Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Rough Ride
SERIES: Cattle Valley #4
AUTHOR: Carol Lynne
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
LENGTH: 105 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2008
BLURB:
For rancher, Ezra James, life is pretty simple. He wakes before dawn and spends his day working with the cattle he loves. For twenty years, the EZ Does It ranch has been enough to drown out his loneliness and guilt. To the world, he appears impervious to everything. The only chink in his armour – the man who owns the clothing store in town.
Palmer ‘Wyn’ Wynfield caught Ezra’s eye the first time the rancher stepped foot in the store. Though Ezra knew his large size intimidated others, his little self-confidence was shattered when Palmer backed away in apparent fear. In a moment of self-preservation, he referred to Wyn as Mr. Fancy Pants. That was six years ago, and he’s never been forgiven.
An early morning phone call changes all that. Though the line is scratchy, Ezra definitely hears the words he’s been waiting to hear for years. “I need you.”
Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series
REVIEW:
There’s just something about this series that I find comforting; its easy to fall into and the stories always leave me smiling by the end. This story in particular I have been eagerly awaiting ever since Nate helped Wyn out of an abusive relationship back in book one and I have to say, it did not disappoint!
Both Wyn and Ezra have been fixtures in the Cattle Valley books since the very beginning and I was thrilled to not only get the secret of Ezra’s past, but to see both men get the love and happy ending they both so desperately deserve. While neither man made the best first impression on the other, I’ve really enjoyed getting to see them working towards a relationship in fits and starts over the previous books; watching all the tiptoeing around and the meddling by Nate pay off in this book was well worth the wait. Ezra is a big man, I mean huge, and it was great to see him trying to be gentle with Wyn, both due to his past but also because he feels the man needs to be shown he’s cherished. On the flip side, I enjoyed watching as Wyn came out of his shell more and made it clear to Ezra that he could anything the other man could dish out and that he enjoyed a bit of rough when there was love and not hatred involved.
There wasn’t a lot of drama in this one but what was there was done well and added to the story instead of detracting from it; it also allowed Wyn a chance to take matters into his own hands in his determination not to be a victim again which I just loved. This really was totally worth the wait and is my new favorite for the series; if you haven’t visited Cattle Valley yet, I have to wonder just what you’re waiting for. 🙂
RATING:
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