggles, and I can’t wait to see what Swenson has in store for them next!
To learn more about Shanna Swenson and her Abundance series, check out her website: www.shannaswenson.com.