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Tacoma Mounted Patrol #1
Mounting Danger
Sergeant Rachel Bryce’s determination to uphold the rules at any cost has made her a pariah on the Tacoma police force. When she is put in charge of the new mounted division, dissension in the ranks seems to guarantee the program’s failure. Rachel asks an old college acquaintance to help her train the horses and their riders before they make their public debut amid the fireworks and crowds on the Fourth of July.
Callan Lanford doesn’t play by the rules. She invents her own. The scion of a polo-playing dynasty, Cal has been riding since before she could walk, and she scores both on and off the field with equal ease. But she isn’t prepared for the emotional ride she takes as Rachel forces her to confront her achievement-oriented family’s rejection. Cal’s attraction to Rachel grows, but both their future together and the future of the mounted unit are uncertain, plagued by “accidents” and threats.
As Rachel and Cal battle a corrupt politician’s greed in the face of mounting danger, can their love prevail?
Callan Lanford doesn’t play by the rules. She invents her own. The scion of a polo-playing dynasty, Cal has been riding since before she could walk, and she scores both on and off the field with equal ease. But she isn’t prepared for the emotional ride she takes as Rachel forces her to confront her achievement-oriented family’s rejection. Cal’s attraction to Rachel grows, but both their future together and the future of the mounted unit are uncertain, plagued by “accidents” and threats.
As Rachel and Cal battle a corrupt politician’s greed in the face of mounting danger, can their love prevail?
264 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2013
17 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Karis Walsh
33 books152 followersKaris Walsh is a native of the Pacific Northwest and an adopted citizen of Texas. When she isn’t wrapped up in a book—either reading or writing one—she spends her time with her animals, playing music on her viola or violin, or hiking among the prickly pears.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 27, 2013
For Rachel Bryce, life has been a constant struggle--foster homes, juvie, hard work on a horse ranch, climbing up the police ladder. Even after making sargeant, a single unpopular decision alienates her from all her fellow police officers and practically derails her career.
Callan, on the other hand, seemed to always have it easy--never wanting for anything in life. She was born into wealth and polo royalty, together with all the trimmings--fancy clothes, first class digs, fame and femmes galore. All she has to do is play.
They decide to work together but for totally different reasons. Stable, responsible Rachel needs Callan to whip her mountie squad into shape. But all Callan wants is to get Rachel into her bed. Rachel doesn't do casual though, and of course, that's all Callan is willing to do. :)
How will they ever overcome the seemingly insurmountable differences? I love these impossible pairings--where the lead characters are so diametrically opposed--whether in character, temperament or station in life as to be totally unfit for each other. But then they can barely keep their hands off each other so, therein lies the fun! Lots of yearning and flirting. Not too much sex but enough (its hot too!) :) There
is a well-developed mystery plot so you get some nice action and suspense as well. The author is a horse riding instructor but thankfully the horse training didn't overwhelm the romance or the mystery.
There was one scene, lifted straight out of a Hollywood movie, that stretched my incredulity but it was so seriously badass, it was cool. :)
Callan, on the other hand, seemed to always have it easy--never wanting for anything in life. She was born into wealth and polo royalty, together with all the trimmings--fancy clothes, first class digs, fame and femmes galore. All she has to do is play.
They decide to work together but for totally different reasons. Stable, responsible Rachel needs Callan to whip her mountie squad into shape. But all Callan wants is to get Rachel into her bed. Rachel doesn't do casual though, and of course, that's all Callan is willing to do. :)
How will they ever overcome the seemingly insurmountable differences? I love these impossible pairings--where the lead characters are so diametrically opposed--whether in character, temperament or station in life as to be totally unfit for each other. But then they can barely keep their hands off each other so, therein lies the fun! Lots of yearning and flirting. Not too much sex but enough (its hot too!) :) There
is a well-developed mystery plot so you get some nice action and suspense as well. The author is a horse riding instructor but thankfully the horse training didn't overwhelm the romance or the mystery.
There was one scene, lifted straight out of a Hollywood movie, that stretched my incredulity but it was so seriously badass, it was cool. :)
December 31, 2018
This is the first book of the Tacoma Mounted Patrol, and I loved it.
It’s the story of Rachel and Cal. They have known each other since they played Polo on the same school. But they haven’t met often after school. Cal is the Golden Girl of the Polo world and has applied for the best team in the US. Soon she will move on the other side of the country. Rachel was pushed from foster home to foster home and was always in trouble, at least till she met best foster home ever. She lived on a horse farm with them learned a lot about the beautiful animals.
