Lucky Man (Whiskey River Road #8), by Kelly Moore

Publication: August 12, 2021

About:

Does she or doesn’t she? She makes my head spin. All he knows it that he wants her heart. Missy Calhoun is the youngest horse trainer and owner in the business, and she has one goal–to win the Kentucky Derby. Missy threw love aside to focus on her passion. The last thing she needs is the sexy, smooth-talking cowboy whose horse is seated in first position stealing her thunder. Or her heart. That belongs to another man. Despite the chemistry she feels with Tucker, she’s unwilling to give in to him. Things ignite when he shows up out of the blue and sees her with another man. Tucker Anderson has one thing on his mind—giving Missy Calhoun the world if she’ll let him. Her on-again, off-again attitude only makes him more determined to melt away the hurt she harbors inside. When a real threat emerges, he’ll risk his own life to give her what she wants. Will they be able to weather the storm between them or will their hearts be broken?

My Review

Who is so excited about the next installment in Kelly Moore’s Whiskey River Road series? This girl is! So, don’t feel old or anything but this time the spotlight is on Missy, Nita and Bear’s nineteen year old daughter. Remember when she was like 7 or 8? It’s not completely about Missy, because none of these are ever centered on just one character, but overall, the novel spotlights Missy heading to the Kentucky Derby and Ethan and Jane navigating their lives through Ethan’s new boss and their attempted surrogacy.

Missy and Tucker were smitten with one another from the first time they met. Since then, Boone has helped get Tucker’s family’s farm in Kentucky up and running again while Tucker went to California to take classes. Despite Tucker’s intentions, the distance has not done them well and Missy is insisting on breaking up and focusing on her career with her horses. She and horse are the frontrunners for the Kentucky Derby and possibly the Triple Crown, but then Levi comes along with his money and superior attitude to completely shake things up with Missy. This was all so frustrating to me because obviously, I want to see her do well with her career, but come on, Tucker’s such a sweetheart!

Meanwhile, Ethan is now working as a live stock agent for the new mayor, Tally (who Ellie grew up with). Tally will leave a bitter taste in your mouth very early on due to her blatant attempts at flirting and stealing Ethan away from Jane. Poor guy is just trying to do his job and live his happily ever after, but Tally is annoyingly persistant. If you have follwed this series so far, prepare to not like her. It is what it is.

While Ethan is trying to avoid Tally, he and Jane are also struggling with attempting another surrogacy (thanks to Noah and Molly). Jane is convinced that Ethan will never feel happy and complete without his own biological child so rather than adopt, she has created this enormous pressure on everyone hoping this surrogacy will be successful. In true Kelly Moore fashion, be prepared to be hit with a major twist here!

Lucky Man is such a page-turner, much like the rest of this series. There’s action, mystery, humor, romance, and so much more. Seeing Missy and Rose grown up with such unique personalities is by far my favorite aspect of this book, but I also just love revisiting this family, their homes, and everything that’s important to them. Kelly Moore has created such an addictive series with Whiskey River Road and Lucky Man proves that the series just keeps getting better. Prepare yourselves for being wowed, surprised, and on the edge of your seat ready for what’s coming next!

P.S. Kleenex alert on this one is fairly low. Nothing like Rough Road which just made me blubber repeatedly!

Pre-Order Lucky Man on Amazon!

Missed the start of this series? Check out my reviews for books 1-7! P.S. they are free right now with Kindle Unlimited!

Coming Home (Whiskey River Road, #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, #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 #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.

Kentucky Rain (Whiskey River Road, #4)

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

Wild Ride (Whiskey River Road, #5)

He’s a tough cowboy. She’s a wild ride and the daughter of his family’s enemy. Will they let passion win out, or will it tear them to pieces?

Noah was raised apart from his family. Now, he’s trying to fit in with the Calhouns. But fitting in isn’t always easy when you’ve been a loner. A roll in the hay with a gorgeous woman fits his lifestyle. Falling in love was never in his plans.

Molly Granger’s lived a hard, dedicated life to her father. A man she loathes but has pledged her loyalty to—at least by all appearances. Her only focus has been revenge, even at the cost of her own life. Her goal is thrown off-kilter the day she meets Noah in a bar.

The connection between Molly and Noah is raw and intense, but neither one wants to admit their attraction. A wedge forms between them when Noah finds out her father is enemy number one.

Trapped between desire and vengeance, will they find a middle ground?

Magnolia Mill (Whiskey River Road #6)

She moved to Salt Lick Kentucky to a family she never knew. Now that she’s cured, she has a second chance at love. Will she take it or will she let fear chase him away?

Jane moved from Texas to Tennessee with her twin brother Noah to a family she had never met. She was overwhelmed with the warmth she received from each one of them. She was broken and dying. They healed her physically but they couldn’t take away her inward scars. She fixed herself up, plastered on a smile, and won the hearts of the town. As mayor of Salt Lick, she had a new beginning to fulfill her dreams, fall in love. Her only problem was, she wasn’t ready to let go of her heart so easily.

Ethan York came home with his best friend, Clem Calhoun. He was a big city boy trying to manage his life on the ranch. He found his calling in life; to be a cowboy. He also fell in love with Jane the first time he laid eyes on her. Neither one of them were ready to explore their emotions. Time passed and Ethan felt like he couldn’t breathe any longer with her in his life. His new job landed them working together on projects. The fire within him was ignited. Jane pushed him away. But Ethan proved to be one persistent man, like a dog with a bone.

She was trapped behind her secrets, not willing to share them. Will she ever be able to let go and fall in love, again?

Rough Road (Whiskey River Road #7)

Clem and Boone are the backbone of the Calhoun family. They found their second chance together many years ago after Clem left him at the altar. They’re happily married, but Clem has never been able to give Boone the one thing she feels he wanted the most.

Boone is a happy, satisfied cowboy. He adores his wife and daughter, wanting for nothing more, but to live the rest of his days growing old with the woman he loves. His life is perfect other than the teenage daughter that’s driving him nuts. His ideal life is about to take a rough road he never saw coming, and he’s not sure he will survive it.

Clem is madly in love with Boone. He’s a good husband and father. She’s one lucky lady to have such a hot cowboy. He’s protective and broody when it comes to the Calhoun’s and she wouldn’t have him any other way. Life couldn’t be any better…until she gets news that will turn her whole world upside down. Rough doesn’t even begin to describe it.

The secret she keeps from Boone may tear them apart. It will be a test of their love not only between them, but the entire Calhoun clan. Will they be able to stand together or will it finally be the one thing that rips them apart?