Title: RJ Scott Starter Pack
Author: RJ Scott
Stories & Series: Single(Single Dads #1)
Crooked Tree Ranch(Montana #1)
The Heart of Texas(Texas #1)
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: April 22, 2020
Three best-selling stories in one bundle!
If you’re new to the gay romance genre, or simply new to RJ Scott, this box set is a great way to sample RJ Scott's writing. Family stories, single dads, cowboys, ranchers, murder mystery -- these books have it all, and every story has a happily ever after.
Over 900 pages, and 200,000 words of “male/male gay romance at it's best.”
Summary:
Single Dads #1
Reeling from the painful rejection of a man he thought he loved, Asher is left holding the baby.
Ash wants a family, and is determined to continue with a surrogacy he’d begun with his ex. Bringing baby Mia home, he vows that he will be the best father he can be. Nothing in this world matters more to him than caring for his daughter, not even accidentally falling in lust with the doctor next door. Challenged by his growing attraction to Sean, and confronted by painful memories of his family, Ash has to learn that love is all that matters.
When ER doctor Sean moves in with his friends next door to sexy single father Ash, he falls so quickly it takes his breath away. The sex they have is hot, but Ash is adamant his heart is too full with love for his daughter to let anyone else in. Why is Sean the only one who sees how scared Ash is, and how can he prove to his new lover that he desperately wants the three of them to become a family?
Summary:
Montana #1
When a cowboy, meets the guy from the city, he can't know how much things will change.
On the spur of the moment, with his life collapsing around him, Jay Sullivan answers an ad for a business manager with an expertise in marketing, on a dude ranch in Montana.
With his sister, Ashley, niece, Kirsten and nephew, Josh, in tow, he moves lock stock and barrel from New York to Montana to start a new life on Crooked Tree Ranch.
Foreman and part owner of the ranch, ex rodeo star Nathaniel 'Nate' Todd has been running the dude ranch, for five years ever since his mentor Marcus Allen became ill.
His brothers convince him that he needs to get an expert in to help the business grow. He knows things have to change and but when the new guy turns up, with a troubled family in tow - he just isn't prepared for how much.
Summary:
Texas #1
Riley Hayes, the playboy of the Hayes family, is a young man who seems to have it all: money, a career he loves, and his pick of beautiful women. His father, CEO of HayesOil, passes control of the corporation to his two sons; but a stipulation is attached to Riley's portion. Concerned about Riley's lack of maturity, his father requires that Riley 'marry and stay married for one year to someone he loves'.
Angered by the requirement, Riley seeks a means of bypassing his father's stipulation. Blackmailing Jack Campbell into marrying him "for love" suits Riley's purpose. There is no mention in his father's documents that the marriage had to be with a woman and Jack Campbell is the son of Riley Senior's arch rival. Win win.
Riley marries Jack and abruptly his entire world is turned inside out. Riley hadn't counted on the fact that Jack Campbell, quiet and unassuming rancher, is a force of nature in his own right.
This is a story of murder, deceit, the struggle for power, lust and love, the sprawling life of a rancher and the whirlwind existence of a playboy. But under and through it all, as Riley learns over the months, this is a tale about family and everything that that word means.
Original Audiobook Review September 2019:
Honestly I don't think there's much I can add to my original ebook review back in June that would fully express how much I love Ash, Sean, Mia, and the whole gang. Sean Crisden once again brings RJ's words and characters to life in a way that almost reminds me of the old radio shows from the 30s & 40s that I collect. There's no sound effects but he puts so much into the individual characters that sometimes I swear I'm hearing the background noise, the footsteps, the door knocking and creaking open, the cars on the street.
Now I don't normally listen to a book this close to having first read it but the opportunity arose and you know what? Single is just as good in audio as it was on my kindle.
