Stats: Kindle edition, pub 9/28/25.
How acquired: Via BookSirens.
First line: The Greyhound was only a third full – Morgan’s first lucky break in years.
(Goodreads synopsis below.)
My thoughts: I think this third book is my favorite (so far) of the Ragin’ Moon Refuge series. Morgan is a bit of a departure from the typical romance story heroine. She’s just been released from prison after serving five years and needing somewhere to start over, she’s headed to Big Pine, Montana, a place she remembers from childhood visits with her grandparents. We don’t know why she was in prison until much later in the story, but the bits and pieces of her experiences behind bars that are shared with us along the way give us a little insight into her character, and I was rooting for her from the very beginning.
Gio, who we met in the previous books, befriends Morgan after she comes into his diner looking for a job. While he’s not in a position to hire her at the moment, he is able to give her some temporary work while one of his employees is out sick, which gives them the opportunity to begin getting to know one another. Morgan spends her first night in Big Pine camping in a small tent at one of the local parks, but when the second evening brings torrential rain Gio takes her to Ragin’ Moon, where she’s set up in one of the guest cabins.
Gio’s easy acceptance of Morgan’s secretiveness, and not saying anything initially and then not pushing her when he and his mother believe she’s given them a false name, stems partly from the fact that the refuge his family runs is used to being a haven for women in trouble, but I believe it was also partly just his character, his kindness and respectfulness. There’s no big plot twists, no imminent danger, no action scenes, and none of that was needed – I very much enjoyed just following along as Gio and Morgan’s friendship grew into feelings for each other. Not to mention the sweet little puppy Morgan rescued and smuggled aboard the bus that brought her to Big Pine!
While this is part of a series, each book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with the first book, as they are all worth reading, and then move on to the Huckleberry Ridge series, which I like even more, and of course the author’s actual standalone book, Holding Out For Special, which was my introduction to her and which I just loved. Ms. Raine packs her books with wonderful characters, and the dialogues are well written, so the stories just flow across the pages. Can you tell I’m a fan?
*Received with thanks from the author/BookSirens and voluntarily reviwed*
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Sometimes it's the shadows of our past that illuminate the path forward.
After five years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit, 30-year-old
Morgan Mayfield is finally free—yet the life she once knew is gone.
Once a celebrated artist, she's now branded a pariah in her hometown
of Portland, Oregon. With nowhere else to turn, she heads for the one
place where happy childhood memories Big Pine, Montana.
Armed
with nothing but determination and a new alias, Morgan finds work at
the Big Pine Bar and Grill and begins rebuilding her life. She never
expects to cross paths with Gio Lascari, the charismatic owner whose
steady kindness both unnerves and comforts her. Gio senses she's
carrying secrets, but he also sees the courage behind her guarded
smile—and he's drawn to it.
Just
as Morgan begins to believe in second chances, the past she's been
hiding from walks straight into her life. When a shocking encounter
threatens to expose her identity and destroy everything she's
rebuilt, Morgan must find the strength to face the truth ... and
decide if she can trust Gio with the pieces of her heart.
A
heartfelt, slow-burn clean romance about redemption, hope, and the
healing power of love—set against the rugged beauty of small-town
Montana.
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