Seeking Sunshine

Sunshine Ranch #1

by Carly Marie

Everyone needs a little Sunshine in their life.

Liam has compartmentalized down to an art. With too much on his plate and raising his brother Jackson, he barely has time to sleep. Finding a man interested in him and accepting of Jackson isn’t happening. As for riding lessons at Sunshine Ranch? It’s just another thing that will stretch his budget and time. Flirting with the gorgeous owner isn’t going to help him find more time, but it’s nice to feel seen.

Garrett isn’t just a Daddy, he’s a fixer, and the frazzled older brother of the newest rider has his need to protect and help at an all time high. Garrett’s overheard enough phone calls to know Liam’s brilliant, yet Liam doesn’t think so. Discovering that Jackson is struggling in school, Garrett finally knows how he can help, and maybe get to spend more time Liam.

Being with Garret feels right, but Liam’s not convinced he can be the boy Garrett needs. Garrett’s opened his heart and mind, but Liam still has to put Jackson first. It’s going to take a lot more than a few amazing dates for him to believe that Garrett wants them both, flaws and all.

This 82k word MM romance includes a caring Daddy, an exhausted boy who needs help, and an adorable 8yo who just wants his brother happy.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, BDSM, LGBT, Contemporary, Westerns, Contemporary Romance

315 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 31, 2022

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read May 2022

Still very enjoyable.

-----------------------

A solid 4 stars!

I really enjoyed this latest book by Carly Marie. It was sweet, it was cute, it was adorable.

I really like Carly Marie's writing style. Her books always have this nice flow. And she knows how to write emotions. I always feel so much when reading one of her books.

I do have to admit I wanted a bit more Daddy kink in this. It was hardly present at all. There was some middle/little stuff (like stuffed animals and such), but besides that it was pretty tame in the kink department.

Lots of sweetness, no angst, just lots of caring and feelings. Yes, I really liked this.

[Valerie ❈M/M Romance Junkie❈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where to start. I was looking forward to this after the short story Sunshine Sky. I had high hopes of this being a good start to a new series. I was really left disappointed and wondering exactly what I read. Sure, Garrett is a Daddy. I couldn’t get a read on what exactly Liam was supposed to be. Little? Middle? Trying to figure himself out? Nothing? The relationship moved at warp speed. The Daddy/boy relationship was not clear. Hell, what they saw in each other was not clear. There were some awful moments concerning a teacher from hell and a boss from hell. I felt like neither situation was dealt with. Almost like a plot device that petered out? Like instead of coming to a satisfying conclusion, it was just dropped?

All i know is, I’ve come to expect more from Carly Marie. This just didn’t feel like i was reading a book by the author of Attraction or Secrets.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart went out to Liam who is a stressed and exhausted young man (26), who had been turned into single parent of his little brother, Jakson, (8), since the sudden, unexpected death of their parents. He holds a stressful job with a company run by a boss that is ill-fitted for the job and doesn't want to understand that his employees...especially Liam, who battles with dyslexia, are on the brink of total collapse.

Liam is a very talented ad designer but just can't work well under all the added pressure being piled on him every day. A great deal of that pressure comes from Jackson's school who refuses to believe that Jackson has some type of learning disorders... and calls Liam several times a week to leave his job and come to the school for yet another hopeless meeting. With all this, Liam doesn't know how to make time to accomplish all his "adult" obligations. In spite of his asking, begging repeatedly, the school is unwilling to put in the extra effort into testing Jackson for Discalculia...instead calling it laziness.

With the daily struggles of living with dyslexia himself, he feels like he is holding on by a thread...and to his "blankie"... to not fall into a total burnout. Then he discovers a place called Sunshine Ranch and signs Jackson up for riding lessons. This turns out to be the best decision he ever made. He meets Garrett and Garrett's younger brother, Gunner. Gunner takes on the task of helping Jackson with his math and reading using methods that allows him to "see" the numbers and words in a different manner...making them make sense and making all the difference in the world in Jackson's young life.

