Title: A Courageous Ride
Series: The Bullriders: Book Three
Author: Andrew Grey
Narrator: John Solo
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Category: Contemporary, Western
Length: 8 hours, 26 minutes
Aspiring orchestra conductor Marshall is exhausted after months of auditions without a single job offer. Marshall’s friend, Terry, recommends a change of scenery and points Marshall in the direction of a dude ranch run by former bull rider Indigo Santana. Marshall is understandably skeptical, but his friend is convincing, and Marshall needs a break, so he agrees to go.
Indigo captures Marshall’s attention but leaves him confused. Indigo’s confidence is shot after an injury ended his rodeo career, and he walks with a slight limp. He hasn’t been anywhere near a bull since he was hurt, and he’s not the most accommodating host. After all, the only reason he keeps guests is because his family ranch is all but bankrupt.
Marshall’s attraction doesn’t go unanswered, which leaves him with a huge dilemma. He’s torn between the possibility of love, something he’s searched for all his life, and the career he’s worked toward for as long as he can remember, which is miles away. From his side of the fence, Indigo doesn’t see how the ranch could ever be enough.
3.5 Stars
I really liked the first two books in the Bullriders series by Andrew Grey, but for me personally, this one just fell a little flat. It was a solidly and well-written book, so I’m not quite sure where the disconnect was for me exactly, and if it was just the book itself, storyline, or the characters and their personality traits. I simply didn’t really enjoy this reading or listening to this book as much as I did the first two.
Marshall is a symphony conductor who needs a break from life and decides to vacation on Indigo’s dude ranch. I just kind of felt like these characters’ lives were completely opposite, and just way too different to mesh as well as they did. They’d only met and had one week together on the ranch, and while I don’t really mind insta-love, they just seemed to move a little too fast for me, especially when you add in their personalities and background.
Marshall is a bit high maintenance, a little spoiled and made a huge deal about not being able to stay on the ranch and live off the land like Indigo does. And after being a cowboy and bull rider his whole life Indigo is for sure not giving up his way of life for anyone or anything.
So to me, it felt like they were trying to force a relationship where there shouldn’t be one. There was communication and character development, and some decently hot sex, but it still didn’t feel right to me. And when Marshall’s ex shows up halfway through that one week they have together as well, and basically demands Marshall’s attention, I just didn’t get it. I mean great, your ex shows up out of nowhere, and he’s sick, that does not instantly mean you have to drop everything give him all or even most of your attention and take care of him, especially with how your relationship ended - that part really irritated me.
In the end, Marshall and Indigo are able to push through all of their doubts and everything that tries to stand in their way to make it work out and I did appreciate the effort they both put into their final relationship in order be happy together in the end.
*** Audiobook copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
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