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Stuntman Adam Campbell returns home to Riverbend, Texas, after being seriously injured in a movie stunt gone wrong. He settles in to heal at his family's ranch, where his four brothers, famous trick riders, train horses.

Adam is stunned to find Bailey Farrell working there—she was the shy girl who'd helped Adam graduate high school so he could run off to Hollywood. Except the budding Bailey, with whom Adam had a brief but intense affair, has blossomed into a beautiful woman. Now the sparks that had once ignited between them threaten to explode.

Adam is beaten-up, broken-down, and has lost his nerve—the stunt that injured him also killed his best friend. The only one he can turn to is Bailey, but will Bailey, who has come back to Riverbend to lick her wounds after a painful divorce, be willing to help him again?

Book 1 of Riding Hard. A 230-page (approx) novel—20 chapters, plus bonus sneak peek at Grant's book and a recipe for Mrs. Ward's Harvest Pie.

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2015

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About the author

Jennifer Ashley

214 books7,330 followers
NY Times Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley writes historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance, historical mysteries, and urban fantasy as Jennifer Ashley, Allyson James, and Ashley Gardner.

Jennifer's novels have been translated into many different languages, and earned starred reviews from Booklist and Publisher's Weekly. More about her books at http://www.jenniferashley.com and http://gardnermysteries.com.

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5 stars
1,117 (32%)
4 stars
1,179 (34%)
3 stars
854 (25%)
2 stars
190 (5%)
1 star
65 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 292 reviews
Profile Image for Jen.
1,655 reviews1,164 followers
August 22, 2015
I decided to give Jennifer Ashley 's first attempt at Contemporary Romance a try. I have always loved her historical ( mainly her beloved character Ian Mackenzie!) So I thought I couldn't go wrong! I did enjoy this western like story, and I am eager to see what else the Cambell brother's will bring to the table. There is also another family that is introduced,and they are the Malory's. ( There are two chunky brothers in this family as well! So we have a ton of stupidly Texan guys to follow and I'm not complaining a bit!

This first book is about the oldest Cambell brother, Adam. He's a stuntman for the movies but comes back to his Texas roots when he is severely injured in a stunt that went wrong. Once home, he realizes that he has made some huge mistakes leaving his hometown. Not only did he leave his family, but also his first and only love Bailey. She is doing her own stunts now on his families ranch, and now that she's no longer out of reach, Adam becomes aware that she is something he may not be willing to live without ever again.

I love stories that have the strong family bonds in them. This series definitely has that and more! The brothers have a huge loyalty to one another, and they always have each other's back! This is an enjoyable, feel good romance, as well as it gives you that neat small town life style that I'm drawn to in my romances! I look forward to learning about all the other brothers and watching them fall in love!
Profile Image for Stacey.
1,446 reviews1,127 followers
September 26, 2015
5 brothers that enjoy falling off horses...their poor mother.

***3.5 Stars***

This was Jennifer Ashley's first foray into contemporary romance and it wasn't bad. Adam is the eldest of 5 brothers and is a stuntman. While working with his best mate and fellow stuntman, the stunt goes horribly wrong. His best mate dies and he is left nearly dead himself, while also physically scarred and mentally broken. This story is about Adam's recovery and him reconnecting with the one woman who always manages to help him in his time of need.

Bailey loved and lost Adam years ago when they were high school students. She was a little nerdy and he was a jock who needed tutoring. It didn't take Adam long to realise how special Bailey was. They had a short but intense relationship that lasted until Adam was "found" and moved to Hollywood to start his career. While they were away from each other their lives moved on, Bailey got married and divorced, left town, came back and still couldn't deny the feelings she buried for Adam.

When the two of them come face to face with each other again all of their feelings resurface. Adam is broken, Bailey is recovering from the heartache of finding her husband cheating, so together they have a lot to overcome. I got a little frustrated with Adam because he was knuckle headed, stubborn and immature. I felt sorry for Bailey because she was always looking out for others and never herself.

Boys will be boys, so I shouldn't be surprised, but Olivia, Adam's mother, must be a saint...or tough as nails. I can't imagine having 5 son's that willingly put their bodies at risk for their jobs. It was great to meet them all and I think there could be some fun stories ahead for these dare devils.

