Review: Wonderful contemporary romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 23, 2014
This is an engaging story that pulled me in from the beginning, I like the premise of the bull rider that has an artist heart and the woman who wants to prove to others that she can succeed in business. They both come to a crossroad in their lives as they make some life changing decisions.Jesse Sullivan is a Champion Bull rider ready to begin a new life. He has been taking art classes during his off hours and keeps an art studio in town, something he is not ready to share with his family. When he finds out his instructor, Susan DeMarco is selling her art gallery he jumps at the chance to purchase the place in town, only to have some second thoughts as he discusses it with his family.Taylor DeMarco is Susan's daughter and the manager of the oldest art gallery in town, Main Street Gallery. She is devastated when she finds out her parents are selling the place. She has managed it for several years and with her grandfather always in her thoughts she believed she would one day make it a very successful gallery.Taylor wants to fight the sale but agrees to Jesse's proposal to shadow her for a week or longer so he sees what her job is like. As they spend time together, Jesse realizes he really likes Taylor and wants to see if things outside of the business can progress. Taylor is not as easily swayed and backs off several times feeling conflicted between her interest in Jesse and her future with the gallery. When miscommunications cause hurtful accusations, Taylor is ready to bow out and stop fighting, but Jesse is clear on his feelings and wants her to stay.I have to admit that when I read the blurb and the author's bio I just had to read this book. The story takes place in the town I have called home for many years and the author is originally from the area. There are not many books that have this setting so when they come along I enjoy seeing my town through their eyes.The next thing I realized was that as I started to read the book I found that I really enjoyed the story, the characters are interesting, fun and quirky and the plot brings all these essentials together to make for a wonderful read. I adore Jesse, he is almost too perfect, a Champion Bull rider that is ready to move on with his life as he knows that bull riders are young, he also treats he mother with love although they have a hurtful past together, he has a great relationship with his agent and he seems to have it all together. I found the only flaw was he was a bit gun-shy about love, but that all goes away when he meets Taylor, he seems to jump in with both feet and she ends up being the one that backs off most often. I like Taylor, she wants to succeed in managing the family art gallery because of her grandfather, but does not seem to be able to connect with her parents, when they sell the gallery out from under her she is understandably hurt. When Taylor and Jesse get together you can see the beginning of a friendship forming and the underlying chemistry that moves it beyond friendship fast, and there are definitely some hot scenes when they are alone.The secondary characters add depth and humor to the story, when I first met his mother I was not sure what to think, however she became one of my favorite characters in the story. She is trying to make amends from her past choices, yet still keeps her same quirky personality which is perfect. Barb and Brit, the best friends of the hero and heroine are wonderful as the gatekeepers of their friends, both sending warnings to the two so they do not lose their hearts.This is the third in the Bull Rider's series but I did not have any trouble reading this book first, as the author does a great job of bringing you up to date with the family dynamics. I enjoy the author's voice and will definitely pick up the first two books in the series to see how the romances develope with both his brother and his manager and their respective partners. This book is perfect for those that like small town romances with characters that are not all that they seem.Review also posted at Ramblings from a Chaotic MindCopy from publisher for an honest review