Original ebook Review June 2019:
I love it when my favorite author starts a new series. Single Dads has so much potential I can't wait to see what is yet to come. Personally I think there is nothing sexier than a man caring for a child. I was 16 when I saw a boy in our class carrying his little sister into the stands at a basketball game and I've been a goner ever since for men caring for kids, so to have Single Dads be the series focus and title, I was all kinds of "YAY!"
I'm not going to say Asher and Sean have a "cutesy meet" but it definitely fits the overall stress levels of said characters. "Collecting your bestie off the front steps of the next door neighbor because he was so drunk he went to the wrong home while said neighbor is trying to keep his baby girl sleeping" may not be rom-com gold but it definitely screams "yep, they are destined for romance".
I think Asher is pretty indicative of most single parents, perhaps his stress levels are a little higher than they need to be but considering how his ex behaved leading up to the surrogacy, his behavior really isn't all that unrealistic. There were moments where I would have liked to see Ash let Sean in a bit more but again his past mixed with new fatherhood, its understandable and there is no doubt whatsoever that he loves his little girl. The scenes with Mia are beyond adorable, his inner fears and imaginations not only made me smile(not so much at the fear part as the imagination, hey I like to see characters suffer but I'm not sadistic😉😉) but they made him more real.
As for Sean and his fellow roomies. Well, I do love a man in uniform and what better uniforms than a doc, a cop, and a firefighter? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke but its who the boys are both in occupation and spirit. Sean may be the star of Single from that house but the others factor in too. Eric is the drunk friend who instigates the introduction between Ash and Sean and Leo is like a baby whisperer with Mia, or as I believe a character at one point calls him "the baby wrangler".
Sometimes I think Ash should have been doing a bit more pursuing to level out the playing field but at the end of the book I was more than satisfied with how RJ Scott wrote Ash and Sean's journey. Single isn't just a romance between a single father and his next door neighbor, its also a tale of friendship, fatherhood, and finding a way to balance all of it together. If you're looking for loads of angst then this might not be up your alley right now, I wouldn't label Single all unicorns and roses but there really isn't any of what I call "high-end level drama" either. Nope, RJ Scott's Single is a lovely romantic read that will put a smile on your face and fill your heart with warmth, so its a win-win in my book.
Crooked Tree Ranch #1
Original Review June 2015:The secondary characters had me just as intrigued. Nate's brothers, Jay's sister, niece, and nephew; there were more than a few times that I wanted to shake that niece of his to make her wise up but the truth is, she's a teenager and that's what they do, aggravate and warm your heart all in the same breath. Definitely a must read and I eagerly await Rancher's Son #2, coming March 24, 2016.
Overall Series 5th Re-Read 2019:
As I've said many times before, RJ Scott's Texas series was the first published M/M genre book that I read so they will always hold a place of pride in my heart. No matter how many times I read or listen to the journey Jack and Riley Campbell-Hayes, their friends and family take I never tire of it. The characters and the paths they take are so real, so honest, the good and the bad, the heartache and the healing, it never fails to put a smile on face.
As for the audio versions, I can't imagine anyone other than Sean Crisden bringing these stories to life. Sean's voice make Jack, Riley, and the whole Texas family(which grows with each entry because its not just blood that connects everyone) real. Honestly I felt as if I looked up I'd see Jack with Solo Cal out in the yard or Riley on the floor with his maps.
If you haven't read/listened to Texas before I highly recommend giving it a go but it is a series needed to be experienced in order. I warn you though Jack and Riley can be addictive, you'll never want to say goodbye and now thanks to audio you really don't have to😉😉.
RATING:
Saturday's Series Spotlights
Single Dads: Part 1
USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott has written over one hundred romance books. Emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, single dads, hockey players, millionaires, princes, bodyguards, Navy SEALs, soldiers, doctors, paramedics, fire fighters, cops, and the men who get mixed up in their lives, always with a happy ever after.
She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing. The last time she had a week’s break from writing, she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.
BOOKBUB / KOBO / SMASHWORDS
EMAIL: rj@rjscott.co.uk
RJ Starter Pack
Montana Series
Texas Series