This book is loosely linked to Carly Marie's terrific other books & series, most notably, "At Home" where Gunner was the band's drummer. The story has a wonderful happy ending with these three men and Jackson, who start by trying to figure out who they are but somehow along the journey they all find something they thought they would never have again...a true loving "family" Now I need to find Gunner's Sunshine Ranch story.

[Amur Thera · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good
+ Their crushes and attraction to each other
+ Liam prioritizing Jackson over everything, and Garrett being completely fine with that
+ Liam coming out of his shell and becoming stronger, standing on his own two feet, when he has Garrett to hold him up
+ Garrett's relationship with Gunner
+ Liam and Jackson mending fences
+ Liam not hiding his love for stuffies and fun PJs from Jackson
+ Jackson's drawing for Garrett. My heart!

The neutral
o I have no idea what kind of boy Liam was ('just' a boy, a middle, a little?), which is fine, but I don't think Liam knew either
o Garrett has this cool foster family, but we never really meet anyone except Gunner. I'd have liked his parents to shower Liam in some family love, since he was all alone
o Liam's friends also had no screen time

The bad
- The number of time skips was very high, and all of them happened at bad moments. There were time skips after ever orgasm, so we never saw cuddle time. Liam's talk with Jackson's school about his dyscalculia was skipped. Even most of their early relationship development was skipped in a time jump of two weeks
- There was hardly any bonding time between Garrett and Liam on page. I wanted cuddles, but they were seriously lacking
- Liam was seriously excited about all the animals at the ranch. We saw exactly zero interactions between Liam and those cute animals. Liam wanted to pet the miniature horses, and I wanted to see Liam pet the miniature horses! Also, Jackson really wanted a pet, so I wanted to see him in pet paradise


Too much was crammed in too few pages. If the book were longer, I probably would have liked it a lot. Now, many plot lines felt abandoned and the relationship development wasn't prevalent enough. I liked the book fine enough, but I think I'd recommend other books by this author over this one.

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too bland for one star, too saccharine (really) for two.

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Liam! He's done so much for Jackson and himself, but he needs an advocate like he had in their parents. And at the same time, he's so amazingly lucky to have been diagnosed in the 3rd grade, instead of waiting until Junior High like my sister. Really, a dyslexic artist? That's who I grew up with. (And just to go one level better, she's a calligrapher -- God really has a sense of humor.) Now that this little family is whole, I hope to see more of them in this author's next stories. It's really nice seeing her characters grow once they've found security.

