Book Review- Whiplash (The Champions #2) by Janet Dailey *

      

Description

From New York Times bestselling author Janet Dailey comes the latest Champions novel, set on the Alamo Canyon Ranch, where a legacy bull rearing operation is run by three sisters--women who aren't afraid to compete in a man's world, or to take on something as wild as love--and win.

When Val Champion returns to the family ranch, she's ready to put her past behind her. Her dreams of a Hollywood acting career have become a nightmare of fear. But once she sees rodeo man Casey Bozeman facing down a bull in the arena, she knows she's no safer at home. Face to face with her first and only true love, Val can't deny her still powerful feelings for Casey. Feelings she can never act on again...

Val's the one who got away, the woman who broke his heart so hard he still feels the sting. But there's no denying Casey's still drawn to the fiery beauty. And there's no way he can stand by when the high stakes Professional Bull Riding finals in Vegas bring out the danger Val's been running from. Suddenly the rugged cowboy is willing to risk it all for her once more, even if it means facing down those secrets lurking in her unforgettable eyes... AMAZON LINK

3.5 STARS

 

As soon as I saw the name of the author, I decided to read this book.  So many of her books I've really liked.  But sorry to say, this book just didn't  really grab me.  Was it well written? Yes.  Did I like the main characters? Yes, they had depth.  Did the story have emotions that were well displayed?  Yes.  Was the main plot of danger against Val well written?  Once again, yes it was.  And the author did seem to have done her homework when it came to bucking bulls in the arena and raising them.  But for me, something was just missing  Maybe it had to do with all the focus on the bulls, which I wasn't really all that interested in.

At one point I had to go back and recheck on who the story was talking about. Mainly because it almost felt like at times the story had a lot more focus on Tess than Val.  

Brock Tolman was a mystery.  He seemed pretty straightforward ruthless.  But every once in a while, he did something that wasn't.  I'm sure in the next book there will be more things to discover about him.  Since, the door was left open for another adventure with Brock and the Champion family.  Tess in particular looks like she's in for quite the time. 

The story itself ends in a pretty dramatic way, with some justice served.   So I have to give points for the parts I did like. 

 

 

 "I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”