Owen “Ghost” Booker doesn’t believe he deserves a second chance. Not after what he’s done, not after the lives lost because of him. At Valor Ridge, he stays in the shadows, watching, calculating, protecting from a distance. Only Cinder, his fiercely loyal and equally guarded K9, sees the man beneath the silence. Neither of them trusts easily. They don’t connect. And they definitely don’t let anyone in.
Until her.
She doesn’t trust anyone to tell her the truth.
After burning out at the FBI, Naomi Lefthand returns to Solace, Montana, to breathe. But when a local woman goes missing—and the pattern echoes the cases that nearly broke her—Naomi can’t walk away. The cold trail leads to Valor Ridge and the ex-operative who disappears every time she gets too close.
They were never meant to trust each other.
But when Naomi vanishes without a trace, Ghost is forced out of the shadows and into the hunt. As he unravels the case she refused to drop, it becomes clear her disappearance isn’t random. The truth she uncovered is more dangerous than either of them imagined. She might be the only one who ever truly saw him. But when he finally finds her, earning back her trust—and keeping her alive—may cost him everything.
Earning Her Trust is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romantic suspense set in the Valor Ridge world. If you love tortured protectors, fierce heroines, and a found family that won’t let you fall, this book will keep you turning pages long into the night.
Tonya Burrows wrote her first romance at age thirteen and hasn't put down her pen since. Originally from a small town in Western New York, she suffers from a bad case of wanderlust and is still searching for a place to call home. She shares her adventures with her husband, two adorable doodles, and Scribble the Writer Cat.
When she's not writing about hunky military heroes and their courageous K9s, Tonya can be found watching either true crime or baking shows while snuggled up on the couch with her furbabies. She also enjoys traveling—especially long road trips to see the National Parks.
To learn more about Tonya and her books, please visit her website. She's also on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @authortonyaburrows.
I've been intrigued by "Ghost" ever since his appearance in Finding His Redemption, book one in the Valor Ridge series. The mystery of what happened to him to turn him into this all seeing loner is what kept me glued to my ereader. And boy did Tonya give me a wonderfull story!
Naomi Lefthand has come home to Solace after being let down time and again by her superiors at the FBI. Being an agent as a woman is already hard enough but being Indigenous on top of that makes it extra hard. She hopes to find her footing again in the loving care of her family but when a girl goes missing in the same manner as her niece years ago, she goes on a hunt to find out who's behind the disappearance but doesn't get any support from neither her people nor the town's sherriff. The only one who actually believes her is Owen.
Owen Booker is an ex-con who's earned his nickname "Ghost" during job in the past. He's found a place to live amongst the guys of Valor Ridge but keeps himself apart from the others, doing his chores around the ranch and gets involved only when really needed. The only companion he truly trusts is his Belgian shephard dog Cinder. His primary job on the ranch is security and he takes this super serious, he's always three steps ahead of everybody and just like Naomi he's found the same pattern in the disappearance of the girls.
When she asks him for his help, he reluctantly agrees. Even though there's an immediate connection and attraction between both of them, they are also constantly working on each others nerves. Owen doesn't believe he's worthy of love, he thinks because of his past nobody will ever see the good in him and would rather push people away than accept their help. Naomi is the only one who seems to be able break through his walls. I loved how bit by bit she got under his skin, slowly but surely she showed him that he could be loved but it took something serious happening to her to finally make him see how important she has become to him.
Even though this is a slow burn, you can clearly feel the tension splashing of the pages, and while the story concentrates mostly on redemption, healing and opening up for love, the suspense had me staying up way past midnight to finish the book.
Earning her Trust was all I wanted in a good story: suspense, a team that has your back no matter how hard to push them away, a protector with a myserious past and a fierce woman who find a love so strong nothing can come between them.
Tonya also gave us a clue as to who'll be the main characters in the next book and I can't wait to read their story.
*ARC kindly received from the author via Bookfunnel. I'm leaving an honest review.*
I absolutely devoured Ghost & Naomi’s story!!! I loved Ghost’s quiet protectiveness, his determination to show up for Naomi despite keeping people at arm’s length, and seeing him open up to the family at Valor Ridge–even if he’s still broody and keeps to the shadows. I loved Naomi’s dedication and ferocity in her search for justice, and I loved that she wouldn’t back down from Ghost. I loved that she saw him for who he truly is. This one kept me on the edge of my seat with the suspense, had me absolutely cackling over the antics of the rest of the Valor Ridge crew, and had my heart so happy for Ghost & Naomi to get their happily ever after! I cannot wait for more!!
Another fantastic book, I’m really loving this series! The men of Valor Ridge are melting my heart!