[Julie Underhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeking Sunshine by Carly Marie is Book 1 in her Sunshine Ranch series. Sunshine Ranch is an amazing place with lots of animals (but no cows or goats because Garrett hates them) and riding horses as well as other activities for people outside the ranch to participate in. The Mullins family has two boys but fostered and then adopted many more children, especially those on the LBGTQ+ spectrum. Garrett is one of the sons and works at the ranch and has always been a caretaker and eventually discovered that he was a Daddy. He recently ended a relationship with a boy who claimed he smothered him so he knows he has to be upfront with what he wants when he starts dating again, although he’s not sure he will find such a Boy where he lives. Liam is a 26 year old gay man with so much on his plate he is almost crushed. His parents died when he was 21 and he took over as guardian to his 3 year old brother. None of his relatives thought he could do it so they refused to help him. Luckily he had good friends who supported him so he could finish his college degree and he is working at a marketing firm that he hates but it pays the mortgage and puts food on the table. Jackson, his brother, is really struggling with math in school and is throwing tantrums because he just doesn’t understand it. Liam has dyslexia so he struggles with reading and trying to help him understand the math. Unfortunately the school just thinks Jackson is being lazy and doesn’t support them. At a conference the principal gave Liam a brochure about Sunshine Ranch and suggests that Jackson would benefit from riding lessons. The first time they go Liam runs into Garrett and there is somewhat of a spark but neither man can act on it. As time goes on Garrett, ever the care giver, sees how overwhelmed and tired Liam is so he starts working on ways to help him. His brother, Gunnar, is living with him and has just finished his teaching degree specializing in music and special ed. He asks him for some help and talks Liam into allowing Gunnar to work with Jackson and discover where his problems with math are coming from. They work at Liam’s house on a Saturday and Garrett tags along and fixes them dinner and the relationship starts and builds from there. There is a lot of angst for both main characters as Garrett has to be upfront with his needs about having a Boy and Liam has to decide if he can be that Boy. Also Jackson’s needs have to be included because he is the main person in Liam’s life. I just love Carly Marie’s books and this one doesn’t disappoint. Her character building is wonderful and you can see how they feel and think and she always has one or two that have major problems that have to be considered in the relationships. She will often bring in characters from previous books and series that play a part in the current story and help the main characters with their problems. In this case it was the Mullins family and also some from Johnson Family Rules and Hometown and I love hearing about what they have been up to. She also has angst as the relationship continues to grow and this adds to the story. As a retired teacher her depictions of struggling with a learning disability are accurate though I am disappointed in how Jackson’s school and teacher treated him. And I love how everything comes together at the end so everyone can have their HEA. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the next book in the series, as well as more from Ms. Marie.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not really daddy/little but borderline as Liam has a blankie and tons of stuffed animals, it's not really addressed though. Liam has been raising his brother since his parents died and Jackson was a toddler. He's reaching his limit as Jackson is having trouble in school and he keeps being called out of work. When the principal suggests Jackson try horseback riding, it's one more thing on Liam's plate. Garrett is Dalton (the riding instructor's brother) who is a fixer. When he someone hurting or in trouble he wants to fix it and soon he's focused on Liam and Jackson and it turns out their other brother is also a special ed teacher who helps them figure out Jackson's issues. But Liam is pretty unaware of the daddy/boy thing but he's willing to try and is soon calling Garrett daddy while fitting in to Garrett's family.

I liked Garrett, he's generally a happy guy but also knows he's a Daddy and what he wants. I wanted to scream at Jackson's teacher who felt he was faking it and I think a lot of parents and kids deal with that, teachers/schools who just don't believe in learning disabilities. I'm not a huge fan of kids in books and am not sure Tennessee is as open and accepting as these books make it appear, but I'll go with it.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute and entertaining Daddy/boy story with some unique twists. Garrett is a Daddy dom who never got to really experience a relationship that meets his needs because he has not found the right partner. Liam is a younger man who is busy raising his 8 year old brother, Jackson, alone after the deaths of their parents. Liam is a natural submissive who has never realized it because his previous dates have never taken relationships very far when they realize he has family responsibilities. Liam is overwhelmed with life's stresses and both he and his brother argue a lot due to chaotic lives. Both brothers also have learning disabilities which makes school difficult for Jackson. When Garrett bumps into Liam at Jackson's horse riding lessons, the two men begin to realize that they are attracted to each other. As they date, they feel an alignment of their needs for a relationship. Can Daddy Garrett help ease his boy Liam's worries while all three come together to form a family unit? Can Garrett and Liam find their HEA? This book is well-paced with a lot of passion, sensitivity toward a child's needs in forming a new family, compassionate understanding for how learning disabilities can be mitigated toward success, and a big love.

[Rainbow Reads and Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liam broke my heart. Being a single parent is hard, but being a single parent to a sibling after losing your parents would feel near impossible.

I've always said that I love how Carly writes characters that feel relatable and authentic. You can't help but empathize with Liam. He's struggling to handle it all on his own. He's giving his all to take care of his little brother and just needs help.

I loved Garrett as a character and as a Daddy. He's the epitome of a Daddy to me. He tries to ease Liam's burden, while respecting his role as "parent". He's there every step of the way and I love watching their relationship develop.

