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Closed Circuit #2

The Rodeo Queen

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"Bell brings the diverse world of competitive rodeo to life with vivid details and enhances the slow burn, opposites attract romance with chemistry and banter. Readers will be captivated." Publishers Weekly, starred review.

The rules of being a rodeo no creases, no boyfriends, no mistakes.

With more crowns to her name than hairs on her head, Sierra Quintanilla knows the rulebook inside out. And with Closed Circuit, the reality-TV-meets-rodeo-tour competition, back for a second season, she’s ready to play her part to perfection. But no one is actually perfect. And nothing is more dangerous to a rodeo queen than desire…

As a teenager, Diablo Sosa was sentenced by a judge to attend a Houston youth rodeo program. Now an attorney at law, Diablo spends his days seeking justice. He would never have returned to the arena but for his old mentor, so why does the pounding in his blood feel like a homecoming? Or perhaps that’s down to Sierra, the hostess, who shines brighter than the studio lights.

From Houston to New Orleans, from Miami to Las Vegas, Sierra and Diablo wrestle with a connection that could cost them everything—or else lead them right to where they’re meant to be…

A Closed Circuit Novel

Book 1: The Wildest Ride

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published December 27, 2022

9 people are currently reading
112 people want to read

About the author

Marcella Bell

52 books26 followers

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5 stars
16 (19%)
4 stars
23 (28%)
3 stars
26 (31%)
2 stars
12 (14%)
1 star
5 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Just A Girl With Spirit.
1,404 reviews13.3k followers
March 8, 2023
First up! An Afro Indigenous author writing romance?! Sign me up!! This was an okay read and I’ll definitely read more of her work, but it lacked a few things that just made it great for me. I could tell the author wrote this book from a place of all the hurts she endured from the bigotry that unfortunately exists for Black & Brown people, especially in the Rodeo scene I can imagine. To me that kinda took a front seat for the story instead of the romance, tension and chemistry between the characters. Still a good solid read though and I felt the authors heart in this book.
Profile Image for Sharon.
546 reviews22 followers
January 18, 2023
Honestly? This book lacked some of the natural tension of the first book, and from reading the acknowledgment at the end I think the author poured a lot of hurt and anger about how the world treats people of color into this story. So this book was more about that and maybe lost a little sparkle in the relationship between the two love interests.

But a black author writing characters of color who love rodeo??!!! I’ll read that any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
4 reviews2 followers
October 13, 2023
My first time reading romance and I had a great time doing it! I will be attending a rodeo the first chance I get.

The racial issues were a little heavy handed, but not distasteful to the subject matter.
Profile Image for Kat.
17 reviews
March 15, 2024
It was a fun read, but I wasn't obsessed, and I think the writing got lazy towards the end!
2.7/5
Profile Image for Janilyn Kocher.
5,145 reviews118 followers
December 23, 2022
Interesting read about the life of a rodeo queen and a former competitor bull rider. I’ve never really thought about the role a rodeo queen plays and the image the women portray, but Sierra had definite thoughts in that.
Diablo get back in the saddle, literally, for one last ride around the country. I liked his and Sierra’s banter.
Sometimes I found it difficult to relate to parts of the book, but it was a decent read.
Thanks to HTP and NetGalley for the early read.
Profile Image for Maria.
1,329 reviews15 followers
January 10, 2023
With a small tonal shift from the first in the series, one of my unexpected favorites last year, Marcella expands upon the Closed Circuit world she built in the Wildest Ride, and takes us deep into these two characters we met last book. Diablo, a black and latine city rodeo kid turned lawyer, is getting back in the saddle as a favor to his mentor, and tries out for the new rodeo show his best friend competed i last season. Sierra is the pinnacle of her sport, the best Rodeo Queen the sport has ever seen, even though she isn't blonde, blue-eyed, or white skinned. Her Cuban heritage and Florida upbringing might surprise some people, but she knows that cowboying has never been a white sport, and she is proud to show the world her perfect public personality everyday.

