Mediocre to the extreme. ( )

While I really enjoyed most of the book, the final 10% was awash in manipulative secrets masquerading as self-effacement, and I hate that shit. It's a wicked shame, as it was a fairly unique contemporary western until that point. The heroine was a genre-busting athlete and successful businesswoman who helps the rodeo champ hero reclaim his calf roping prowess. Heroine as coach? Hero willing to listen to and learn from a woman? Amazing!

This would've been a 4-star book, easy. I thought it well written and tightly plotted. I enjoyed the easy camaraderie and playfulness between the hero and heroine as well as the rich cast of supporting characters. But lying to your man to hide your pregnancy "for his own good?" That's what twats do. I don't like twats. It's a standard Harlequin shortcut, so YMMV. It's a major no-no for me. ( )

This romance novel starts with a rodeo champion down on his luck because his horse, his partner, died. Ty Boudeau is blaming all his troubles on the new horse, so in a last ditch effort, he goes to a rodeo training facility to work out.

Right off the bat, their troubles start. He knows what he’s doing. He’s a star after all. He just needs her to work with the horse.

Adele Donnelly, owner of the Cowboy College, doesn’t agree, seeing deeper issues. She forces him to do things her way, all the while fighting a growing attraction between them because she knows all about fickle cowboys.

What I liked about it was that it touched on how complex talent is, and all the ways that you can get up in your head and mess with it. Like in the movie Bull Durham where the star pitcher’s “mental coach” convinces him to wear a ladies garter belt to keep his mind distracted so his body can pitch. His conflicts, their causes and his struggles, read very real to me.

Then there’s her. She’s a strong woman without being pushy. She knows her business and is confident in that fact. She’s not cowed by his celebrity either. At the same time, she has a vulnerable side that leaves her open to helping him.

The ending is the weakest part of the book, but I found enough good to outweigh its influence in my judgment of the read as enjoyable.

It’s a powerful, emotional story with a lot going on that can be related to circumstances outside of the rodeo, circumstances that affect most of us.

I received this book through the Tell Harlequin program, and completed the requested survey. This review is my opinions above and beyond what they ask of me. ( )

The book starts out with much promise, as Ty and Adele have instant chemistry. Even though both have reservations about their relationship, it is obvious to the reader that the pair are good for each other, both romantically and on the ranch.
Ty is easily a rather likable guy, as he is able to humble himself enough to seek help for his career, as well as put aside his own competitiveness for the sake of the concerns of others. Adele, on the other hand, never really seems to mature beyond who is she is introduced in the beginning as. She uses the demise of her parents' marriage and her mother's promiscuous behavior to validate her avoidance of Ty, and later, her lies to him. Even when her mother comes to make amends and change her lifestyle, and she learns more about her parents' marriage, Adele still continues in her own bad behavior. Her behavior is also rather hypocritical from what she claims to want from life.
The ending was a disappointment simply because Adele never really changed her behavior - she only did what she was supposed to thanks to her meddling grandpa. If she had actually managed to make herself stop telling lies without being cornered into it, I likely would have liked her more. ( )

I never know what to expect with plain old romance books (as I prefer romantic suspense); sometimes they're corny or overly sappy, but sometimes they surprise me. This is one of the times I was surprised, because I wasn't actually expecting to like this one very much at all. I'm going to skip my usual overview because the synopsis above gives you plenty of information, I would just be repeating it.

1) Character Development: I actually fell in love with these characters. First we meet Ty, who's kind of a celebrity on the rodeo scene, but he's extremely sweet and humble, as evidenced by the fact that he agreed to check out the Cowboy College in the first place. He's not a jerk at all and not too proud to ask for help. Adele is the woman who runs Cowboy College and Ty is sort of smitten with her right away. She's a no-nonsense person who can rope just as well as any of the guys in the sport. Her childhood was rough, with her parents divorcing and her mom trying to bed any cowboy that came along; that's why she swears she would never date Ty. She doesn't want to be like her mom and she's not looking for just a short fling. I loved how tough she was, and such a smart businesswoman. I also liked how Ty never gave her any grief about teaching him; he knew this woman would be able to help him figure out what was preventing him from riding and roping to the best of his ability. The only secondary character we see through the entire book is Pop, Adele's grandfather. I loved him, he may be old but he knows his way around a horse and he gently suggests (or pushes, at times) Adele into doing the right thing...as he sees it anyway. I also liked Ty's rival, Garth Maitland. Although Garth had taken the win due to Ty's shortcomings in the big competition, he didn't rub his face in it. It was nice to see them be competitive, but Ty was able to put his hurt from losing aside to see what a great guy Garth was and that there was no reason they couldn't be friends (when they're not roping that is!).

2) The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: First, The Good - Absolutely loved the characters and the story line. As I said, normally I like a little more conflict or action with my romance novels, but maybe I just needed a break from all of the close calls, action sequences, and death. This was just a nice, light romance and it was refreshing to me after some of the depressing books I read. The Bad - I'm disappointed about the cover model for the paperback. The following quote is directly from the book:

Reaching across the counter, Ty removed his cowboy hat, and an unruly lock of sandy-blond hair promptly fell across his tanned forehead. (pg. 15 of paperback)

The guy on the cover, while deliciously gorgeous, does not look at all how Ty was described in the book. That was really disappointing to me. I can make up my own yummy images in my mind, but I feel like the cover should have done a better job of trying to match the character. The Ugly - I HATE how the synopsis on the back of the book gives away a major plot point. All I can say is "Why?" You don't need to give away the whole story to get people to read the book. It annoys me, because this major plot twist would have been really fun to discover on my own, but instead I made the mistake of reading the synopsis first. Major bummer!

3) Romance Sizzle Or Fizzle?: Oh sizzle! There was definitely sexual tension between Ty and Adele from the beginning, but the romance wasn't rushed or forced in any way. Adele had her fears about dating anyone, much less a guy that would be away most of the time with the rodeo circuit. It was really sweet to see their relationship bloom and evolve as the story progressed.

4) Uniqueness Of Plot: Not really all that unique, but that didn't make me like it any less. As long as you take it for what it is, a nice, light read, you won't be disappointed.

5) Final Thoughts: I'm really glad I got the opportunity to read this one. The romance was sweet and not rushed; Adele and Ty made a really cute couple. Although I had some problems with the cover and the TMI (too much information) synopsis, I'm not going to detract from my overall rating because I did enjoy the story a lot. Definitely a nice little romance that anyone could enjoy! ( )