I always have enjoyed Kat Martin’s contemporary books and this is no exception. We met Josh in Beyond Danger where he saved the day and hoped that he would get his own chance at happiness. When Tori and her daughter enter his life, he didn’t realize that they were just what he needed. They had a long way to go to get to a place of love and trust. Trust, especially. But after many challenges, they suceeded. If you enjoy Kat Martin, you will enjoy this book.

What wall would you hit to make you stop running?

Victoria Langford started running, hiding, and trying to escape from an abusive relationship and keep her daughter safe from harm. She kept moving but her predator kept finding her until she ran out of gas and got a job in Texas working for Joshua Cain on the Iron River Ranch under the guise of Tory Ford. Josh did not want her and saw trouble with a capital T written all over her, but something about this feisty woman made him say yes she could be a ranch hand. Josh figured it would be a day and she would call it quits, but morning after morning she got up before the sun and did the work he requested. So now what is Josh going to do with her and the problems that seem to be hitting them from both directions?

Tory proves to be a hard worker and Josh expands her responsibilities and helps find some help for her daughter so that Tory can even help him with an unmanageable horse that he is desperate to get under control. The only person that can get close to Star is Tory and the skill set she shows for helping him with the modernization and promotion of the ranch as well as caring for his animals is more than making up for the baggage she carries around with her. Josh gets bits and pieces from her of the background she is hiding from and swears to her nothing will ever harm her or her daughter in anyway – so a deal is struck and the work on the ranch continues. The only problem is the almost desperate attraction between the two of them that they are tamping down with every ounce of self-control and the battle goes well by day but the two surrender to their desires by night. As long as they remain professional all will be fine, but the line if very fine between professional and passionate when it comes to close quarters.

When disaster comes in the manner of a fire the first reaction is Tory’s predator has found her, however it becomes clear the issues are against Josh and not only does he have someone with a grudge he has a terrorist from his military days leading a march of destruction against him and his fellow Marines. When one event gets under control another pops up and Tory with Josh are striking against problems from one part of the country to the next. For Tory it has become a problem keeping quiet and hidden but she knows with Josh by her side she is safe and when her past shows up everyone will be able to handle it. For Josh the problems are revealing themselves and his ability to utilize that military background proves that patience is what will wear your enemies down and eventually eliminate them.

Kat Martin rocks the written word on every page with suspense, intrigue, and hot as lava rock romance every reader craves. Know ahead of time if you start a Kat Martin book there is not putting it down until you are done!

Beyond Control by Kat Martin
Texas Trilogy #3

Busy but good this story had a Tory Ford running with her young daughter from an abusive ex-fiancé and finding sanctuary and protection on Josh Cain’s ranch. Neither is in the right headspace to have a relationship but as time progresses they get to know and admire then care for one another.

This book had much going on with the abusive ex, a potential serial murderer on the loose, arson, a terrorist or two to deal with, an motorcycle club element and then of course the romance along oh and a secondary romance, too. That said, it was handled well and I cared about the characters and hoped they would get their happily ever after.

I truly enjoyed this book and the first in the series and wonder just how I missed the first one. I am looking forward to reading more by this author in the near future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Zebra for the ARC – this is my honest review.

I absolutely take no joy in giving bad reviews. While I love suspending reality, this bordered on the ridiculous. I will say, I truly enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy.

I really have liked this trilogy and the characters. Poor Tory has been running from a monster for too long. She and her daughter are down to their last few dollars when they roll up to Josh's ranch. Josh watches the beautiful woman get out of her car and know that trouble is about to find him. He doesn't know what Tory is running from, but he knows she is running. Josh isn't ready for a family as he is trying to get his head on straight after just returning home from overseas. Tory may be little, but she sure is brave. When Josh finds her with a dangerous horse, he is sure of her bravery. As she helps the horse, she is helping Josh too. Will she be able to stay or will she and her daughter have to keep running?

Beyond Control is an intriguing romantic suspense novel with a hot former Marine turned cowboy and a single mother in distress. I liked that the author gave Josh and Tory time to find and fall for each other. Josh is sweet, strong and protective. He is also a guy so a little dense at times. Tory is smart and stronger than she gives herself credit for. I really enjoyed their story. Though this is part of a series it can be read standalone.

Beyond Control by Kat Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just when you think you know where all the danger is coming from another threat arrives. This time it is Josh Cain's time to get thrown off balance. Victoria Bradford is running from a abusive ex fiancé and Josh gives her a job and a place to hide. Then Josh becomes the target because of his military background. Between the two they cannot relax their guard. This has it all. Danger from two sides and tension between the two main characters. Both must face their past and decide what they want for their future. A great ending to the Texas Trilogy.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for an ARC to read and give my opinion.

