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Range #2

A Troubled Range

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The neighboring Holden and Jessup ranches are anything but neighborly—Jefferson Holden and Kent Jessup loathe each other. But despite his father’s long-held grudge, Haven Jessup just can’t bring himself to hate, especially after Dakota Holden takes him in during a violent storm and Haven meets Dakota’s friend, Phillip Reardon.

Phillip accepts Haven for who he is, seeing through the mask Haven uses to hide his attraction to men, but their tentative and secret relationship will be under a huge amount of stress. Sabotaged fences, injured animals, unsavory plans, and Jessup family secrets will threaten Haven’s new found happiness and his hopes of a future with Phillip.

Author's Note: This is the follow up to A Shared Range.

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 24, 2011

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Andrew Grey

250 books1,991 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
Profile Image for Ronda  Tutt.
863 reviews54 followers
September 9, 2011
Beautiful and Heartwarming Story!

Life out on the range and within the big cities has many similarities when dealing with your sexual preference of being gay especially when you are first coming out. It’s a dog eat dog world and learning to protect one’s self is the key to survival. Figuring out, learning, and giving into your feelings is many trails within itself as finding someone who understands you is one in a million chances.

This smooth and fast paced wonderful story is about a beautiful heartwarming, sweet, and hot romance that develops between Haven and Phillip as they experience true love, friendship, lies and deceit from family members, death, and overcoming hardships of everyday trials. I fell in love with both characters as their emotions came alive throughout the pages.

Haven is a young cowboy who known he has always been different but was to shamed to be his true self because of the rejection he always received from his own father’s ridicule. However when he finds himself attracted to Phillip he decides to act upon his instincts.

Phillip is an accountant, lost his job from the bad economy but finds refuge from life at his two friends Dakota and Wally’s Ranch. Being gay and out of the closet is nothing new to him but when he meets Haven he recognizes the attraction immediately. Though he always dated several guys he never got serious and always looked upon the dates as just a good time and nothing more. Eventually the loneliness crept up on him to the point he was jealous of the happiness all his other gay friends had found. He was ready for something more series and a relationship that would last for a life time and Haven was just the perfect one to change that.

It was very nice to read about Dakota and Wally, characters from the first book in this series “A Shared Range”. The reminder of their personalities just made me fall in love with them all over again with Dakota being the most caring and helping neighbor anyone could ask for and Wally being the best care taker and animal lover on the range.

The ending was very sweet and as I look back on the story there were several lessons or should I say great insight and advice one can learn from this story. Here is a quote I would like to share as an example.

“Being gay isn’t about what you wear or how you act. It’s about who you love.”
Profile Image for Sabrina (Soter) Sally.
2,122 reviews70 followers
October 30, 2013
“Ti amo, Haven, e mi dispiace di averci impiegato tanto tempo a dirtelo, e mi dispiace che tu non sia sveglio per potermi sentire. Non ho mai creduto davvero in Dio, ma se ce n’è uno, almeno lui lo saprà.”

Abbiamo conosciuto Phillip nel primo libro, l'allegro e promiscuo ragazzo di città migliore amico di Wally (ed ex di Dakota), e lo ritroviamo ancora una volta in visita al ranch. Stavolta però il suo stato d'animo è ben diverso da un'allegra vacanza, infatti ha appena perso il lavoro, non ha una relazione e si sente più solo e sperduto che mai. Un giorno incontra Haven, il figlio del vicino di ranch di Dakota, e nonostante capisca subito che il ragazzo sta reprimendo la sua omosessualità e non ha alcuna esperienza, decide comunque di invitarlo a cena. Haven ha vissuto tutta la vita nella scomoda ombra del padre bigotto e menefreghista, e sa che se scoprisse la sua omosessualità sarebbero guai, ma non riesce a rinunciare a Phillip. La storia d'amore tra i due è delicata e sensuale, Phillip è ben felice di mettere la sua vasta esperienza al servizio di Haven che ha sempre sognato di trovare un uomo un pò dominante e che sopratutto lo ami davvero. Non manca il solito episodio di omofobia ma la gravità dell'episodio (stavolta purtroppo il ninja Wally non era nei paraggi XD) darà a Phillip la scossa che gli serviva per capire che quello che prova per Haven è amore con la A maiuscola! *_* La nostra neo-coppia dovrà anche affrontare la risoluzione del mistero familiare dell'antica ostilità tra i padri di Haven e Dakota, ma il lieto fine sistema davvero tutto, dal lavoro di Phillip al sogno di Dakota fino al nuovo serraglio di Wally! *_^
Profile Image for Serena Yates.
Author 104 books769 followers
November 13, 2014
This second book in the Range series is as sweet, wonderful, and emotionally intense as the first. Both main characters are ready for a change in their lives, but not quite sure how to go about it. The internal battles they fight are set against the background of two hostile ranch families. The tension around sabotaged fence posts and water rights provides an interesting backdrop for the two men figuring out what they want to do with their lives.

