Wounded and retired veteran Kasey Carter walks alone.

But when the one person she’s tried the hardest to push away begs for her help, she can’t resist the call of duty and devotion. Thrown on a path more dangerous than she expected, she’ll do anything to protect the people she loves, even if that means hiding out for months in the forested mountains of Cascade Valley, Montana.

When a nosy—and handsome—local rancher stumbles across her hiding place, she’ll have to decide if she can risk trusting him or if she’ll have to walk through the shadows alone in a battle to survive.

Rancher Dean McCade is used to devoting himself to protecting the people and the land he loves.

When a chance encounter brings him face-to-face with a mysterious woman living in the woods, he can’t stop thinking about her. Probably because the woman won’t stop putting him in her rifle sights every time they meet. It’s obvious she’s running from something, but her fiercely guarded secrets keep him at a distance.

As he works to earn her trust and the truth unfolds, he knows God put him in her path. But as his feelings grow and the danger lurking in the shadows collides with their hope for a future, the right choice might mean loving her enough to let her go.

*Shadows of the Valley is Book Two in The McCade Family Series. In this series, you’ll find swoony, protective ranchers and the strong-willed women they love, plus faith-filled themes throughout. The door stays closed for this one, but expect sweet (and swoony!) kisses and plenty of banter to melt your heart.

It’s been a little while since I’ve read book one of the series, but it was so fun to get back to the McCade brothers and their beautiful ranch in Montana.

Once again Howard did a beautiful job of setting the scene, and pulling me into the story and into the character’s lives.

I really enjoyed getting to know Dean better. Love his protective vibes, and man of the house who wants to carry out his responsibilities to the best of his abilities. I could see him struggling at times with wanting to control everything, but I also so appreciated when he recognized his need to also trust God and lean on Him in areas that were out of his own control. 

Kasey was such an interesting character full of mystery. Loved her strengths but also her weaknesses that made her more relatable. She did sometimes seem to make some stupid decisions for one who should have known better, however, I still loved her and honestly it probably made her even more relatable because of it.

Emma is a dear. It was so fun to have her in this story, because I can’t remember if she was in the first one or not.

There was definitely a thread of suspense throughout the whole story though it did take a while for anything to actually happen. I wouldn’t have minded a little more adventure throughout, however, I guess it was also nice not to be sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time either.

I really appreciated the faith themes throughout the story.

Lastly, the romance was super sweet, maybe a little fast, but no less endearing.

Overall, a perfect read for those who love a little bit of suspense mixed into their romance, excellently crafted characters, and a story that will build your own faith.

*I received this book free from the publisher/author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.