While the first in the series relied on the competition to drive the plot, this book is softer and slower. It deals with weighty issues of belonging, bigotry, the pressures of perfection, asking for what you deserve from the people you love, and all the ways that people can be family to each other. While it doesn't have the pulsing drive of the Wildest Ride, it has even more clarity of message around who rodeo is, and is for. And how expanding that definition makes the whole sport, and the world, better. It's brilliant, and raw, and as referenced in the authors note, born out of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

I have never cared about rodeo, despite growing up in cattle country, surrounded by it. But these books have me looking at it with new eyes, with the breadth of tradition and skill that it exposes, and the sheer artistry and athleticism of it all, including the often dismissed Rodeo Queens. Sierra and Diablo don't know how to give anything but everything when it's time to get in the arena, and that drive makes their relationship inevitable. There are lots of bumps and bruises along the way, but it's obvious how much they love each other, and how painful it can be to be seen as you are, stripped down to your essential parts. And to be loved anyway.
Profile Image for Kathy Rhode.
372 reviews4 followers
May 24, 2023
Nice little romance novel. Rodeo setting which isn’t a high interest for me, but story was good. Interesting how the Black author used her anger and sense of injustice in developing the main character.
Profile Image for WhiskeyintheJar.
1,528 reviews696 followers
March 12, 2023
3.5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

“I need you to cowboy up.”

It's the second season of the reality show Closed Circuit and after A.J. and Lil (The Wildest Ride) saved the inner city rodeo program CityBoyz by getting it's accounts back in the black, Diablo Sosa doesn't quite understand why founder Henry “Old Man” Bowman wants him to compete. Henry claims with all the new money, they need more recruits and Diablo competing will give them the attention they need. After Henry was a pseudo father to him and saved him when he was thirteen from going to jail, Diablo will do anything for him. Taking a sabbatical from his job as a lawyer, Diablo is going back to the rodeo, something he hasn't done in fourteen years.

It was a smile filled with the unspoken promise that, should they ever find themselves in intimate settings, he wouldn't be gentle and that she wouldn't want him to be.

Sierra Quintanilla is the host of Closed Circuit and in her late twenties, knows what it takes and how to stay at the top as The Rodeo Queen. She must be glam and look beautiful at all times, always act like a lady in public, and never consort with the cowboys. The restrictions at times chafe but her love of horses keeps her in the game. She's never been tempted before but when Diablo comes on the scene, she's suddenly ready to risk and question what she really wants out of life.

No one had ever called her beautiful when she wasn't trying to be.

The Rodeo Queen read a lot like the first in the series (you could start here but the first was so good you should go back and read it), the author gives us a complete story with fully fleshed out characters. I love how this author tells a story but I will say the romance isn't always the star of the show for me. Sierra's working out of what she really wants out of life and questioning if she wants to take a chance/risk with Diablo was a lot of her character's story, not so much the actionable falling in love. There's a lot of time spent in the characters heads as they emotionally wrestle with working out decisions. Diablo struggles with past pain of having romantic partners wanting to hide their relationship with him because he's Black and Latine. So, with Sierra being the host of the show he's on and having a sort of morality clause in her contract and Diablo not wanting to feel like a dirty little secret, you can see where the angst springs from.

Just how far was she willing to push the boundaries of rodeo queen propriety?

The rodeo competition, mostly, stays in the background (there was one scene that in reversal, had me thinking it went too long), except for a villain plot involving a contestant jealous over not being able to be as good as Diablo and another older contestant, Julio. Diablo's life experience taught him to recognize and prepare for what such attitudes can do and we get a tense scene, that also opens Sierra's eyes to ways Diablo could be feeling, as while Sierra is Cuban herself, her lived experience is different than Diablo's. It's a way that the author gives the characters multiple layers and they feel like fully fleshed out beings. While there were some side characters and A.J., Lil, and Henry from book one make appearances, this was almost all Sierra and Diablo's story.

