Best of the Blacktop Series

I really enjoy Lorelei James' Blacktop Cowboy series, mostly because the cowboys in it ring true.  I'm indirectly related to cowboys on a working ranch in Dime Box, Texas, and the handful of men and women who work on the ranch whom I've met line up perfectly with the hardworking, rough and tumble group James features in her books.

Her latest, Turn and Burn, however, is a cut above the rest since the main character is an award-winning rodeo barrel racer whose last competition resulted in multiple injuries for herself and even worse the death of her horse.  To city people this might not mean much, but since Tanna had traveled the rodeo circuit with her horse as her only constant companion, having to put down the horse was like having to kill a close friend.

While the book has James' signature steamy sex and a one-night stand that morphs into true love, the larger story is how this tough woman rider manages to overcome her fear of horses and get back in the saddle again.  The road is long, and it isn't pretty, which makes for an excellent ride on the reader's part.

As a reviewer, I'm happy to see such a strong series coming together in equally strong books.  And as a lover of Western romances, I'm ecstatic to see James perform at her personal best.  If there were belt buckles for authors, James certainly deserves one with this book.