I enjoyed reading Adam. This was a fairly steamy read with some angst that challenged Adam and Bailey but also managed to reinforce their suitability to each other. It was a toss up whether this was a 3 stars or 4 stars read. I ended up rounding up purely because there wasn't anything specifically wrong with it, just that it wasn't leaving me with any intense feelings.

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Profile Image for Carvanz.
2,381 reviews897 followers
March 26, 2017
Great fast read with low angst. Plenty of alphas, horses and strong women. I really enjoyed this. Wasn’t sure how this couple would be able to find a happy ending but when they did it was perfect. If you like cowboys and horses and a stuntman who is damaged, you will love this book.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
2,512 reviews86 followers
March 14, 2015
I love Jennifer Ashley. She knows how to write about Scottish Lairds, Shifters, Pirates and now Cowboys. Stunt cowboys at that.

This was a great start to a new series. Adam was yummy. I really wish we could have met his friend, Dawson. Bailey was just perfect for him since high school. Shame on him from walking away from her, even if she told him too.

Can't wait to read the rest of the brother's HEA and even Kyle's. Job well done, Ms. Ashley.
Profile Image for Beanbag Love.
569 reviews240 followers
March 13, 2015
I'm giving it four stars even though it was probably more like a 3.5. It's the first book in a series and the first contemporary romance Jennifer Ashley's written so it was bound to be a bit clunky.

I did like the family a lot. A bunch of brothers, their mother and a young girl who's the daughter of one of the men. They're very close and they're alphas. Yeehaw. As a rule I like cowboys and the working man/woman ethic that puts them on common ground. I also think the angle is interesting in that the family is in the business of stunt riding and horse training. They work at rodeos doing Wild West type performances and they also do stunts and wrangle horses for the film industry.

Adam Campbell, the eldest son of Olivia (widowed for many years), is a stunt man in Hollywood. He left home after being "discovered" performing horse tricks when he was still a teenager. Since then he's found a mentor (who seems more like an agent) who taught him how to do all kinds of stunts, including falls, driving, motorcycle and fire stunts. He's one of the most sought after in the business.

When the story starts, Adam has just been in a horrible accident on set. His best friend was killed and Adam -- as all alpha males do -- blames himself. His family brings him home to recover and he finds that the girl he left behind has moved back to town and now works at their ranch (the Circle C which makes me wonder if their brand is the copyright symbol).

Bailey -- the aforementioned girl Adam left behind -- returned home from Austin a while ago after going through an ugly divorce from her cheating husband. She's smart and sweet and quite different from when she lived in the tiny town of Riverbend. She used to wear geek glasses and hide her body under big, sloppy shirts. Adam was the only one to see her for what she really was under all that and he only discovered it months before they parted ways.

Decent setup, rough execution. Adam is grumpy and that's completely understandable given what he's been through, but he doesn't come off as very endearing for a long time. It seemed odd that Bailey would still be so over-the-moon about him because I didn't see any sign that he hadn't always been a bit of a curmudgeon. Bailey's a good character. She's sweet but never steps over the line to too sweet. She's strong, but doesn't slip into crabby, bitchy mode. Adam has been through a horrific experience and he's clearly damaged. She's damaged by her husband's infidelity, but she manages to rebuild her own confidence through working with the horses and helping Adam to heal. She's likable and patient, which is good since I know I'd have lost patience with that man more than once.

