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
Spun Out
by
Lorelei James
erotic romance, western romance in a paperback edition that was published by Berkley on November 5, 2019 and has 336 pages.
or Amazon
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, One Night Rodeo, 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, All You Need, I Want You Back, Want You to Want Me
Tenth in the Blacktop Cowboys erotic Western romance series set in Wyoming and revolving around the people living and working around the Split Rock Ranch and Resort. The couple focus is on Bailey and Streeter Hale…and Streeter’s little girl, Olivia. Um, I should add a disclaimer that Spun Out is mildly erotic.
My Take
It’s a tale of family, pride, and guilt. I do like how James pulls in the issues of psychiatric disorders — the bad and the good that can result from having them and understanding how to deal with them.
In general each story in the series starts with a primary character whose love life sucks, and then they meet — with plenty of explosive moments — their opposite. James does come up with some interesting actions that “fix” those damaged by past family issues. I do love that they always have a happy ending that sinks them into a warm family environment. Just not necessarily their original family. A nice touch of reality.
“Bailey looked at Harper. ‘Tell him this is my baby time and he’s not allowed to horn in.'”
As for erotic, each story within the series has a different level of eroticism…and this one is only slightly erotic.
Ooh, plenty of back history comes out between Bailey and Harper. Including that desire Bails had for stability.
It’s action and characters with Olivia the devil, lol. On the opposite side is that Gramma Deenie…oy…talk about denial! As for Streeter, while I can’t like his giving in to Olivia so much, he does try with her, and he refuses to give up. That Bailey… Okay, to be fair, it’s that James! Humph…she did a grand job of keeping me wondering just what was wrong with Bailey. Geez.
Of course, James does keep the interest (and anticipation of future stories) up with her side stories about Zack and Ted, the antics of all those kids, the plans the “good” Hale boys have for their ranch, and just what the heck does Harper have planned for her future…besides the kids and Bran. And I gotta confess that I’m dying to see what James does with the evil Hales!
For sure y’all’ll be cracking up when you read about the first day at the Split Rock daycare. So many truths in that! I can remember back to my own childhood…lol.
James does a sneaky (primarily) third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Bailey’s and Streeter’s perspectives. Okay, so when I say sneaky, I should expound on that and say James’ transitions between the two are sooo smooth.
And I love that there’s a thirteen-years-later epilogue catching us up with Olivia’s achievements,
The Story
There are a slew of Split Rock employees whose kids need a daycare — and discipline.
And Bailey..oh, Bailey. She’s got plenty of issues with the Army… As for Harper, she is so focused on her kids and the new baby that the store is failing.
Then there’s the daddio in denial, spoiling his daughter out of guilt. A guilt that includes Streeter’s worry that he never saw Danica’s depression.
The Characters
Sergeant Bailey “Bails” Masterson had to quit the military — she has issues. Her sisters include Liberty who is married to a famous rockstar Devin McClain (Hillbilly Rockstar, 6; three-year-old Nikki is their daughter; Liberty also got a promotion as senior security advisor to A-list clients) and Harper who is married to Bran Turner (Saddled and Spurred, 2). They have three boys: Tate, Jake, and Gage and three-month-old Angel. The girls’ vicious slut of a mother left as soon as she found a meal ticket away from her kids.
Streeter Hale is a widowed daddy (Hang Tough, 8, and Racked and Stacked, 9) working as a ranch foreman in a job-sharing position Split Rock Ranch and Resort and making excuses for his little hellion, Olivia, and her displacement disorder and a passion for playing drums. Pepper is Streeter’s horse. Danica had been the woman Streeter loved for fifteen years. Wally will become Olivia’s kitten. Gramma Deenie Joyce is a whack job and Danica’s mother, i.e., Olivia’s grandmother who divorced her accountant husband, Grandpa Steve Joyce, over her grief.
Jade is married to Streeter’s brother, Tobin Hale (Hang Tough, 8) ,and they have two kids under the age of two: two-year-old Amber and his six-month-old son, Micah. Streeter and (Hang Tough, 8) went into business together, All Hale Livestock. Streeter is building up their herd while Tobin is doing what he loves most, experimenting with genetics.
Hale Ranch is the Hale family ranch out of which Streeter was forced by his father, Dan, and his lazy oldest brother, Driscoll. You’ll hate ’em.
Those unfortunate babysitters include Mrs McCutcheon who’s given up saying anything nice. Rock Summer Day Camp is onsite daycare while Marianne Smolen meets with new clients for the Helping Hands Daycare Co-op with Asa and Meghan part of the rotation.
The Split Rock Ranch and Resort is…
…a dude ranch owned by Renner and Tierney Jackson with two kids, Isabelle and Rhett (Wrangled and Tangled, 3). Wild West Clothiers is Harper’s fun and funky western retail shop. Penelope is Harper’s full-time employee; Jessamyn is her daughter. Zack (Tobin’s best buddy) and Ted are ranch hands.
The Split Ranch is putting together a daycare that will include Brianna (her parents are Lainie and Hank Lawson from Corralled, 1); Cody and Jason; Tate, Jake, and Gage Turner are Harper and Bran’s kids; Olivia whose plan was to steal; and, Tyler and Dylan Lawson are Janie (the Split Rock’s general manager) and Abe Lawson‘s kids (Wrangled and Tangled, 3); Jessamyn; Isabelle and Rhett who build the table forts.
Dr August “Fletch” Fletcher is the local veterinarian. He’s married to Tanna Barker (Turn and Burn, 5).
The Mud Lilies are…
…a group of feisty old ladies that include Garnet Evans “Grandma G”, Pearl, Maybelle, Bernice who runs the Beauty Barn, Tilda, and Vivien.
Amy was Bailey’s friend in high school who helped her. Moody runs a repair shop. Logan is the boyfriend who dumped Bailey. Ravenna is Devlin’s hair stylist, and she don’t take no sh*t. Snicker.
Chuck is Bailey’s military case manager in Casper. Dr Waverly is Bailey’s military counselor based in Casper. Olivia’s counselor, Dr Stafford, is based in the same building.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a hazy orange background…must be all that dust in the deep orange sky that gradates down to a pale peach behind the brown mountains with a stream running at their feet, and the golden grass of the plains with its herd of horses at the bottom. Streeter faces us with his beige cowboy hat-clad head tilted down, examining the oiled rope he’s gathering up in his hands. His blue denim shirt is partially unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and blue jeans on those lean-looking legs. As for the text, all but the title is in white, which is in yellow with a shadow. The upper left corner is a testimonial with a white badge on the right. The series information is above the title with an info blurb at the bottom atop the author’s name.
The title is a reference to Bailey’s and Olivia’s condition, for they’re both Spun Out.