After Rachel arrested a felon cop because of abuse of his wife, she’s the pariah on the Tacoma police force. Nobody want’s to work with her. When the leader of the newly formed mounted division was murdered, she is put in charge of this poorly performing division, to train them for the 4th of July celebration. For this to accomplish she has to ask Cal for help, and she doesn’t like to ask for help. When the two of them met after years, the sparks are flying immediately and high.
The story has a nice and sexy romance, the chemistry and attraction are there from the beginning. Nevertheless, they don’t jump right away in bed together, Rachel doesn’t do one night stands. Walsh narrates and describes very well the work they did with the horses and what was happening with the division. Besides the romance, it also was an exciting detective/mystery story.
I will have to read the other ones in this series too.
My rating 4.75 stars.
It’s the story of Rachel and Cal. They have known each other since they played Polo on the same school. But they haven’t met often after school. Cal is the Golden Girl of the Polo world and has applied for the best team in the US. Soon she will move on the other side of the country. Rachel was pushed from foster home to foster home and was always in trouble, at least till she met best foster home ever. She lived on a horse farm with them learned a lot about the beautiful animals.
After Rachel arrested a felon cop because of abuse of his wife, she’s the pariah on the Tacoma police force. Nobody want’s to work with her. When the leader of the newly formed mounted division was murdered, she is put in charge of this poorly performing division, to train them for the 4th of July celebration. For this to accomplish she has to ask Cal for help, and she doesn’t like to ask for help. When the two of them met after years, the sparks are flying immediately and high.
The story has a nice and sexy romance, the chemistry and attraction are there from the beginning. Nevertheless, they don’t jump right away in bed together, Rachel doesn’t do one night stands. Walsh narrates and describes very well the work they did with the horses and what was happening with the division. Besides the romance, it also was an exciting detective/mystery story.
I will have to read the other ones in this series too.
My rating 4.75 stars.
May 3, 2018
Rachel finds herself isolated from and by her colleagues in the Tacoma Police Department for doing the right thing that ended with a fellow officer being arrested. Out of the blue she is told she is in charge of getting the newly formed mounted unit ready for 4th of July celebrations and it's not negotiable (not that she has any bargaining power anyway). She is also told she will hire a renowned local polo player to assist her in the impossible task.
Both Rachel and Callan are likeable characters. Rachel doesn't have the chip on her shoulder that one would expect given others' treatment of her and Callan doesn't have the sense of entitlement that can accompany the person who has everything. Their attraction to each other and the sense of anticipation is very sexy and loaded with chemistry.
There is a good bit of mystery and suspense running through the story with a couple of tense moments. This is a fast-paced easy read.
Both Rachel and Callan are likeable characters. Rachel doesn't have the chip on her shoulder that one would expect given others' treatment of her and Callan doesn't have the sense of entitlement that can accompany the person who has everything. Their attraction to each other and the sense of anticipation is very sexy and loaded with chemistry.
There is a good bit of mystery and suspense running through the story with a couple of tense moments. This is a fast-paced easy read.
September 21, 2020
3.25* As I was re-organizing my closet, found a bunch of back list books that I bought years ago but haven't read. This book is one of them. It's about Sgt. Rachel Bryce who is shunned by her police department for arresting a fellow officer for domestic abuse. She is, inexplicably, promoted to be head of the new mounted horse division after the officer leading it was murdered. She has experience with horses but needed more help. Star polo player Callan is suggested to assist her with training the officers and the horses. As one can see from the cover, this is a very equine-heavy book. Never really thought that of course, police horses have to be trained to not be anxious or skittish with noises and crowds. That was very interesting and increase my respect for cops on horseback. This is also a romance between Rachel and Callan. The chemistry between the two is indisputable. I wish there were more of Rachel and her team being cops and investigating suspicious circumstances. But then this is very much a character driven tale. We are shown Rachel and Callan both struggling to define their relationship. I do enjoy being with them on the ever-winding road to their HEA.
June 3, 2017
"Mounting Danger” is the first of three books in the Tacoma Mounted Patrol series, and is currently the only one of the three books available on Audible. First, I’ll get the negative out of the way. The narration is really annoying. REALLY annoying. With seven books on Audible, author Karis Walsh hasn’t used the same narrator twice. I don’t know whether she’s unlucky, whether she doesn’t pay well enough to attract better narrators or what, but I did not like Hollis Elizabeth’s narration. Except for her voice for Cal…now that was sexy!
