“You’ve set something inside me into motion, cowboy, and I want to see where this goes.”
“I’m so glad you moved to Montana, Lincoln. You’ve brought me back to life.”
**Synopsis:**
Brock has a goal….
~
“I hated that I was on the road and away from my son as much as I was, but I was trying to build our future. I only needed to bull ride, and win, for another year or two. I had plenty of money saved up, but if I could get at least one more championship under my belt, I would be guaranteed endorsements, and my son would always be taken care of.”
Lincoln has recently moved to small town Montana and is ready to build a life “on her own terms” (away from her controlling father). Her recent house purchase turns out to be the family home Brock was given as a wedding present from his parents. Since his wife died, he no longer wants the house.
~
“All his brother Ty told me was that there were memories the owner wanted to leave behind. So they broke the house and a small parcel of land around it off from their main ranch, and they’re selling it for him. He didn’t even want to be involved in the process.”
When these two finally do meet, their first run in is less than stellar. Brock accuses Lincoln of quizzing his son to get information on the child’s mother and Lincoln has these parting words for Brock….“You know the way off of my property. Don’t let the barn door hit your ass on the way out.”. And then this…. “Right before Lincoln walked into her house, she cast a glance over her shoulder once more. The look she gave me clearly said fuck off.
These two definitely have a rocky start.
**
The following are my thoughts about this book:
**
* * right off the bat I knew I was going to love the little five year old.
~
“He got himself a mouthful of Ivory soap last night when he told Rose Monroe to go suck it after the PTA meeting. Of course, he throws a w in the word suck and has to make it sound all cute.”
* * where’s a fan when I need one….
~ “There are only two things I love to ride that I get a thrill out of . . . and one of those two things, the rush is shared with someone else, and it has nothing to do with bulls.”
* * Brock’s “I don’t deserve you” attitude got a little old. I really didn’t get why he felt like that. Sure, he felt guilty, but the “I don’t deserve you” felt like a lazy, and overly used excuse.
* * the story was engaging and didn’t stall out. The support cast was good and well balanced. They added to the story but didn’t overwhelm the main couple. I’m interested enough to continue the series.
* * I think the rocky start added to the chemistry. You knew right away they were passionate people and would probably be combustible when they finally got together.
~ “I don’t know what crawled up that ass of yours and died, but I do not appreciate being spoken to that way. This is my property now, and you, sir, are not welcome on it if you’re going to be a cocksucker.”
* * Kaylee (the best friend) always had some good things to say 😉
~ “Dibs,” Kaylee said, looking back at me.
“What? Did you really just call dibs on this guy?”
“Yes, I really did.”
~ Have you seen him? I mean, holy bull-rider hotness. I’d let him tie a rope to me and hold on tight.”
**Overview:**
- Content Warning: death of spouse (five years in the past, mostly off page)
- Audio: Narrated by Alexander Cendese and Gabrielle Cendese. Audio download was free with Kindle Unlimited. Female had a heavy southern accent (matches female character). The audio was ok, but I mostly read the story as I’m not a huge fan of audio.
- Setting: Hamilton, Montana
- POV: Dual POV
- Tropes: love after loss, small town romance
- Who is the Hero? Brock Shaw (age: 27). Bull rider. Two time PBR World Champion and currently ranked at the top of the current season. Has an adorable five year old son named Blayze. He is close with his family, who own a cattle ranch and raise horses in Montana.
~ “I love the feeling of crawling on the back of a bull. Knowing it’s me against him, and that only one of us can come out on top. I’m addicted to the adrenaline it gives me.”
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Hero: carrying a boatload of guilt about his wife, hates being away from his son because of his job, wonderful son, amazing father, a good guy, a bit broken
* H likable? Yes.
- Who is the Heroine? Lincoln Pratt (age: 27). Interior designer. Owned a design firm in Atlanta but needed a change so she sold it and moved to Montana.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Heroine: firecracker, stubborn, feisty, set in her ways, not afraid to “go for it”, willing to take on “troubled” projects
* h likable? Yes.
- h virgin? No
- First time they kiss: 27%
- First time they sleep together: 65%
- Safe sex? Yes. Condoms were used
- First time they say I Love You 79%
- steamy? Yes. Descriptive bedroom scenes
- OW/OM drama? No
- H/h cheat? No
- Time apart? three weeks
- Did I skip pages? No
- Big secrets? not major secrets, just stuff about Brock’s first wife that he wasn’t ready to talk about. He starts sharing those details with Lincoln around 43% but doesn’t share the most critical piece until 88%
- Did I cry? No
- Did I laugh? No
- Did I swoon🥰? Brock was a swoony cowboy
- Cliffhanger? No
- HEA? Yes
- Epilogue? a few months later
- Recommend? yes.
~
“The fame, the money, the spotlight on me every weekend—it could never be enough if you weren’t there with me.”
**Quotes**
“Save a horse and ride a Montana cowboy.”
“I wouldn’t have pegged Brock Shaw as a spooner, but boy howdy, he had me tied up in his body like I imagined a cowboy would tie up a calf.”
“If you’re asking me if I know how to ride, I most certainly do. It’s been a while—a long while—but I’m positive I’m still good at it.”
I swallowed hard, trying not to notice how my dick was straining against my jeans again. “You’re talking about horses, right?”
“You’ve got a bun in the oven. You’re knocked up. There’s a bat in the cave. You’re in the family way. There’s a pea in the pod. You are preggo.”
That baby is a girl. Have you seen how sick she’s been?”
“So, the more morning sickness you have, it means it’s going to be a girl?” Ty asked.
“Yep!” Kaylee proudly declared.
Ty shook his head. “There you have it, Brock. Women are a pain in the ass, even in the womb.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saving me from the darkness. You’re the light I didn’t even know I was searching for.”