Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Cattle Valley #27

Alone in a Crowd

Rate this book
For years, Ryan Blackfeather prided himself on maintaining his composure no matter the situation. He has built a life around his desire to be needed, to feel important to those around him. His job as sheriff and the love of his partners, Nate and Rio, not only fulfil him they give him purpose. So why when he receives a phone call with tragic news does their love and support not comfort him?

The more Rio and Nate pressured him to talk about his sudden surly mood, the more Ryan began to resent them. The answer came at the height of a heated argument, it was time to return to the place and the people who first made him feel like he had nothing to offer. Only then would he figure out why he’d spent a lifetime searching for the acceptance of those around him.

Insisting he tackle his past on his own terms, Ryan returns to Oklahoma to face the demon, the one man in the world he could never please.

98 pages, ebook

First published June 18, 2012

15 people are currently reading
182 people want to read

About the author

Carol Lynne

251 books1,197 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

erotic & gay romances

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
161 (28%)
4 stars
203 (36%)
3 stars
159 (28%)
2 stars
31 (5%)
1 star
6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Susan65.
1,649 reviews53 followers
June 19, 2012
3.5 Stars

Kind of tame and not what I was expecting, but that is not necessarily a bad thing just a little lacking. We all know Rio, Ryan and Nate so their relationship was nothing new. What this story is about is the existing & well established relationship between the three guys and how they help Ryan deal with, and come to terms with, his mysterious past.

This was a little gross to me, not sexy at all...

There is also a side story of Smoky and Elliott but the main focus is Ryan and his past. Of course, Ryan and Rio are so freaking hot and I will always love any book where they feature. Nate? No so much...he is a big baby and I hate the way Rio & Ryan defer to him. I know they will never split but I would not be unhappy if it was only Rio and Ryan.

Profile Image for Mandy*reads obsessively* .
2,197 reviews341 followers
June 28, 2012
If after reading this, I can't eat corn anymore, I hope *someone* and she knows who she is! will at least feel a little guilty! ;)

Ok, update, I finished the book with only mild trauma to deal with in the vegetable section of the supermarket.

it was nice to see Ryan open up about and deal with his past and I think I actually liked that it wasn't a pat perfect ending to his story.

These three aren't my favorites in her series, but I think I liked them better than before their book.
I think maybe Drake and Oggie( was that his name?) might be next up! :)
Profile Image for Tailtiu.
3,254 reviews
May 29, 2012
3,5* upgrade for being about my favourite Trio.

I don't care for Smokey, know nothing about Elliott (he isn't more then mentioned in the previous books and is only a side-figure in this one) and I could have done without the
Profile Image for Deeze.
1,784 reviews286 followers
June 19, 2012
A nice enough story in the cattle valley series. Learning more about Ryan's past was interesting, and would of been a bit more emotional if I didn't keep getting flashbacks to the dinner scene. Funny how one small scene can kinda ruin the whole book.
Profile Image for Monika .
2,342 reviews39 followers
July 17, 2016
This one was just not for me, I haven't followed the series and I felt like I started reading from the middle of a book, I knew nothing about the characters, never developed a connection to any of them and have no idea what led up to them being together.
Profile Image for Rypleigh.
164 reviews5 followers
June 22, 2012
I actually liked this book better than the last few in this series. I love Ryan, Rio and Nate and I love that this book had a little more story and just a little less sex. (although I could have done without the dinner scene). I had become very bored with the series in the last several books. I felt that there was very little story behind all of the sex. I am not opposed to the sex, but I really liked having more "real life" situations told in stories. I hope that Carol will continue on this path and give us more story and background on the characters.
Profile Image for Tia Fielding.
Author 68 books228 followers
June 29, 2012
I started to read the Cattle Valley-series on a whim ages ago. I liked the first... ten-ish of the books, then it began to sort of drag.

By now, whenever I read a new book, I can hardly remember the characters mentioned. It's just gone on too long. Too much of a good thing, sort of.

This was probably the biggest disappointment of all of the CV books for me personally. It has my favorite couple (well, menage) in it, but that doesn't really mean anything, I'm sad to note.

