It’s been a long, cold winter at Riverside Ranch, where Robbie has lived alone since his brothers moved away. Alone, that is, except for his three devious cats, four saddle horses, and the forty-eight mustangs that roam the ranch.
Robbie is preparing for yet another snowfall when he gets the last call he expected—a plea to pick up Lance Taylor from the county jail.
Lance wasn’t just his little brother’s best friend, he was a part of the family. Then, one night, after Lance asked Robbie for something Robbie couldn’t give, he ran away and never came back.
Lance was sixteen and heartbroken when he left his middle-of-nowhere hometown. Six years later, he’s at rock bottom with nowhere else to go, and no one to turn to but Robbie, the man Lance has been inconveniently in love with for most of his life.
When Robbie offers Lance a place to stay, Lance expects a guest bedroom and awkward silence. Instead, he finds himself sharing Robbie’s one-room hayloft apartment and its single bed while realizing that the old flame he carries for Robbie might not be so hopeless, after all.
Long Winter is the first book in the Wild Ones series and has a happy-for-now ending. Robbie and Lance’s story continues in Signs of Spring.
I recently finished reading “Long Winter” and overall, it was an enjoyable read. The characters, Robbie and Lance, were well-developed and easy to connect with. Their individual stories were heartwarming, yet also touched upon moments of sadness. Witnessing their reunion after years apart was a truly touching experience.
However, certain aspects of the book’s ending disappointed me slightly. Throughout the story, Robbie’s two brothers are mentioned, but their stories are left unresolved. Similarly, towards the end, Lance discovers he has a sister and a niece, but their presence in the narrative is barely explored.
The final chapter takes place around Christmas, with Robbie receiving a Christmas card, Lance thinking it might be from one of his brothers. Instead, it is a card from his estranged Uncle, containing an unpleasant message. While this added an interesting twist, it felt disconnected from the Christmas theme.
The absence of a family gathering or any closure regarding Robbie’s brothers and Lance’s newfound family left many loose ends. The book concluded with Robbie and Lance naming a calf and expressing their love for each other. While this was a sweet moment, it felt like the author rushed to wrap up the story, leaving several unresolved plotlines.
I understand that there is a second book that continues the journey of Robbie and Lance, which may address these loose ends. However, as a standalone novel, “Long Winter” left me wanting more in terms of cohesive bonding and a sense of the (other) characters’ lives moving forward.
In conclusion, while “Long Winter” had its heartwarming moments and compelling characters, the lack of resolution for certain storylines prevented me from giving it a higher rating. I had to rate it 3 out of 5 stars.
About the author
Rachel Ember was born and raised in the midwest USA, and now lives there voluntarily, a life choice she only sometimes questions. On the small farm, her menagerie calls home, she happily juggles her voracious reading and writing habits with caring for her kids and pets.