I do wish Liam's little side was explored a bit more. We got flashes of it, but it left me wanting more.

I loved the prequel in this series and enjoyed this book as well.

Carly has built her own little universe in Franklin Tennessee and I love how the stories intertwine. I can't wait for her next book!

I received an ARC, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Barb ~rede-2-read~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the freebie prequel to this series, I knew I'd probably like Garrett's story and, thankfully, it lived up to my expectations.

Garrett is a Daddy in search of a boy. Not actively searching but needing one nonetheless. When Liam enters his life, Garrett is a goner. And though Liam finds it hard to entrust his care to another, eventually he comes to see that Garrett is a match made in heaven both for him and for the young brother he is raising since his parents died.

There were some parts of the story I would love to see strengthened but using my "feel good" meter tells me this story deserves 4 stars. And the bottom line is I like to feel good when I finish. ;-)

[Leelah🍁♋️ Orion · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice

Two men figuring out who they are while finding a family in return. I loved this journey, loved that they where both new to this part of themselves and how they made it work for their relationship. I love that there is a kid in their lives and they had to figure out how all this worked with kids. We don’t often see that. And as one where this is part of her life it’s often a lonely place because most people in this life don’t have kids. Thank you for giving us a voice. The writing was good, the smexy was good(love that there was a person who didn’t go Gaga over a certain part of smexy) love the side characters and hope we get a Gunner book.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garrett and Liam were adorable. I felt so bad for Liam, he was doing his best to raise Jackson but felt like he was getting hit from all sides. I was glad that Garrett's nosiness helped get Liam and Jackson the help they needed. These two connected so well and I liked that they were easily able to blend their lives together. This story was a breath of fresh air after the last book I ended up forcing myself through.

[Sharing The Book Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love found family and kids in a story so this added to a Daddy/boy read is right up my reading alley!

Liam and Jackson, have been strong and proud and struggling for a long time and Garrett ( along with Gunner) finds them. The love they all have for each other , Liam and Garrett as partners, then add in Jacks and Gunner as annoying siblings and this is a wonderful heartwarming read.

[Smut Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful hurt/comfort Daddy/boy read with a sweet dynamic and all the interesting characters we come to know in the Carly universe. I also enjoyed the relationship with Jackson - the 8 year old brother - which was more than a side character and who became part of the crucial storyline.

[Aleja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustaron mucho Garrett y Liam, Jackson, hermano de Liam, se ganó mi corazoncito también!

Muero por conocer mas de Gunner! A ver qué le depara👀.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunshine ranch feels like a Nexus point. One of the things that I've noticed since I started reading Carly Marie is that all of her books tend to be spin-offs with overlapping cameos of pre-existing characters.

Sunshine Ranch is another spin-off point. Garrett's brother Gunner is the drummer for Hometown.

I felt like there was a decent amount going on at the beginning of the story and quite a bit at the end, but I would have liked to have had a little more complexity and padding in the middle. You'll see there's some adversity with the local school, I'd maybe have like two of seen a little more in-person resolution with that plotline. And also like to sing a little bit more of the mental journey for Garrett between his not understanding who he was in his previous relationship to knowing for sure what he needed in this one. I don't want to go overly in-depth or provide any spoilers.

I'm very excited about the upcoming series, The Grizzlies. If you're a fan of Seth, or you like hockey romances, you're going to be interested in that as well.

Of all things, I really found myself wanting Gunner's book and focusing on the small bits of his character throughout the novel.

Garrett and Liam are certainly likable, and they're definitely on-brand for Carly's books. I just had a little more trouble investing myself in the two of them. Liam's Love of animals was left kind of open-ended and I'd like to have seen more of Garrett at the ranch. So overall, still a satisfying and cozy read, just not quite at the coveted five-star mark.

