May Contain Spoilers
Review:
I purchased Rodeo Dreams from Harlequin.com back in December when they had a sale on eBooks. Silly me, I didn’t realize the hoops I would have to jump through to read the titles I purchased there on my Kindle. Unlike Amazon’s simple system for downloading purchased books, I had to download the Overdrive app, go through the hassle of setting up a new account because I used a different email address than the one I had used previously, and then I had to download each title, one by one. The whole process pissed me off, and I decided that even with a discount, it’s not worth buying direct from Harlequin. The books and the app were temporarily lost (I don’t use that Kindle very often, and yes, I collect Kindles like some people collect socks. It’s a terrible weakness of mine). Since I haven’t been feeling well this past week, I was looking for something different to read, and lo-and-behold! I remembered about all of those Harlequins sitting somewhere on a Kindle (somewhere!).
After getting the Overdrive app up and running again, I dove into this book. I was anxious to read about a young woman who wanted to be a bull rider. I mean, who in their right mind would want to try to sit on a wild and crazy animal that weighs almost a ton? An angry beast that wants nothing more than to slam you down on the ground so it can tap dance on your fragile body? Barrel racing, calf roping, even steer wrestling make more sense that this! Once I got to understand June’s motivation and began to appreciate her iron will, I could understand why she’d want to do something so dangerous, but me? No. Thank. You.
June has wanted to ride bulls forever, much to her father’s fury and her mother’s dismay. Raised on the reservation, June hasn’t had a life of luxury. Struggling to make ends meet on her mother’s welfare checks, while her father does time in jail, she’s decided that the bull riding circuit is her ticket out of poverty. If she can only put away some money so she and her mother have a little cushion, she can finish work for her degree and become a teacher. She knows it’s a long shot to make it to the pros, especially with the chilly reception she’s received from other riders, but she’s not going to let anything stand in the way of her giving it her best shot.
Her biggest obstacle turns out to be Travis, a bull rider who has fallen from the big leagues. After getting his body busted up by a bull named No Man’s Land, he has become a safety nag. He doesn’t think June should be allowed to ride because she’ll just get hurt. He’s still in pain three years later, and thoughts of his harrowing surgeries and physical therapy has left him a changed man. He’s only riding again because he doesn’t see that he has any other option in life. He didn’t finish school, he has no other experience, and the thought of working a minimum wage desk job for his current sponsor has him feeling low. He does know that his come back has to be achieved quickly and that his competitive career has a rapidly approaching expiration date.
When June does her time on a rank bull, the organizer refuses to listen to Travis. June will have appeal to a younger audience, and if gate sales go up, everyone benefits. Since he’s not getting any satisfaction talking to Mort about banning her from competition, Travis decides to go straight to the horse’s mouth and tell June she’s making a big mistake if she thinks she can compete on the circuit (especially without a helmet! I loved his helmet safety nagging. June, not so much).
Big mistake! June won’t let anyone chase her off. Her father’s physical punishments didn’t work, and this noisy guy’s predictions of gloom and doom aren’t going to either. I loved how grounded June was, and how confident she was in her own abilities. She knows that she was born to do this, and she’s going to prove it to everyone else. She quickly makes friends and foes among the other competitors, and finds a pair of cowboys to cover her back in return for keeping their secret.
I enjoyed Rodeo Dreams, both for the behind the scenes glimpses of the bull riding circuit, and for the strong, determined heroine. In addition to being driven, June is also smart. She knows, like Travis, that her bull riding career won’t be long, so she’s going to shoot for the highest placing she can, and she’s not going to let a wet blanket like Travis get in her way. I liked how the romance developed – slowly and believably as June and Travis both have to make concessions to each other to make their relationship work. Travis was dumped at the lowest time in his life, and he has serious trust issues that he needs to deal with, too.
If you’re looking for a romance with a unique heroine, Rodeo Dreams might be just what you’re looking for.
Grade: B / B+
Review copy purchased from Harlequin.com
From Amazon:
Love is one unpredictable ride
Ride straight to the top of the rodeo circuit—that’s June Spotted Elk’s dream. Yes, bull-riding is a man’s world, but she won’t let anyone—not even a sexy, scarred stranger—get in her way.
Seasoned bull rider Travis Younkin knows what it’s like to make it to the top—and then hit the bottom. Back in the arena to resurrect his career, he can’t afford a distraction like June. No matter how far he’ll go to protect her from the danger. No matter how deeply the stubborn and beautiful rider gets to him…
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