Fences & Freedom by Bailey BradfordMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finally!!! I finally know how old Barney is. Yes, that elusive tidbit of info has been annoying me because when he “distracted” Will after Troy’s attack in Chaps & Hope he seemed as though he was close to their age. Yet when Salt talked about him in Saddles & Memories I got the impression he was younger than I first surmised. As it turns out, Barney is only twenty but as we learn more about him in Fences & Freedom
, I understood my confusion because Barney’s past meant he had to grow up fast and assume adult responsibilities sooner than he should have when his father died. No, Barney wasn’t abused or anything like that. Well not in the sense we tend to think of because he was ridiculed by his peers for being poor and it was his mother’s financial woes that resulted in him growing up fast as he began doing what he could (legally) to bring in money to help his mom pay the bills. Yep, Barney is a keeper and it just so turns out that Ramsey, the Mossy Glenn’s least-liked hand, may just be the one to keep him.As we find out in Fences & Freedom, Salt had every reason to be wary of Ramsey because he was not who he purported to be. But as the book unfolds and we learn who Ramsey really is, why he’s at the Mossy Glenn Ranch, and the reason behind it, I found myself sympathetic to his plight – especially after seeing how his father treated him. But of course, this is after I was annoyed with him for trying to stake his claim on the “new guy” when Barney started on at the Mossy Glenn. However, my annoyance was short-lived when I realized that Barney had taken a shine to Ramsey and the “hunter” soon became the “hunted” with practically no one being aware of it because nearly everyone underestimates Barney. While Barney is most definitely sweet and comes off as naïve due to his age and inexperience, he’s accustomed to working hard for what he wants and being patient as he works to obtain it. Because of this, he does a fine job of indulging his curiosities about sex, breaking down Ramsey’s defenses, and making Ramsey his without being used by Ramsey or going all the way before he was ready. Barney’s inexperience is easily outweighed by his enthusiasm and this makes for some really steamy scenes that left me chuckling at times.
I really enjoyed watching Barney break down Ramsey’s walls simply by being himself. Barney is a good kid with a good heart and while Ramsey set out to scratch his itch with the dumb young thing, he soon found that he not only underestimated Barney’s intelligence, but also what being around Barney’s inherent goodness would do to him. Barney made Ramsey want to be a better man – a man deserving of someone as good as Barney. This is what made his conscience rear its ugly head and led him to try to make things right. While most underestimated Barney’s intelligence, few underestimated his goodness and it was his willingness to stand with Ramsey that made Carlos, Troy, and Will give Ramsey the second chance he needed. Fences & Freedom is yet another enjoyable addition to the Mossy Glenn Ranch series and I’m glad I still have more of them to read.
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!
Check out the Fences and Freedom (Mossy Glenn Ranch #4) by Bailey Bradford blog post on Crystal’s Many Reviewers.
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may actually be my favorite of The Gray Court series, or at least it’s in direct contention with The Hob. I loved the banter between Raven and Amanda. From the moment in The Hob that Robin learned that Raven was his son and claimed him as his own, I have been rooting for Raven to find his truebond. Learning of the lies, manipulation, and torture he experienced at the hands of the Black Queen just made it even more important that he find his truebond – that one person created just for him – because it was clear that despite all that he endured, he was a good man. A good man in dire need of love. 
we learn far more about the weathered cowboy than I expected and the man’s layers are far deeper than he likes to let on, especially his sensitive side. 
loaded on my Kindle and on my review schedule so I didn't have to wait long to find out what Oberon's fate was and whether or not he would accept his mate.
’s release and I nearly went through the roof when I discovered that Bradford had written it as another chapter in Marcus and Nathan’s life. I love all of the couples in the series and each has a special place in my heart, but with all the Nathan has dealt with as Marcus was under attack from more than one quarter, it felt right for them to get another installment in the series and Bradford managed to make me love this couple even more than I already did.
was Drake’s story as he managed to worm his way into my heart in Chaps & Hopes. Considering the news he got at the end of that book, I was curious to see how Bradford would have him find his match. As it turned out, the author handled a tough subject with sensitivity and a strong, informed dose of reality that made me admire her writing even more. In addition to Drake’s romance, fans are also treated to a bit of intrigue and suspense as an arsonist appears on the scene.
