Series: N/A
Traits & Tropes: heroine in danger; hero with missing memory
Publication Date: 04.26.22
Genre/Setting: Contemporary; Hill Country, Texas, USA
Heat Level: 1.5
Rating: 4/5
Narration Rating: 3/5
Dillon Young is happy to have inherited her aunt’s beloved ranch. Unfortunately, someone else is determined to have it for themselves and her refusal to sell has led to increasing dangerous accidents occurring around the ranch. Dillon is sure she knows who’s responsible, but she has no way of proving it, especially when the man has others to do the dirty work for him. Dillon’s guard is up so she’s incredibly suspicious when she finds handsome bull rider Cal Bennett passed out on her property, still drunk from the night before. He can’t remember what happened and has no idea how he came to be there, but when someone takes a shot at Dillon, Cal leaps to save her. When Cal offers to stay on the ranch and help her, Dillon reluctantly agrees, despite not completely trusting him.
Cal isn’t exactly thrilled to wake up in a strange place looking down the barrel of a shotgun, but the woman holding it is the most beautiful he’s ever seen. When bullets start flying, it becomes clear she needs his help even if she doesn’t want to admit it, so he suggests they pretend to be in a relationship as he tries to help her get to the bottom of the nefarious happenings on the ranch. The danger only intensifies as secrets come to light and the connection between Dillon and Cal becomes all too real, as is the threat to their lives.
I have never read this author before, so I went in unsure what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked this setting and the fast pace and suspense level of the story. We basically know who the villain is the entire time, but he’s hard to pin down and we don’t really know how the hero wound up on the heroine’s ranch, so the suspense level stays pretty high the whole time, despite this knowledge. Given the gaps in Cal’s memory, Dillon is never quite sure if she should trust him or not, but his wooing of her is sweet nonetheless, as is his protectiveness of her. Dillon is frustrating in her quickness to jump to conclusions about Cal while being oblivious to other possible dangers, but with people shooting at her and actively trying to kill her, her tendency toward hostility is understandable and makes her seem real rather than some unattainable version of strong womanhood.
I wasn’t terribly crazy about this narration just because sometimes the narrator’s voice lacked inflection and the delivery didn’t quite match what was going on in the scene. This perception, however, could also be due to the quality of the NetGalley shelf app as it does tend to have a tinny sound quality to it no matter what. Overall, I really liked this story and I think I’m going to be looking for more romantic suspense like this.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and its audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1527533354
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4695112270
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