The story and the MCs, though, were enjoyable enough for me to stick with the audio. In some ways, rich girl player Cal and rough-upbringing, relationship wanting, rule-following Rachel are stereotypes in many ways, yet I really liked both characters, and their growing mutual respect and attraction was believable and hot!
The story itself was a surprisingly enjoyable mystery/detective story. Nothing over-the-top, and nothing just pasted onto a romance story.
Based on the Audiobook, I’m very tempted to rate the book as 3*, but I do want to recommend “Mounting Danger”, so I’ll rate this as 4* - but if you are torn between the book or the audio – get the book.
The story and the MCs, though, were enjoyable enough for me to stick with the audio. In some ways, rich girl player Cal and rough-upbringing, relationship wanting, rule-following Rachel are stereotypes in many ways, yet I really liked both characters, and their growing mutual respect and attraction was believable and hot!
The story itself was a surprisingly enjoyable mystery/detective story. Nothing over-the-top, and nothing just pasted onto a romance story.
Based on the Audiobook, I’m very tempted to rate the book as 3*, but I do want to recommend “Mounting Danger”, so I’ll rate this as 4* - but if you are torn between the book or the audio – get the book.
July 30, 2019
So I got this together with another by the author (from the library because the publisher is one of those who think that $10 eBooks are the thing) so I can't say that one lead to the other as they were acquired together. This one was written years earlier and has interesting similarities. It, too, has an outstanding sense of setting. And that includes the characters as products/participants. I have some familiarity with the region (though not Tacoma in particular) and it just felt so vividly well-presented.
Rachel and Callan are a little more shallow as characters, however. Rachel's problems with her fellow cops rings unrealistically monotone, for example. And Callan's professional aspirations (as a star polo player) felt rote. So while their professions make their relationship unlikely (because Callan is ready to sign with a team in Virginia), I just didn't buy it as stated. Which means I had a hard time taking the conflict seriously (though at least this time it wasn't all negative motivation* so that was a relief and gives me better hope of the author in future). I feel that Walsh did manufacture a dark moment, however, and that removes all the good feeling the better motivations managed to inspire.
I don't have much else to say except that the fear I had that the plot would be silly turned out to be false. So it's a solid three-star read. Walsh tells a good story and while this one is less finely-crafted than the other, it's also a much earlier work so I'm eager to try more from the author. I really hope my library remains generous with the ILL because I'm guessing that Bold Strokes Books thinks their prices are just grand.
A note about the Publisher: I mentioned it above (er, twice?), but I'll repeat: Bold Strokes Books joins Covenant as publishers I cringe to see on books I might like. $10 is a big ask for a niche eBook. But they seem attached so what do I know?
A note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene, so this is the lower range of my steam tolerance. This may be a pattern for the author and I'll admit that I'm a fan. It's just enough to show the role intimacy plays in the developing relationship and I like that the author doesn't feel the need to add more for the sake of more.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
Rachel and Callan are a little more shallow as characters, however. Rachel's problems with her fellow cops rings unrealistically monotone, for example. And Callan's professional aspirations (as a star polo player) felt rote. So while their professions make their relationship unlikely (because Callan is ready to sign with a team in Virginia), I just didn't buy it as stated. Which means I had a hard time taking the conflict seriously (though at least this time it wasn't all negative motivation* so that was a relief and gives me better hope of the author in future). I feel that Walsh did manufacture a dark moment, however, and that removes all the good feeling the better motivations managed to inspire.
I don't have much else to say except that the fear I had that the plot would be silly turned out to be false. So it's a solid three-star read. Walsh tells a good story and while this one is less finely-crafted than the other, it's also a much earlier work so I'm eager to try more from the author. I really hope my library remains generous with the ILL because I'm guessing that Bold Strokes Books thinks their prices are just grand.
A note about the Publisher: I mentioned it above (er, twice?), but I'll repeat: Bold Strokes Books joins Covenant as publishers I cringe to see on books I might like. $10 is a big ask for a niche eBook. But they seem attached so what do I know?
