Reviews

For The Love of Whiskey by Melissa Foster

loverofromance's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

You could be a million miles away darlin’ and my heart will still belong to you

Introduction

For the Love of Whiskey is the second full installment in the Redemption Ranch series and this was such a long awaited read for me and was also such a anticipated release of the year for me. I have to say that this book was somehow better than the first book and I have no clue how Melissa foster does this for me, how she is able to craft such magnificence in a romance and just delivers on all counts for me! In this story though, we have Sully and Cowboy’s story and Foster really hit this one out of the park. Its been 24 hours and I am still feelings so much emotion from what was delivered in this one. There is something about this series so far that has just raised the bar for this author. This series is connected to her Peaceful Harbor Dark Knights series. So if you have read that series, you will definitely get a kick out of what you see in this series because we see some of our favorite characters. For the Love of Whiskey is a story of healing and finding love when you least expect it…

.

I realize now that your heart held the key to opening mine

Summary
Sullivan “Sully” Tate, was raised in a cult where she was abused by men but especially the cult leader and she found a way to escape and is now in hiding. And then she finds a home and safe harbor with the Whiskeys at the Redemption Ranch, where they rescue lost souls and animals and get them on the road to healing and recovery. And this is where Sully meets one of the sons of the Whiskeys who run the Redemption Ranch. And Cowboy is the broody serious son. He is the protector and helps the most with damaged and abused horses. But for Sully, he is her safe haven, she feels more safe in his arms than anywhere else. But as they develop a strong bond, Cowboy is hesitant to move faster than he should with Sully, he knows that she is recovering and he doesn’t want to push her too fast. But Sully knows that even though their relationship is new, and she is learning to heal, she also knows that you fight for who you love…

There was something merciful in his eyes, something that drew her in and held her there, making her want to trust him, and that was terrifying.

My Outlook
This book was simply everything! I adored every single aspect of this story. And what I loved the most was the focus on the healing and balancing it out with a romantic relationship. There is such a authentic feel to how Melissa Foster captures the essence of the heart between these two characters. And how good they are for each other. I was instantly drawn into their relationship, because you can sense their deep connection from the very beginning. I couldn’t seem to get enough between these two. And they were truly so delightful to see together and the in which they just lift each other up in the right ways. I have read plenty of healing romances but this is hands down the best one that I have ever had the pleasure to read. In this story we see such a strong delivery of balance of chemistry and deep connection. Cowboy is such a protector but isn’t overbearing or overstep at all, and when Sully stands her ground, he respects her even more. But he is his own man and he makes his own decisions and I love that he does what he believes is right even if his family disagrees. I loved seeing him come into his own and fight for his woman. Both Sully and Cowboy have to learn to fight for each other and it epic when they do it when it counts and do it TOGETHER!! And that ending, my heart just crashed. This author just tore me up with so much intense emotion and seeing what happens to bring them to their HEA was brilliant and so poignant, I guarantee it will be a moment that as a reader you can easily get so lost in.

Baby, I’d rather walk around soaking wet and chilled to the bone than live a single day without you by my side.

Overall View
I found For The Love of Whiskey to be a powerhouse of a romance, delivering on depths of human emotion, atmospheric moments of the american west, bringing together the heart of family and crafting your own happiness when it matters the most!

He’d become her safe place, her anchor, her calm in the face of a storm, and as her hearbeat settled, she wished she could stay right there in his arms…forever

Rating Evaluation:
Plot: 5
World Building: 5
Cover: 4
Hero: 5
Heroine: 5
Steam: 5
Heart & Feels: 5
Ending: 5
Overall View: 5



 

kdealtn's review

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Cowboy and Sully are meant for each other. I don't want to spoil the story so I'll just say their connection is immediate and life changing. Sully learning to trust again after devastation in her past and Cowboy finding his soulmate with Sully was a romantic ride. This was an emotional book, I am not usually a crier but Sully pulled at my heartstrings and Cowboy broke my heart trying to do what was best for Sully to his own detriment. Read this book. It's amazing!

canadiangirlreads's review

5.0

"𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨."

𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐘 is the second book in The Whiskeys: Dark Knights at Redemption Ranch series by Melissa Foster which is Callahan "Cowboy" and Sullivan "Sully"'s story.

Cowboy Whiskey will steal your heart from the very beginning.

Sully is trying to start over and find herself again after escaping the horror that was her life. Once at Redemption Ranch, Callahan "Cowboy" Whiskey made it his personal mission to make her feel welcome and experience everything she was never able to do before.

Cowboy and Sully connected almost instantly and I love how protective Cowboy is of Sully. Sully grew and flourished so much throughout the book, it is so heartwarming. I loved seeing all of the Whiskeys and the rest of the extended family and friends.

I have loved the Whiskeys from the minute I met them and Cowboy has proven why they are and always will be my favourites. Bear Whiskey has always been my number one and now Cowboy Whiskey is tied with him for number one. I can not wait for the next Whiskey book.

Aiden Snow and Meg Sylvan did an amazing job bringing the characters and story to life and made it feel like you are on the ranch with everyone.

Get ready for... small town, cowboy, protector, hurt/comfort, mc, slow burn, found family, big family, and dual third-person point of view.

Content & Kinks... sexual assault of a minor (mc, past), rape (mc, past), violence.

5 Maple Leafs | 3 Flames | 2023 Top Read

theaccidentalromanceblogger's review

adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Callahan 'Cowboy' Whiskey is a natural born protector. A member of the Dark Knights, the quiet rancher rescues horses and rehabilitates them at Redemption Ranch, his family's facility. Redemption Ranch is a special place - a place where broken souls, whether they are human or animal, go to heal. 

So, when the Dark Knights are called to protect a young woman who has just escaped from a cult, Cowboy is put on protection duty. As time passes, he may have to end up protecting her from himself. 

Sullivan Tate left behind everything she's ever known. Now, she not only has to learn how to navigate life in the outside world but she has to figure out who she is... all that while falling completely in love with the cowboy who's supposed to protect her. 

This book wrecked me. After reading the prequel, I already knew the horrors Sully endured before she finally got to the ranch. The beauty of Melissa's writing is that she doesn't do anything for shock value, so we, along with Cowboy, learn - by the little things Sully reveals about herself - how incredibly badass this young woman is. And together with Cowboy, we fall in love with her we understand that there is no one better to be by her side than him. 

There is no dreadful third act conflict but at 95% of the book, after wrecking my soul throughout it, Melissa slayed me. No spoilers, but descriptions of drawings can make me sob. That was a first... who knew! 

Beautiful story! 

Note: Some people may complain that, in real life, Sully's recovery journey would take a lot longer and that their romance is instalove-y, but Melissa acknowledges all that. Believe me, it works. 

Loved it! 

Possible triggers: FMC is a cult escapee, mentions of SA, kidnapping, child abuse, PTSD

bookaddictreviews's review

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

nerdy_book_lover_1987's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

Another great Redemption Ranch story this time following Sully and Cowboy/Callahan. Sully has lived a hard life, has went through so much trauma and just needed life to go in her favor! Everything that had happened to her was huge and she really needed to work on getting through it all mentally. Cowboy was so understanding, protective, adoring and made sure he was there with her every step of the way. He was made for Sully and they were a perfect match!! I loved how the whole family took Sully in like she was one of their own and belonged there with them. It was so heartwarming!! A fantastic read!!

evmb_c's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

meegzreads's review

4.0

 

*4 Stars*

ARC kindly received for an honest review.

Cowboy and Sully's story was very interesting - the situation that Sully has come out of, and all that she has to deal with is absolutely huge. Cowboy/Callahan is the perfect match for her and is so sweet and understanding and supportive of her.

Sully herself is just so strong, and the path she is determined to forge is wonderful. I loved all the Dark Knights/Whiskey/Ranch characters, and enjoyed reading this one. Definitely looking forward to more from this series.