Lucky Break by A.M. Arthur

Welcome to Clean Slate Ranch: home of tight jeans, cowboy boots and rough trails. For some men, it’s a fantasy come true.

Shawn Matthews never imagined he’d be living out of his car, trying to make ends meet, but life doesn’t always go your way—he knows that better than most. When an accident leaves the Clean Slate Ranch shorthanded, Shawn is enlisted to help cook and finds himself bunked next to the sexiest cowboy he’s ever laid eyes on.

The first time Robin Butler spots the new chef, he thinks he’s seeing an actual ghost. Shawn is the spitting image of his late husband, and it spooks the hell out of him. The former rodeo-star-turned-ranch-hand does his best to avoid the soft-spoken cook—except it’s kind of tough when the man makes the best damn grub this side of the Mississippi and has a boy-next-door charm that’s impossible to resist.

Even though the tension between them practically sizzles, Shawn doesn’t do hookups and Robin isn’t ready for a new relationship. Besides, Robin can tell Shawn’s been hurt and deserves a partner who isn’t saddled with a tragic past. But chemistry doesn’t lie. Maybe finding each other—and a second chance at love—is the lucky break they both need.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you're looking for with an HEA/HFN. It's a promise!

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press – Harlequin

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shannan – ☆☆☆☆
Lucky Break is the fourth book in the Clean Slate Ranch series. You don't have to read the books in order to understand each individual couple, but it does make for a better read to have read the past books. This book concentrates on the relationship between Shawn and Robin.

Robin, the horseman on the ranch, has had a painful past. His husband died three years ago leaving Robin in a terrible place in his life. That's how he found himself living and working on the ranch. He isn't interested in a relationship especially one with someone that resembles his husband so much.

Shawn loves being in the kitchen and the routine it brings. He isn't a fan of big crowds or a lot of people, so working in the kitchen is perfect for him. When he first meets the handsome cowboy, he doesn't understand the standoffish attitude Robin gives him. Shawn has his own past issues and doesn't push too hard when it comes to Robin, especially when Robin calls him the wrong name after an amazing kiss.

I loved watching the relationship between Robin and Shawn grow. Shawn grew into himself and the family he now has. Robin was sweet and gentle with Shawn each step of the way. I love getting back to the Clean Slate Ranch and seeing how past and present characters are doing. Such a fun-loving series.


Angie – ☆☆☆☆
This was a slow-burn romance, I usually don't like those but it worked for me this time. I loved how patient Robin was with Shawn and went slow with him. The age gap is only eight years but each man had things in his past that made the wait worth it this time. There were a few times I wanted to jump in the book and shake both Robin and Shawn because if you just talk about your hurts and get things off your chest, it helps with communication. I loved seeing the other couples from the previous books, the guys are so wonderful at the ranch. I think this might be in my top two for this series so far.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series, and I have a great fondness for the inhabitants of the Clean Slate Ranch. I would recommend that you read them in order, as the story is ongoing, but this would be a good read to entice you into the ranch too.

As regular readers will know, the people who work at the ranch have often had a difficult past, and Clean Slate Ranch (CSR) has given them a place to recover and grow. Robin is one such man, and when he meets Shawn and thinks he sees a ghost, all his recovery is called into question as he suffers from the feelings he had been holding in. As the story progresses, we get to learn about his past, but also to see that there could be brightness in his future.

Shawn becomes a new soul to find solace at the ranch. He is known to them all as he works at the Bentley Ghost Town, but they had no idea that he had been living in his car the whole time. It was a salutary reminder of not making assumptions about people's circumstances. As he is brought into the CSR family, he too starts to recover his confidence, his trust, and his hope. But it only comes in baby steps and can easily be knocked back – which to an extent the caring Robin gets, giving him a chance to take things slowly. To find lasting happiness they will have to overcome quite a few issues, but along with the CSR family, readers are sure to also be willing them on.

Another good installment to the series, thank you, A.M. Arthur.

Also Available in the Clean Slate Ranch Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Wild Trail post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Roped In post.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Saddle Up post.

A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone's throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She's been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn't been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories. A.M. Arthur's work is available from Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, SMP Swerve, and Briggs-King Books.

When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.

Contact her at am_arthur@yahoo.com with your cooking tips (or book comments).

Connect with A.M.

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Lucky Break (Clean Slate Ranch #4) by A.M. Arthur to read and review.