Phillip has just lost his job, the man he was hoping to hook up with again on his friend Dakota’s ranch is involved with someone else, and the neighbor’s son is far too deep in the closet to hope for more. As Phillip works on trying to find his way in his own life, he finds that he can help Haven figure out how to deal with the fact that he is gay. The bond that begins as friendship soon grows into more, and it makes Phillip seriously reconsider his priorities. Thank God he can be honest with himself – with a little help from Dakota.

Haven is conflicted. Under his homophobic father’s thumb in many respects, he wants a different life, but has no idea how to go about it. He also had no reason to fight for himself and stand up to his father until he runs into Phillip. While he is still afraid of admitting that he is gay, the feelings Phillip awakens in him and being in love for the first time in his life are strong motivators. The increasing attraction between them makes him realize there is more to life than being a selfish rancher’s son. Discovering the truth behind his father’s plans only increases his determination.

I loved that Dakota and Wally from the first book were back and played a major role as supporting characters in this book as well. It made for a real sense of ‘coming home’ to find out how good friends are doing. If you like sweet stories about men who figure out the purpose of their lives, if cowboys and a ranch-setting are your thing, and if you like reading about the simple ‘drama’ of being human, you will probably like this book as much as I did.



NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Profile Image for Tam.
Author 21 books101 followers
September 15, 2011
3.5 Stars

This follows in the Range books and Philip has been lost his job and has decided to head out and visit Dakota and Wally. He's kind of hoping he can hook up with the foreman he had a fling with last time, however he's got a man of his own now. Philip's a bit down but meets Haven, from the neighboring ranch, however Haven's father hates Dakota and his father with a passion and Haven has to watch never to be caught near them, but he accepts Philip's invite to a date and is ready to explore his gayness with him. Suddenly after some suspect fence breaks, somehow Haven's father dies when he's out riding on Dakota's ranch in the middle of the night and the horse goes down. They then find out dear old Dad was about to sell the farm leaving Haven out in the cold. Then Philip has to deal with his natural inclination to run and not wanting to be a kept man by Haven but his own career. I liked that the evil dad was gotten rid of fairly quickly, even if his influence went on. I always wanted Philip to find his guy and there was enough kinky interest on Haven's part to keep Philip happy. A cute story that fans of the series will enjoy.

Profile Image for Beck.
894 reviews49 followers
March 1, 2015
Book 2 in the Range series and we have the virgin and the slut plot line ... don't get me wrong, Grey does write better than most but I do find the formulaic writing style of some authors doesn't do the characters justice.

Phillip and Haven (about the names Andrew!) take the staring role in this sequel and they do make a lovely couple so I was willing to over-look (well, I tried to keep the eye-rolling to a minimum!) the insta-love and the melodrama of the family feud.

It was nice to touch base with Wally and Dakota too, and I hope Mario's story features in one of the future books ... this series is better than a lot of m/m out there but it isn't without faults ... if you don't mind a predictable plot-line with slightly two-dimensional characters, then you are guaranteed a pleasant reading experience with a satisfying HEA ... these books are what I would term as 'comfort reads' with minimal angst ... fun to snack on but not quite substantial enough to truly satisfy.
Profile Image for Rissa (an M/M kinda Girl!!).
1,052 reviews11 followers
August 12, 2013
3.5 bumped to 4.