4/5

Arc copy provided courtesy of Carly Marie.
All reviews are my honest opinion.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Carly Marie books. She has a way of writing her characters that are relatable to the reader, makes you love them and never let go. I'm always so sad when a series ends and don't get to hang out with them anymore. But she always makes me happy again by letting them visit in new stories and giving me new characters to fall in love with, like the new ones from Sunshine Ranch. I'm already in love with all of them.
Liam is hilarious, so sweet, and soooo stressed out. Garrett is a fixer and has set his sight on "fixing" and caring for Liam. Their story was full of so many emotions...it was heartwarming, humorous, sweet, and dealt with some painful realities. They had me crying, laughing, and smiling so big with their sweet and tender moments. And can't forget to say, they were also very hot and sexy together 🔥🔥🔥!!
Then there's Jackson who adds to story, and not as a prop or an annoying brat. But a sweet, caring, and struggling child. He had my heartbreaking in some parts of the story. I just wanted to hug him and Liam. But Garrett took care of that for me.
Also, wanted to say thank you to the author for showing and respecting the struggles a person with dyslexia and dyscalculia goes through and not creating a magical cure for it. My son has dyscalculia and struggled for many years, labeled as lazy and irresponsible. Our school system was not too great. He was finally diagnosed in his first year of college. So I was able to relate a lot to Liam and Jackson. And now hold a very special place in my heart.
I'm ready for the next book 😁

[Reading*Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story: 3.5 Stars

Life has become difficult for Liam (26) and the younger brother he's raising, so he signs 8-year-old Jackson up for riding lessons at a ranch hoping it'll be a welcome reprieve from their struggles. Liam is stressed, exhausted and overwhelmed, but his love and concern for his little brother is heartwarming and apparent throughout.

At the ranch, Liam meets and ultimately finds the emotional support he needs in cowboy Garrett (40). Garrett's a praising, caretaker Daddy and Liam quickly becomes his boy, which is a first for Liam and whether he's a Little or Middle isn't entirely clear. They are a likeable couple who communicate well but their HEA story was missing a little something for me by way of relationship development.

There's a heavy focus on Garrett and Liam's nearly uncontrollable lust-fueled attraction, which is all well and good, but how it played out felt off-balance and seemed to detract from the core story rather than heat it up. Their insta-feelings bordering on insta-love didn't really jive with Liam's concerns about taking things slow (for Jackson's sake) either, not to mention his entering into a D/s relationship for the first time without much self-analysis in the matter.

This new series does loosely link to the author's (terrific) other interconnected books/series (most notably, "At Home"), but this story works as a standalone from them. I received an advance reading e-copy of this book and have left this honest review voluntarily. (Also read in KU.)

[els✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

- an MM romance! cowboys, riding lessons, single guardian trope, daddy k!nk, grumpy/sunshine, age gap!
- the rabbits he has scare me
- your heart just breaks for Liam and Jackson
- i am in loooooove with Garrett
- their first kiss!!!!
- Garrett just cares so much 🥺
- so many cute scenes holy shit
- he made recipes for Liam to understand 😭
- Jackson is gone for the night!!!
- them writing the email to his boss was amazing
- just the way the whole family wanted to help them warmed my heart
- nah that bath scene was hotttt
- i love them i love them i love them
- their first date was so sweet 🥺
- Jackson asking Garrett if he’ll choose him as well🥺
- holy shit the sex scenes are so good in this book
- 10/10 communication
- Gunner getting angry for the boys so Jacks could get tested!!!
- honestly all of the side characters were incredible
- i honestly thought Liam was a little so was surprised when that wasn’t explored
- QUIT YOUR JOB LIAM
- Jackson drawing a picture with all three of them and labelling it ‘my family’ and giving it to Garrett had me honestly crying
- and then Garrett put it on the fridge 😭
- their love confessions were BEAUT
- i think we had amazing character development especially from Liam
- Liam realising he finally had people to support him and putting Garrett on Jackson’s emergency details
- this book was perfect to me
- i just love this little family so much
- wish we’d got the scene of the meeting with the teachers
- the epilogue was PERFECT
- i want a Gunner book :(

