Need You Close (Second Chance Ranch Book 3) Kindle Edition by Annabeth Albert


Maybe Carson could use a friend, but Jude starts to mean more than that to him. And Jude doesn't want to lose a friendship when he hasn't really thought about anything long term in a long time.


From the blurb:

Friends don’t let friends fall for each other.


Two of my closest friends have recently paired off with partners of their own, and I need a new friend in the worst way. I’m busy carrying on my father’s large-animal veterinary practice and our family legacy, but the loneliness is getting to me.

Carson Jennings might be my friend’s younger brother, but we hit it off immediately upon his return to Lovelorn, Colorado. Our mutual army background gives me a great deal of empathy for Carson’s recent injuries in the line of duty.

As our friendship grows through visits to a veterans’ support group to truck shopping to dealing with a sick rescue horse, our time together fills long-ignored holes in my life. The problem? My love life is one of those empty spaces.

My attraction to Carson is undeniable, especially once I discover that Carson shares my interest. One kiss tumbles into a passion neither of us has known before. I’m scared and worried because I don’t want to ruin this wonderful thing we’re building.

However, Carson is far braver than me. He won’t wait forever for me to leap from friends to the sort of love that lasts a lifetime. Can I heal my wounded heart before it’s too late?

Need You Close is book three in beloved author Annabeth Albert’s small-town Colorado cowboy romance series with Yellowstone meets Schitt’s Creek vibes. This return to the ranch features a large animal veterinarian and a wounded army sergeant turned ranch hand. A double dose of hurt/comfort, slow burn to sizzling chemistry, friends to forever, sensual exploration, disability rep, mature main characters, found family, and deep emotional growth in a low-angst package with a standalone HEA guaranteed.


SNik's review:

Third in series (Second Chance Ranch), but can be read as a standalone. Friends to lovers. Mature characters. Hurt/comfort. Disability representation. Mental health representation. Slow burn. Dual POV. Heed content warnings. 

Carson has returned home after being injured in the military and is still rehabbing while working as a ranch hand. Veterinarian Jude reaches out to Carson as a fellow veteran and enjoys the easy friendship they have building, but the mutual attraction may be too hard to resist. 

This story was full of supportive characters and men fighting their own battles with as much strength as they can muster. Both Carson and Jude were likable characters and have personal struggles, but together they ease into a relationship that is sweet, kind, and steamy. I appreciated the different disability representations, the peek into veterinary work, and that these two men find their special someone in a very organic way.


Need You Close is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription

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