King's Country

“We’d mixed like oil and water. Until we’d come together like peanut butter and jelly.” No one does family feuds quite like Marie Johnston. Big Sky Country ranchers navigate generations-long drama while rekindling a long-abandoned friendship. King’s Country has a less tragic, role reversal Romeo & Juliet feel to it. Feuding families, young friends caught in the crossfire, but set in Montana ranch land. Marie creates a vivid countryside, dynamic characters, and heart-wrenching plot. Bristol is a tough as nails rancher who is used to being self-reliant and the town pariah. The sins of her father have trickled down and become her burden upon his passing. Dawson King is the town’s golden boy whose family is small-town royalty. They were forced apart by tragedy in childhood. Now, as adults, a traumatic event forces them together and brings truths to light. Bristol and Dawson have that delicious tension you crave from a friends-turned-enemies to lovers romance. Their chemistry is scorching hot. Although this is book four in Marie Johnston’s Oil Kings series, it absolutely held up on its own. I was able to drop into this story easily, despite not having read the first three books. That being said, I am totally intrigued to read all the brothers’ HEAs as well as Gentry’s, their dad’s story! King’s Country is a heartwarming & steamy story of redemption, healing, and family. Chloe Ryan is a new-to-me narrator and I have only listened to a couple of Tyler Darby’s narrations. Chloe and Tyler are terrific as Bristol and Dawson. Tyler’s deep, smoky timbre and pacing are perfect for the gruff and sexy rancher. Chloe has a sultry, slightly gravelly voice that fits Britsol’s hardened, lifeworn vixen personality perfectly. Both narrators have fantastic, distinct voices for the other characters as well. If you like hot, bossy cowboys, fierce heroines, and tension-filled enemies to lovers, add King’s Country to your TBL!

Marie Johnston wows me with another amazing novel, it is the fourth set in her “Oil Kings” series and I jumped in without having read the first three and had no problem following everything that was going on in the world she created. The author included everything you need to know in the descriptive details so you never feel lost or like you missed something. I will definitely check out the first three books because I loved this book and want to spend more time in this intriguing world the author created. A feud over property, oil rights and money has turned the King and Cartwright family into enemies. The feud has been going on for years, handed down from the grandparents to the parents and now the children. The King family, the clear winners, have done well for themselves over the years and are sitting pretty. But the Cartwrights have not and now the only one left is Bristol, her father passed away leaving her a mess to clean up, financially and on the ranch and home front. He was the town drunk and always looked down upon by those in the town, so Bristol never stood a chance, they treated her the same way, causing Bristol to be a loner most of her life. Bristol is a hard worker and not afraid to get her hands dirty and she will do everything she can to prevent from going under and losing the property to the Kings. Searching for one of her lost cattle during the storm is almost her undoing, but Daisy, her rescue dog, went and got help from her neighbor, Daisy did not know he was the enemy. Dawson King was just warming up when he heard the barking, he followed her and found Bristol, who was in a bad way, and brought her to the hospital. It was an eye-opening experience to see she was treated differently, and it did not stop there, it was just the first of many incidents and he will see after, something he never realized. Because she had no one to help her, Dawson convinced her to stay with him. It was great to watch these two navigate around each other, Dawson showing her kindness, her not wanting it but he gets to her after a while and there is something special between them. But Dawson is not being up front with her about everything and he does not know how to tell her. I loved how everything played out in this book, it is a beautifully plotted story with plenty of drama, heartfelt emotions, a touch of angst, and a slow burn romance. Marie Johnston, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride. 🎧📚🎧 And for the fabulous narration, Chloe Ryan and Tyler Darby are talented narrators and versatile voice artists. They have a complete understanding of the characters they are portraying, giving each a voice that fits that character’s persona, sounding believable and just as I picture the characters to sound. Chloe Ryan played Bristol with perfection, grasping her strength and determination and her caring side, Tyler Darby plays the perfect Dawson too. Both are great performing the roles of the secondary characters as well. They set the perfect tone for the story, capture all the character’s emotions and project them into their performance and have you feeling every single one. These entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to, and their narration enhances an already amazing story to another level. Thank you for another exceptional listen.