Ghost was such an interesting character, so reserved and feeling he didn’t deserve redemption or love. Cinders bless her saw it and stuck by him, I’m so happy they had a breakthrough!
Naomi was stubborn and I loved her determination to get justice for the missing girls. She had grit and determination. She made a perfect match with Ghost.
A gripping and exciting read, I really can’t wait for the next book in the series, and all the other guys! I’m invested. 5 stars.
As usual, a total winner from Tonya Burrows. She has written an incredible story. Naomi is so incredibly strong, even when she begins to doubt herself. Watching the romance grow between her and Ghost, what an adventure. Their chemistry was perfect and so was their story.
This was a wonderful mix of romance, suspense and action. I can't wait for the next story.
Once again this author knocks it out of the park. The slow burn between Owen and Naomi sizzles with suspense and sexual tension. Owen and Naomi are both scarred from past trauma but drawn together to investigate the mysterious disappearance of several young girls. I loved the developmental of their love story as they come closer to the truth. The storyline and anticipation of the characters finally getting together kept me reading way past my bedtime.
Another amazing read. We are back in Valor Ridge with Owen and Naomi’s story. It’s a suspenseful enemies to lovers read. I loved the characters and slow burn chemistry. I enjoyed their journey of redemption and healing. It’s an engaging story that will suck you in as it keeps you turning the pages. Looking forward to reading more.
Ok, ok--I loved Finding His Redemption, the first book in the series. But Owen and Naomi's story? Blew. Me. Away. This one was so good! I wouldn't have thought she'd write a series I loved more than her Redwood Coast Rescue series, but here we are.
Owen "Ghost" Booker was pretty much a literal ghost in the previous book--he kept to himself, quietly contributing only when he had to. He went from a childhood in the foster system to a career in black ops (and then something even darker) to solitary confinement, and doesn't believe someone with his dark past deserves a bright future.
But he knows that there is something bad going on in and around the town of Solace. And when Naomi Lefthand asks for his help proving to those in power that someone is preying on the young women of her nation, he can't say no, even when everything in him is screaming at him to.
Owen and Naomi's story is a slooooow burn--it takes a lot for him to start to let anyone in--high-intensity romantic suspense with strong found family elements thrown in. There were points when this book almost broke me--the truth behind the disappearances is absolutely heartbreaking, and waiting for Owen to figure himself out was rough. But the ending here is so absolutely worth it--no notes!
If you weren't sold on the men of Valor Ridge being absolutely solid romance heroes before this, I dare you to keep that opinion once you reach the final page. Not only will Owen and Naomi have your heart, but all of the rest of the guys will too--counting the days until we get Anson's book!
Earning Her Trust could technically work as a standalone, but you won't want to miss Jax and Nessie's book--they both play considerable roles here--so do yourself a favor and read them in order :)
Rating: 5 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
This was excellent, i love this series and i absolutely loved that this story/investigation focused on native victims because it seems that they are quite invisible otherwise. Naomi is focused on finding the women who disappeared and the latest one is Leelee....she left FBI behind her because they did not trust her instinct that there is more behind a series of dissappearnce than simple coincidence. When she learned that Owen " Ghost" saw the pattern as well she litteraly drag him in teh investigation... She is determined, loyal and courageous when it counts.
Ghost like being in the shadows....he observes but keep his distance like his dog does.....but somehow the determination Naomi shows affects him and he goes out of his confort zone....someone is hunting women and it time to turn tables and hunt him or them..... Slowly Ghost realises he wants more and when Naomi is taken he shows his vulnerability and we learn a lot about his past....
Really this was great..... i wanted more villains down but even if takes time i'm sure both Naomi and Ghost and their team will succeed completely....There is some moving moment, lot of tension, steamy scenes really the book is perfectly balanced and you are hooked since page 1, you can even read it without having read book 1 first ( though it derserve to be read too)
This is a 2.5 for me. Two books in and I’m thinking that this series just might not be for me. I devoured the “Redwood Coast Rescue” and “Northern Rescue” series and enjoyed the connected plot and “big bad” in both books, but this one … not so much.
Granted, a human trafficking ring and serial killers is a pretty tough storyline to follow across multiple books, but the main thing I struggle with is the sheriff. I enjoyed the first book enough that I wanted to continue with the series, but when book 1 ended, I wasn’t thrilled that we’d have to see the sheriff throughout this series. I get that we’re made to hate him, and Tonya Burrows absolutely succeeds at that. Possibly too much for me. He’s so despicable and takes up so much space in each book, that I really struggled to get through it. I ended up skipping pretty much every scene he was mentioned or a part of, which meant I skipped quite a bit of this book. And I feel like we’re going to find that he’s being blackmailed or given some reason that justifies how horrible he is. Maybe not. Outside of him, the main culprit in this book seemed apparent fairly early on.