Tory Bradford is on the run from an ex fiancé who turned violent when she tried to leave him. Now she is on the run and he has found her several times only for her to thwart his capture. She finds herself nearly broke, with her young daughter looking for work at a ranch.
Josh was an ex military marine sniper who is building up a ranch with fellow ex marine buddies. One look at Tory and he knew she was trouble. Things start happening around the ranch that are unexplainable, and he starts to fall for Tory.


I enjoyed this book but I felt the main plot was enough to satisfy a readers hunger, the author tied in other parts that I felt detracted from the story rather than add to it. By the ending so much was going on that it just felt noisy. I gave the book three stars for entertainment. Thanks for allowing me a copy.

This is not your standard “damsel in distress” story! Victoria Langford Is a strong woman, with a career and an adorable daughter she is raising alone after the death of her husband and mother in a car accident years earlier when Ivy was a baby. However, a chance meeting with Damon at a club starts a brief relationship with him that seems to be a dream, a second chance at love. But once engaged to him, the relationship devolves into a nightmare filled with brutality and obsessiveness. Fleeing Damon and Arizona, Tory hopscotches around the western part of the country, landing north of Dallas, Texas at Josh McCain’s ranch. Josh is fighting his own nightmares from his military tours overseas. He is just looking to build up Iron River Ranch and find the elusive peace of mind and soul. And he knows that the pretty woman hoping to snag the stable hand position at the Ranch will bring something other than peace to his doorstep…..

Wow! Talk about a roller-coaster ride! The thrills are real and they are chilling; somehow, knowing who the “bad guy” is in this story only ratchets up the horror quotient, for Damon is evil personified. Josh is exactly the hero you want in a romantic suspense story: flawed but honorable, with a scarred and cranky shell covering a strong and tender heart. As I said in the beginning, Tory is a strong woman who fell for a man with a pretty facade that hid a dangerous, twisted psyche. Her actions at the Ranch and with Ivy and Josh just show how strong she is; she is a worthy heroine! And her daughter Ivy will just pull at your heartstrings.

To add the the enjoyment factor, the secondary characters are wonderful; Ms. Martin does not shy away from the tough topics like PTSD and the aftermath of war, as shown by Josh’s ranch-hands, wounded veterans like himself. Their struggles will tug your heartstrings as well. We also get a visit in with Josh’s brother Linc and Carly from “Beyond Reason” and glimpse their continuing HEA. It was the perfect wrap-up to the Texas Trilogy Series!

A heart-warming, but violent romantic suspense story. Some surprises, some things were obviously going to play a larger role eventually, and a satisfactory conclusion. Lots more violence and intimate details than I am usually comfortable reading. I could skip over the sex scenes, but the brutality could not be escaped. Exciting and engaging.

This will appear next month at Romance Reviews Today: http://romrevtoday.com/

BEYOND CONTROL – Kat Martin
A Perfect 10
The Texas Trilogy #3
Zebra
ISBN: 978-1420143195
June 2018
Romantic Suspense

Iron River Ranch, Texas – Present Day

Single mother Victoria “Tory” Bradford has been on the run for six months with her little girl, running away from the monster who abused her. There’s only so much the police can do and her ex is rich with connections. Reduced to sleeping in her car, she spots an ad for a ranch hand at Iron River Ranch and applies. The owner, sexy cowboy Josh Cain, is dubious of her claim that she can do the hard work. However, he gives her three days to prove him wrong. While Josh agrees to hire her, he changes her job from ranch hand to being his housekeeper and cook. Tory wonders if working so close to Josh will end up with him wanting her in his bed.

Josh is a war hero who came home to Texas and bought the Iron River Ranch. There’s lots of work to be done: building the barn and training a rascally stallion for example. He senses Tory has a secret past but she claims she’s not wanted by the law. Should he trust her? Josh also realizes he’s attracted to her though he doesn’t want any kind of commitment to another woman anytime soon, especially one with a child. Yet, his protective instincts kick in and it doesn’t take long for Tory to confess the truth. Can Josh keep her and her daughter safe?

Meanwhile, Tory’s ex, Damon, makes plans to get back what he thinks of as his: Tory. He won’t let anyone get in his way. As incidents happen on the ranch, readers will wonder if the threats out there are not just against Tory…but Josh.

