Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Hard Ride
SERIES: Clean Slate Ranch #5
AUTHOR: A.M. Arthur
PUBLISHER: Carina Press
LENGTH: 336 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2020
BLURB:
Five Weddings and a Fake Boyfriend
City slicker Derrick Massey has always had a thing for cowboys. So a roll in the hay with Kendall “Slater” Stamos during a rustic weekend wedding is more than A-OK. But when Slater’s forced to hang up his saddle for the season, Derrick surprises even himself with his proposition: be my fake boyfriend and get my family off my back about finding a permanent partner.
Though unexpected, the arrangement is a win-win. Derrick gets a plus-one for a slew of summer weddings and Slater gets a place to stay while he recuperates…with lots of casual fun in between. Which is just how the sexy cowboy likes it: casual. Yet it’s obvious the chemistry between them is anything but.
With the countdown to their “breakup” on, the more time the two men spend together. And the more it becomes clear that what they have could be real, if only they let it be.
REVIEW:
I’ve consistently given the books in the “Clean Slate Ranch” series four-star reviews, but this one is my first five out of five, and a total must-read of the season!
Kendall “Slater” Stamos is content living out a quiet, private existence as a hand at Clean Slate Ranch. His past is nobody’s business, and he’s certainly not interested in a boyfriend. When he falls and injures himself saving a young child, he gets an unexpected visit at the hospital—Derek Massey, the handsome, flirty man he had a fling with months ago when Derek was visiting the ranch for a wedding. Derek has a proposition for him—move in with him in his San Francisco apartment to rest and recuperate in exchange for being Derek’s “date” to five summer weddings full of nosy relatives.
Not used to be taken care of, Slater accepts, but soon finds himself getting comfortable in this new world. This is the first time we’ve really been outside of the ranch setting for a longer period of time in the series, and we feel some of Slater’s isolation and loneliness before he takes up new hobbies and becomes friends with Derek’s neighbors Morgan, Dez, and the Thompson twins. We soon see Slater as not a fish out of water, but as a wanderer who never had much of a home to begin with. He’s not used to being cherished, but he slowly lets himself be comforted—which, of course, leads him and Derek to fall deeper in love with each other, despite their “no strings” arrangement.
While Slater is our one tie to the ranch, Derek is connected, too—his brother, Conrad, is married to Sophie, who is the first-book-lead-character Wes’ sister. A little complicated? Maybe, but the web of connections further builds the universe, and seeks to expand it at the same time. Derek is a great partner to Slater—he’s got some trust issues of his own, but he’s honest, thoughtful, and dedicated, and he would never give up on those he loves.
Out of the five books in the series, this is the most unique, and by far the most mature and complex. It’s a lengthy book that never feels long, and though the stakes are low and the drama relegated to interpersonal relationships, I kept eagerly turning the pages until the end. Every interaction between Derek and Slater feels charged with chemistry, be it sexual or emotional, and it feels like that from the start. Their “relationship” begins with a steamy one-time hookup, but for about 75% of the book, they’re pretty much platonic. It certainly doesn’t feel like it, with all the little touches, forehead kisses, and sidelong glances—not to mention the way Derek takes care of Slater and his injuries in the kindest, most tender ways possible.
I was a little nervous digging into this book because it takes us out of Clean Slate Ranch and into a city apartment for the first time in the series. The ranch and Bentley Ghost Town are the heart of the series, and to travel away from the comfortable setting wasn’t expected. But it totally works for this plot and this couple! From book one, Clean Slate Ranch has been a haven for those who are lost, providing solace when everyone else has turned their backs. But this book asserts that the ranch doesn’t have to be anyone’s final destination or Happily Ever After. It can be a stepping stone to progress and happiness, too, and it will always be there waiting for you.
Sometimes, tropes are just what we romance readers crave, and a slow-burn fake-dating story with plenty of low-stakes drama and sweetness is exactly what I needed. An excellent story and a highlight of an already-great series!
RATING: 
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