I give it four stars because I think the promise for the rest of the series is strong. While this one felt like JA was finding her way in the genre (she's mastered so many others, I'll give her this!) I'm definitely on board for the next two books in the series. I'm optimistic.
Profile Image for Lover of Romance.
3,712 reviews1,125 followers
January 10, 2016
Review-Adam This was a novella, so I will just do a short review on this one.
Adam is the first book in a new series by Jennifer Ashley, and after having reading this, I am beyond impressed with this authors abilitiy to transfer between genres. Its very awe inspiring when you see such talent from a favorite author. Most of the time I can’t stand it when authors transition between genres, because it usually means that some of those books won’t be as good as what they normally write…but this fine lady is pure talent when it comes to writing. From what I can gather so far, this series is not full length novels (sad) but maybe that will change. But the first two books are novella length…so we will see what happens. Normally I can’t stand novella’s because I always tend to get the impression that there is something missing, or the ending is too short, but with this story I didn’t feel that way at all…it felt pretty well balanced. Adam is a story of a man that is a stunt man (and oh boy you don’t see this too often but I do love seeing a character that does stunts for a living). He has been in a accident, and lost his best friend. He has suffered a leg injury and burns on his face. His family have a ranch where they train horses for stunts and other things…the bond between the family is quite entertaining, they are close, but banter and tease each other merciessly. They love and protect and fight for one another. Then we have the heroine, Bailey. Bailey and Adam were once a thing in high school, it was short and sweet. But they never lost the connection. Now that Adam has returned, Bailey is aiding Adam in recovering and the sparks begin to fly between them. Both Bailey and Adam have emotinal wounds, and need healing…and what I enjoyed most about this story was how they helped each other without even realizing it. This is a heart wrenching story about healing, redemption and learning to love when it matters most. I loved the raw emotion that is played out in this story, along with the western feel to the book, and the close families ties…and it all brings together a fabulous story to captivate your heart.
Profile Image for Angela (Angel's Book Nook).
1,672 reviews973 followers
October 14, 2024
Adam was a sweet second chance romance in Jennifer Ashley’s, Riding Hard series.

It’s a fast read, with plenty of alphas, horses, and strong women. I enjoyed meeting the Campbell family, each brother is unique. I loved the strong family bonds portrayed and the loyalty they have for one another. I also had a fun with the family and their business of being trick riders. Adam was yummy and Bailey was perfect for him. The romance is sweet and you can see they still have chemistry even after all these years.

Adam was an enjoyable feel good romance. I had a delightful time reading.

Rated: 3 Stars

angelsgp-seethisreview-blure
Profile Image for Darcy.
14.4k reviews543 followers
May 4, 2015
I feel like I should have liked this one better. I like this author, love her Shifter series, but this one fell flat for me. I didn't really get how Adam and Bailey could do the instant fall in love thing when they hadn't seen each other for 10 years and lead separate lives, where it didn't seem like they thought about each other in the meantime. I did like how Bailey stood up to Adam on the stunt aspects of the book.

I found the feud between Adam and Kyle to be stupid and childish. I kept rolling my eyes with their antics and their conversations where it seemed like they beat their chests and whipped out their junk to measure it.

The one part of the book that I did really like, yet there wasn't enough of it, was with Faith. She was so funny and a little imp.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews132 followers
Want to read
July 12, 2023
💝 FREE on Amazon today (12/07/2017)! 💝
Profile Image for Debbie.
944 reviews80 followers
January 19, 2018
Adam Riding Hard
Jennifer Ashley
Adam is the first book in bestselling author Jennifer Ashley’s contemporary Riding Hard series set in the Texas Hill Country. It’s a spicy and sweet second chance romance starring Adam Campbell and Bailey Farrell, who are genuine and likeable, have amazing chemistry and their romance is as sizzling as a hot Texas summer. With a fast paced narrative, action packed scenes and an engaging storyline plus some fabulous costars this amazing author once again makes her tale come to life for her audience. Book one does a great job of setting the stage for stories to come

The audible version is put in the very capable voice of Eric Dove. His drawly aw shucks southern baritone, slow paced reciting, impressive range and excellent talent of sounding so natural while vocalizing male, female and kid voices too makes him the perfect choice for this novel.
SUMMARY:
Stunt man to the stars Adam Campbell pretty much went for what he wanted and got it for most of his life. That is until a stunt went horribly wrong killed his best friend and left him broken and burned. What else could he do but go home to Texas, the loving arms of his family and the family’s very successful trick riding operation. When he arrives he’s stunned to find his high school sweetheart learning the dangerous trade and he is not happy about it, not after what he just went through.
Bailey Farrell left small Riverbend Texas for the city lights and a job in Austin but after an agonizing divorce she came home to heal and got a job on the Campbell ranch learning to stunt ride. When the oldest Campbell brother and her first love comes home to recover from a dreadful accident her first thought is that she’ll do whatever it takes to help get him back on his feet, the second thought is that she never really stopped loving him.


Profile Image for Pam Nelson.
3,799 reviews124 followers
July 25, 2019
Adam was hurt on the job which left him scarred, and back home where his old flame Bailey is and their spark ignites again.

Bailey is confused by the men in her life, Kyle and Adam she knows she has to choose but Kyle isn’t having her answer at all oh no he isn’t.