Kat Martin has penned a page-turner that will keep readers enthralled in BEYOND CONTROL, the final book in The Texas Trilogy series. A widow, Tory thought Damon was the man for her and things were fine until he falsely accused her of wanting another man. He beat her up and she knew she had to get away. But Damon considers her to be his possession and tracked her down and tormented her, forcing her on the run again. With little money and no place to stay, Tory desperately needs the job at Iron River Ranch. The fact that it comes with a trailer on the property is a plus—a good way to hide from Damon. In BEYOND CONTROL, readers soon see that Damon is a sick bastard who enjoys torturing his victims—and Tory will be next if he finds her.

Josh still suffers from the aftereffects of serving in Afghanistan and feeling helpless in protecting his fellow Marines from dying. He likes the solitary life on the ranch, though he has a couple of former Marines helping him out. The entrance of Tory (and her precious daughter) into his life forces changes he never expected. Having them around soon makes him wonder if they could stay permanently. Tory, however, still fears Damon and once she feels it’s safe again, plans to hit the road. Yet, the attraction between them is powerful and they’re soon unable to resist the sexual desire.

Heart-stopping suspense fills the pages of BEYOND CONTROL and will keep you entertained and, as readers soon discover, there’s more going on than Tory hiding from Damon. But each twist and turn will have readers wondering if they’re connected to her...or Josh. Meanwhile, the stallion that Josh has been trying to train despite its unruliness shows an affinity for Tory. Is her tender touch enough to melt the defenses of the beast…and its owner? A tale worthy for one of RRT’s rare Perfect 10’s, be sure to grab a copy of BEYOND CONTROL today.

Patti Fischer

Let’s ask about the plot of Beyond Control. It’s what drew me in initially and kept me reading to the end. The tension and suspense are palpable. (I swear my heart was racing throughout the whole novel.) There was a point when I was at about 60% into the novel that I would have sworn the page count couldn’t have been correct. I kept expecting the culmination of the novel around every corner. There are so many great scenes when you think the bad guys are going to get their comeuppance. But Ms. Martin saves the good stuff for the very end. And good stuff it is. As well-written as the ending is, I did anticipate how the book would end early on in the novel. Still, the ending, and the whole novel for that matter, is a very rewarding read.


The romance between Tory and Josh feels very realistic. True, they do start with the insta-lust. But more importantly, they both heal, grow, and love each other.


Josh is definitely the hero type. Ladies, beware if you are at all attracted to the wounded military hero! Josh is a perfect example. He may not have many exterior wounds, but he has internal wounds and nightmares. He also hires other wounded vets to work on his ranch, help with his security, do some private investigation. Ms. Martin has created such a great arch-type of hero and loner cowboy in Josh.



It occurred to him that he wasn’t just protecting Tory because she needed his help. He was doing it because he didn’t want to lose her. It wasn’t a feeling he’d ever had before. It was a dangerous feeling.


Tory has strength inside her. It’s just taken some time for her to figure that out. On the run from her abusive ex, she’s literally and figuratively on fumes when she drives onto Josh’s ranch, looking for work. I especially enjoyed her gumption. It takes a strong woman to convince a rancher to take her on as a ranch hand. Luckily, Josh see’s Tory’s potential. I also really appreciate how well Tory takes to the ranch, learning to ride, putting together a website, and taking care of an abused animal. Tory has so much love to give. I’m glad Ms. Martin gave her such a happy ending.
Finally, there is Ivy, Tory’s daughter. I love how she grows as a character, from being petrified of any and all men to the vibrant child who proudly draws pictures of her new family to display on the fridge. She’s completely adorable.


After finishing Beyond Control, I’m disappointed in two things. 1) I had no idea this series existed and I haven’t read the first two books in the series. And 2) the series appears to be finished. There are so many other great characters that I’d love to see more novels in this same world. I can only hope for a spin-off series or two!


If you are looking for a romantic and suspenseful novel, check out Beyond Control. It’s well worth!
4 1/2 Stars!


Thanks to author Kat Martin and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing this opportunity to review Beyond Control. I received the novel free in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this story. Josh is a sniper just back from Afghanistan. Having PTSD, he needs a quiet place and a home.. He buys a ranch with plenty of room for horses. Having fired the stablehands., he needs help to get everything back in shape. In drives Tory with her little girl, Ivy, desperately looking for a job. With her red hair and her lush body, Josh knows she is a problem but gives her three days to prove she can do the job. Tory is running from a dangerous ex who thinks he owns her. Josh is a hunky hero and Tory a tough heroine. Together, the chemistry burns. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review.

Great romantic suspense. Lots of storylines happening with multiple threats to the main characters. Overall a great read.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

Woman and child on the run from an abusive ex is a trope that Kat Martin has used before and uses again here, very effectively. Aside from being a tad repetitious, "Beyond Control" is a top notch thriller with a very hot romance.

