I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
One Night Rodeo
by
Lorelei James
erotic romance in Paperback edition that was published by Penguin on August 7, 2012 and has 304 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Corralled, Saddled and Spurred, Rode Hard, Put Up Wet, Wrangled and Tangled, Long Hard Ride, Cowgirl Up and Ride, Rough, Raw and Ready, Tied Up, Tied Down, Wild Ride, Branded as Trouble, Shoulda Been a Cowboy, All Jacked Up, Raising Kane, Cowgirls Don't Cry, Chasin' Eight, Casanova Cowboy, Kissin' Tell, Gone Country, Mistress Christmas, Miss Firecracker, Bound, Redneck Romeo, Unwound, Turn and Burn, Hillbilly Rockstar, "Schooled", Wrapped and Strapped, Unraveled, What You Need, Just What I Needed, Racked and Stacked, Hang Tough, Spun Out, All You Need, I Want You Back, Want You to Want Me
Fourth in the Blacktop Cowboy erotic romance western series. The couple focus is on Kyle Gilchrist and Celia Lawson.
It’s erotic mostly in the sense that Kyle is, um, dominating.
My Take
It’s a lesson in not getting drunk in Vegas, LOL! Seriously though, this was cute with a few twists on the typical romance with the not-so-happy couple getting married right off the bat. Instead of Celia wanting to be married, it’s Kyle and he does what he can to entice Celia into wanting to stay married. Although, for a guy who wants to be married to her, he sure doesn’t behave like it.
The other twist is that Kyle has always wanted to be a rancher, but he hasn’t a clue what’s involved. And he’s man enough that he’s comfortable following his wife’s lead.
It’s the weirdest marriage; it’s more like they’re living it in reverse. Instead of growing miserable after the initial lovey-dovey romance, they’re working it in reverse.
One of the things I enjoyed about this story was how real it was. Just everyday issues. Grocery shopping, cattle sorting, problems with relatives, fence mending, furnishing the house, calving…
Both of them have psychological issues. Kyle never had much money and he’s sensitive to others’ comments as well as feelings of inadequacy when he learns how little he knows about ranching while Celia feels homeless, unwanted, and unsexy.
The wedding shower everyone throws sounds like an absolute hoot.
This was a sweet read without scandalous dramas. A clash of feelings and a lack of communication keeps it real.
The Story
It was that kiss at New Year’s Eve, and twenty-four hours after a drunken celebration, followed by an impromptu wedding, a sudden phone call finally reveals Kyle Gilchrist’s father’s name. He’s dying and wants to see Kyle before he goes. There’s an inheritance involved. Something Kyle has dreamed about, slaved for.
When Abe and Hank find out…hoo, boy, it’s fireworks and the shunning. Later on, there’s more fireworks between Kyle and Celia and Tanna’s needing Celia is a welcome cry.
The Characters
Celia Lawson is Hank and Abe’s little sister. She’s also a barrel racer on the CRA circuit and gettin’ mighty tired of it. Tanna Barker is one of Celia’s few friends. Breck is an ex-boyfriend and a jerk. Michael is his boyfriend.
Hank and Lainie Lawson (they enjoyed a threesome with Kyle back in Corralled, 1) are focusing on baby Brianna‘s eye surgery while Abe Lawson is focused on his wife Janie (see Wrangled and Tangled, 3) and the baby that’s due any week now (Tyler is a boy). Eli Whirling Cloud is another friend, and he’s been caring for Celia’s horses and pickup.
Kyle Gilchrist is a bastard — the legal kind, not the behavioral — and a bull rider on the CRA circuit. He and Celia have known each other prit’ near all their lives — they’ve been pulling pranks on each other about that long as well. Marshall Townsend is Kyle’s biological father. I think Kyle was better off not knowing him. Sherry Gilchrist is his mother; Rick is her current boyfriend.
Josh and the pregnant Ronna Jones are Kyle and Celia’s new neighbors. The Mud Lilies, a group of seventy- and eighty-something-year-old women, are all here: Garnet, Bernice runs the beauty salon, Tilda, Pearl, Maybelle, and Vivien.
Devin McClain is a childhood friend of Celia’s and Kyle’s. He’s also a hot Western music sensation. Harper and Bran Turner are more friends (see Saddled and Spurred, 2). Renner and Tierney Jackson have the Split Rock Ranch and Resort down the road (see Wrangled and Tangled, 3). Toby works for Renner at the resort. Hugh Pritchett manages Renner’s stock contracting; he’s not doing so well since his wife filed for divorce. Fletch is the vet who’s hoping to snag Celia as an assistant. Susan Williams is looking to sell Buckeye Joe’s
The Cover and Title
The cover is gorgeous with a tan and gleaming Kyle standing with his thumb hooked into one pocket and holding a coil of rope while the other hand is resting on a hip, his plaid shirt open and some very low-hanging jeans. The background is almost more gorgeous with a lilac sunset hanging over the vast open prairie of Wyoming. Nice use of complementary color with the lilac and gold.
Oh, LOL, that title…! I suspect that Celia was only expecting a One Night Rodeo…!
