Amy and Nakos have been close friends since they were children. He, Amy, and Olivia have always been a trio - and Amy always thought Nakos was in love with Olivia. But now that Olivia is getting married - things have changed between them. Nothing seems to work out easily for Amy - no matter what she tries and she feels unworthy of being with Nakos. But when Nakos decides to woo Amy - she finds that maybe they can be together after all.

I really loved the Native American representation in this book and how both Amy and Nakos needed time to work through their emotions. I think Kelly Moran gave them both the time they needed to work through their emotions and feelings of self-worth so that coming together as a couple really worked.

Overall - this is a very sweet and emotional story.

I received this as an ARC via NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

As a child, Nakos Hunt left behind the familiarity of his Native American Arapaho tribe for time on Cattenach Ranch. Now the foreman, he's happily settled into his life, but the girl who befriended him all those years ago suddenly has him twisted inside out. He craves stability and purpose, and Amy Woods is anything but a calming presence. Though she's unbelievably gorgeous and about the only person who can drag a laugh from him, he's never been able to understand her. This was a fun read. And am voluntarily leaving my review.

Benediction is book two in the Cattenach Ranch series but can be read as a standalone. It has interconnected characters from book one and I loved book one so I would encourage reading it just because it was awesome, but I digress. This book is a slow burn friends to lovers story. Nakos is the foreman of the ranch, which he moved to when he was a child, which was when he met both Olivia and Amy and became friends with them. Amy and Olivia have always been best friends and have always been close to Nakos also, but aside from that, Amy's life isn't at all what she hoped for. She is used to being disappointed and in turn doesn't ever hope for much. Things unfortunately take a drastic and even more tragic turn and her world is upended. Nakos steps up and is there for her and their relationship shifts from friends to more.

I absolutely loved Nakos. He was everything....patient, sweet, kind and caring. He was soft and sweet when needed and then tough and alpha when needed too. Absolute perfection. I loved that Amy kept going despite all she had been through, and while it wasn't easy and she definitely struggled, she persevered. I really liked how the author built the friendships in the story and how Nate and Amy ultimately connected over their shared pasts/upbringings.

I think I personally struggled at times being fully invested in Amy and Nakos's relationship. I wanted to root fot them and a lot of the time I could feel it but I don't think I was fully there. The story was extremely well written in my opinion, but it was also extremely heavy. There was a lot happening with Amy and I am not opposed to real world issues or trauma in books, but maybe I was not in the right frame of find for all the heaviness this go round. I really enjoyed these characters on the whole and the ranch and cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I thought that this story was excellent!

It was a great story that was romantic, sexy and heartfelt.

The book gave me a real buzz in all the right places and I found it a real pager turner.
I was completely hooked by the story and found it a brilliant read

It is 5 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended!

I love a good cowboy romance and this one didn't disappoint. Nakos is the perfect strong and silent type and Amy a bit of a whirlwind that gets him out of his head. Their personalities complemented each other very well and their shared history and respect were palpable. This is the first book by this author I've read and I absolutely loved her writing. She has a very unique style I enjoyed a lot. Even though the book isn't especially short, it was a quick read and I was thoroughly invested.
There were only two things that bugged me a little. While I liked how expressive Nakos was, sometimes the way he talked about his feelings felt overly formal and it took me out of the story a bit, because of how stilted it sounded. The more serious problem for me though was Amy's trauma (which there is a lot of). While it was addressed a lot in the beginning of the book, I don't think it was ultimately dealt with enough. Some things kind of just fell to the wayside and that gave it the feel that Amy was just "fixed" because she was now in a very loving relationship. I would have liked for it to be wrapped up a bit more extensively without just forgetting about it.
Overall a sweet romance with a lot of deeper issues. Please read the author's trigger warnings, I don't know if I am including all of them.

Tw: rape, physical and verbal abuse, racism, spousal abuse, body shaming, disordered eating

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
Nakos and Amy have known each other since they were nine. With their friend Olivia they spent many hours together as friends and have grown so close.
When Olivia gets married to Nate, Nakos and Amy start growing closer together in a more than just friends way. Amy however does not feel she is worthy and is still dealing with hurt from her ex husband.
Can they overcome doubts and fears and love each other?

At the start of the book, Amy is fleeing an abusive marriage and goes to her best friend’s ranch for shelter. She is defended and helped by her friend Olivia, as well as her other best friend, Nakos, who is Olivia’s ranch foreman. As Amy slowly recovers from the physical and emotional beating, Nakos starts to see her in a new, romantic light.

Amy has had a crush on him since HS, but he never seemed to really “see” her. Instead, he always had a crush on Olivia. However, Olivia never saw him as anything more than a brother and she has since met the love of her life so Nakos finally looks past his feelings for her and.really starts to notice how much he has always liked Amy. Unfortunately, due to an abusive episode in her past, conservative parents who alternately ignored or belittled her, and lack of any meaningful attention from pretty much everyone, Amy has pretty low self-esteem and finds it hard to believe that Nakos could be interested in her.

Although I loved Nakos’ character, I wasn’t totally sold on his sudden realization that Amy was the one for him after all those years of them being friends, but absolutely nothing more. The book also had more angst than I wanted, so although it was a well-written and engaging story, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I might have if I’d read it in a different mood. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This is the story of Amy and Nakos. Amy comes from an abusive marriage and reunites with her best friend Nakos. They have always had a very special bond but neither of them realizes that they have both harbored feelings for each other for some time.

Kelly Moran is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite authors. She writes well developed and heartfelt stories that take on real issues. In this book, she touches on a past abusive relationship and does an amazing job starting the book with heartfelt detail about how damaging a relationship like that can get. It makes it all that more touching to see Amy blossom and reinvent herself as the person she once was before the abuse. She was independent and sassy and such a lovable character. We all can relate to the serious issues Kelly Moran is not afraid to tackle in her books. This author has a special place in my heart and I will be reading any and all books I can from her. The romance world needs more authors like her. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read another great book from Kelly Moran.

Nakos, Olivia, and Amy have been friends since they were children. Everyone knows that Nakos loves Olivia. What they don't know is that Amy has loved Nakos just as long. Now Olivia is married to Nate with Nakos' blessing. Amy has always felt like second best. After Amy's husband beats her up Nakos realizes that he has feelings for her. Can he convince Amy that it's her that he loves not Olivia. Lovely story

Redemption is a heartfelt and emotional story that keeps the reader captivated and intrigued till the very end. A well-written storyline that highlights all elements; heartache, laughter, drama and devotion. I liked the floe of the writing and the characters portrayals were believable and endearing. Overall, an enjoyable and entertaining read.

Kelly Moran is a bestselling author of enchanting ever-afters. This book was no exception. Rich characterizations, realistic emotions, and a lovely story make for a can't-put-it-down emotional read.

must read. I like this book and wanted to read more and more. Total fan of Kelly Moran.
Thank you NetGalley for this book and the publisher.

A really enjoyable read that I read really quickly. Well written, good storyline with good amount of spice and relatable storyline.