‘Real World’ is just as amazing as ‘Ever the Same’ and I fell in love with Dan and Weldon just like I did with Dix and Audie. Luckily I got to see all of the characters from the first book in the series again, but ‘Real World’ stands well on its own. Of course, you’d be missing out on a great story if you don’t read ‘Ever the Same’ first… Told with BA Tortuga’s hallmark humor and love for everything Texan and cowboy, including the language she uses, Dan and Weldon’s story is about figuring out who they are and what they want to do with their lives. I was spellbound from the beginning, and loved watching how Weldon deals with sudden romance and how Dan comes to terms with being out of the military, finding love, and wondering if he can learn to be a parent to five children all at once. Not to mention interfering biological grandmothers who think they know what’s best!

Dan has been in the military for so long that he has no idea if he can hack it in civilian life. Dealing with his memories and PTSD is one thing, but figuring out how to relate to people in the absence of a defined command structure is a whole different ball game. He lives with his blind brother Dix (from book one), Dix’s husband Audie, and their two children while he deals with readjusting to the “real world”. As if that were not enough, Dan meets Weldon at a New Year’s party and the connection is immediate. There is only one problem - Weldon’s five children. Five! Dan may just like Weldon enough to give it a go – if Weldon gives him enough time to get his head around the situation, that is.

Weldon thinks he knows what to expect from life, what with being a widower and five kids to raise, but when Dan comes barreling in, all of his preconceived notions are turned upside down. Weldon is such a great guy – he married a girl he found crying over a pregnancy test just because she had nobody else to turn to after the father ran for the hills. Weldon ends up having four more with her and loves his big family, money issues and all. The oldest boy, Jakob, is blind, and while that does cause some issues, the bigger problem is that he is a teenager and gets all sorts of ideas in his head about his “real father”. Weldon could sure use the help of a second adult in the family –except Dan is pretty vocal about not liking kids.

The thing with Dan and Weldon is that they could both use some romance and affection of the personal kind in their lives. I mean the adult kind, because their families already give them plenty of love. For quite a while, Dan’s throwaway comment about not liking kids stands between them, but the truth is that Dan has never thought about having any of his own and he doesn’t believe he’d be any good at raising them. I loved watching these two men figure things out and rearrange their priorities. It’s not easy, but it’s well worth it!

If you like stories where both main characters need to relook at their priorities in life, if you want to know what it might be like to have five children and a blind teenager who thinks the grass is greener on the other side, and if you’re looking for a read that is touching, true to life, and very funny in the way it’s told, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did. It has characters I’d love to have as friends, several adorable children, and some great emotional moments I won’t quickly forget.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )