Publisher's Weekly Review
The heartfelt latest from Hyde (Allie and Bea) takes readers on a journey of one man's spiritual awakening. While hunting, 40-year-old California cattle rancher Aiden Delacorte feels an intense pain and blacks out seconds after shooting a buck. Once he wakes up, Aiden realizes that he must have felt the pain of the animal he shot, and this type of empathy is further evidenced when he feels the terror of his horse while riding it near the dead buck. Aiden's newly discovered empathy is not without complications: his girlfriend, Livie, becomes furious with him for not keeping the deer meat, and he can no longer stomach some of the most basic tasks of cattle ranching. After Aiden and Livie break up, he begins dating Gwen and meets her children, Elizabeth and Milo. Though Aiden is able to quickly establish a relationship with Elizabeth, Milo is a difficult child who is cruel to animals. Through flashbacks, Hyde highlights the parallels between Aiden's early childhood and Milo's experiences. As Aiden starts to understand and break through Milo's barriers, the novel shows how trust can eventually help heal trauma. Hyde's latest is memorable and well-plotted. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
When Aiden Delacorte, a cattleman for all of his adult life, abruptly quits the business, he turns heads and offends neighboring ranchers and friends in the process. Indeed, a newly reawakened sense, his uncanny gift of empathy for animals, dormant since childhood, threatens Aiden's entire way of life. Increasingly ostracized by the people in his rural community, Aiden finds comfort and understanding with the town newcomer, Gwen. A single mother fleeing her own difficult situation, Gwen and her daughter, Elizabeth, offer Aiden a welcome sense of family, although her troubled son, Milo, challenges Aiden, pushing his patience to the limit. But Milo also reminds Aiden of his own difficult childhood, and as he begins to remember long-buried feelings and moments, Aiden comes closer to finding the key to understanding Milo and rediscovering himself. Although occasional character inconsistencies are distracting at times, the overall sweetness of the love story prevails. Prolific novelist Hyde (Allie and Bea, 2017), author of Pay it Forward (1999), delivers another touching story of resilience and hope that feels cinematic in scope.--Ophoff, Cortney Copyright 2017 Booklist