A note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene, so this is the lower range of my steam tolerance. This may be a pattern for the author and I'll admit that I'm a fan. It's just enough to show the role intimacy plays in the developing relationship and I like that the author doesn't feel the need to add more for the sake of more.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
June 1, 2017
4 Stars for the story & writing. 2 stars for the narration.
This book has been on my TBR list for quite awhile. When I saw it was on audible I decided it was a perfect time to "read" the audible book.
First - The writing - I really enjoyed the story and the two mains. Rachel is a Tacoma, WA police officer who grew up in the foster care system - constantly changing homes and feeling unloved and lonely. Until she was taken in by a horse rancher/trainer and his wife. They taught her to ride and gave her the love and discipline she needed. Cal comes from a wealthy family and is a top horse polo player and a "player". When we meet Rachel, she has been shunned and hated by her fellow police officers because of an unpopular decision she made. She again is feeling lonely & lost. She is transferred to the mounted police unit after their leader was killed. The unit is just getting started and Rachel is told to hire Cal to help train the unit. Cal initially wanted to turn down the job because she is focused on her polo career. But she accepts to get closer to Rachel. Their attraction to each other grows and Rachel investigates the murder of her predecessor on own.
I loved how the relationships grow and change between all the characters including between Rachel's team and even the horses and their riders as the story and mystery unfolds.
Second - the bad. The narrator, Hollis Elizabeth. I'm sure there are worse narrators out there but maybe not as annoying. She has an inflection that sounds like she is high society with a valley girl accent. You know how Valley girl speak - their voices rise higher at the end of each sentence. She also doesn't have much voice differentiation if any between the two MCs. Within the first few minutes of listening, I didn't know if I could finish. But the story already intrigued me and I was out of Audible credits.
So I highly recommend this book but listen to a sample first if you want to go the audible route (which I should've done).
This book has been on my TBR list for quite awhile. When I saw it was on audible I decided it was a perfect time to "read" the audible book.
First - The writing - I really enjoyed the story and the two mains. Rachel is a Tacoma, WA police officer who grew up in the foster care system - constantly changing homes and feeling unloved and lonely. Until she was taken in by a horse rancher/trainer and his wife. They taught her to ride and gave her the love and discipline she needed. Cal comes from a wealthy family and is a top horse polo player and a "player". When we meet Rachel, she has been shunned and hated by her fellow police officers because of an unpopular decision she made. She again is feeling lonely & lost. She is transferred to the mounted police unit after their leader was killed. The unit is just getting started and Rachel is told to hire Cal to help train the unit. Cal initially wanted to turn down the job because she is focused on her polo career. But she accepts to get closer to Rachel. Their attraction to each other grows and Rachel investigates the murder of her predecessor on own.
I loved how the relationships grow and change between all the characters including between Rachel's team and even the horses and their riders as the story and mystery unfolds.
Second - the bad. The narrator, Hollis Elizabeth. I'm sure there are worse narrators out there but maybe not as annoying. She has an inflection that sounds like she is high society with a valley girl accent. You know how Valley girl speak - their voices rise higher at the end of each sentence. She also doesn't have much voice differentiation if any between the two MCs. Within the first few minutes of listening, I didn't know if I could finish. But the story already intrigued me and I was out of Audible credits.
So I highly recommend this book but listen to a sample first if you want to go the audible route (which I should've done).
May 22, 2017
There was much to enjoy about this read. First, the main character Rachel Bryce was very well written with a determined and principled personality. Callan Lanford, although a bit unbelievable her change in how she views life but hey, it can be amazing what a person is willing to do for love and to have purpose in life. I was cheering for both of these ladies to find each other and happiness. I also enjoyed the information about the care and feeding of horses and polo. The read has mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed; two wonderful leading ladies; interesting supporting characters that help to carry the story; horses and dogs and a final enticement, it was informative and educational.
November 24, 2017
Lovely detail in the interaction with the horses and training the team. I loved the two main characters and I enjoyed t he crime plot.
November 13, 2013
I have to say that I really liked this book (even if I am not a horse enthusiast) and it kept me up two nights. It’s a story about decisions and refusal, failure and triumph, struggle and truce and, of course, love. The main characters Rachel and Cal are well written. There is something about both characters and soon you realize that there is more than meets the eye. I was captured by the story and the mystery surrounding the death of Alex Mayer – well, I won’t say more, read it yourself ;) And you learn a lot about horses and polo (which was actually very interesting). Two thumbs up for this book!
