Not Her First Rodeo

by Lisa Rumsey Harris

The last thing rodeo queen Liberty Redd needs is another man in her life, not when she has four over-protective cowboy brothers. The only male she’s really interested in is her horse, Trooper. She has big dreams, like winning Miss Rodeo America. But when British tech trouble-shooter Rory Collins comes through the drive-through at her fast-food side job, she is intrigued by him. For his part, Rory is only in Utah for six weeks for a project, but when he meets Liberty, he’s utterly gobsmacked by her intelligence, her kindness, and their undeniable chemistry.

But no one, not her family or his colleagues, thinks their relationship is a good idea, and her oldest brother Scott will do anything, including risking other people’s lives, to keep them apart. Everything comes to a head at Rory’s first rodeo, where Liberty will reign (and rein) as queen. Will Liberty be able to save Rory from her brother’s plan? Do they even stand a chance together when they come from such different worlds?

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2023

About the author

Lisa Rumsey Harris grew up writing stories and riding horses in Southeastern Idaho. She received a bachelor's and master's degree in English from Brigham Young University and is currently a doctoral student in Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Utah. She volunteers at Courage Reins, a equine-assisted therapy facility. She lives in Utah, with her multi-talented husband, her four sassy daughters, one fluffy dog, and two evil cats.

Reviews

[Maren Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's start this out right: I'm a huge Treasure Blume fan, so my expectations were through the roof for this book. And this book met ALL OF MY EXPECTATIONS. Let's dive right into what I absolutely loved here:

- The two main characters. Liberty and Rory are both charming humans, and it's so easy to root for them. That's something Lisa Harris does so well. She creates a couple of just wonderful people, and then asks us to root for them. AND IT IS EASY TO DO THAT. I wanted only good things for both of them.
- The Utah setting was so much fun! I don't read a lot of books that take place in my backyard, but this one does, and I'm so here for it.
- The rodeo vibes were immaculate. I went to rodeos as a kid, and it was fun to see it in a book too (because I haven't seen it often).
- You might think this romance book just has happy things and miscommunication inside of it (because so many do), but it actually has some action and gets a bit intense. I loved it, thanks for asking. Also there wasn't miscommunication lol. Thank goodness for that.
- The bad guys are easy to root against. I wanted their downfall (maybe that makes me bad lol, but I don't care).
- Liberty. She gets mentioned twice because I love her. I want a Liberty and Treasure crossover event where I get to see them being wonderful humans together.

So basically, if you like charming romances with highly likable characters (and a squeaky clean romance too!) that has a bit of action and rodeo, this book is for you. Most likely this book is for you because who doesn't like that.

(Thanks for an advance copy! This is an honest review, so don't y'all worry.)

[Cassie Flory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. This story somehow manages to be both sweet and deep at the same time. While it's a romance I'd feel wonderful about handing to my teenage daughters, I wouldn't slot it into a YA genre. Deeper themes of grief, depression, codependency, and living with a narcissist are also explored, yet with a sense of hope and humor. The cast of characters is diverse and highly lovable, human and equine alike. You get a sense of the reverence the author feels for both the mountains and the deep bond formed between horse and rider. Rodeo culture is fascinatingly woven in and out of the page-turning romantic storyline. Heartfelt, quick-paced, and feel good, Not Her First Rodeo is a book I thoroughly enjoyed and definitely recommend.

[Talia Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay guys, I loved this one. It was just so fun and cute! It was a classic feel good romcom (which y'all know I'm a sucker for) but with some deeper twists (which y'all know I'm even more of a sucker for). So really, couldn't be happier with this read.

