Lane Warner and Brynn Fox have been through so much together. They were best friends, first loves, family, and roommates, and all along they carried a torch for each other but were afraid to take a chance again. But when Lane stands to lose Brynn to another man, instead of fighting for her, he takes off.

Lane was always just needing to have his own identity separate from his brothers and to be seen. He was usually the funny and easy going brother, but just hid his pain and insecurities. He was always Brynn's friend and protector, and they knew each other better than anyone else. But when she rebuffed his attempt to ultimately protect her, it hurt him so bad that he closed off his heart and it all became awkward and difficult. So for years even though they lived together on the ranch, their communication was a big issue and neither was willing to take a chance on pushing too hard and risk losing the other out of their life for good. And their lives are still so closely tied with the ranch and family.

But Brynn is strong, determined, loving, and knows what she wants. And this time she is not going to let it slip away. Her past was traumatic and hard, but the Warner Ranch and Lane have been her home for a long time. And she is ready to take a stand and bring her cowboy home where he belongs.

We have known all about the back story of Lane and Brynn since the first book, Retreat, and have watched them struggle for years...so those are not spoilers. But it is hard to talk about this book without posting any so it will have to be vague.

I thought I knew how this book was going to go, but I was totally wrong. I expected it to be angsty and a long and drawn out process of Lane and Brynn finally figuring out their lives. And yes, it is their time to do that. But the story line also went off in a completely different direction than I was expecting. It still has the feel of the other books with adventure, suspense, danger, and tough subjects. It introduces some new characters that I got really attached to. It brings back in some of the side characters we know like Ten, Webb, Wyatt, as well as his family Cy and Leo, and Sutton and Emrys. There is even an awesome cameo and some familiar names and locations dropped.

This is a story about first love and forever love, acceptance, family, and finding a true home. It is told in dual points of view and kept me interested throughout. I adore Lane and Brynn individually and together. They are so well matched, have such history, love hard, and have hot chemistry. But they, like the other Warners, are also so loving and generous. They are not selfish people. They have a lot of love to give and have big hearts. Even though this ends the three Warner brothers stories, I am excited about the possibility of spin-offs from the other characters. I have enjoyed this series and the Wyoming ranch and the more romantic suspense feel to the stories. I am not quite ready to let them all go yet.

I was gifted a copy.

Lane Warner is used to being the overlooked brother, the one who tries to keep the mood light, but he can’t stay at the ranch anymore and watch everything he wants and can’t have. Running to Sutton wasn’t really his plan, but California seems like as good a place as any to figure out what Lane will do next.

Brynn Warner (formerly Fox) found a home at Warner Ranch, but an unconventional one. Marrying into the Warner family might have solved some of her problems, but put her heart in a difficult place. When Lane left, she was torn between what she wanted and what she thought was best, once again, but it’s time to bring Lane home and she’ll do whatever she has to in order to get him there.

The history between these two had been explained in brief, but seeing the drama behind Brynn’s past choices made those hints more real, more raw. Lane and Brynn have a bit of a star crossed lovers element to their story, but once they work through the pain they have each been holding on to, things between them smooth out quickly. I loved that the plot drama wasn’t just focused on issues between them, but focused on issues that caused them to band together.

This story took a turn that was unexpected and gritty and I loved watching the story unfold as the Warner family rallied around each other. I was not really expecting the direction of Lane and Brynn’s journey home, but loved watching as they gave support to a young boy who had no one to lean on.

There are great suspense bits as Land and Brynn attempt to sort through Bauer’s story and work to get him to safety. Bauer pulled at my heartstrings and I ached for the boy who was searching for home.

Jay does a fantastic job of dropping Easter eggs throughout her books and Escape does a phenomenal job with a Marked Men cameo and multiple references to the Point. I have gone back and forth as to whether I love the ending or not, but it certainly has me hoping she can find room in her writing schedule for Webb and Ten to get their story, because that was some ending! (Yes, Lane and Brynn have a complete story in Escape, but there is a lot of teasing for Webb and Ten!)

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Retreat is a standalone novel, the first in the Getaway series which centers on the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women that dare to love them.