Redneck Romeo (Rough Riders #15) by Lorelei James
Romance Contemporary/Erotic
June 18, 2013
Samhain Publishing
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “…I live in mortal fear that you’ve disconnected from the world completely and you’re out in the forest running naked with woodchucks and shit.”
Three years ago Dalton McKay not only ran from his own wedding, he also ran from his family and his life. All the way to Montana. Three years later, he is back in Sundance due to his father’s stroke and to get back the only woman he ever truly loved-Aurora (Rory) Weltzer. He’s a changed man and he’s determined to prove that to the whole town; including Rory.
Rory has already been down this road with Dalton many times; falling in love with him only to have him walk away from her time and time again. This time around, she is determined to keep her heart firmly closed off to Dalton while enjoying his many, many talents.
As Dalton works to prove to Rory and his family that he’s matured and ready for the long haul, Rory finds her resistance towards him weakening. She’s given him her body…now she needs to decide if he’s worth her heart.
Lorelei James’s Rough Rider series has always been a favorite of mine. Her characters are imbibed with so much spirit and personality that they are indeed larger than life. Sassy independent women and stoic sexy cowboys has the pages smoking as you follow their rocky path to love. Plenty of humor and sex makes these erotic romances a joy to read. Highly interactive dialogue keeps the story flowing along at a steady pace. Multiple plot lines are revealed simultaneously, merging together to provide a climatic well won ending for our lovers. We also see a wrap up to some long running open storylines.
Redneck Romeo is a more emotional story then we have seen of late in the series. Though it starts out a bit slow, once the story picks up speed I found it hard to put down. I was very excited to see Dalton’s story had finally arrived. Not always shown in the best light, I always felt there was much more to Dalton then we were allowed to see. James uses Dalton to dig deep into the McKay family and show us a side of them that’s not pretty but goes far in explaining Dalton’s past behavior. As we discover the many hidden facets to Dalton, your heart is sure to feel quite a few pinches. Dalton is so lost and lonely in here. Both his family and Rory only see the past and aren’t so forgiving or willing to give him a chance. I like that Dalton isn’t all talk about his changes. He is constantly proving his worth and at times, I was upset with both the McKay family and Rory. I don’t want to spoil but lets just say that people knew what was going on and choose to look the other way.
Dalton and Rory are good together. VERY good together. Heavy steamy chemistry keeps your ereader fogging up. They have always had a strong sexual connection but that connection goes much deeper in here. Second chance love is a good trope and one that Lorelei does well. I like that Dalton doesn’t whitewash his past behavior. He knows he was a jerk in the past and does all he can to prove he has matured and changed for the better. Rory has never been a favorite of mine, due to some of her behavior in Gone Country. She shows more maturity in here and while I liked her a little more, I still found her all too willing to assume the worse in Dalton and jump to conclusions. I did like that she didn’t automatically cave to Dalton’s claims of love and fidelity. She makes him work for her heart and in doing so, learns more about her own. The sex scenes are very well done with explicit detailing and a heavy dose of fun and romance.
“Back. Away. From. My. Cock.”
“Never thought I’d hear you say that, big guy.”
As always, we see a mixture of old friends that add depth and a sense of realism to the story. The Mckays are such a rambunctious lot. *laugh* Dalton’s scenes with his brothers and other family members are poignant and sad. It was nice to see how the next generation of McKay’s (Ky is quite the young man) have grown and are coming to their own. Gavin makes an appearance and clears the air, rather forcefully, of some misconceptions concerning Dalton that made me fall in love with him all over again. I like that he has grown closer to the McKay’s and they to him.
The ending, while not a surprise as James’s books tend to follow a predetermined well worn path, was well done and worth the journey to get there. I am sad that according to James’s blog, the next book, title and release date to be announced, will be the end of this series. She claims she will not be writing the next generation of McKays into the series though she may continue to release some novellas revolving around them in the future. It looks like Sienna and Boone’s story will end the series though I am not one hundred percent.
All in all, I enjoyed Redneck Romeo and the chance to get to know Dalton on a more intimate level. He was definitely not what I had expected and I was impressed with the depth of his character. James’s allowed him to come home both physically and emotionally in a well crafted story that speaks volumes of James’s ability as a writer.
Rating: B
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Sounds like a promising story, but I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series…should I?
This series deals with a family. Though each book can standalone, the arc is evolving and long running with lots of character bleed over. Starting at beginning would be best.
That’s the way I like to read series. From the beginning. This does sound like a good one, but I guess the character build up in the series will affect your views of the characters, at least initially. Great review!
What a great review. You’re bang on with your assessment.
I read Redneck Romeo last week and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found myself sniffling away tears at all the emotions as well as fanning myself at the Smexy times. It was a happy sigh book, for sure.
Thank you. I was pleased with it over all and am looking forward to the next one.