Dinca’s review of Ride (Studs in Spurs, Book 3) by Cat Johnson
Contemporary Western Romance published by Samhain 28 Dec 10
I found reading this tale very entertaining. Chase is quite an interesting and charming character. He is not only rookie of the year in bull riding, but it appears to be the same in the bedroom too. Until he meets Leesa, a stripper who is a rookie too.
Leesa thinks Chase is a godsend when she hears her boss put a hit out on her life. When she is trying to escape the bad guys, she runs into Chase at an autograph signing and goes up to his room with him for his birthday party.
Chase and Leesa wake up to find a marriage license with their names on it and matching wedding rings. Trying to do the right thing, they take off together and start getting to know each other. They arrive at his parents’ farm and stay in separate rooms, since they plan on getting a divorce when his uncle, who is a lawyer, gets back into town.
Lessa never confesses anything to Chase about the hit men after her, and I would have liked to have had the hero’s take on this aspect of their relationship. It would also have increased the word count and made the book longer and more interesting. I feel a lot is left unsaid the way the book ends.
I also would have liked to see more in the book on Chase’s little town and how his parents respond to Leesa. Oh, and why even bother mentioning a little sister if all she does is run down the hall and watch television. I feel she needs to be more a part of the story if she’s mentioned.
In the beginning, I felt there are too many rodeo characters by name to keep track of, but once past this the storyline is great. I like the story enough to look up the other books in the series and read them. Because of the fast and, I feel, unfinished ending and the loose characters, I am going to give this one a B.
Grade: B
Summary:
What happens in Vegas…sometimes follows you home.Pro bull rider Chase Reese knew things move faster than an eight-second ride in Las Vegas. He just never expected to be driving home with a national championship under his belt and a wedding band on his left hand with no clue how it got there.
Yet he can’t complain about the stripper bride beside him. From the moment his buddies bought him a lap dance from her, her trembles told him there was more to her than stiletto heels.
Leesa Santiago has met the perfect guy. Her timing couldn’t be worse though. If it was just their explosive sex, she could walk away. But from the moment her lap dance brought her this close to his baby blues, she was hooked. She can’t lie that she couldn’t be happier to bear his name—or guiltier that she’s using it and his Oklahoma farm to hide out from mob hit men.
That’s before Chase’s family gets involved. And his determination to do the right thing pushes her to do the one thing that will keep him safe. Break his heart.
Do cowboy boots mix with stripper heels? And can a love that started out on the wrong foot end up on the right one? That’s the risk you take waking up in Vegas.
Read an excerpt. (Click Excerpt tab)
Other books in this series:
Hooked – 2011