November 26, 2020
I liked Set the Stage well enough that I started looking for other Karis Walsh books before I was finished with it and this one is set in Tacoma! My hometown! And it FELT like Tacoma. Not just all the familiar names and places, but the feel and vibe of it . . . it was Tacoma.
The romance was fairly so-so. But I am looking forward to the next one!
The romance was fairly so-so. But I am looking forward to the next one!
November 22, 2018
It's a quick and sweet read.
The mystery part isn't well done, neither is the insta-lust turned to friendship turn to love.
The whole ostracisation theme wasn't to my liking either.
But despite multiple writing faux-pas, the characters are kinda sweet and I find myself liking them pretty fast and reading even faster to reach HEA.
The mystery part isn't well done, neither is the insta-lust turned to friendship turn to love.
The whole ostracisation theme wasn't to my liking either.
But despite multiple writing faux-pas, the characters are kinda sweet and I find myself liking them pretty fast and reading even faster to reach HEA.
January 29, 2014
I've enjoyed all of this author's books, but this one, I think, is my fav. It's got horses, sexy women and a bit of intrigue. I loved her characters and the story and especially the horsey stuff. This is one that will probably make my re-read shelf.
January 18, 2019
1st sentence: " Blue lights flashed in the eerie silence." A book that grabs you by the get-go has got to be worth it. Really enjoyed it & brought into the story - excellent.
July 16, 2015
Wow.
I've read quite a few mysteries that had main characters who were lesbians in them, and had lesbian romance in them, but this was the first ostensibly lesbian romance centric book that had a great, great mystery in it. And it wasn't some cop out mystery that was just window dressing. It was a really well plotted story that twisted and turned in ways that I didn't always expect.
The main story wasn't the mystery though, it was the meeting of Sergeant Rachel Bryce and polo player Callan Lanford and also how together they train the new Tacoma Police Department's mounted horses and their riders too. Rachel has been ostracized by her fellow officers because she followed the rules to the letter, something that she does often, and then she gets given the command of the mounted unit for reasons that both the reader and Rachel don't understand for quite awhile. She's also to get help from Callan, and even though it goes against her pride, she does ask. Callan comes from famous polo players on both sides of her family and is one herself. As Walsh says in the book, Callan's heart belongs to polo. That's what makes the journey for Callan and Rachel towards each other very interesting.
What makes the book great though is the mystery. In most of the lesbian fiction romance centric books that I've read there's the main meeting and the falling in love, and then there's the twist in the romance. The 'harsh' twist. Whether that is that the family doesn't accept one of the women, or some other... something is forced in between the two main characters (to be fair, it happens in the male/female romance books too). This book didn't quite have that, instead, it had the mystery. Having that mystery in there made the story flow so much better and kept me deeply engrossed in the story. And, by the end, I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen to the characters, Walsh kept me quite in suspense right up until the end. (which is good, because I read wayy too many mysteries, and usually can guess the ending about halfway through.)
In addition to the plot being great, the characters really made the novel pop off the page. The human characters were all very unique and they didn't devolve into stereotypes, which I was worried might happen with some of the secondary characters (even Rachel's Lt. surprised me in good and bad ways during the novel). And, then, there were the horses. They were even more unique characters (and I learned some stuff about horses that I didn't know) than the humans.
Honestly, the worst part of the book was when there were no more words to read. I would love to read some sort of sequel with the same characters, or at least some of the same characters, but, I guess I'll have to settle for Walsh's other books. An awesome 5 stars.
I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.
I've read quite a few mysteries that had main characters who were lesbians in them, and had lesbian romance in them, but this was the first ostensibly lesbian romance centric book that had a great, great mystery in it. And it wasn't some cop out mystery that was just window dressing. It was a really well plotted story that twisted and turned in ways that I didn't always expect.
The main story wasn't the mystery though, it was the meeting of Sergeant Rachel Bryce and polo player Callan Lanford and also how together they train the new Tacoma Police Department's mounted horses and their riders too. Rachel has been ostracized by her fellow officers because she followed the rules to the letter, something that she does often, and then she gets given the command of the mounted unit for reasons that both the reader and Rachel don't understand for quite awhile. She's also to get help from Callan, and even though it goes against her pride, she does ask. Callan comes from famous polo players on both sides of her family and is one herself. As Walsh says in the book, Callan's heart belongs to polo. That's what makes the journey for Callan and Rachel towards each other very interesting.