, it has been a LONG time since I last read it and as I reread it, I was actually annoyed with myself for not having returned to The Gray Court sooner as the Dunnes and the world they live in is quite magical – and not just because they’re fae. As the first book in the series, the author does a wonderful job of introducing the various parts of the fae world the Dunnes are a part of and weaving it into Leo and Ruby’s story in such a way that the reader learns about Leo’s life at the same time Ruby does. For me, this helped me to connect with Ruby – that and the fact that she has a killer sense of humor.
. After spending a decade in a vanilla marriage, never telling her husband of her desire for a domestic discipline relationship, Norah has moved to Corbin’s Bend to start her life anew three years after being widowed. As a lover of books, I was excited for Norah as part of her new start was opening a bookstore in Corbin’s Bend and living in the apartment above it. I was also excited for the community because the new businesses that I recall from previous books have been almost exclusively restaurants, and between the schools and book clubs in Corbin’s Bend and the plans that Norah had for her store, she was filling a hole in the community. Add to that Norah finding herself attracted to yet another vanilla man, Caine, and that spelled good things for the novel.
is a quick read that did a nice job of kicking off the holiday reading season for me. It also had me wanting to cry in frustration on Gillian’s behalf as everything that could go wrong did, and then some. Syme does an excellent job in creating Gillian’s character and all that she must deal with on the night of the theater’s biggest fundraiser, and keeping it from becoming a comedy of errors. I believe most of us has had one of those days where nothing goes right, you question why you bothered getting out of bed that morning, silently beg the universe to let you crawl back into bed and wakeup to a do-over, and have to endure all of that with a ghost from our past showing up to witness it all. I know I have experienced all that minus the last part and this certainly made Gillian a very sympathetic character in my book. 
. Let me first assure those that have not read Pucked that you absolutely can read Pucked Up as a stand-alone book, but you are seriously shortchanging yourself on the experience that is Vi, Alex, and the MC. Those who read Pucked will be delighted to know that Vi and her filter-less mouth make many appearances in this installment as she is Buck’s step-sister after all. And while the humor is certainly rampant within this book, I was surprised by how much the humor was toned down from book one considering that Buck is a guy and all. But it worked because Hunting revealed Buck’s character in such a way that I realized that I was just as guilty of misjudging him as so many of the people around him were – and I even knew how good of a brother he was to Vi. Yep, I fell in love with the yeti!
reaffirmed my faith in the author’s ability to write books that are related to others without you having to read all of the prior ones in a series (or the series it spun off of). That said, as a fan of Bradford’s work I do hope to go back at some point to read the Love in Xxchange series as I can only imagine just how hot it is.
. It’s an odd thing to say about a BDSM romance, but it was an unbelievably sweet story and one I can see myself reading many, many times again. Ms. Lawless created an extremely powerful Prologue that served to illustrate the devastating effect that Liam’s panic attacks had on him, while at the same time showed where his relationship with Aaron started. While momentarily awkward when the book jumps ten months forward with the first chapter, Liam’s reaction to an online article and his subsequent actions filled in the pieces rather quickly as to how their relationship had evolved over that time. Any remaining gaps were filled in as the book progressed through memories, musings, and conversations between Liam and Aaron. 
was at the top of my list. Based on the blurb, I expected to get an enjoyable read as two complete strangers embarked upon a no-strings attached affair while on a Hawaiian vacation – a little steamy fun in the sun read. And while I did enjoy the book and the steamy fun in the sun it offered, Ms. Gold gave me even more than I bargained for.
was a great addition to The Shadow Shifters series and I love the possibilities that about with the open ending of the book – not a cliffhanger per se, but it certainly leaves many, many avenues open for the author to take.
I wasn’t sure whether to give it four or five stars. Without a doubt, the book was great and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I reserve five stars for those books I’d like to read again or that impact me significantly. I just wasn’t sure where on the spectrum this book fell – whether or not it was something I would consider rereading. So I slept on it. The next morning I was still undecided. Yet my indecision was still not enough to relegate it to a 4-star read as I tend to do when I haven’t committed myself to the full five stars. But as I sat down to write this review and thought more and more about the journey that Harper takes and all that she overcomes in the course of the novel, I find myself with no doubts that it is indeed a 5-star read for me.