I have a weakness for cowboys, what can I say! I enjoyed this story quite a bit..Haven was a sweetie and I loved Phillip. Checking back in with Wally & Dakota was wonderful as well. :) What rubbed me the wrong way was Phillips 'control' that first time they were together and then he did it again later on in the book. I get that, that's the type of guy he is but it seemed out of place in this story & with how inexperienced Haven is. Anyway..that's just MHO. The book was still enjoyable despite that stuff.

I'll be finishing the series for sure!
Profile Image for Alina.
708 reviews29 followers
August 26, 2013
Real good and solid story, just as you can expect from Andrew Grey. I liked the characters and sometime soon I want to get into this whole saga and to read all the other stories.
My only little niggle is the 'everyone is gay' trope. I know it's a necessity for this kind of universe, but still it lowers the believability level significantly for me.
Profile Image for Karlo.
1,227 reviews1 follower
January 22, 2019
die Familie waechst,
eine phantastisch erzaehlte Fortsetzung,
ein unerwartetes und grandioses Ende,
bin gespannt wie es weitergeht
Profile Image for Valérie.
1,168 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2013
Encore une romance parfaite de M. Grey


C'est le second tome de cette délicieuse série" The Range " qui se passe dans un ranch du Wyoming, dans le premier tome nous avions assisté à la rencontre de Dakota Holden propriétaire du ranch et de Wally, vétérinaire venu accompagné Phillip (ex-amant de Dakota devenu son best friend). Nous avions découvert un personnage très sympathique,haut en couleur qui assumait complètement son homosexualité et ses nombreux amants.Phillip vient d'être licencié de son emploi d'expert comptable et vient chercher du réconfort auprès de ses deux amis au ranch. Phillip m'a vraiment surprise et Andrew Grey a fait un joli travail sur le personnage car à aucun moment dans le premier tome je n'aurais imaginé que l'on puisse donner autant de profondeur à un personnage si "superficiel".

Si Phillip apparaît comme un playboy, heureux de vivre et profitant au maximum de son physique avantageux, l'amour de Dakota et Wally,la vie qu'ils commencent à se construire lui font désirer plus. Il est fatigué de son mode de vie et souhaiterait une relation plus profonde tout en ayant peur en même temps de plus il est déçu de ne pas pouvoir reprendre sa liaison torride avec Mario, le contremaître du ranch qui a lui aussi de ouvert l'amour! C'est dans cet état d'esprit qu'il fait la connaissance de Haven Jessup,le jeune fils du voisin de Dakota.

Haven est attendrissant, c'est un tout jeune homme très réservé qui ne s'extériorise qu'auprès des animaux, il travaille dur sur le ranch de son père, homme froid et violent, haineux envers tout le monde.Le timide cowboy est attiré par Phillip mais vierge et inexpérimenté il n'est pas sûre de savoir ce qu'il veut vraiment, c'est un défi pour Phillip qui ressent une forte attraction pour le jeune homme et à ma grande surprise le playboy va s'avérer un professeur attentionné et très délicat. Il se révèle surprenant car je n'aurais jamais imaginé cet homme comme un dominant et pourtant il va jouer avec les fantasmes du secret Haven, l'initier tout en douceur en respectant son innocence, quant au jeune homme élevé sous la dominance de son père il désire un amant qui prenne le contrôle et soin de lui ,c'est un sentiment qu'il n'a jamais trouvé chez son père.

