When your life is falling apart, the last thing you need is a work trip, a wool blanket, and a rugged rancher to further unravel it. 

Hazel’s marriage is hanging by a thread, and a research trip to Dark Sky County is supposed to be her last chance to do something for herself before committing to the future her husband has planned.

Instead, she finds Noah. The man she never got over. The man who broke her heart, but still feels like home.

Now a rancher and MMA coach, Noah has spent years building a life that’s steady, controlled, and deliberately small. Until Hazel shows up at his ranch, unearthing everything he thought he had buried.

Long days on the field blur into quiet nights under endless skies. Boundaries fade. And the life Hazel has been clinging to becomes impossible to ignore.

She came to Dark Sky County for work. Now she’s telling herself she’s staying for…research purposes. 

Because the life she’s built with her husband isn’t the one she wants.

But some choices don’t come without consequences. And the life Hazel left behind isn’t willing to let her go. 

What started out as a temporary assignment might turn into something far greater—a second chance that could change everything.

But this time, choosing him means losing everything else. 

An emotional, angsty small-town second chance romance with rugged ranchers, strong friendships, light suspense, and no easy choices.

My Review

I love the map at the beginning of this book. It ended up being more important than I expected.

We start the story with Hazel, who is on a girls trip with her friends. She is midlife, very scientific minded, and not as happy in life as she could be. Her marriage is complicated, and you can feel that tension early on.

Then we meet Noah. He is prior military, rescues animals, is into structured fighting, and lives a ranching lifestyle. He prefers being alone and out in the wild, but he cannot get one specific woman out of his head. He is down to earth, honest, and steady, which makes him really easy to like.

The story moves between POVs, which I enjoyed. Hazel’s current relationship is toxic, but she feels stuck. Her best friends are really the only light in her life outside of her work. There is also a bit of a small world element and a second chance feel woven in. Things definitely heat up, not just in the gym, and that herbal scene sounded amazing.

This book is intense. Hazel’s life really splits into a before and after, especially as she begins to find some peace in the forest. I will not give anything away, but there is a slight age gap and some heavier topics throughout. I would absolutely recommend checking the author’s warnings, as some elements could be triggering. I liked Noah a lot, but at times I wished things between him and Hazel would slow down.

Just as things start to look brighter for Hazel, darker elements come into play. The story explores abuse, a love triangle, and the idea of a second chance being taken away. It is emotional and at times heart wrenching. I found myself fully invested, even though some of the heavier content felt a bit overdone to drive the point home.

Hazel as a character is complex. At times she is strong and hopeful, and other times she feels fragile and unsure. That inconsistency makes sense given everything she has been through, but it could also feel frustrating.

Noah, on the other hand, feels very consistent. He is strong, troubled, angry, and hurt, but you always understand who he is. As I got closer to the end, I still was not sure how I felt overall. I love a damaged main character and watching them grow into something stronger, but this story has some very intense moments.

By the end, I understood why the map mattered so much. While this one did not quite hit five stars for me, I really appreciated the rustic setting, the emotional journey, and even the lighter, more comical moments with Butters. Hazel’s second chance story does come full circle, and seeing her embrace happiness and love, even in midlife, was really rewarding.

I am really glad I had the chance to read this. It was emotional, intense, and ultimately a meaningful story.

If you would like to read this debut novel by Rachel McKenna you can get Research Purposes on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: forced proximity, second chance, and midlife.