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liam has far too much on his plate and he barely has the time to sleep. This is complicated as he is the guardian of his 8-year-old brother Jackson. Finding a man is not on the radar for him because no one is going to take on his bother and they really are a package deal. He knows he shouldn't flirt with the owner of the Sunshine Ranch where Jackson had riding lessons (something else to stretch his budget and time) but he likes being seen even if there is no chance it will amount to nothing. Garrett is a Daddy and a fixer and meeting the older brother of the newest rider has his need to protect and help at a high level. Overhearing some phone calls Garrett knows Liam is brilliant but he doesn't think so and then also hears that Jackson is struggling at school. Suddenly Garrett knows how to help him. Liam is not convinced he can be the boy Garrett needs and can't believe that he wants them both. It's going to take a little time for Liam to see it Garrett's way.

I enjoyed this story with brave Liam who was overwhelmed with all the things he had to handle and his responsibilities and frustrated Jackson who just couldn't understand maths and his ignorant teacher who made things worse for them both. I loved the way that Jackson was eventually helped and that he got the diagnosis he needed as well as Liam finally getting the confidence in himself and his own abilities. A sweet story that will pull at your heartstrings. his was easy to read, feel and understand. This is an MM story with mature content with a BSDM-like Daddy/boy relationship.

[Tia Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the feels

Firsr, this is going to be all over the place as I just finished reading and my emotions are still back in the book. Like every book in this universe Carly Marie has written, it will make you feel...good bad sad happy . You will laugh and possibly cry... I definitely teared up and I definitely laughed out loud.. its sweet and very light on the Ddlb/kink aspect. This book is a spin of on other series within this world so id definitely suggest you read those first....but it is not needed to enjoy this story at all..now

Trevor's book is next! Oh yes! Definitely excited for the grizzlies ♡ (another spin off within the same world)

I loved how both of their disorders were talked about and referred to and not just mentioned and brushed off. I do however wish we'd seen Garrett and Gunner at the school. Or at least Liam and Garrett when they got the test results. I hate when schools(people) don't listen to the parent)/guardian. I can't understand why the teacher was so horrid to a child...

Such an incredibly written book
(like all of them)
Sometimes I do wish I could space the books out instead of finishing them the same day I get them 🙄🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️ whatcha gonna do.

This book had allll the feels!

[Ζωή Παππά · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liam has been raising his younger brother since their parents died. He's struggling to find time for work, helping his brother with schoolwork and being a single parent, he has no time for romance and most of the men he's met don't want someone with a kid. Everything changes when he meets Garrett at sunshine ranch during his brother's horse riding lesson.
Garrett is a very kind and patient man with a caring nature. The two of them click immediately, their desires are compatible and their chemistry amazing. As the weeks go by the two of them grow closer and they fall in love.
One of the things I really really loved about the book was the family themes. Garret was so sweet with Liam's brother, it was adorable! Also, I found the representation about dyslexia and dyscalculia really amazing. I love it when romance books also include discussions about serious topics.
Great start to the series. I enjoyed the first book very very much and I can't wait to read more about sunshine ranch.

[rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot. Especially the representation of learning disabilities and the life of a single parent (or in this case a single guardian). Both were well done, at least in my opinion.

I genuinely liked all the characters for once. No one was plain and boring and everyone had enough personality for me to enjoy reading about them.

Now, the plot was nice, very fitting for the intention of this book, but a tiny bit boring here and there. I wished for more Daddy-Boy scenes (not just sex scenes where they call each other that or scenes literally only about pyjamas) and maybe a bit more heartbreak or at least more moments with big emotions.

My last complaint: I did not like the nickname “cutie”. I am not very picky with names normally but this one was just not it. And Garrett overused it. But it’s a small thing, so no big deal.