The book jumped from one thing to another too much. Instead of trying to put two separate stories into the same book, it would've been smart to publish them as short stories instead. The feel of two stories crammed together to get it to novel length was there all through the book.

Whenever I got a glimpse of the menage I was looking forward to reading about again, they had either Huge Family Drama going on, or they were having sex. Now, don't get me wrong, sex is okay. Rio/Nate/Ryan-sex is excellent but.... yeah.

Oh and the corn on the cob thing? It wasn't sexy. There's playing with food and playing with food, and this wasn't the sexy kind. It felt like the author either thought it was sexy (and that's okay, I'm sure I write about stuff I find hot but others don't all the time) OR she wanted to add the "funny" punchline to the end of that particular scene.

Conclusion? This was disappointing. Solid writing, but I am beginning to care so little about the characters, especially when I can't remember half of them anymore and the story is constructed like this one was, that I might not bother for the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Shelby P.
1,320 reviews33 followers
August 3, 2016
I enjoyed this story more than I have the last couple of books. It was nice getting more background information on Ryan's family. It was also nice seeing Ryan as the filling in Nate and Rio's sandwich. It's about time!! I could have done without the gag inducing scene

I liked Smokey's story as well. I would have liked to have seen Ryan and Grooper's friendship developing instead of just being told about it. Overall, engaging read.
Profile Image for Anke.
2,505 reviews97 followers
June 27, 2012
Thanks Mandy for the rec - this was a very good addition to the series. I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series. Will it be Drake?
Profile Image for Sol.
844 reviews25 followers
February 9, 2020
Me sorprende no haber leído esta historia antes, la tenía guardada desde hace rato sin darme cuenta.
Dos historias en una, así podríamos llamar este libro (un spoiler diría tres en una), con Ryan y su triste pasado en una, el conocer más a Ben y ver como Smokey hace las paces con Ezra y Wyn antes de pasar a reconquistar el corazón de Elliot.
Sinceramente, yo no soy de las personas que cree en las segundas oportunidades, menos si intencionadamente lastimaste a otros, sin embargo una llega a encariñarse con la profunda protección y afecto que llega a tener Oggie con Smokey, y el cómo este último decide volver al buen camino, a recuperar lo que nunca supo que tenía.

A su vez, Ryan debe tpmar algunas decisiones difíciles, y no puedo mentir dociendo que alguna de esas decisiones no me llegaron a mi situación con mi padre. Es doloroso, pero realmente dice mucho de Ryan por lo que hizo por su padre, incluso como el hombre cambió a último momento.
Salvando lo dicho por Rio de que nada justitica cómo trato a su mujer y a su hijo.

Hermoso fue el leer como, a pesar de los años, estos tres voven hermosamente juntos, y aunque todos cometen errores, siempre están los otros para ayudar, incluso para reprender.
Una historia que merece ser leída, sinceramente.
Profile Image for andrea moran.
2,124 reviews
December 13, 2020
Cattle Valley

Town Sheriff and part of this series favourite thruple has to deal with his abusive childhood when both his parents pass away
Profile Image for Lena Grey.
1,614 reviews25 followers
January 26, 2016
There's no lonelier feeling than being alone in a crowd. For Ryan Blackfeather, of 'Alone in a Crowd' by Carol Lynne knows how it is to feel alone even though people are all around you. He's worked hard to nurture his reputation as a loving, generous, protective person, particularly with his family—his partners Rio and Nate, and they generally share everything. However, when it comes to his childhood, he can't even trust the two men he loves more than anything in the world. Ryan thinks as long as he hides what happened to him in the past, it will not interfere with his life in the present, but he couldn't be more wrong. Ryan must learn that if his feelings about his past are not dealt with, then he will never achieve the peace and closeness with his partners which he so intensely desires.

Ryan Blackfeather is a character whom I wholeheartedly admire. He goes out of his way to help and protect everyone, especially Nate and Rio. There's nothing he wouldn't do for them, except tell them about his past. Ryan's reasoning is that he's protecting Nate and Rio by not exposing his men to the nightmare of a life he had to endure, but I think that he's so ashamed of it that he's afraid it will change their minds about him. Ryan would rather live with a warped perception of the past instead of learning the truth.

