Title: Chase
Author: Barbara Dunlop
Series: American Extreme Bull Riders Tour #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Short novel
Available: 16th May
Betrayed by his fiancée and his best friend, Chase Garrett heads out on the road with the American Extreme Bull Riders Association, determined to ride hard and keep a wall around his heart. But during a competition, three-year-old Riley Barrett bursts through that barrier when he throws himself into Chase’s arms, insisting Chase is his daddy. And Chase’s walls collapse further when he meets Riley’s mother–beautiful, vulnerable, sexy Maddy.
A widow for only a year, Maddy Barrett is stunned by her son Riley’s outlandish assertion that Chase is his father. She tries desperately to convince Riley that his father has not come home to them. When Chase and Maddy join forces to help her son, she finds herself falling fast for the sexy, hard-working bull rider—wishing he truly could be the man for Riley, and the man for her.
Source: ARC from Tule Publishing via NetGalley
This book starts off with a whole lot of coincidences, which lead Riley to believe that our hero Chase is his deceased father. It’s kind of far-fetched, but to be honest I didn’t care, because Chase and Riley are beyond adorable. Yeah, yeah, the relationship between Maddy and Chase is good too, but to be honest the real love story here is between the cowboy and the kid. It’s a mad situation, but I fell for the pair of them.
I did like Maddy. She’s strong and independent and is no fool. The situation she lands in is difficult, but I liked how she handled not just Riley and Chase, but the interference of her many brothers. I also liked how the relationship between her and Chase isn’t rushed, despite their fairly instant attraction.
I liked Chase too. He’s sexy and compassionate and the way he cares about both Riley and Maddy is lovely. However, towards the end some of his demons come back to haunt him, causing drama for the sake of drama. I could have dealt with it, though, except for a certain conversation right at the end which infuriated me. Closure is nice and all, but that was over the top unnecessary and left me annoyed.
That aside, though, this was lovely. Cute and easy and adorable, and full of intriguing brothers that are begging to have their own stories told – especially concerning a certain woman and her teenage son – plus there’s a Marietta connection, which always makes me smile. So if you like seeing a rough, tough bull rider brought to his knees by a cute kid and his independent mother, give this a go. I’m glad I did, and I can’t wait to see these characters show up in Marietta sometime soon.
Chase is out 16th May.
Visit Barbara Dunlop for more details.