C'est une très belle relation que celle de Phillip et de Haven, plus complexe qu'il n'apparaît, douce et romantique mais chargée de peur,de douleur et de souffrance avec une touche de dramatique et de violence. L'auteur encore une fois avec une grande sensibilité a su transmettre les émotions à travers ses personnages avec réalisme et finesse nous offrant encore une superbe romance.
Profile Image for Krissi .
110 reviews6 followers
March 28, 2020
bello bello bello!!
"Guai nella prateria" è il secondo romanzo della serie Range di Andrew Grey.
Nel secondo libro ritroviamo i protagonisti del libro precedente, ovvero Dakota e Wally. Vediamo la loro relazione consolidarsi e diventare sempre più stabile. Non sono davvero molto carini?!? Ma non sono loro i veri protagonisti di questa nuova storia. Vi ricordate infatti Phillip? Non potete non ricordarlo! E' quel ragazzo che Dakota aveva incontrato in crociera con il quale ha avuto una piccola avventura e che gli aveva fatto conoscere Wally. Abbiamo visto Phillip nel primo libro divertirsi con Mario (un aiutante di Dakota nella sua fattoria), ma per Phillip passare da una relazione all'altra è del tutto normale. Ogni volta che le sue relazioni diventano troppo serie Phillip ha l'abitudine di scappare. Ma questa volta vuole trovare l'amore della sua vita soprattutto adesso che ha perso il lavoro e si sente più solo che mai. Così quando incontra Halden, il figlio del proprietario della fattoria vicino a quella di Dakota, qualcosa di completamente inaspettato sembra colpire i due uomini. Si tratta di forse di amore? Ma la situazione è molto più complicata di quello che può sembrare, perché Halden ha paura di provare quelle emozioni. Ha paura di essere omosessuale soprattutto con il padre così bigotto, ma c'è qualcosa in Phillip che attira subito la sua attenzione.
Il loro primo appuntamento è stato davvero molto tenero per non parlare della prima volta che fanno l'amore. E' in poche parole una storia davvero molto dolce e romantica e, secondo me, è scritta molto meglio del primo libro. Credo che per il momento Phillip e Halden siano diventati la mia coppia preferita di questa serie.
Bene, non vorrei svelarvi troppo ma vi consiglio di leggere questo libro e poi, non siete curiosi di leggere come andrà a finire tra i nostri due protagonisti? Non siete curiosi di sapere se Phillip deciderà di non scappare più arrendendosi finalmente all'amore? E se Halden riuscirà ad opporsi al padre e vivere finalmente quella storia d'amore che ha sempre desiderato? Oh, quante domande! Quindi non potete far altro se non leggere questa storia!!!
Profile Image for Angel Martinez.
Author 92 books676 followers
July 17, 2011
I don't ever want to hear, ever again, that male romance writers can't write emotional stories. Andrew's stories, every one of them, packs an emotional punch, sometimes several of them, and A Troubled Range is no exception.

While the troubled father-son relationship is a familiar theme in his books, this one takes it to a completely different level. My first reaction to what happens to the father was, oh, that's a little too convenient, but it's only the beginning. Nothing comes easily for Haven, poor thing.

My only nits in the story are ones where my editor's hat got in the way, the overuse of passives, the sometimes unnecessary cliched phrases, the adverbs that could have used rephrasing. But these are minor against the backdrop of the story, and I found myself seriously pulled out of the story only twice. Once when Wally said something was "killing two birds with one stone" which just didn't sound right coming from Wally, and the issue of the lion purring. Er, lions don't purr. They don't have the right anatomy. Other pleased sounds, yes, but not purring as a house cat would.

Lovely to see Phillip again and to see his character grow. And, of course, lovely to see everyone from the last Range book again. Haven, I'll warn you, is a heart stealer, just the right mix of strength and vulnerability, a young man just growing into his skin and understanding who he really is.

(And, yes, I did tear up, but I won't tell you when. You'll just have to read for yourself.)
Profile Image for Amarilli 73 .
2,696 reviews87 followers
March 21, 2013
da www.sognipensieriparole.com

Ancora romantico west
Seguito di “Una prateria divisa” e storia d’amore ancora più dolce e tormentata. Stavolta è Phillip, l’amico di città, il ragazzo carino, modaiolo e restio ai legami seri, che ritorna dopo un anno a passare le vacanze al ranch di Dakota e Wally, giusto in tempo per conoscere il giovane vicino Haven.

Questo secondo episodio mi è piaciuto più del primo. Ancora pascoli e cavalcate al tramonto, campeggi e grigliate sotto le stelle, ma anche incertezze, insicurezze, omofobia e paura, oltre a inevitabili segreti familiari da affrontare.
Andrew Grey ha uno stile pulito e forse più sfumato rispetto ad altri autori di questo genere letterario, però riesce sempre ad essere romantico e dolcissimo, specie grazie a sapienti dettagli lasciati qua e là che riempiono le sue storie di tanta tenerezza.