Nate and Rio understand Ryan's need to handle things his way. They are amazingly strong, supportive, and loving, and go out of their way to accommodate him, but, if they can help it, they are not going to let him destroy himself. When they see that his way is causing him even more agony, they lovingly but firmly intervene and encourage him to go back and do what needs to be done to find closure.

Of all the stories about Ryan, Rio, and Nate, this is the one that touches me the most. It showcases their extraordinary, unshakable bond better than any of the stories before. Their relationship obviously isn't traditional, but I truly admire them. They've only grown closer as the series continues and show a maturity not only to their partnerships but in themselves. They are coming into their own, particularly Nate. I was very impressed with him in this story. He shows us how much he's grown. He's no longer the whiny, bratty, has to have it always his way guy. He's grown into a mature, secure person who now exhibits all of the goodness, generosity, and support, the qualities he's always had, but now shine brighter than ever. It's a real tribute to the idea that being honest with yourself it the way to secure a happy existence.

I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it, not just to Cattle Valley fans, but to everyone who appreciates a story with three men, very devoted to each other, who will stop at nothing to ensure their partners happiness. Thanks, Carol, for another endearing story.

“When an irresistible force such as you, meets and old immovable object like me. You can bet as sure as you live, Something's gotta give, something's gotta give something's gotta give.”~Ella Fitzgerald

Leigh Masters is all business, polished, confident, and stubborn. He's a force to be reckoned with, one which most people can't resist. He efficiently rolls over them like a tank and is used to always getting his way. Malcolm is an immovable object, quiet, secure, and patient. When he wants something, he goes after it using all the resources at his disposal, even if it means enlisting the help of his family. Put them together and you have a dilemma. Both can't have their way so...something's got to give. The question remains, who will give first so they will both be winners?

Leigh doesn't deny that he is attracted to Malcolm when they first meet. Since he doesn't do relationships, he does his best to make it physical and nothing else. He's underestimated Malcolm's patience and resilience. Try as he may, Leigh can't crack Malcolm's determination and he definitely plays dirty trying to undermine his will using some very steamy tactics. He didn't expect Malcolm's emotional seduction to involve his family, particularly his little baby niece who Leigh fell in love with, making it harder and harder for Leigh not to want to be a part of the family. Malcolm keeps right on chipping away doing all the right things to impress Leigh and show him how good they can be together. The longer Leigh knows Malcolm, the less his arguments against a relationship make sense until even he can't think of a good reason for them not to be together.

This is a short, sweet love story between two seemingly mismatched men, once again proving that opposites attract and actually complement each other. There's no real crisis in the plot. It's just a nice, fluffy story with steamy trysts and a happy ending. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys escaping into a dream world in which love always prevails.

NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Profile Image for Gabriel.
65 reviews8 followers
June 21, 2012
Kudos, Ms. Lynne, for actually writing a sex scene, which can be deemed taboo by some. And for generally having the guts to go through with it and explore the sexuality between these men and not writing the same sex scenes over and over again, so we in the end get bored with them.

For once, I actually felt like I read a book, where all parties involved in the threesome were real characters and men and stood up for themselves and their relationship.
Rio wasn't a doormat, for once, Nate didn't whine and wasn't a brat and Ryan finally let go of some of his macho.
It was refreshing to read and makes me want to read even more with them.

I honestly didn't care at all for Smokey's story. He annoyed me in Rough Ride and he annoyed me in this one. Instead it felt like it was splitting up the story line, so you never really got into the emotional drama going on.
Besides that, the Ryan/Dad drama felt shallow and untrustworthy. I get why Ryan's story had to be written and I applued that it was, but a little bit deeper emotional turmult would never hurt anyone.
Reasons for why the 3 star rating.

But, again, I am standing up and clapping my hands for that one sex scene, which have been deemed gross by most. Honestly, hand on my heart, thank you.
Finally a contemporary romance writer who actually dares step out of the box and do something new.
My feelings about the scene itself doesn't matter, only that it was written.
Profile Image for Jenny Wood.
Author 26 books309 followers
May 27, 2016
Ryan...

