Review: Half Hitch by Sophia Summers, Heather B. Moore, Rebecca Connolly

 

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

A Wyoming cowboy surprised by love meets a young widowed Rodeo star who isn’t ready to open her heart.

Broken Hearts ranch is working its magic again with young Hazel Winters, still paralyzed by grief at the loss of her husband. She finds hope and healing with Kellie Prosper and the other women at the ranch, but more than that, she finds an opportunity for new love. But is she well enough or brave enough to accept it?

Eric Davis is happy to return to Lost Creek with his best friends in The Original Six to support the Christmas in July Rodeo the town hosts every year. He expects to rope some calves, help out with chores at the ranch, and celebrate Christmas in the Texas heat. What he doesn’t expect is to fall in love with one of the guests at The Broken Hearts Ranch.

Read book five in the Lost Creek Rodeo series to find out if Eric and Hazel can find the love they’re both craving.

My Review

The formula for this series seems to be for a woman to come to Broken Hearts Ranch to heal, and fall in love with one of the cowboys from the Original Six. However each individual is so different, and Eric and Hazel definitely stand out. I loved that Hazel comes from a rodeo background, and naturally thrives in the ranch environment. It's cathartic for her to return to her roots and with Kellie as her therapist, does the work with her grief and healing that will allow her to move forward. Eric has a vibrant personality and enjoys the limelight, always coming up with interesting content for his YouTube channel. Once he's head over heels for Hazel, it's hard for him to be patient, especially with the ups and downs in their relationship. Another engaging story from the writers of Swoony Sports Romances!

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

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Welcome to Lost Creek Rodeo!

Best friends at a small college in Texas, six cowboys rise to become pro-rodeo stars. Follow Ryan, Reid, Westin, Ford, Eric and Lars in these six swoony sports romances.

Visit us on Facebook: Swoony Sports Romances

Releases June 2021

Review: Something Old by Rebecca Connolly

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

From this day forward...

Thomas Granger has been married to his wife Lily for five years. The marriage has been proper, but without much affection, and the fault for that lays squarely on his own shoulders. He married her for her fortune and has hidden his true feelings until he felt redeemed enough to truly love her. Now his fortunes have been salvaged, so he aims to take the next major step in his life: wooing his wife.

Lily has been living with a broken heart from the day she married Thomas. What hope she had for a marriage of love has long faded, and she sees no reason to dream otherwise. When Thomas asks that she come with him to Cornwall to try a new adventure together, she takes the chance on one last hope in finding love in her marriage. Wrapped in the beauties and magic that only Cornwall can provide, she finds new life breathed into her, and into her feelings for her husband.

When their walls come down, when their pretense is gone, will they find the love each of them has sought? Or will the life they have known be all that remains?

My Review

Thomas and Lily drove me a little crazy in this book! I know it's hard for some people to communicate, but these two take it to another level. I loved seeing them reconcile once they got out of their comfort zone and found a new place to renew their relationship. It's hilarious that Thomas has to go to his friends for help and the ensuing advice that follows. He and Lily are both flawed, but as they work on expressing themselves, their trust grows slowly while they heal. There is quite a bit of inner dialogue that can get repetitive, and I would have liked more showing rather than telling. They have a sweet chemistry and I was happy to enjoy their rocky journey back to each other.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Review: Full Rigged by Rebecca Connolly, Sophia Summers, Heather B. Moore

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

Ford Hopkins is a simple guy. Loves his rodeo life, loves his family, loves his dog, and wants to find his place in the world. Not too complicated, and spending more time down in Lost Creek, Texas, is just what he needs to remind himself of that. But a spitfire doctor staying at his friend’s ranch there could change his simple, uncomplicated life.

Brynn Kershaw needs Broken Hearts Ranch and the haven of recovery it claims to be. Her ex-husband had broken her ability to trust and her emotional stability, both of which are keeping her from living a fulfilling life after the divorce. While she’s at the ranch, calm, quiet, unassuming cowboy Ford somehow manages to sneak through her defensive walls, and could be the key to breaking them all down.

My Review

While Ford is sweet and dependable, Brynn's vibrant personality is the show stealer in this book. It was fascinating to learn more about anger management and how she dealt with her "surges" brought on by a variety of factors. I feel like I'm gaining insight into mental wellness as I read about the healing journeys of the characters at Broken Hearts Ranch. The other ladies at the ranch form a bond with Brynn, as well as Ford's gigantic dog, and they brought a fun dynamic to the narrative. I liked learning about Ford's rodeo specialty of steer wrestling but it didn't have the intensity factor that the bull riding and bareback riding did in the previous books. It was easy to tell that Ford was just killing time in rodeo while he really wanted to run his own ranch, but wasn't motivated enough to make the big change yet. He and Brynn had great chemistry and their developing relationship thrived on the support and encouragement they provided each other.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

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Welcome to Lost Creek Rodeo!

Best friends at a small college in Texas, six cowboys rise to become pro-rodeo stars. Follow Ryan, Reid, Westin, Ford, Eric and Lars in these six swoony sports romances.

Visit us on Facebook: Swoony Sports Romances

Releases May 2021

Releases June 2021

Review: Rough Stock by Heather B. Moore, Rebecca Connolly, Sophia Summers

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

Life on the road is good . . . Until he meets her and realizes what he’s missing.

