Finding the Road to Us (The Wilder Brothers #6)

Carrie Ann Ryan

Blurb:

I was ready to say, ‘I do’, then my fiancé left me at the altar.

Broken and embarrassed, Trace and Elliot helped me run away—ditching my wedding dress in the process.

When I come back to the Wilder Retreat to show the world I’m no longer hurting, I know I must ignore my traitorous needs when it comes to these two men.

Because my body wants them both.

And my soul craves them just as much.

I know I can’t choose, and part of me asks why I should.

Only when we decide to take that chance and share everything, the danger from our pasts refuses to let our choice stand.

With one kiss, one dance into temptation, we could lose everything.

Including our lives.

Themes: Menage, Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

The last of the main Wilder siblings have found their loves in this beautiful story of healing and second chances by Carrie Ann Ryan. I have been a fan of this series and looked forward to it since we first met the Wilders when Eliza Wilder fell in love with one of the crazy Montgomery bunch. This series has truly been one the most painful to watch as each of the traumatized and broken Wilder men has had to work through their issues in order to allow their hearts to open to the women that came into their lives. I was dying for this final story as the youngest Wilder, Elliot, has always seemed the most broken despite the cheerful face he puts on for his family. The story kicks off immediately with a story of heartbreak for Sidney and you wonder just how these three lovers are going to find their way into a loving triad and their HEA, but as always Carrie Ann finds a way and shows us that love truly can overcome anything and will lead to healing and happiness. I am looking forward to the spinoff series as the Wilder cousins finds their own versions of happiness and healing and join their cousins on the Wilder Winery and Retreat, rebuilding and making their family stronger and better.

Trace Pritchett has become one of the Wilder team since his client and friend Bethany brought him into the fold by marrying one of the wilder men, but the more time he spends with the youngest wilder, Elliot, the more he questions his ability to just remain his friend. Elliot wants Trace, but he doesn’t believe Trace looks at him that way, despite their connection and the moments they share, especially after Trace literally saves his life. When they work together to help jilted-bride Sidney Flowers to escape the trauma of her marriage, keeping her sanity intact, neither man imagined that kindness would forever change the path of their lives. But when Sidney comes back into their world a year later, neither man is willing to give up the chance to have in their lives, or their beds, so they embark on the crazy plan to have a relationship between the three of them—if they can convince the sexy florist to join them. Sidney is ready to completely change her life, but being with two gorgeous men and developing feelings might just be more than she planned for. Can love to develop between three broken and battered souls in order to heal their hearts, of will their pasts and fears tear them apart?

I really enjoyed finally getting to know Trace and Elliot, learning their backstories, and of course meeting Sidney, but I would have love it to be a bit longer so we could enjoy more relationship building between them, as it seemed a bit abrupt at times. That said, Elliot’s story was truly heartbreaking, learning about what he dealt with in the military and why he finally decided it was time to get out when he did, shows why despite always seeming so cheerful it was sometimes obvious that he was unhappy. He was such a strong character despite his fears and I was glad that he was able to work through he past so that he could open his heart and enjoy the chance at love. Sometimes we forget that the blush of first love isn’t always meant to be the lasting love with think when it is ripped from us with no closure, leaving us with a gilded view of it and no way to recognize the real thing when it comes around. Trace on the other hand was a much older and wiser man and when he finally decided to stop trying to please others with dumb choices, he knew he wanted Elliot and went for it. I loved seeing him leading the charge and making sure Elliot and Sidney had all the emotional support they needed as they began their relationship. He was the backbone of their love and despite having his own issues, got the strength he needed from being their core. He was brave, sweet, loving, and always just want they need to be stronger together. Sidney was the type of woman that sometimes makes me crazy; in the beginning it seemed she was settling, taking a husband that wasn’t really good enough for her and caving again and again to pressure from her family. But as she learned to stand on her own, finding her strength and no longer letting others’ opinions lead her choices, I began to really like her. She was the perfect third for Trace and Elliot—sweet, loving, support, kind, and sassy when need be. Together the three of them really were the perfect recipe for a lasting and strong love.

This story was one I had been looking forward to a while and Find the Road to Us is one of those stories that will stick with you for a while. Trace, Elliot, and Sidney are all character in need of something in order to take their battered hearts and put them back together, and each of them has something crucial to bring to their relationship. Trace was the titanium core of power that will hold the three of them together through anything that comes at them, even as he needs the love and sweetness of the others. Sidney is the sassy sweetness to remind them their lives aren’t always about fighting for their place in the world, but can sometimes just be about being together and finding time to enjoy their lives. Elliot is the glue that binds them together, giving them strength and staying intensity so they never lose one another. Their passion and connection are undeniable whether it is all three of them together, or they are split off into couples, and it is amazing to witness from the beginning. I loved this story from beginning to end, and really my only gripe was I wish it had been a bit longer so we could have enjoyed more of seeing them building their relationship and living day-to-day. I am looking forward to the next story in the series, when Ridge and the Wilder Cousins will be joining the scene and getting their own stories. Carrie Ann Ryan has never once let me down as she gives us amazing stories of loss, love, salvation, and passion, and this story is just another example of her mastery of the written word.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.