I loved how Bailey helped Adam overcome some of his fears from his accident. It was unique and sweet.

Overall a good book. I love love, Eric G. Dove’s voice he always makes me enjoy the listening experience.
Profile Image for Paige.
1,316 reviews114 followers
December 10, 2020
2.5 stars rounded up.

Now I LOVE the Mackenzies — Jennifer Ashley’s historical series about a closeknit family — so I had high hopes going into this one. It just didn’t really work for me. It was missing that magic and balance that the Mackenzies had. The brothers (and the rival set of brothers) all felt too similar to each other. None of them really had distinct personalities from each other. We also spent way too much time setting up future couples and plots, rather than actually developing the couple at hand.

There just wasn’t a lot to this story. The whole fight and bet with the other family was dumb. There was some promise with the heroine helping the hero get back riding after the devastating accident, but after one or two scenes that was completely glossed over. These were characters with deep backstories, but somehow they still felt flat and bland.

I can’t decide whether I’m going to give this series another shot or not. If I read this book from a new author, I would be shocked if I kept going. But there’s a voice in my head saying “This is the woman who wrote Ian and Beth Mackenzie. She can do better.”
Profile Image for Sharyn.
3,144 reviews24 followers
April 18, 2017
Ashley

I prefer Ashley's other books, especially her McKenzie series and her Shifters. I am not a big fan of contemporaries, but I read all of her books because I like her as an author. I found the topic of this book, stunt riders interesting because I knew nothing about the topic.
Profile Image for Carolyn.
2,233 reviews
September 10, 2018
I love Jennifer Ashley's work. I have all of her books and thought I would give her foray into contemporary romance a shot. It was a bit predictable, but I will continue with the series because it IS Jennifer Ashley!

3.5
Profile Image for Katrina.
711 reviews43 followers
December 24, 2017
Firmly in "Nice " category - liked it, but didn't love it.
Profile Image for Mimi.
2,288 reviews30 followers
September 18, 2022
A Texas cowboy romance. There are horses and tension but a bit light on the romance.
Profile Image for Cruth.
1,656 reviews146 followers
May 14, 2015
Author: Jennifer Ashley
First published: January 2015
Length: 2630 kindle locations
Setting: Riverbend, Texas. Smalltown contemporary,
Sex: Very explicit.
Hero: Injured Stunt Man.
Heroine: Has a Masters in Maths and CS but has thrown in her successful career to work on a ranch with horses and do some stunt work. Divorced.
Includes: Excerpt from Grant by Jennifer Ashley and Mrs Ward's Harvest Apple Pie

*shrug*

Nothing to write home about.

A bit of a plot but mostly a sex-driven relationship as the two MCs rediscover each other.

And nothing seemed to happen.

There's a lot of set-up for future books from missing mothers and broken relationships to a lawsuit that seemed critical to Adam's healing but sort of faded away. But honestly I didn't feel the love. Too much must have happened off stage for me to believe Adam and Bailey's HEA.

A nice beginning to a series but Ashley phoned this in. Definitely not up to her usual high standards.

2.5 stars rounded down.

Riding Hard Series:
Book 1 Adam - Adam Campbell and Bailey Farrell
Book 2 Grant - Grant Campbell and Christina
Book 3 Carter - Carter Sullivan and Grace Malory
Book 4 Tyler - Tyler Campbell and Jessica McFaden
Book 5 Ross - Ross Campbell and Lucy Malory
Book 6 Kyle

References:
Author's website: http://www.jenniferashley.com/jennife...

(ISBN ...)

-CR-
Profile Image for Ann Lorz.
1,707 reviews22 followers
June 23, 2016
I love Jennifer Ashley but it took me a second or two to get into this. I think part of the problem was I was waiting for a lion or wolf to show up. I love her shifters!

Unfortunately none did.

At first I had a little issue remembering that. But I soon got into the story and found myself really enjoying it. As with all her books I enjoyed the characters. She does a wonderful job of layer their emotions and making me was to dig for more!

I was a little put off with the fact that his family hired her knowing he had some feelings, good or bad, it didn't matter. Family should stick together. I didn't dwell on that for long. I really enjoyed Adam and Bailey's story. I liked how they interacted together and was able to put their past behind them.

I also enjoyed Adam's family. They are so funny and caring. I can't wait to read more of their stories. I will also love Ashley's shifters and historical's better but I will be adding her contemporaries to my rotation.