All in all, I enjoyed myself and am looking forward to the next books of this series.

[Denise GremoryKohta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!!

I am always eager for Carly Marie books and have to start reading them as soon as they hit my kindle. I was even more eager for this one. The Sunshine Ranch is something I wish was real. I have enjoyed every one of this author’s books but this one really hit me in the feels. I have felt Liam and Jackson’s struggles on both levels though for different reasons. It is so hard to explain and get help when they think the child is faking it or deliberately not doing or trying. I’m so glad that there are things parents can do now. Thank you Carly Marie for bringing attention to this. As I said before, I love all of her work. My only problem is I reach the ending of one book and have to wait for the next. Seriously, it’s hard when you know how good it’s going to be.

[moonydew · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars…
I’ve been reading a lot from this author and I can’t help but looove them all. This was a bit less kinky but had more sex and fluff IMO.

That bathtub scene…my god that was so interesting and kinky and fun! Also something they did in this book that was a little weird that I kept thinking about was they would just end spicy scenes by cutting to the next day instead of wrapping it up. It was different than what I’m used to reading but I actually kind of liked it so instead of having weird awkward clean ups and good byes we can just assume it all happened and get to the meat of the story. It may be more common to others and maybe I’m making a big deal out of nothing but it felt very noticeable but I didn’t kind it and thought I’d take note of it here.

3/5 on spice. 2/5 on kink. 1/5 on tears. 💦 bath tub scene will be in the back of my head for weeks.

[FHR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Becoming the caretaker/ parent to his younger brother due to unforeseen circumstances, Liam has alot on his plate. When Jackson experiences difficulties, Liam comes across the Sunshine Ranch.
With the ranch comes Garrett.
Garrett who recognizes the struggles in Liam and can’t stop himself from becoming the much needed shoulder to lean on that Liam needs, whilst he hopes for more.

A fantastic start to this new series from the author. We get to see characters from the past series and meet new, interesting ones too.
The storyline is smooth flowing and the characters well developed. The Daddy/ boy dynamic suited these characters and it was lovely to see these characters form their own family. I’m looking forward to more of this series to come.

[bridgetann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Stopped Smiling!!!

I love this story! Liam is the sweetest man. He's been on his own, taking care of his little brother Jackson. He fights for him to be a happier child, he exhausts himself trying to figure out how to make things better. The day that Jackson steps foot on Sunshine Ranch to start his horse back riding lessons, it causes a ripple in fate. Liam and Garrett have no idea what is in store for them. I loved reading how Garrett, just made himself a fixture in Liam and Jackson's lives without disrupting anything. He fell head over heels for Jackson first. Who wouldn't when he's an adorable eight year old? Carly Marie is creating a wonderful world here at Sunshine Ranch and I'm definitely sticking around for it!!!!

[Marsha L Respess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Carly Marie stories. She has again written a wonderful and sensitive story about a man who longs to be a daddy after his last relationship ended so badly and a sweet young man who is struggling raising his younger brother all on his own and desperately needs a daddy. I appreciated how she wrote about Liam's dyslexia and Jackson's math problems that are not believed at his school and leads to fights and screaming between Liam and Jackson. Garrett is such a natural daddy and Liam is naturally submissive and Garrett's brother Gunner who is the one who helped Jackson with his learning disability is discovering his own submissiveness. The ranch is the perfect place for the healing of both Liam and Jackson and makes you feel at peace too.

[Chelsea Bartolotta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Characters that keep on giving

This book was so easy to get lost in and I think it'd because Carly connects her characters throughout the different series she writes. This doesn't stop you from enjoying this book as a standalone or forest Carly Marie book, but if you have read her other books there are lots of names your recognize and it makes the world she's created feel that much more real. I love a HEA probably more than most readers but this book does a great job not rushing the process of getting there. I am also as always suffering a massive book hangover and in need of more stories from the sunshine ranch family.