She wanted the mess and the risk of going all the way with him or she wanted to leave him alone.

The story only takes place over a two month period but as we spend a good amount of time in the main character's heads, I felt like I really knew them and on the handful of dates they go on, these two really talked and I could see why they would feel an attraction to one another. It's something that I can struggle with in romance as I feel like things are rushed but while I could read the emotion, the actionable I was talking about felt absent as we were in their heads a lot. Because of Sierra's job, these two had some go and stop moments, stopped by Diablo as he didn't want Sierra to regret anything, before we get our open door (beach) scenes.

And he wanted her.
And she wanted him, more than she'd wanted any other person in her life.


Then ending had Sierra not stepping up when Diablo wanted her to and we get a third act breakup that leads into a personal tragedy for Diablo that has him stepping away from the competition for awhile, giving Sierra time to decide ultimately what she wants out of life. While the personal tragedy was sad for Diablo, the character's relationship with him was too periphery and we don't get to really know the character for me to feel the deep emotional hit and then it's rushed at the end. But, it did give a chance for Diablo's found/chosen family to come together, along with Sierra, to give a sweet heartfelt scene. The characters didn't get out of their heads enough for me to feel the romance was front and center and the ending felt more like the start to a happily ever after, instead of a wrap-up to one. Overall, this was a grounded, slow burn love, great story that had characters with multiple deep layers that will have them lingering in your mind long after you put the book down.


And because this line has the Garth Brooks' song stuck in my head now,
Tomorrow would be for bulls and blood and dust and mud [...]

And they call the thing rodeo(!)
Profile Image for Bks43v3r.
395 reviews
May 24, 2023
2 Stars

I wish I could have rated this higher. I chose this novel because I was at the library minding my own business and saw it on the shelf. The cover grabbed my attention. Then I saw it was an author of color--I try to read books by authors of color whenever I can. Additionally, the summary sounded interesting and the blurb about author had me liking her already. Needless to say, it was checked out!

Once I started reading it; however, it did not take me long to realize that this one just wasn't for me. But I can be stubborn sometimes and I kept at it for a while. IMO it just isn't a well executed novel. I found the writing to be verbose and repetitive. Often things were needlessly dragged out. There was pages and pages of being in one of the MCs' head, 'listening' to their inner dialogues/monologues.
It needed some serious editing. The writing was also disjointed at times. One example of this is is when the MMC, Diablo, in the middle of a scene and he abruptly starts to have a flashback to when he was much younger. This flashback lasted several pages. And the transition in and out of it was not smooth. For these reasons, I skipped/skimmed around.

It is very clear that the author has a message to convey. It's not subtle. When I saw the Author's Notes at the back of the book, it confirmed my assumption.

This was a new to me author. I believe this was the second book in a series. I did not read the first book. I checked out the author's website and there were less than ten books listed. I think I will wait a few years before trying anything else.
Profile Image for Jeimy.
5,647 reviews32 followers
March 17, 2024
My enjoyment of this book was affected by the fact that I was listening along with the audiobook and the narrator, Deanna Anthony, butchered every single word uttered in Spanish. For a novel where both main characters are proud of their Hispanic roots--and where an entire conversation during one of the rodeo events occurs in Spanish--you would think the author and the publisher could have found someone who could at least approximate the sounds of my language, but you'd be wrong. This happens time after time and it is frustrating and disappointing.

I was ready to dislike Diablo when he first barged in to Sierra's unlocked hotel room. I was not a fan of how he ignored her every time she said no and just stayed there; but he turned out to be more respectful than that scene would lead one to believe.

There are things in the book that could have been developed better, but I appreciated that this novel acknowledges the history of cowboys. I also appreciated the author's note at the end. This is close to being a 3.5-star read for me, but not quite. Hence the rating.

Random note: Having Sierra's last name be Quintanilla has been a trip. Whenever it is mentioned my mind goes to all the TikTok videos of various people outside the jail where Yolanda Saldívar is being held waiting to throw chancels at her upon her release.