That said, I’m really interested in Anson and Maggie’s story, so I may end up giving book 3 a try despite my hatred for the Sheriff.
This one started out a bit slow for me, part of that was Ghost was so remote, his walls so high, it was hard to read about him. It was only as those walls started to crumble, especially when he was around Naomi that things got more interesting.
I felt for Naomi, it seemed like she was screaming about what was going on and no one was listening. With Ghost she finally had someone who not only heard her, but believed what she was saying. It was interesting to see the two of them work together to figure things out. It often got messy and I had an inkling of one of the bad guys, hated that I was proven true towards the end, hated it more how much that affected Naomi.
I absolutely loved the ending, the speech from Naomi, putting certain people on notice, shit was not going to happen as it has. And this time Naomi had all those at Valor Ridge at her back, she won't be screaming into the void any longer!
I am loving this series so far! Seeing how much good Valor Ridge has done for all the guys is heartwarming. It truly is a place of redemption. Owen Booker aka Ghost is one of those men who has benefited from being there but is still haunted by his past so much. Meeting Naomi Lefthand and helping her with her investigation not only renews a purpose for him but also has him developing feelings he was not sure he was capable of after all he has seen and done in his life. Learning to love and be loved carries over into his relationship with his beautiful dog Cinder too. Something she needed as well. I love the strength of Naomi and her ability to see past the gruff exterior of Owen. She is an awesome FMC! And I love Ghost/Owen. He is broody and protective and loves as fiercely as he fights. Amazing and interesting story line and wonderful characters are what this series is made of! Loved it!
The men at Valor Ridge all have issues, ex inmates who were military get a second chance. Owen aka Ghost is the least friendliest, always alone and doesn’t talk to anyone until Naomi, an FBI agent who’s back in town looking into the disappearance of women going back years. He doesn’t say no when she asks for his help, he’s noticed a pattern to the missing and has his own theories. Naomi breaks down his walls, one chip at a time and when she goes missing, no one can stop him from scorching the earth. A great read with so many emotions pouring off the pages, secrets revealed, surprises, twists and turns and great characters. Owen and Naomi were great, both had their demons but together they were stronger. Their story had me flipping the pages and the ending…wow…can’t wait for more from this series. *I voluntarily read an advanced copy and expressed my honest opinion*
When a scene about a chipped mug breaking makes you want to curl up and cry like a baby, it must be a Tonya Burrows book you're holding in your hands.
And if that's not enough of an indicator than the guessing until the very end is. I was absolutely sure who was behind the disappearances, was getting ready to say 'I knew it!' once they were revealed, but WOW was I wrong. My certainty was turned into a "No Way!'.
Though as much as I loved the story I still didn't connect as naturally with Naomi and Owen as I usually do with TB characters. But to be fair, it might have something to do with Jax. He is still my favorite TB hero of all time. A guy so in tune with his feelings I fangirl every time he makes an appearance. Any book and any characters would've had a hard time following Jax.
Valor Ridge is a place for ex military who have struggled and have been in jail. A place to heal and find their worth. Owen know as Ghost likes to be alone and finds trust and friendships hard. Naomi is an FBI agent who’s back in town. She is also looking into the disappearance of women some going back years. No one seems to be worried or care, that is until Owen agrees to help and sees a pattern in the women’s disappearances. Love Owen from previous books, his story will is one of pain and courage. The walls he has built come down brick by brick as Naomi shows him how to live and trust again. Some one made a mistake when they take Naomi, Owen will not rest until she is safe in his arms. The of them may have their own demons but together they are stronger.
Secrets, suspense, drama, emotions, chemistry and spice. Great characters and back stories.
Oh Ghost, Ghost, Ghost. You made my heart ache. When you shared your story it blew me away and I knew I was not mature enough to accept. When Naomi comes back and shares all the missing girls especially the indigenous girls my heart hurt more, as you can see that in real life. All the tortured souls at Valor Ridge who have served our country and then went down dark paths and then strive for redemption. Fabulous heart wrenching suspenseful story that pulled out the emotions and delivered a great HEA while enticing you for the next one. It's open door and shared way more than I enjoy, but quickly page through those :) Thank you for the advanced copy. I freely share my honest thoughts and opinions. #EarningHerTrust #ValorRidge #TonyaBurrows #Bookfunnel
Ghost has lived his life maintaining absolute control over his emotions and actions, and has boxed himself in. He's trying so hard to overcome who and what he was that it is difficult for him to let people in, particularly his found family. It's hard to open doors that have been kept tight shut for ever. I totally relate to his feelings. No-one else has protected him, so he has to do it. Naomi fights hard to try get justice for the women who have gone missing in her community. She's stubborn and reckless and driven to right the wrongs. She 'sees' Ghost and makes him show up more, and Ghost gives her the support she's not getting elsewhere. They're a good match, each bringing their strengths and vulnerabilities to the table.
