Title: Tangled in Texas by Kari Lynn Dell
Texas Rodeo Series Book Two
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 416 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
It took 32 seconds to end his career.
But it only took 1 to change his life.
Thirty-two seconds. That’s how long it took for Delon Sanchez’s life to end. One minute he was the best bronc rider in the Panhandle and the next he was nothing. Knee shattered, future in question, all he can do is pull together the pieces…and wonder what cruel trick of fate has thrown him into the path of his ex, the oh-so-perfect Tori Patterson.
Tori’s come home after her husband’s death, intent on escaping the public eye. It’s just her luck that Delon limps into her physical therapy office, desperate for help. All hard-packed muscle and dark-eyed temptation, he’s never been anything but a bad idea. And yet, seeing him again, Tori can’t remember what made her choose foolish pride over love…or why, with this second, final chance to right old wrongs, the smartest choice would be to run from this gorgeous rodeo boy as fast as her boots can take her.
Review:
Tangled in Texas by Kari Lynn Dell is a delightfully charming second chance at love romance between an injured bronc rider and a physical therapist. Although this latest release is the second installment in the Texas Rodeo series, it can be read as a standalone, but I HIGHLY recommend the previous novel as well.
With his rodeo career hanging in the balance, Delon Sanchez is determined to do whatever it takes to regain mobility in his injured kneee. Stunned to discover that his new physical therapist is Tori Patterson, the woman he had a fling with seven years earlier, he tries to put aside his reservations in order to achieve his goals. At the same time he is trying to rehabilitate his knee, Delon is trying to come to terms with the fact that Violet Jacobs, the mother of his son, Beni, is involved in a serious relationship with bullfighter Joe Cassidy. Watching his dream of the three of them eventually becoming a family disappear, Delon is already angry and bitter as he tries to understand where he fits in his family-owned trucking business. With so many difficult changes occuring his life, is Delon in any position to act on his still simmering attraction to Tori?
The daughter of a well-liked Texas Senator, Tori managed to escape the limelight when she married Wyoming roper, Willy Hancock. A year and a half after Willy’s death, she moves back to the TX Panhandle in order to live a quiet life out of the public eye while she still continues grieving his loss. In her years away from Texas, Tori has really come into her own and she is now a little outspoken and a whole lot more confident. Still a little numb from the sudden death of her beloved husband, she is shocked out of her comfortable and rather sterile life when she becomes reacquainted with Delon. Tori is no longer content to sit back and quietly accept whatever he is willing to give but is Delon ready to stop playing it safe and risk his heart?
Although both Delon and Tori have moved on since their relationship abruptly ended years earlier, they are both quite stunned to discover their burning hot desire has not waned. However, when they first meet again, neither of them is ready to do act on their passion. Tori is still picking up the pieces of her life, but emotionally, she is in a much better than Delon is at this point. He is not much for introspection so Delon ignores his feelings about the things that are bothering him. However, with so many changes in his life out of his control, his anger is eating away at him. Unwilling to concede that his expectation of becoming a “real” family with Violet and Beni has always been unreasonable, Delon is feeling displaced and out of sorts as Violet’s relationship with Joe continues.
Meanwhile, an unexpected situation with Tori’s family thrusts her back into the public eye just as she and Delon begin dating. As they find themselves falling back into a familiar pattern, Tori continues to coast along without making too many changes to her life. She is much more outspoken about what she wants but her inertia is doing just as much harm to their fledgling romance as Delon’s unconscious decision to play it safe is. Their unresolved issues, individual insecurities and an unwillingness to honestly and openly discuss their needs and desires eventually becomes a huge obstacle. Will Tori and Delon be able to repair the damage to their relationship before it is too late? Or will their emotional baggage prevent them from making the changes they need to live happily ever after?
Tangled in Texas is another well-written and charming addition to the Texas Rodeo series. Once again, Kari Lynn Dell pairs up two emotionally wounded and somewhat vulnerable characters with realistic problems to overcome. Flawed yet immensely appealing, Delon and Tori are endearing protagonists that are easy to like and root for. Old and news fans are going to absolutely love this sweet yet very sensual contemporary Western romance.
