Review – Raw Desire (Desire, Oklahoma #6) by Leah Brooke

Description:
Alison Bennett came to Desire, Oklahoma to hide-and to heal. When her truck breaks down on the way into town, she certainly doesn’t expect men like Dillon Tanner and Ryder Hayes to come to her rescue. Extraordinary men in an extraordinary town. Their interest in her both excites and alarms her, but she knows they’re both way out of her league. When an attack on the club brings a halt to the seminar she’s signed up for, Dillon and Ryder’s proposition to continue her lessons intrigues her. Dillon’s gentleness tempts her to put herself in his hands while Ryder’s wildness and apparent dislike for her makes her uneasy. Under their guidance, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, one that teaches her decadent pleasures and raw desire. And love. Knowing a menage relationship could never work, she still finds herself tempted to stay. But fate, and her ex-boyfriend, have other plans.

Let me say that I have been a long time fan of Leah Brooke (aka Lana Dare). I have loved the Desire series both present and founding fathers and am slightly obsessed with this fictional town (if you’ve read them, you know why and if you haven’t, read them and find out). Since meeting Dillon and Ryder in book one, I’ve waited for their story. They just jumped off the page and screamed, “Just wait until it’s our turn.” Well, at least to me they did but it obviously took Leah a little longer but I’m not complaining, not too much.

Alison meets Dillon and Ryder when her truck breaks down as she’s headed into town. The town’s sheriff (Ace) comes along and immediately calls the town’s only garage owned by Dillon and Ryder. Alison is in town for some seminars at the women’s club. She’s just left an abusive relationship (mental and physical) and feels it’s time to get her groove back. Dillon and Ryder take an immediate interest in her much to her dismay.

I wish I could say I liked Alison and while I can certainly understand her trust issues and sympathize with her, I found myself wanting to tell her to wake up and see the goodness in front of her. She likes Dillon from the get go but her mixed messages frustrated me as much as they did him. Poor Ryder didn’t stand a chance with her; she pegged him as a bad boy heartbreaker without even knowing him. Trust me there is a lot more to Ryder than meets the eye. Dillon and Ryder set out to prove over and over that they were trustworthy and wanted nothing but good things for her but time and time again she compared them to her scumbag ex-boyfriend. Dillon and Ryder through it all remain patient, kind, understanding, and loving.

Despite my feelings towards Alison, I think she is good for them and I know they are good for her. I very much enjoyed seeing Ryder and Dillon getting their happily ever after, even though this isn’t my favorite in the series. That being said, I did enjoy this book. I loved how the town embraced Alison, something she needed very badly. I especially enjoyed her scenes with all the women from the town who quickly brought her into their circle, patiently answered her questions, and helped her understand the town and why the men act they way they do. Because I do love series books, I always appreciate these scenes because they allow us to catch up with previous characters. Leah did an excellent job of weaving in the previous couples along with people whose stories have yet to be told and build the anticipation for their stories. I’ve very much looking forward to the next book in this series, not even knowing whose story it will be. If you haven’t discovered Desire, Oklahoma it’s high time you did. You’ll be ready to build a house and settle down, I promise!

3.75 Stars