Josh Cain is back in Texas after being wounded and discharged from the Marines. As a sniper, her was one of the best. Now, all he wants is peace, the kind of peace he has found on his place, Iron River Ranch outside Iron Springs, Texas. He is slowly transforming the old place and loves the hard work and the horses he is training.

When Tory Ford shows up, out of gas and with an adorable little girl in tow, Josh just knows his peace is going to be gone. She is there to apply for the stable hand job, but Josh has another "position" he would rather she take. And, he doesn't need that in his life right now. She is determined to get and keep this job because she is on the run from an abusive ex who has tracked her everywhere she has fled to. The Iron River Ranch is perfect for her and her daughter. The work is hard, but the payoff is safety.

But safety is just an illusion because it looks like Josh has enemies too and when Tory's best friend is kidnapped, she knows in her heart that Damon, the ex, is responsible. Together, Josh and Tory must face both their enemies and the growing passion between them. Peace and Safety and Love are worth fighting for.
4 1/2-Stars

Beyond Control is a well written romantic suspense. I loved the plot and the setting. Kay Martin always delivers a good read and this book is no exception. I highly recommend.

I was given a ARC of Beyond Control by Kat Martin free from Netgalley for my honest review. Once I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down until I finished. This is the third book in the series. Victoria Langford decided to give love a chance and oh what a mistake it was. She is on the run from her ex-fiancé with her four year old daughter.
The Iron River Ranch is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Josh Cain the owner came back from Afghanistan. All it takes is one look at Victoria and her daughter and he knows he is in trouble the personal kind. He isn’t one to be scared over something easily. He isn’t scared when accidents start happening, or when Tory’s friend is kidnapped and beaten.
Josh knows if he gets too close to Tory his life won’t be as quiet. This is not something he was prepared for. I absolutely loved this book. Tory is a strong woman trying to protect her daughter. There is the perfect blend of romance, and suspense to this story. You get to see past characters and get to know the new ones. I would recommend you read all books in this series they are all a very good read. This one is now one of my new favorite books by Kat Martin I give it 5 stars and it will definitely be a series I reread over and over again in the coming years.

Once you start reading Beyond Control by Kat Martin, you won't be able to stop until the last page. The story begins with a terrifying situation, which immediately draws you in and makes you grit your teeth and hold your breath. And that heart-pounding start is just the beginning of a whirlwind story that will keep you on the edge of your seat one minute as the danger escalates and blushing the next as the sweet love story unfolds between Tory and Josh.

What I love most about Beyond Control is the similar stories between Tory and Josh's horse, Satan's Star (or Star as Tory insists on calling him). Physical and emotional scars from past abuse take time, love, and patience to heal, and I enjoyed reading how one helped the other and vice versa.

And we can't forget about Ivy, Tory's young daughter. She enters Josh's life as skittish as a colt and just as wary as Tory, but it is amazing how a little kindness, integrity, and gentleness can go a long way toward healing those invisible wounds we often carry on the inside.

The romantic dynamics between Josh and Tory get a bit steamy at times but are overall quite sweet and exhilarating in their passionate honesty. I have to admit, I found both characters a bit too perfect in their physical attributes, but I'm okay with that. Their internal flaws and initial lack of trust more than make up for their physical perfections.

One aspect that some might find difficult to read include a few scenes of domestic violence and some other disturbingly violent scenes. The antagonist is truly an evil bad guy who will make you furious at his psychopathic behavior. I'm still fuming! Brava to Kat Martin for creating such memorable characters and scenes that make me love the main protagonists even more as they battle such overwhelming adversity.

I'm a quick reader, but I rarely read a book this quickly (a day and a half). I would have finished sooner, but life and those pesky obligations kept interfering. I am definitely going to pick up more books by Kat Martin.

This author I one click right away for her books, they are that good. This story was so full of suspense. At one point I didn't want to keep reading I didn't want to know what Damien was going to do to Tory. The suspense will have you on the edge of your seat, but the romance will have you smiling. Another fantastic book by Kat Martin, definitely a must read!

I received a copy from NetGalley and Kensington Books

Love story, thriller, family drama- this one has it all! Tory has fled her horrible ex Damon to Josh's ranch in Texas. Josh, a veteran, is making the hard transition back to civilian life and he doesn't think he's ready for a love relationship. Hah! But Tory and her daughter Ivy appear and he begins to soften (Ivy is a gem). And then bad things start to happen. No spoilers on what happens on the thriller end of things but suffice it to say, you'll be rooting for Tory and Josh (and Ivy). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is the sort of roller coaster HEA you love to read.