I love Ryan, Nate and Rio but this one absolutely broke my heart for Ryan...
I can't believe the childhood he had and the way his dad ended up doing him in the end.
Of course, his guys were there for him though and that makes everything perfect.
I also loved the relationship he gained with Grooper. He found compassion for him and brought him out of his shell, out of the grief and guilt he was hiding behind.

I was also surprised and somewhat annoyed that Smokey was back, I tended to take Nate's side when Ryan brought him up but it didn't take me long to see how sorry he was. I know jealousy and desperation sometimes makes people do things they wouldn't otherwise do, so I was glad he got his second chance. Of course Wynne was there to accept his apology and it helped to easy his guilty conscious, He knew he was in the wrong and sometimes going back and facing your biggest mistakes is a lot harder than one would think. I was glad he got not only a second chance but to find someone to love as well.

I love this series, I love this author and I re=read them frequently!
Profile Image for Phaney.
1,248 reviews22 followers
April 19, 2013
2012 Review:

Bit of a strange volume for this series. Yes, it’s another of those “let’s check up on the happy threesome and pick apart one of them and his past” ones. But it also has a tiny sub-plot involving the bad guy from the second book returning and finding happiness too. Viewpoints were restricted to that guy, Ryan and Rio.

Ryan’s story actually had some horrific elements to it. Maybe I am just becoming more squeamish but the way Yeah. Oh well.

Now, this shouldn’t be a big deal but… since when does Ryan bottom? Without any fuss, too. Instead we were told he rarely gives blowjobs. Since when? Very weird.

On the whole this wasn’t much of a romance but it grounded me, which I desperately needed after being traumatized yesterday by looking at another book's prologue. Sometimes I wish authors put warning labels on their books or something. Damn.
Profile Image for Claudia.
1,144 reviews
August 20, 2012
I was reading in the beggining of this Book, Carol Lynne saying that some of her readers didn't like the relationship between Ryan, Nate and Rio and some loved their relationship. I was one of the readers that when I saw this book was about them, I though to myself... Another book of them?

The last book of them, I really didn't enjoy (since there was another guy intruding on their relationship), but this one was a wonderful read. The strugles that Ryan had to overcome because of his childhood and the suport he got from Nate and Rio were overhelming.

The only thing I really didn't like on this book was the scene with the corn - yuck!

BUT I TOTALLY LOVED THE STORY
Profile Image for Melissa.
861 reviews6 followers
February 6, 2013
Ryan gets a call from Oklahoma, a place he never wants to return to, and he has to go back to take care of some things.

THis book was about the established relationship between the trio and how they come together to help Ryan through this hard time, facing the demons of his past. He tries to push them away so they won't see what he's been through but Nate and Rio won't let him push them far.

I rather enjoyed this book, and after being slightly irritated with the last book about the trio it made me happy to really enjoy them again!
Profile Image for Karen K.
426 reviews13 followers
July 29, 2012
**3.5-4 stars.**
I love Rio, Ryan and Nate. I liked seeing into Ryan's troubled past and the established relationship between these three is always refreshing to me. That's actually saying a lot since I don't normally read a lot of menage.
Profile Image for Amber "Epp".
1,134 reviews63 followers
August 22, 2014
it makes me sad to think of anyone in CV hurting I am so glad they have all been finding there HEA in CV .... granted life isn't always a bowl full of cherries but living in CV sure does seem to make things sweeter .. :)
Profile Image for Rae Wedding.
233 reviews1 follower
November 29, 2016
I enjoyed Ryan, Rio and Nate. I don't care about Smokey. These books are so short that I wish there was less sex and more story. There is one scene that was kind of gross, you'll know it when you read it.
Profile Image for Sue bowdley.
1,449 reviews
April 8, 2014
Poor Ryan...felt so sorry for him in this...Oh and it has THAT SCENE in it....which i didn't dislike...mmmmmm another great story x
632 reviews6 followers
June 15, 2014
Even though I love these 3 the downturn in their lives is killing me. I just wish they had a wonderful time with everything that has happened surely they deserve a happy life from now on.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.