Kentucky Rain (Whiskey River Road #4), by Kelly Moore

Publication: August 20, 2020

About the book:

A law-abiding man, breaking all the rules and dodging love. I’ll either run her off or give her my heart.

I threw in my hat, giving up my job as a lawyer to become the one thing I swore I never would…a cowboy. I’ve lived on my father’s ranch my entire life, but never learned how to be a rancher’s son. Instead, I was urged to become an attorney by my father, who doesn’t live by the letter of the law.

Now, I’m left picking up the pieces of my life, trying to figure out who I am, and what I want. Trouble is brewing for me, I can feel it in my bones, especially when my friends-with-benefits relationship with Margret starts to feel like something more than I have to give. She deserves a better man than me.

My plan is to keep her at arm’s length. Her plan is to pull me in closer

My Review

Welcome to my review for the latest in Kelly Moore’s Whiskey River Road series, Kentucky Rain. Finally, we get Wyatt’s book and get to figure out what goes on in the mind of this mysterious man! Without giving away too much information for those that haven’t read book 3, Kentucky Rain picks up with Wyatt still trying to heal and come to terms with his injuries and his guilt over not better protecting Ellie. He’s pushing everyone away, especially the extremely patient Margeret. Wyatt, along with the rest of his family are all struggling in their own way, but Wyatt’s journey is emotional, complex, and makes the ending all the sweeter.

This is the 4th book in this series so I have become very familiar with this family, except for Wyatt. He has always seemed uptight, straightlaced, and honestly – boring. Kelly Moore completely brings Wyatt to life in this one, making me realize that he’s anything but boring. Wyatt is dealing with physical and emotional pain, guilt, and most of all anger. The first part of this book is so stressful at times as you literally watch the unraveling of a man. Long gone is the responsible and upstanding mayor and attorney. Instead, Wyatt is almost like a ticking time bomb. While reading his story, I knew everything would eventually blow up, but I wasn’t sure exactly how or why.

In addition to Wyatt’s situation, there was continued tension between Clem and Boone over Boone’s broken promise. Chet is being ornery and impossible as always. Bear and Nina are still trying to rebuild their relationship since Nina’s return, and Ellie and Ian are also working through the emotional and physical residue of Watkin’s attack. Mix all of that together with getting to know the newest Calhoun’s, Noah, and Jane, and there is a lot happening in this book! There are moments that I laughed out loud and moments where I wanted to cry, but regardless of which emotion I was experiencing, I never wanted to put this one down.

Kentucky Rain is darker than the previous books in the series in a lot of ways, but still has those overall themes of love and family. The characters are stubborn and by no means are they perfect. They are flawed and stubborn and seem to make a thousand wrong decisions before finally getting it right. But that’s one of the things that I love so much about this series. Moore’s characterization and plot development are astounding, but something that always grabs my attention is her ability to place as much emphasis on the subplots and secondary characters as she does the main. The result is a perfect literary blend of western romance, comedy, drama, and suspense into one amazing package.

As always with this series, I highly recommend Kentucky Rain and wish there was more than a 5-star rating because it truly deserves more. However, if you haven’t discovered this series yet, you will want to start with the first and read them in order (see below).

*Thanks to Kelly Moore for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Pre-Order Kentucky Rain on Amazon!

Missed the beginning of the series? Check out my reviews for books 1-3.

Coming Home (Whiskey River Road, book 1)

A cowboy. An empty altar. Coming home is complicated.

What stopped me from walking down the aisle to the perfect man? My stupid rebel heart, that’s what.

I loved Boone Methany with everything I had, but I wanted more than just the ranch I grew up on and training horses for the rest of my life. Leaving him on our wedding day wasn’t something I planned on. Neither was coming back to my family ranch after seven years in the military just to eat a heaping helping of crow.

I thought I was prepared to see him again. What I wasn’t ready for, was him being engaged.

Coming home is about to get mighty complicated.

Stolen Hearts (Whiskey River Road, book 2)

A thief and a single father don’t bode well. She’s snarky, and sexy which can only lead to two broken hearts.

It was a day like any other on the ranch.

Hard work and no play makes for a cranky cowboy. Needing a night out on the town left me sneaking in my father’s house like a teenage boy. That was my first mistake of the day.

The second was playing hero to a damsel in distress that turned out to be no damsel at all but a sexy, snarky woman who took me by surprise.

How you ask?

I’d been a ladies man. That is until I became a father. My rebel days were gone. A six-year-old sassy daughter changed all of that for me. I didn’t need the complicated messy kind of love stuff. My hands were full.

A mission into town to handle a family issue would make my life more muddled. The day I met the woman who would steal my heart.

A thief. A woman on the run. A woman with one too many secrets. A woman whom I had to save because if I didn’t, I feared she disappear and take two hearts with her. I wasn’t prepared for the danger she was in and the decision I’d have to make. She’d hate me for sure.

I definitely wasn’t prepared for her to leave.

Three Words (Whiskey River Road, book 3)

Wild at heart. One hot cowboy. A heap of trouble.

What stopped me from saying the three words Ian wanted to hear? My stubbornness that protected my heart, that’s what.

A handsome cowboy with a hot body and a sense of humor to boot, Ian Daughtry was everything a woman could ask for. He was downright pretty to look at. The day he left my world spun out of control. It changed me inside. I was no longer the sweet, innocent girl. Instead, I became the wild child desperate to feel anything but love.

Now he’s back, slipped into town unbeknownst to me. My family knew but didn’t want to tell me, afraid it would rip me apart.

I have a news flash for him. I don’t care how hot he is, he ain’t gettin’ me back. This woman has done fine on her own. But boy howdy… just seeing him he sent me in a tailspin. One that might get me in a heap of trouble.