Reckless in Texas (Texas Rodeo Series #1)

by Kari Lynn Dell

Overview

Rough and tumble, cocky and charming, bullfighter Joe Cassidy is one of the best in the business… And he's way out of Violet's league. But it's going to take more than impossible odds to keep this fierce single mother from her forever cowboy.

Violet Jacobs is fearless. At least, that's what the men she snatches from under the hooves of bucking horses think. Outside the ring, she's got plenty of worries rattling her bones: her young son, her mess of a love life, and lately, her family's struggling business. When she takes matters into her own hands and hires on a hotshot new bullfighter, she expects to start a ruckus.

She never expected stubborn, showboating, secret heart-of-gold Joe Cassidy.

Joe came to Texas to escape a life spiraling out of control. He never planned on sticking around, and he certainly never expected to call this dry and dusty backwater home. But Violet is everything he never knew he was missing, and the deeper he's pulled into her beautiful mess of a family, the more he realizes this fierce, fiery woman may be offering him the one thing he never could find on his own.

People are falling in love with Kari Lynn Dell's rodeo cowboy romance:

"Look out, world! There's a new cowboy in town."—CAROLYN BROWN, New York Times Bestselling Author

"A fun, wild ride!"—B.J. DANIELS, New York Times Bestselling Author

"Real Ranches. Real Rodeo. Real Romance."—LAURA DRAKE, author of Sweet on a Cowboy series

"An extraordinarily gifted writer."—KAREN TEMPLETON, author of Wed in the West series

Need more convincing? Just watch these sparks fly:

Joe lifted a finger to brush back a strand of her hair, savoring the cool slide of it over his skin. She frowned, but didn't slap at his hand, didn't shrink away when he leaned in. Would she let him kiss her? Maybe, but he was enjoying the slow rev of his engine, the lazy swell of heat, all from just sitting next to her, barely touching. He traced a line down the side of her neck, watching the skin pebble in response. "Go out with me, Violet."

Her forehead puckered. "But…I don't even like you."

"Yes, you do." She sucked in an outraged breath, but Joe only smiled wider.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492631941
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Series:	Texas Rodeo Series , #1
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	530,047
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Kari Lynn Dell is a native of north central Montana, a third generation ranch-raised cowgirl, horse trainer and rodeo competitor, most recently the 2017 Canadian Senior Pro Rodeo Association Breakaway Roping season champion. She attended her first rodeo at two weeks old and has existed in a state of horse-induced poverty ever since. She currently resides on the family ranch on the Blackfeet Reservation, loitering in her parents' bunkhouse along with her husband, son and Max the Cowdog, with a tipi on the front step, a view of Glacier National Park from her writing desk and Canada within spitting distance.

The third book of her Texas Rodeo series, Tougher in Texas, is a 2018 finalist for the Romance Writers of America's RITA® awards.

Editorial Reviews

06/13/2016
Dell’s first Texas Rodeo contemporary takes the reader on a journey into the rough-and-tumble world of bull riding. Violet Jacobs has hired a substitute bullfighter to help with her family’s Texas rodeo, in which she provides backup from horseback if the bull-riding cowboy can’t get out of the way of the bull. She’s surprised when hunky Joe Cassidy shows up at her ranch—especially since he’s not the man that she hired. Over time they grow closer, but Violet knows that Joe will be returning to Oregon after his stint with the rodeo, and she’s still adjusting to life as a single mom after a one-night stand resulted in the conception of her young son; a relationship is not in the cards. But she can’t keep her eyes off him. Dell’s insight into the world of bull riding is illuminating, and her highly dimensional characters make her a standout in western romance. Agent: Holly Root, Waxman Leavell Literary. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Dell's writing is notable, and her rodeo setting is fascinating, with characters that leap off the page and an intriguing series of actions, conflicts, and back story elements that keep the plot moving... A sexy, engaging romance set in the captivating world of rodeo. " — Kirkus Reviews

" Dell’s insight into the world of bull riding is illuminating, and her highly dimensional characters make her a standout in western romance. " — Publishers Weekly

"This well-written tale includes strong characters and a detailed view of the world of bullfighting... Readers can look forward to getting a cowboy’s education and a bird’s-eye view on the rodeo circuit." — RT Book Reviews

From the Publisher

2016-05-17
When rodeo contractor Violet Jacobs hires a relatively obscure bullfighter for a short contract and gets superstar Joe Cassidy instead, she's blindsided by the blazing attraction that flares between them but intimidated by all the differences she's convinced will keep them apart.Violet wants nothing more than to heighten her family's profile as rodeo contractors, but keeping track of current commitments, her young son, a messy love life, and other family complications makes it hard to do. When she hires a bullfighter—the person in the ring who protects the riders—to close out their Texas season, she's surprised when superstar Joe Cassidy, the best in the field, shows up instead. Joe is superconnected in the industry but has recently been publicly and unfairly fired by Dick Browning, an influential contractor with a reputation for being impossible to work with. Joe has come to Texas to work in a much smaller pond than he's used to, mostly to get away from the toxic Browning. When the Jacobs family enfolds him like a son and he and Violet dance around the possibility of an affair, he wonders if the time has come to let go of his old dream of working as a partner on Browning's ranch and perhaps stake a claim with Violet and her family. But relationships are problematic territory for both Violet and Joe, and trying to get on the same wavelength leaves them both hurt and confused and in very different parts of the country. In order to find happiness, they'll have to figure out how to rescue each other from their shared path of mistakes and miscommunication. Dell's writing is notable, and her rodeo setting is fascinating, with characters that leap off the page and an intriguing series of actions, conflicts, and back story elements that keep the plot moving even though Violet and Joe's missed connections occasionally seem strained. A sexy, engaging romance set in the captivating world of rodeo.

Kirkus Reviews