Running Wild

The Men from Battle Ridge

By: Linda Howard, Linda Jones

Narrated by: Maggie Wheeler

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

In book 1 of this steamy new contemporary Western romance series by two blockbuster authors, a cowboy and a woman on the run take a stand and fight for love.

Carlin Reed lives in fear, off the grid, moving from place to place. So Battle Ridge, Wyoming, a small town in the middle of nowhere, seems like a good place to lie low for a while. But after becoming cook and housekeeper to cattle rancher Zeke Decker, Carlin suspects that she’s made her first mistake. Rugged, sexy, and too distracting for his own good, Zeke is pure temptation mixed with something deep and primal that makes Carlin feel almost safe. Soon things are getting way too hot in the kitchen.

Zeke doesn’t challenge Carlin’s terms: cash, dead bolts, and no questions. It is easy to see that she’s a woman in trouble. Problem is, he’s so blindsided by his attraction to her he can’t think straight. Zeke tries to stay all business, no complications - but that game plan is sabotaged the second Carlin gets under his skin. And when her terrifying past follows her to the ranch, Carlin faces a heartbreaking choice: run away from the man she loves, or put him in the crosshairs of a madman.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2012 Linda Howard, Linda Jones (P)2012 Random House Audio

On the Run….

She’s trying to run below radar, and the little town in beautiful Wyoming holds possibilities for temporary refuge. The handsome rancher, A. Z. (Lol!) calls her a stray which doesn’t go over well, but she’s snarky and growing stronger every day.
Howard & Jones make quite the writing team and Maggie Wheeler reeled me in. This is one for my favorites list.

Pure Romance, with elements of suspense and danger

This is the story of Carlin and Zeke, both lost in their own ways. Fate puts them together. Carlin is running from a nut case policeman and Zeke a hardworking, sexy rancher who has not been lucky in the love department. Well that changes when he meets Carlin, sparks fly and they turn up the heat. It was exciting to see their relationship develop and the banter between them had me chuckling out loud at times. Zeke is a hero in the truest since of the word, however these two rescue each other and that makes this a five start hit with me. Carlin is now wimpy girl; she is a strong woman who speaks her mind. I always enjoy Linda Howard books, this one is no exception. What I like the most is that the characters are realistic and believable. This is my second Linda Howard, Linda Jones book and I must say I like the collaboration. Maggie Wheeler does a great job with the narration and this was really an enjoyable listen. I want more!!!!

wow

Just wow. Loved this book! Once got into this book it was great. Hard to put down. Excellent!

Not enough story

Any additional comments?

There was not enough story to fill 2 audio files; too bad since the essential story was interesting, but you get bored waiting for something to happen.

Excellent!

I've been a fan of Linda Howard for a long time, and this book written with her close friend Linda Winstead Jones is a solid example. A young woman running from a deadly stalker finds herself in the wilds of Montana cooking for a grumpy bachelor and his hands. As she learns to cook and fall in love, her stalker is closing in. This is a well-written, satisfying book that I will read again. Well worth your time and money.

early Jones effort

This was definitely written primarily by Jones, not Howard. You can tell it’s an early effort primarily due to occasional repetition indicating a need for better editing. Add inconsistencies in the pacing and storyline…
Howard’s stories are consistently better put together on all levels.
Wheeler’s voice fits Carlin’s gender, age and edginess.

Great cowboy romantic suspense!

In this story, the heroine is on the run from a stalker who happens to be a computer savvy cop. She’s scared for her life and when he kills a coworker who borrowed her raincoat, she flees to a small town in the mountains and ends up working for a rancher as cook and housekeeper. The hero has been burned in the past by a failed marriage to a spoiled woman who wasn’t suited for ranch life. He’s attracted to the new cook, but wary of relationships. She’s attracted to him too, but knows she will have to move on soon to stay ahead of the crazy stalker. As time passes, she gets comfortable in feeling safe at the ranch and the attraction gets to be overwhelming for them both. She’s falling in love, but torn by her decision to leave the ranch in the Spring to stay alive. When an accidental computer inquiry by a well meaning friend of the rancher alerts the heroine, she panics and is ready to run until he convinces her he will keep her safe. But circumstances change and it’s a fight for her life and the people she’s come to love. Great narration!

ON the RUN~ 5 STAR all the way HOWARD /Jones Gem~~

on the run Carlin finds safety and romance with Zeke the hot rancher~

Carlin is clearly a woman who knows how to "hide" ~ she carries all she needs to make an escape in her coat and moves into a Podunk Wyoming town~ sliding under the radar job as waitress for cash, she ends up houskeeper for sexy rancher Zeke Decker. Brad the ex cop stalker uses the internet to keep track and find the elusive Carlin. Locked doors and weapons in every room has Carlin feel slightly more secure in the remote ranch. Zeke soon has his "fantasy" life take the human form of lovely Carllin and we have some humorous looks into his mind as his NO touch policy is "revised." LOL This one is one of the BETTER Howard books in recent years along with Howard /Jones Combo author this is a very good romantic suspense romance. There is a hero and heroine by play we love and the humor and sparks are first rate. Plot is well done and flows along. I give this one 5 STAR FOR PLOT, 5 STAR FOR PERFORMANCE AND 5 STAR FOR fun couple who heat up the winter in the Wyoming snow. Keep them coming Linda Howard and Linda Jones much better than Blood Born.

Disappointment.

Would you try another book from Linda Howard and Linda Jones and/or Maggie Wheeler?

I would read another book by these authors but I would not listen to another book read by this narrator.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I felt the book had too much mundane filler. It would have been a great 6 hour book. It reminded me of the more basic romance novels, but again the narrator ruined what was good about the book.

How could the performance have been better?

This narrator has a rather monotonous voice that grates on ones nerves.

Do you think Running Wild needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Let me say Linda Howard is in the top three of my favorite authors. I will likely read anything that bears her name. I listened to 'Blood Born' and loved it.

Howard and Jones are fantastic together!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Maggie Wheeler does a wonderful job at narrating this romantic suspense. I really felt for Carly and could feel here fear and understand her consuming need to run and stay off the grid. The strength of her character and the sizzle with Zeke set the romance portion on fire. This book had all the ingredients to keep you engaged!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Running Wild?

I was struck the most, when Carly shows Zeke the depth of her fear and the reality of her situation. The description of her terror was so vivid that I could see it, clear as day, and wanted to help her myself.

What does Maggie Wheeler bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Maggie has a way of using her accents and subtle changes in inflection to distinguish the voices and bring out there personalities. I love that in a narrator. It had power where it needed power, gentleness where it was needed and tenderness where it was important. Maggie spoke in a way that I could feel Carly's inner strength come through in her sarcastic voice and had me laughing like she was an old friend. I feel she was perfect to narrate this story!!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

When it is time to stop running and stand up and fight.....

Any additional comments?

I have always loved Linda Howard. I have enjoyed watching how her style has changed and developed, but this newest story with Linda Jones has been my favorite. I got my romance with a good dose of sizzle and enough suspense to make it interesting. I love a good twist to keep me guessing how a resolution comes about and these two were great at throwing those in the mix. This format even included some recipes that I can't wait to try. I love it when an author provides that to allow me to interact.