Title: The Wildest Ride by Marcella Bell
Closed Circuit Series Book One
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 400 pages
Book Rating: C+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
The world watches on as reality TV meets rodeo in this competition like no other. In front of the cameras, Lil and AJ are each other’s biggest rivals. Off-screen, it’s about to get a whole lot more complicated…
At thirty-six, undefeated rodeo champion AJ Garza is supposed to be retiring, not chasing after an all-new closed-circuit rodeo tour with a million-dollar prize. But with the Houston rodeo program that saved him as a wayward teen on the brink of bankruptcy, he’ll compete. And he’ll win.
Enter Lilian Sorrow Island. Raised by her grandparents on the family ranch in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Lil is more a cowboy than city boy AJ will ever be. It shows. She’s not about to let him steal the prize that’ll save her ranch, even if he is breathtakingly magnificent, in pretty much every way going…
This summer, in this bold, uplifting novel, Marcella Bell reminds us that even when it comes to rodeo, romance is the wildest ride of all!
Review:
The Wildest Ride by Marcella Bell is a rodeo romance with an ingenious twist.
Lilian “Lil” Sorrow Island has been pinching every penny she can to save her family’s ranch. But when her beloved gran reveals they have to come up with a lot of money very quickly or they will lose the ranch. But not to worry, Gran has a sure-fire plan that she has already put into motion. She has signed Lil up as a contestant for a rodeo reality show. Shock does not even begin to describe Lil’s reaction to this announcement. But Lil is not in a position to say no since she wants to keep the ranch in the family as much as her gran does.
AJ Garza is a rodeo super star whose retirement tour has lasted three years. Now seriously thinking about what comes next for him, he returns to Houston where he learns the program that inspired his career is in danger of shutting down. AJ grimaces at the thought of the reality rodeo show but the prize money would ensure the doors stay open while they work on out a permanent funding solution.
Twenty-seven-year-old Lil is tough as nails and she can take care of herself. She is the only female competitor and she is surprised by the public reaction as she advances through each round. Lil tends to be a solitary person so she is content to spend time on her own. This becomes very important due to her very unexpected and unwanted attraction to her rodeo idol.
Thirty-six-year-old AJ is a wildly popular rodeo star and he has plenty of swagger. He would do anything for the mentor he views as a father figure, even if it means competing in the reality show. AJ has been in the rodeo business long enough to recognize talent and he knows that Lil has what it takes to win the show. But with the future of the CityBoyz at stake, AJ knows he has to win the competition. But he not does count on his sizzling attraction to his fiercest competitor which is a bit of a distraction.
The Wildest Ride is a clever romance with a multi-cultural cast of characters and a storyline that highlights racism in the rodeo world. The reality show aspect of the plot is very creative and is mostly drama-free. Lil not only has race barriers that prevent her from achieving her goals, she also faces sexism. AJ can be a little arrogant but he respects the other riders on the circuit. The relationship between AJ and Lil starts as insta-lust that gradually turns into love. While the banter is snappy, there are long, repetitive passages with both AJ and Lil overthinking their decisions and their futures. Some of these paragraphs occur within conversations which makes it difficult to keep track of the ongoing discussion. Marcella Bell brings this unique romance to a satisfying, but abrupt, conclusion.