Earning Her Trust is the story of Owen / Ghost and Naomi. It is the second story in Tonya Burrows’ Valor Ridge series. Naomi is a fierce advocate for the missing girl in her tribe, and she asks Ghost’s help to show connections and convince the community that the disappearance is something sinister. What evolves from that is a complex tale where trust and love fight with the web of greed and depravity. Owen has to work through his own ghosts to help anyone. The camaraderie, the loyalty that the guys at Valor Ridge have for each other, and the bravery and strength of these characters are worth multiple reads. And the chemistry between Owen and Naomi is scorching. And no one can miss the animals of Valor Ridge. They add such a much needed depth to this family.
I only found author Tanya Burrows recently and cannot believe I missed this wonderful talent! I am totally hooked on Valor Ridge and the stories such as this one of despair, hope and finally love and acceptance. “Ghost” Owen and Naomi Lefthand travel a hard long road to love and trust, Owen for his past, Naomi for her former life as an FBI Agent, fighting to be heard as an agent and as a Native American female trying to draw attention to a pattern of too many Native Indian girls disappearances being swept under officially carpets as “runaways” when she knows in her heart otherwise. Every page leaves you eager to keep reading.
Ghost rips open your heart, leaving you torn between wanting to shake him and hold him close. Naomi is all sass and fire — you can’t help but love her for challenging Ghost and pushing his limits. The brotherhood radiates laughter, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging that anchors the story beautifully. As danger creeps in, the protectors rise — fierce, loyal, and unyielding. Redemption and love take center stage, healing from within and turning scars into strength. And Cinder? Pure, unwavering K9 loyalty that ties it all together in the most heartwarming way.
Owen is a loner. He prefers to stick to the fringes and shadows and has no desire to step into the spotlight - ever. Naomi is a fiery, don't back down, full steam ahead FBI agent. She knows women are going missing, but no one will believe her. No one except Owen. When Naomi asks Owen for his help, it goes against everything he believes and has always lived by. But for Naomi, he will do whatever it takes. He won't let her go through this fight alone. A page-turning, edge of your seat, engrossing story that grabs you from page one. This series is a must read.
We are finding out more about Ghost background and what happened to him and maybe why he's the way he is. Naomi is like a firecracker that won't back down. No one will listen to her about all the missing women but, Ghost is listening and has found a pattern which between the two of them make for a great team. This book has danger, suspense, betrayal, and the whole Valley Pine crew that keeps things light but, when Ghost needs them, they pull together. And we can't forget Cinder the k9 who know just what Ghost needs. Can't wait for the next one to see what happens next.
Another hard hitting read in this new series. It does highlight how rife the prejudice for Native Americans still is. With a hard headed FMC Naomi and wary of connection MMC Ghost as well as his standoffish dog Cinder, with the great team from Valour Ridge backing them up, this was a very emotional story. This story really had me routing for Naomi, and when an unexpected revelation hits her you can feel her pain. Looking forward to book four.
I received a review reader’s copy of the book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. Though it took me quite some time to get into the story as I couldn´t quite figure out, what Owens deal actually was, I went with it, when the story got going. Naomi and Owen want an on some level need each other, but neither wants to confirm nor deny it. At the end of the book, when painful truths are revealed, and you just might have an WTF-moment, everything literally falls into place. Great story.
What a great book! Amazing story with lots of twists, strong pacing, a flawed hero fighting his way back, a strong heroine, and the Cinder, the perfect dog for Ghost. I love the depth of emotion in these books. Can’t wait for all of the books but especially Anson and Boone. This book can stand alone but the background on the guys and their relationships from book 1 add color and flavor.
Second book in the series but could be read as a stand-alone. I am absolutely loving this series!! Owen/Ghost and Naomi are perfect for each other. The dynamics between all the characters is as varied as it would be in real life. This story pulled me in and kept me enthralled. It was a one sitting read for me, I couldn't put it down. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
I absolutely loved Ghost (Owen) & Naomi book, and so will you. Watching the change in Owen as he loves her from the first time he sees her. They are help solve one of the most awful crimes out there. The book keeps you on the hook till it solved. Thanks, Tonya for writing another Valor Ridge. I can't wait for more.
Really enjoyed Naomi and Ghost's story. Nothing better than a strong woman finding a strong man to help her right some wrongs in her world. Love the dogs in each of these books. Looking forward to reading more books by this author.
This book was really great. One thing I love about this series is that you can never predict what’s gunna happen. I’m praying the sheriff gets what he deserves. Absolutely fantastic.