Profile Image for Sara (onourshelves).
795 reviews17 followers
April 6, 2023
4.5
I have been looking for a good rodeo book for a long while, and I found one--and now I may need to read the first one! While this is a romance, it feels more about navigating racism, colorism, sexism, violence, xenophobia, and immigration in the rodeo, and more generally in the South.

In terms of the romance, I loved the immediate banter and comfort between Sierra and Diablo. The kisses were super fun as well.

I'm usually not a person who likes super flowy and lyrical prose in my books, but I think Bell did a great job, and the flow of the words and the intense drama and feelings were super easy to feel and absorb.

The book does touch on a number of darker topics, so I have put some of the CW below.


CW:
Profile Image for Belinda.
1,147 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2025
Sierra was the consumate Rodeo Queen. She didn't associate with any of the cowboys. She did her job and did it good..

At the end of the last book she met Diablo. He and AJ are the best of friends!

Diablo sneaks past her defenses and makes her feel like a woman.

But they are having to sneak around and Diablo does not like being kept a secret but they have to do that.

There is so much action in this book thanks to one of the contestants that is a sore loser..

Will Diablo and Sierra make it or will she decide she wants to stay being a Rodeo Queen.
Profile Image for Marcella.
53 reviews11 followers
January 8, 2025
This cowboy wears tiny tiny swim shorts ;)

I enjoyed the rodeo queen almost as much as the wildest ride. The author writes complex interesting characters and confronts the beautiful and the ugly sides of rodeo. Very enjoyable!
Profile Image for HTP Books.
1,580 reviews210 followers
Read
December 1, 2022
Western Romance, Contemporary Romance, Family Life Fiction, Multicultural & Interracial Romance
Miniseries
A Closed Circuit Novel (Book #2)
Profile Image for Rebecca.
910 reviews40 followers
January 31, 2023
This book contains a short but important/insightful author's note at the conclusion that should not be skipped by the reader.
Profile Image for Mfred.
552 reviews15 followers
February 20, 2023
Enjoyable!

The strength of this book lies in it's characters. Two people who don't quite fit, either in rodeo or together, but who make it work. They both face so many challenges, and they both are refreshingly mature and adult about it! It was great reading about grownups in a complicated world who rely on their grownup-ness to solve problems.

The issues in this novel are complex. Who belongs and who gets to say who belongs, the influence and weight of bigotry and misogyny on people of color, what it means to be perfect and the top of your game (while dealing with bigotry, belongingness, etc.)-- but its not all serious topics all the time. You also get to watch as the attraction grows and intimacy deepens into something quite lovely between Sierra and Diablo. It's a slow burn, but totally worth it.

My only quibble is that the book feel into a pattern that kinda got a bit boring. One chapter on rodeo, followed by one chapter on our hero & heroine, and then rodeo again, and so on. The predictability undermined the tension in the plot. Overall, I quite enjoyed this one and will be reading more from Bell.
Profile Image for Ursula.
17 reviews
March 26, 2023
While Lil will always have my heart, I did enjoy the brashness and intelligence of Diablo. It took longer to get into the relationship and warm up to Sierra, but their chemistry and banter was fun and sweet. I loved that he loved her the most when she was completely herself, without any pretensions or image to uphold, and that she felt comfortable enough with him to be herself. I would have loved even more interaction between Diablo and his grandmother, because I think it would have shown just how much of a cinnamon roll he is on the inside. The racism and misogyny in rodeo and the other contestants were not shied away from, and the tension was definitely realistic and anxiety-producing. I was so relieved that Diablo was able to come through and his instincts and feelings were absolutely validated. I think that's what was so lovely about the both of them, that they were able to validate each other's experiences and feelings, when so many others, even their families might not be able to understand them. I felt like it left off with such hope for their futures and I hope we get to see more of them and AJ and Lil in future books.
684 reviews
September 20, 2023
Different, intelligent, interesting. Also verbose, and somewhat uninvolving. But better than the sum of its parts.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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