What makes the book great though is the mystery. In most of the lesbian fiction romance centric books that I've read there's the main meeting and the falling in love, and then there's the twist in the romance. The 'harsh' twist. Whether that is that the family doesn't accept one of the women, or some other... something is forced in between the two main characters (to be fair, it happens in the male/female romance books too). This book didn't quite have that, instead, it had the mystery. Having that mystery in there made the story flow so much better and kept me deeply engrossed in the story. And, by the end, I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen to the characters, Walsh kept me quite in suspense right up until the end. (which is good, because I read wayy too many mysteries, and usually can guess the ending about halfway through.)
In addition to the plot being great, the characters really made the novel pop off the page. The human characters were all very unique and they didn't devolve into stereotypes, which I was worried might happen with some of the secondary characters (even Rachel's Lt. surprised me in good and bad ways during the novel). And, then, there were the horses. They were even more unique characters (and I learned some stuff about horses that I didn't know) than the humans.
Honestly, the worst part of the book was when there were no more words to read. I would love to read some sort of sequel with the same characters, or at least some of the same characters, but, I guess I'll have to settle for Walsh's other books. An awesome 5 stars.
I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.
September 10, 2015
A mystery, a woman in a uniform and horses....YES!!!!
Rachel was a well liked cop in Tacoma WA. After she had to arrest another cop things changed and she found herself alone. Then the leader of the mounted patrol mysteriously dies and Rachel is sent to take over. She needs them to be ready to go by the 4th of July and by the looks of it, she needs help and fast. Her boss wants the well known polo player, Cal, to be that help. Can Rachel convince Cal to help, can she find out who is sabotaging the Mounted Police division or will she fail to get her officers ready in time?
This book is brilliant in my opinion. Very well written with great flow and a fantastic plot. I enjoyed the horses in this dramatic saga. There is so much information on training and riding, and polo. Very interesting things to know.
The characters are very easy to love and care about. This story will swallow you up and you won't want to put the book down. I love how they all grew and changed. Rachel's strength and refusal to give up made her a true strong female character. Cal changed a lot too. She went from self centered and untouchable to a woman who came to care about others, and then found her true calling. This book is definitely in my most favorite book file!
Originally posted with Prism Book Alliance
Rachel was a well liked cop in Tacoma WA. After she had to arrest another cop things changed and she found herself alone. Then the leader of the mounted patrol mysteriously dies and Rachel is sent to take over. She needs them to be ready to go by the 4th of July and by the looks of it, she needs help and fast. Her boss wants the well known polo player, Cal, to be that help. Can Rachel convince Cal to help, can she find out who is sabotaging the Mounted Police division or will she fail to get her officers ready in time?
This book is brilliant in my opinion. Very well written with great flow and a fantastic plot. I enjoyed the horses in this dramatic saga. There is so much information on training and riding, and polo. Very interesting things to know.
The characters are very easy to love and care about. This story will swallow you up and you won't want to put the book down. I love how they all grew and changed. Rachel's strength and refusal to give up made her a true strong female character. Cal changed a lot too. She went from self centered and untouchable to a woman who came to care about others, and then found her true calling. This book is definitely in my most favorite book file!
Originally posted with Prism Book Alliance
August 27, 2015
I received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book from NetGalley. And I'm pleased to be the first to put up a review on Goodreads!
This was a very charming book, with a comfortable, slow-building romance without too much sex (for those who don't like a lot of sex in their romance books), and a nice crime mystery on the side to keep the plot going. It was well-paced, both of the leading ladies' back stories emerged gradually and evenly alongside their overall character development, nothing in the narrative was clunky in that way. The horsing elements were all very realistic and added nice verisimilitude, but the author didn't overwhelm with lots of factoids. Really, just a well-told story overall.
If you've never dipped your toes into lesbian romance and are curious, I think this would be a good place to start.
I will be reading more of this author!
This was a very charming book, with a comfortable, slow-building romance without too much sex (for those who don't like a lot of sex in their romance books), and a nice crime mystery on the side to keep the plot going. It was well-paced, both of the leading ladies' back stories emerged gradually and evenly alongside their overall character development, nothing in the narrative was clunky in that way. The horsing elements were all very realistic and added nice verisimilitude, but the author didn't overwhelm with lots of factoids. Really, just a well-told story overall.
