She exposes ranches on camera, he heals broken horses in quiet, and they are each other’s worst idea until a panicked rescue turns rivals into partners.
Beckett Callahan is a soldier-turned-trainer who runs Broken Spur’s barns with surgical precision. When a viral video blasts his methods, he braces for a fight… and finds Camila Reyes, the sharp-tongued activist who once ambushed him at a stock show, striding onto his turf with a lens and a mission. She expects cruelty, he expects grandstanding, and neither expects the frightened rescue horse that forces them to work side by side.
Long nights on stall watch reveal the truth behind his calm hands and her crusader’s heart. A storm locks them in the barn and melts the distance they swore to keep. Then doctored footage ignites a fresh outrage, and Beckett’s trust buckles just as Camila’s own movement turns on her. With corporate agitators fanning the flames, the ranch’s reputation—and the horse’s hard-won progress—hang in the balance.
To save what matters, they build a third radical transparency, science that listens, advocacy that learns. In one last, make-or-break demonstration, Beckett opens his gates, Camila opens her platform, and together they expose the real saboteurs. The rescue horse finds his stride, the mob quiets, and the man who lives by routine falls for the woman who lives out loud.
Reining in the Rival is a spicy, heartfelt Broken Spur Brothers romance with forced proximity, slow-burn heat, and a hard-won HEA. Can be read as a stand-alone.
I read this thru my KU membership. The basic plot was interesting, but it needed a strong edit before being published. There were several instances where the same information was used multiple times, i.e. when the main male character (who has PTSD) has an episode and the main female character is able to work him thru the episode. Each time their conversation afterward is almost an identical repeat. It's very strong on horse therapy and behaviors, so if your only interest is the romantic angle, you won't care to wade through the book. Up to you if you want to read it.