“Questo mi piace.” mormorò Haven mentre si tuffava in un altro bacio che Philip sentì fino alla punta delle dita dei piedi. “Mi mostrerai le stelle questa notte?”
Profile Image for Barb ~rede-2-read~.
3,720 reviews113 followers
July 1, 2013
I'm so glad that I am now working my way through the beginning of this series. I started with A Volatile Range so am "back-filling" some of the characters now. But, the nice thing is that these stories can be read out of sequence as each is a complete story in itself. I really liked this one. Phillip, the experienced big city gay man, with Haven, the virgin who is just discovering his own sexuality. When I'm in the mood for a good story with just enough hot sex to spice up the pages, and a lot of sweet, loving, romantic characters, I can pick up an Andrew Grey novel and I know I won't be disappointed.
Profile Image for Shaz.
882 reviews127 followers
January 18, 2018


Another great read by Andrew Grey. In this instalment Phillip gets his story.

While you could say that in these series there's more than just a hint of insta-love, it's not grating. No, problems that arise get attention, aren't just swept under the carpet and magically disappear. That's what I love about this author. There's a balance (in my opinion at least) between the relationship that's developing, the surroundings that the MC's live in and the additional characters which make these books a rich, interesting tapestry.
Profile Image for Kendra T.
3,014 reviews39 followers
December 17, 2014
I was so glad to see Phillip come back! It was really nice to revisit Dakota and Wally and it was nice to see Phillip start to realize that he was looking for forever. Haven was a sweet character who was struggling with his sexuality and a bully of a father. It was nice to see Phillip take the lead and really take care of Haven through everything.
Looking forward to the next book in the series!
Profile Image for DeeNeez.
1,969 reviews13 followers
December 24, 2015
I really liked this story even though it's not much of a plot. Cowboy Haven, deep in sexual denial, comes out to Phillip, the visiting city guy. The characters were all endearing, especially Wally and his animals. And then there was that evil hateful father. A good read.
Profile Image for Monica.
78 reviews6 followers
October 24, 2011
I liked the story, hope to see more from this series. I liked both Phillip and Haven. Love cowboy stories so much.
Profile Image for Katie.
166 reviews10 followers
April 4, 2013
3 stars, I suppose...probably more like 2.5. This book contained less eye rolling moments than I've come across in some of this author's other books and deserves credit for that.
Profile Image for Katherine.
350 reviews8 followers
June 24, 2012
Not as good as the first one. Everybody falls in love in one week. At no point did i not see the HEA coming. Not bad just predictable.
Profile Image for Gavin Stephenson-Jackman.
1,624 reviews
January 23, 2018
Another excellent page turner. Once I got started I literally couldn't put it down. Phillip has returned to the ranch for a vacation with his friends Dakota and Wally while he ponders his next move after being laid off. Haven Jessop, the son of the neighbouring ranch owner gets caught in a downpour while checking a fence between the two ranches and is taken in by Dakota to dry off. While there he meets Philip and something ignites between them. Haven is deeply closeted, he's had to be around his father, but he can't deny his attraction to Philip. Haven and Dakota's fathers have been bitter rivals for more years than either of their sons can remember and now a series of events seem to be pointing to something more. Can there be peace on the range, can Haven find a way to be true to himself and Philip?
Profile Image for Anita.
1,991 reviews27 followers
April 21, 2021
I really enjoyed this! It's been a while since I read a western with cowboys and "riding fences." Love that phrase. I didn't read book 1 in the series and though the characters from that book are in this one, I had no trouble figuring out what happened in the earlier book. Liked Haven and Phillip together. The sort of Dommy thing that Phillip had going on was odd at first but then I felt like it added to their burgeoning relationship. Good secondary characters, especially Dakota's dad. Solid, straightforward writing that was very readable. Love the ending and that letter - heartbreaking! I do have one issue though and I'll spoiler tag since it happens later in the book . All in all, a good read from Andrew Grey.
Profile Image for SandyL.
3,667 reviews
February 22, 2019
Phillip Reardon comes back to visit Dakota and Wally and meets neighbor Haven Jessup. He realizes that, although Haven is gay, he isn't out and he hasn't really admitted it to himself. And Haven's dad would never acccept having a gay son. To make matters worse, Kent Jessup hates the Holden's and doesn't want his son anywhere near their ranch (although they are neighbors.) But Phillip and Haven find ways to get to know each other and spend time together. Phillip starts to realize that his old lifestyle of short term flings isn't doing it for him anymore, and Haven may be what changes that. I didn't like this book as much as the first, although it was still an interesting story. I did like reading about Dakota and Wally again, though!
12 reviews
April 23, 2024
DNF