If you've never dipped your toes into lesbian romance and are curious, I think this would be a good place to start.
I will be reading more of this author!
August 16, 2015
Horses and a love story
The characters and the storyline drew me in from page one. I kept trying to figure out who was the villain and had no clue. I love story lines like that.
The characters and the storyline drew me in from page one. I kept trying to figure out who was the villain and had no clue. I love story lines like that.
July 20, 2018
3.5 - This is the first book I've read by Walsh and my first equine romance. I didn't know what to expect before reading, but now I have a new category to look out for. When Rachael and Cal first met, I thought, "No way these two will hook up and it feel believable." However, with some plot twists, character growth, and the descriptive feeling of loneliness Walsh paints throughout the story, Rachel and Cal's relationship became more believable. From the amount of details Walsh uses to establish the setting, it's obvious she's passionate about her native region. Her passion prompted me to research Tacoma before finishing the book. Overall, I liked the story, and I'm looking forward to reading about Lieutenant Abigail Hargrove. She has "caustic queen" written all over her.
February 26, 2017
I loved this book so much!
This book deserves more than five stars because I could not put it down once I started reading it. I love the vivid description of the landscape, I fell in love with Rachel's strength and determination in the face of adversity and the horses won my heart.
This book deserves more than five stars because I could not put it down once I started reading it. I love the vivid description of the landscape, I fell in love with Rachel's strength and determination in the face of adversity and the horses won my heart.
December 23, 2019
Despite not enjoying Blindsided very much, I thought "But hey! This one has horses! That has to count for something, right?" Sadly, either my interest in horses has dwindled over the years or it was smothered by a very generic lesbian romance setting. Either way, I only got halfway through before giving up.
It wasn't bad, exactly. It just wasn't interesting either.
It wasn't bad, exactly. It just wasn't interesting either.
August 20, 2017
women and horses
I'm rounding up, because I love a good book about horses. It would've gotten there on its own though if a few of the back chapters hadn't been rushed. Intriguing story, I didn't guess any of it as I'd expected. Definitely recommend.
I'm rounding up, because I love a good book about horses. It would've gotten there on its own though if a few of the back chapters hadn't been rushed. Intriguing story, I didn't guess any of it as I'd expected. Definitely recommend.
September 29, 2017
I don’t know anything about polo so those sections of the book were mildly confusing. Other than that this was a very enjoyable book and I plan to read more.
July 6, 2016
This is another book I wasn't 100% sure what I was getting myself into. Though it is my second book I've read by Karis Walsh. I knew this book involved police officers, mounted police officers, and lesbians, and romance. But I was not sure if it included any real mystery.
Well, I was correct. Mounted police officers, lesbians, romance. And, in addition. Mystery. Seeping out of the pages, lots of mystery. Murder mystery, corruption, intrigue of a good honest police officer shunned by everyone else in her police department, including her, now, ex-girlfriend. Because she had another police officer arrested. For domestic abuse. Everyone, and I mean everyone, hates her. Her being Sergeant Rachel Bryce.
Book opens with this Bryce sitting in her car. Watching. Waiting. Being a part of a funeral. A police funeral. I'm not 100% certain of it (shesh, is that my favorite phrase now?) but I believe the name of the dead guy is Alex Winters. I know it's at least "Alex", and I think he was a Sergeant.
As everyone's leaving, and as Bryce is trying to flee, a Lieutenant stops her and orders her to show up at her office the next morning. Early. Bryce gulps. Shows up. Is told that she is taking Alex's place. As the head of the newly created mounted police. Against her, Lt. Hargrove(sp?)'s desires. Or wishes. Hargrove lets Bryce know that she despises Bryce. And that she wants her to just follow Alex's plan, sit on her horse, and not make any waves. She's getting someone else to come in to train the horses. And the police officers on how to ride said horses.
The trainer is one Callan Lanford. Champion polo player. Who doesn't know she has been drafted yet. Oh, she knows that they want her to do it, but she's under the impression that she has said no. One thing leads to another, including Bryce turning up and basically begging, and Cal agrees to help train the police officers. While very aggressively making a play for Bryce. Bryce keeps batting her away.
Book unfolds. Mysteries are investigated, like how the dead copper might not have been killed by the one the police arrested. And Bryce investigates. Despite it not being her job. And despite Hargrove screaming loudly and publicly at her for doing so.