Reviewed for Romancing the Readers Blog:
http://romancingthereaders.blogspot.c...

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Profile Image for Linda.
2,042 reviews64 followers
March 13, 2015
Adam returns home to recover after a disaster at work, where he suffered a broken bone and burns and the death of his co-worker.
He used to be a daredevil but this accident is making him rethink the stunt work.
Back at home his childhood love has taken up work at his familys ranch. Can they resist each other, and can Bailey keep her heart out of it, since he´s soon gone again?
Contemporary romance, smutty fluff and horses in a great combo. Can´t wait for Christina & Grant´s book <3
Profile Image for Dee.
1,426 reviews
December 30, 2015
wanted to like it because its JA, but she def. does historical/UF better than contemporary
Profile Image for D.B. Reynolds.
Author 39 books2,366 followers
May 5, 2015
A sexy romance from a wonderful storyteller.
Profile Image for Ringo.
243 reviews1 follower
May 26, 2019
DNF, not enough character development...
Profile Image for [[ Frankie ]].
33 reviews2 followers
May 8, 2019
I’m having a really hard time with my decision on a final rating for Adam. Part of me feels as though it should be bumped up to three stars. Then another part of me starts screaming, “Nooo!!! Don’t do it, Frankie!”

Here’s why . . .

To me, dialogue & character development are important pieces to the puzzles we call “stories”. Without good dialogue & character development, I find that it’s harder for me to become fully invested in a story. That was the case with Adam. Not only were the characters’ personalities iffy, but the dynamic & dialogue between them was cheesy as all hell. I found myself rolling my eyes on many occasions & thinking to myself, What? What is this? People don’t actually say things like this. ...do they? Basically, the dialogue felt overly exaggerated & under-developed.

While the character development & dialogue alone had me questioning the entire story, the writing in general didn’t help itself, either. It was a mess of sentences that didn’t really make sense... or sentences/paragraphs that I would have to re-read multiple times, very slowly, just to understand it. Things were oddly strewn together, & the wording was just... weird.

Now, you’re probably wondering why I would even consider bumping it up to three stars with all these problems I seem to have with the book. Well... the plot, of course. I really enjoyed the plot itself, the idea behind it all. It was executed quite well & I had no issues with it. I loved the stuntman & horse theme & how things played out in the end. If the characters, dialogue, & writing were as good as the plot, then this book would be a four or five star read.

So, after all that... getting my thoughts out on the screen... yeah, I think I’ll keep my two star rating. If you can deal with weird wording, silly dialogue, & cheesy characters... then you might like this one. But me? I couldn’t get past all that & it clearly reflects in my rating.

PS: This book is currently FREE on Amazon! If you think you can handle what I mentioned above & wanna give it a go, then head over there & download it now. :]
Profile Image for Linda.
887 reviews83 followers
January 4, 2017
Can someone tell me how I let a Jennifer Ashley book sit in my kindle for so long?
Okay well, I am a huge fan of her McKenzie's, but I admit I have been distracted with other authors and genre, and I admit for me when I think Jennifer Ashley , I think hot sexy Highland men, not Cowboys, but I do now! So here is to a New Year!
Serioisly ,how can you not be pulled in when a book starts of like this; "Adam heard himself flatline. The machine shrilled one long sound, and everything he’d ever known vanished. He saw no light, felt nothing; he had no body, did not exist."
Of course, Adam survives, however he is facing a long recovery, even for a professional stuntman use to injuries. His need for time to recover and his need for assistance along with his families need to have him close after such a close call brings hin home to the Family ranch in Riverbend Texas, home to the horse training and stunt training business based on the famiky ranch and back to the girl who saved him from himself ten years ago. Bailey, she walked into his life in high school and became his angel, helped him graduate and was the girl who for the first time for Adam making love to meant more; but he still left her when his break to be the big movie stuntman came.
Adam , may be the oldest of five brothers and injured the grumpiest, but the stunt that went wrong and took his best freind Dawsons life and nearly killed him, has reduced him to a shell of the man he was. Once again, Bailey his angel will help turn him around, and Adam will realize he never stopped loving her, but will his second chance at Hollywood fame have him leaving again.?
Find out and pick this one up , I am off to read all about his brother Grant now!
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