What I liked (in no particular order):
-Liberty. I really liked Liberty. She was such a vivid character and she really flew right off the page for me. I feel like a genuinely know her and that's so rare to find with book characters, and I love that. Plus I like her name, it's somehow really fitting for her.
-Rory. Perfect man, am I right or am I right? Please find me a man like this. I'm tired of these dark, mean, brooding love interests. I want one like Rory. I want to root for the romance cuz the guy is just a great guy not just cuz he's hot, and I can do that in this one (Plus he's hot too, at least in my mind lol).
-The ranch drama. I live for drama. This aspect added so much to the plot and I didn't see it coming.
-All the stuff I didn't see coming. I don't wanna spoil it for y'all but there are some real good parts in this one that I didn't see coming that just added so much substance to this book and set it apart from other romcoms for me. I was as interested in the plot as I was the romance. We love that.
-Horses. Somehow the horse aspect of this one worked for me. Normally I read horse books and think "meh" about the horses, but after this one I found myself wanting to go find a horse, ride it up the mountains, and find a moose gosh darn it. But most likely I'll just pet some random horse in a field and run away before Scott chases me away with a gun.
-The substance. Okay I know I've said it before, but there was some deep stuff and seriously I love that so much. Especially in my romance books. For real guys. Can't express that enough.
-The setting. Okay yeah I loved that it was in Utah. But also the setting really added to the story. I could picture the ranch, the mountains, the drive-thru, the rodeo... you name it.
-The fun and funny. This book was so fun and so funny. It made me actually laugh out loud and I had so, so much fun reading it.

If you're looking for a fun time, a good romance, a romance with substance, a horse book, a book that'll make you happy every time you pick it up, a funny book, a book with extremely well written characters, or any combination of those, this is the one for you. You'll have fun, I promise.

Thanks for the advanced copy! This is my honest review about what a genuinely good time I had while reading this one.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the honor of being an advanced reader for this book. I am a huge fan of Lisa Rumsey Harris and was so excited to see that she had another book coming out.

This book is an unexpected romance set in a small Utah town and focuses on Liberty, an ambitious young woman who is the current Miss Peach Days Rodeo Queen, but who is focused on her ultimate goal of becoming Miss Rodeo America. She is figuratively blindsided by Rory, a young British man who is in town for a short stint as a programing consultant at a local tech company in need. They are both unprepared for what is to come and how it will change their world and dreams.

I did not expect to learn from this book, but I did. I am not a rodeo fan and don't know much about horses but was able to learn a little bit about them both. I could absolutely feel the love Ms. Harris has for horses and the respect she feels for the skills of those participating in rodeos.

I enjoyed reading about people, places, and events that I was familiar with growing up in Utah Valley. Even though the people and places were changed a little bit for the book I could easily imagine the characters and events occurring in the towns I grew up nearby.

The exciting scenes were well written, the family drama felt uncomfortably real, the romance was delightful, and honestly, I had no idea how it was going to work out in the end. How in the world can a man from England and a woman from small town Utah end up together? "...I care about her," Rory rubbed his temples. "But I don't know how to manage everything. Her world. Her brothers. My world. My job. All of this." Same, Rory, same. I guess you'll have to read it to find out how they manage.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has one of the most unique meet cutes of any book I've read. I loved the way Liberty meets and helps Rory! These two were so fun together.

Liberty is a small town rodeo queen. Her life was more complicated than the reader would have guessed at the beginning of the book. Her life seems like it's perfect. But as the reader goes deeper, they realize that things are not what they seem. Her family life was not what it seemed. I loved watching her with her horse.

Rory is a computer programmer from England. He's working round the clock at his computer programming job. He falls hard and fast for Liberty. I love the way he wants to always be there for her. And the way he is able to help as the story progresses in ways no one else would be able to.

This book is so great! I loved it.

I was sent an e-copy of Not Her First Rodeo from the author. All opinions are my own.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled to read another book by Lisa Rumsey Harris. I absolutely loved the cover and book description, so I was excited to dive in. I’ve never read a beginning like that! Liberty and Rory had such a different and quite unique beginning. And I loved the Utah setting. Their ride in the mountains was wonderful. Liberty is so kind, patient, and goal driven. And I love that she’s a rodeo queen. I absolutely loved her relationship with her horse, Trooper. I also liked how Rory was from England. I tried having a British accent in my mind when he spoke. Rory falls fast and Liberty has struggles of her own. And what a journey for both of them. I laughed at times and smiled a lot. This is a very enjoyable story.
I received an ebook copy from the author. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

[Dallin Isom · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful story! I picked this up because I wanted something fun and easy to read, and I got it. Not only was it a cute romance, but all of the main characters had depth, conflict, and real feelings that I could relate to. I'm glad I decided to give it a chance.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed an easy book to read for the summer and this was perfect!! So cute - I loved it and the characters - great fun romcom read!!!