Westin Farr has been focused on one thing. To match his dad’s perfect 100-point record in professional bull riding. It’s getting closer; he can feel it. Although he misses his dad, life is good. Westin spends his days on the road, his nights bull riding, and his free time with his former college rodeo buddies—the Original Six. But when he meets the feisty Silvia Diaz, Westin finds that his lofty goals might not be so important after all.

The last thing Silvia wants to do is ‘work on herself’ at Broken Hearts Ranch in the tiny town of Lost Creek, Texas. And the last thing she needs is a cowboy sweet-talking her into staying. She agrees to give the place one week, one week only, and then she’s returning to normal life. Not even a bull rider who seems to look straight into her heart can change her mind . . . until he does.

My Review

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to like Silvia when I started the book, but I shouldn't have doubted one of my favorite authors- I quickly grew to empathize with her and her struggles of developing as an individual outside of her brother's influence. I enjoyed seeing her relish her independence and take a chance on new endeavors. Westin and Silvia have great chemistry and their friendship and romance develops naturally as they get to know each other and feelings deepen. Westin has his own issues of working through various injuries while trying to match his father's perfect bull riding score, all the while feeling drawn to Silvia at Broken Hearts Ranch. I quickly became invested in the characters and felt connected to their emotions as they learned new life lessons. A great addition to the series and I'm looking forward to the next book!

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

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Welcome to Lost Creek Rodeo!

Best friends at a small college in Texas, six cowboys rise to become pro-rodeo stars. Follow Ryan, Reid, Westin, Ford, Eric and Lars in these six swoony sports romances.

Visit us on Facebook: Swoony Sports Romances

Releases April 2021

Releases May 2021

Releases June 2021

Review: Fortune Favors the Sparrow by Rebecca Connolly

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

Mischief is as mischief does... 

Clara Harlow is perfectly content with her life as a teacher of art and French at the Miss Masters Finishing School, so nothing startles her more than to discover that the school is far more than it seems, and its purposes more complicated than anything she could have imagined. She finds herself accepting an assignment from the highest powers in England to use her talents for a particular mission: to impersonate the ward of the late Duke of Kirklin, gain access to the estate, and to discern how a strip of the Kent coastline there is being used against the security of England.

The present Duke of Kirklin, George Russell, better known as Hawk, does not know what to make of the appearance of the former ward of his late uncle, but he is captivated by her. Her skills in art are unlike anything he has ever seen, and her company grows more agreeable with every passing day. His boring, bachelor life grows less and less appealing, and the company within his walls more perfectly suited for the place than he ever dreamed.

What could possibly go wrong?

My Review

I'm so excited for another series with undercover agents in London! This first book introduces us through Clara to some of the major players in the underground spy network. The variety of people helping her is fun and I especially enjoyed Phoebe, who plays Clara's aunt on their assignment. Clara is naturally overwhelmed, but her mentors have faith in her, and she doesn't want to let them down. I loved how quickly she grew dedicated to her task and the risks she was willing to take the deeper she became invested. Wonderful romantic chemistry mixed with adventure and suspense gave this series a strong beginning! I can't wait to continue with the next book.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Review: Chute Boss by by Sophia Summers, Heather B. Moore, Rebecca Connolly

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

The perfect vacation: Rest. Therapy. And miles away from Reid Browning.

At first Eden thinks she's spending three weeks at Broken Hearts Ranch to heal her head. But the longer she works with Kellie, the more she realizes her head is not the only thing hurting. Images from her tour in Iraq stay hidden but not deeply enough, and she knows she will need to forget or heal or both if she is ever going to move on. As a bonus, the ranch was going to be a good opportunity to avoid the dating scene, and men in general. Or so she thought.

As a world class bareback rider, Reid has given his all to rodeo and does everything he can to forget his law degree and the fast paced life he left in Washington DC. That includes the woman he recently met who got under his skin in all the wrong ways. The trouble is, she got under his skin in the right ways too. When he escapes to Texas to support his college brothers in the Lost Creek Rodeo, he couldn't be more surprised to find her there.

Sparks fly and not always the good kind, but when circumstances throw them together and barriers come down, the two just might find a path to healing and maybe even love.

My Review

I was surprised by the contrasting careers of Eden and Reid. She is a high powered activist for veterans, and he acts the part of a rodeo star, shunning the political life of his father. They have a rocky first couple of interactions before coincidentally meeting up again at the Broken Hearts Ranch, a therapy-centered retreat run by Reid's friend. Their rocky start gets even rockier, until suddenly they do a complete 180. It seemed a little out of character for Eden, but she was tapping into her buried emotions at the time, and Reid was also in atypical circumstances. I did like that even after they got together, their personalities didn't change, and they both stood up for themselves even when they disagreed. It actually reminded me of my husband and me! They learn about listening to understand, compromise, and supporting each other, despite their uncertain future. I liked how they were able to discover new dreams and priorities. A great addition to the series and I can't wait for the next book!

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Welcome to Lost Creek Rodeo!

Best friends at a small college in Texas, six cowboys rise to become pro-rodeo stars. Follow Ryan, Reid, Westin, Ford, Eric and Lars in these six swoony sports romances.

Visit us on Facebook: Swoony Sports Romances

Releases March 2021

Releases April 2021

Releases May 2021

Releases June 2021