Rating: 4.5🌈
Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga’s Lone Star series is back with a second chance at love story between former young sweethearts who meet up ages later just when the timing might be right for them to get their HEA.
A longer story, Roped In has the necessary history and time that allows businessman, Jude Sharpe , to reconnect with his former love, rodeo champion , Rope Canutt, just as he’s getting ready to retire.
Jude, a widower and single father to 7-year old Silas, is a man who loves his son, enjoys his job, but is missing that love he shared with his husband who died of cancer. Jude is a well-rounded character, easy to recognize, and connect with. A good man and great father.
And Silas is a utter joy to meet and read about. Especially as he changes, committing totally to the ranch and life in Texas. His goats, his chickens. Adorable.
Rope Canutt is not one of those rodeo cowboys who’s dreading retirement. Instead, Rope has listened to his body, all the injuries and steel plate in his head, and recognized that it’s time to get out while at the top. It’s his last tour for his sponsors and to finish in the money.
It’s a portrait of a smart man , seasoned by years on the tour and the pain of old injuries. It’s a great character and he meshed well with his old flame , Jude.
The walks in the neighborhood in NYC, the visits in the kitchen. It’s a real pleasure watching the men get reacquainted with each other’s lives, seeing the sparks fly, and Rope start to love Silas.
The dramatic moments here are more about instances that happen in daily life. The huge decisions those that couples make when they decide they will make a future together.
The story, the romance, the family, they are all very realistic and wonderful.
It’s a perfect ending. And those that have come to love these cozy romances as well as readers who love contemporary love stories will throughly enjoy this.
I’m highly recommending it.
Lone Star series:
🔹Tending Tyler #1
🔹Roped In #2
Buy the Book: Amazon
Synopsis:
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but sometimes distance makes people drift apart.
Rope Canutt has announced his retirement from bull riding and is making the most of his final year on the circuit, riding the big shows and resting in between so he can finish the season on a high note. He isn’t sure what’s next for him. He has no plan yet and nowhere to go, especially since his family sold their ranch a few years back.
Jude Sharpe remembers Rope fondly from their younger days in Austin. Mostly he remembers how hot the rodeo cowboy was and how much fun they had hooking up every time their paths crossed. That was a long time ago, and Jude’s been married and lost his husband to cancer in the years since they’ve seen each other. Now he’s raising a son alone.
When bull riding comes to New York City, Jude’s consulting firm uses their private box to entertain clients from Houston, and Jude brings his son Silas along to see the show. Rope is riding and Jude hopes to introduce Silas to a real bull rider. They’ve each lived a whole lifetime apart, and Jude and Rope aren’t sure how much they have in common anymore. So will they be drawn to each other when their paths cross again?
The books in this series are standalones and can be read in any order.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 