I needed something exciting, romantic and most of all, fun. ONE RODEO SEASON by Sarah M Anderson hit the mark. We meet a rodeo bullfighter, hired to get between fallen bull-riders and the bull, named Ian Tall Chief. His sole aim is to keep the riders safe, though he has no intention of harming the bulls. Finding severe fault with Ian after one adventure in the ring is Lacy Evans, the lady whose ranch sends the valuable bulls to the rodeo. Ian could have injured her top bull Rattler, and where would that leave her?

I love the action-packed start, so vivid we can see the awesome bull and taste the dust. Lacy angrily orders Ian to take more care with her bulls. But Lacy has other problems that Ian doesn't know about, like jeering competitor ranchers and a shortage of ready cash. Rattler gains points for every cowboy he unseats, and a high-ranked bull can go forward to major contests; if he's lamed, that is the end of her income. Working a ranch alone is hard enough, but she is essentially working two jobs to make ends meet. I think we can forgive Lacy her fiery temper.

Lacy, we learn, has lost her parents and takes her responsibilities seriously. She doesn't do hook-ups with random cowboys. In her experience, rodeo guys either think a woman has no business riding cattle or they treat women as one-night-stands. Ian just wants to offer genuine help. But Lacy decides she doesn't need any help. It's a pattern of thinking that has become a habit. Without her capable father, though, she's easy prey for the more predatory men, including some who intend to put her out of business. And the massive bulls don't always co-operate either.

I came to genuinely admire Lacy the more I read. And what of Ian? He's from a Lakota reservation, but he and a black cowboy Jack are the only persons of colour around, so he knows how it feels to be an outsider. He's got a degree in sports kinesiology. But he's got a secret, a baby son adopted off the rez. Ian wants to help Lacy, but he doesn't know where to start. I like that this pair spend time together, find out what they have in common, and decide whether they want more than friendship. This is an adult romance, and a complicated one. Sarah M. Anderson writes the outsider role, the layered identity, very well and ONE RODEO SEASON is a top-rank story about credible characters.

Book Summary

When his past collides with her present, only true love can survive the wild ride… 

Bullfighter Ian Tall Chief is determined to get off the reservation and onto the pro circuit. After a wild youth, and some big mistakes, he's found his focus. The only person who can break his concentration? Lacy Evans, owner of the Straight Arrow Ranch. 

But the beautiful cowgirl is dealing with problems of her own. She's running the ranch alone, after her parents' deaths. The macho rodeo world is not ready for a female stock contractor. And she's discovered her parents were keeping secrets from her—ones that rock the very foundation of her identity. Can she trust Ian to be the good man he claims to be?

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