I liked the characters individually but couldn't get into them as a couple. Dakato is so sweet but the way he's described sometimes makes him seem much younger than his actual age. It also bugged me how much Philip referred to Dakota as innocent, called him a kid but then still asked him out. 🤔.
Profile Image for #Mathias#.
152 reviews5 followers
May 23, 2018
Lecture longue et laborieuse.
Personnages insipides et caractères incompréhensible. Et la cerise sur le gâteau : c’est pire qu’un harlequin....
Profile Image for nisie draws.
418 reviews11 followers
May 7, 2021
It was okay. I'm not really a fan of modern westerns so I'm not really the target demographic to begin with 😅
Profile Image for Dalian_Mystica.
372 reviews28 followers
July 6, 2022
Valido anche per il primo libro della serie.

Phillip non ha mai pensato di essere tagliato per la vita del ranch ma quando si ritrova all’improvviso senza lavoro decide di concedersi una pausa andando a trovare i suoi amici Dakota e Wally, ormai una coppia affiatata. Guardandoli insieme, Phillip si chiede se non sia arrivato anche per lui il momento di abbandonare le avventure da poche notti e iniziare a cercare qualcosa di più profondo.
Una sera, Dakota salva da una tempesta tremenda il giovane Haven, figlio del vicino e acerrimo nemico del papà di Dakota. Haven però non sembra provare gli stessi sentimenti del padre, anzi prova gratitudine verso questa famiglia che è stata tanto gentile con lui. L’attrazione tra Phillip e Haven è praticamente immediata ma entrambi dovranno abbattere le proprie barriere per avvicinarsi davvero l’uno all’altro.

Chi legge romance mm presto o tardi dovrà imbattersi per obbligo morale a leggerne uno con i cowboy. Io che sono scuola “i segreti di Brokeback Mountain” non potevo fiondarmici fin dall’inizio della mia carriera di lettrice mm, necessitando per la categoria un bel lieto fine.
Da tempo avevo da leggere “guai nella prateria”, tardato a lungo quando ho scoperto che si trattava del secondo della serie ! Finalmente ho recuperato il primo e letto entrambi. Questi primi due libri in particolare fa proprio piacere leggerli insieme perché Phillip è un personaggio rilevante già nel primo e di conseguenza si ha voglia di conoscere subito anche la sua storia.

Ho sempre apprezzato molto i romance di Andrew Grey ma dopo anni mi rendo conto che certe cose che una volta mi facevano venire gli occhi a cuoricino, oggi mi fanno sorridere con affetto. Ad esempio questa serie potrebbe benissimo intitolarsi “come farlo innamorare in 10 giorni”, tempo necessario ai protagonisti per conoscersi, innamorarsi e promettersi l’eternità insieme! XD Se non vi garbano gli instant love potreste trovare queste due storie particolarmente stucchevoli ma io personalmente le trovo sempre molto piacevoli e carine…. Anche perché, diciamocelo onestamente, quello che ci interessa in un Romance è vedere i due protagonisti felici e contenti scambiarsi tanti momenti focosi con un pizzico di pucciosità! <3 tra le due storie stranamente mi è piaciuta più la prima (in genere sono una fan dei personaggi secondari) ma forse perché fin da subito mi è piaciuto il personaggio di Wally! Per il momento mi fermo qua con la serie ma sicuramente la riprenderò prima o poi.
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