The Bronc Rider Takes a Fall
by Debra Holt
Release Date: August 19, 2021
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Book #3 in the Tremaynes of Texas series
Number of pages: 173
Kindle
Source: ARC from publisher
Contemporary Romance/Western
Ages 12 and Up
Trey Tremayne, world champion bronc rider, is on track to win another championship title when an injury sidelines him. Healing privately at a friend’s cabin and determined to qualify for the finals, Trey is pleased when a beautiful woman literally falls into his arms at the local general store. Maybe a little flirtation will distract him from his troubles, but Laurie is anything but short-term or casual, and Trey immediately realizes he’s out of his depth.
School teacher and single mom Laurie Wilkes has her feet planted firmly on the ground. She will not be swayed by a handsome, sexy bull rider who has given her son a serious case of hero worship and makes her feel fully alive for the first time in years. He’s temporary and definitely not a man to take seriously—but her feelings aren’t casual.
She isn’t his type, and he’s certainly not hers. So why do they feel like a perfect match?
This was an interesting read for me. I honestly felt as though a different author wrote this book than wrote the first two books in this series. The writing wasn’t bad. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. There is just something about the writing style and flow that seemed totally different to me. On top of that, I felt there was a disconnect from the Tremayne family in this book.
Of course, Trey is a Tremayne. We see all of his siblings as well as his aunt. But the warmth and unity of this family didn’t shine through in this story. If someone were to pick it up as a standalone (which can most definitely be done with no problem) they would have no idea what his family had been through or how close and loving his family truly is with each other and those they consider family. There was a lot of telling and barely any showing.
Like I said, the characters are enjoyable. Both Laurie and Trey are very likable and they really compliment each other well. I have no problem with insta-love in most cases. Yet I found myself feeling more of that telling instead of showing when it came to their relationship. I believe if the characters would have actually spent more time together, I would be 100% all in on their relationship. The thing is, they never really had any sort of relationship other than a shaky friendship.
The point is, this story was all over the place and it never dove below skin surface with any of the issues facing these two characters. It’s almost as if every single thing they went through was a throw away issue, even when the issue was quite serious. The author never gave any one aspect enough attention, which really disappointed me. I really wanted to like this story more. I feel Laurie and Trey deserved a better telling of their road to an HEA.
2.5 stars
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
All In Good Time 