This book kind of snuck up on me. The beginning was okay, don't get me wrong, but it kind of plodded along. Being vaguely interested. Leaving me with a vague feeling that I didn't like Cal and her ways, though that lessoned over time. A good solid plot. Good characterization. Certain plot traps were glimpsed and feared, but they story line steered clear of most of the worst traps. A good solid 4.5 book. I'm not certain why it didn't reach 5 star status, but it just didn't.
Well, I was correct. Mounted police officers, lesbians, romance. And, in addition. Mystery. Seeping out of the pages, lots of mystery. Murder mystery, corruption, intrigue of a good honest police officer shunned by everyone else in her police department, including her, now, ex-girlfriend. Because she had another police officer arrested. For domestic abuse. Everyone, and I mean everyone, hates her. Her being Sergeant Rachel Bryce.
Book opens with this Bryce sitting in her car. Watching. Waiting. Being a part of a funeral. A police funeral. I'm not 100% certain of it (shesh, is that my favorite phrase now?) but I believe the name of the dead guy is Alex Winters. I know it's at least "Alex", and I think he was a Sergeant.
As everyone's leaving, and as Bryce is trying to flee, a Lieutenant stops her and orders her to show up at her office the next morning. Early. Bryce gulps. Shows up. Is told that she is taking Alex's place. As the head of the newly created mounted police. Against her, Lt. Hargrove(sp?)'s desires. Or wishes. Hargrove lets Bryce know that she despises Bryce. And that she wants her to just follow Alex's plan, sit on her horse, and not make any waves. She's getting someone else to come in to train the horses. And the police officers on how to ride said horses.
The trainer is one Callan Lanford. Champion polo player. Who doesn't know she has been drafted yet. Oh, she knows that they want her to do it, but she's under the impression that she has said no. One thing leads to another, including Bryce turning up and basically begging, and Cal agrees to help train the police officers. While very aggressively making a play for Bryce. Bryce keeps batting her away.
Book unfolds. Mysteries are investigated, like how the dead copper might not have been killed by the one the police arrested. And Bryce investigates. Despite it not being her job. And despite Hargrove screaming loudly and publicly at her for doing so.
This book kind of snuck up on me. The beginning was okay, don't get me wrong, but it kind of plodded along. Being vaguely interested. Leaving me with a vague feeling that I didn't like Cal and her ways, though that lessoned over time. A good solid plot. Good characterization. Certain plot traps were glimpsed and feared, but they story line steered clear of most of the worst traps. A good solid 4.5 book. I'm not certain why it didn't reach 5 star status, but it just didn't.
November 25, 2013
I have never read a f/f romance before this one, though I've read one f/f/m story. I liked the set up for this story and it turned out to be a good read. I'll definitely read more f/f romance!
Rachel, a police officer, made a decision (before the story starts) that has left her estranged from the rest of the police force. She feels very alone. And when she's assigned to lead the new mounted division, she knows it's not a compliment. She thinks she's being set up to fail. She ends up asking a woman she knew in college, Callan, to help her train the other mounted police squad officers. Callan is about as far from a lowly police officer as you can get. She's a polo star from a family with a lot of money. She doesn't really have time to help Rachel, but she's interested enough in Rachel to make the time.
Into this reunion, the author mixes a mystery and some suspense. It appears that someone really doesn't want Rachel to succeed. But who is it? And why? I enjoyed the mystery and thought it was well written.
Rachel, a police officer, made a decision (before the story starts) that has left her estranged from the rest of the police force. She feels very alone. And when she's assigned to lead the new mounted division, she knows it's not a compliment. She thinks she's being set up to fail. She ends up asking a woman she knew in college, Callan, to help her train the other mounted police squad officers. Callan is about as far from a lowly police officer as you can get. She's a polo star from a family with a lot of money. She doesn't really have time to help Rachel, but she's interested enough in Rachel to make the time.
Into this reunion, the author mixes a mystery and some suspense. It appears that someone really doesn't want Rachel to succeed. But who is it? And why? I enjoyed the mystery and thought it was well written.
September 1, 2013
Have found another author to add to my must read list. Great characters and a good mystery. What more do you need in a book?
September 19, 2014
Great story
this is the second Walsh book I have read and I enjoyed this one as much as I did the first.
this is the second Walsh book I have read and I enjoyed this one as much as I did the first.
April 16, 2019
Rating: 3.75
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews