SUMMER AT STALLION RIDGE – Delores Fossen
Last Ride, Texas , Book 3
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-94931-8
March 29, 2022
Contemporary Romance

Last Ride, Texas – Present Day

Lawman Matt Corbin left behind his life in Amarillo to move to the small town of Last Ride and a job as the sheriff to be closer to his young son. The town isn’t new to Matt, as he was born and raised here by his now dead mother, Candy, a woman known for her hell-raising days sleeping around with any man. Last Ride is also home to the Parkman family, one of which is Emory, who Matt had a teenage crush on. Emory is now a wedding gown designer and is noted for designing lucky gowns for brides—except for her as she has been unlucky at love twice. Matt tries to avoid Emory but is unable to when the cottage next to his house is rented to her. Now he sees her nearly every day, which leads to encounters—and an attraction that won’t die.

Meanwhile, there are rumors about Matt’s mother’s death from a drug overdose. Was it truly accidental or intentionally done by someone? Emory is doing research on Candy’s death and is given a box of her personal items taken from the death scene. Emory informs Matt that she has them, which includes a floppy disk indicating that it’s a journal about her final year. Will it offer clues as to who might have given Candy the drugs that killed her? As Matt and Emory work together on the case, their attraction grows—leading to kisses and wanting much, much more.

Emory’s family dislikes Matt because of Candy and her unsavory past. It doesn’t matter that Matt grew up to become a stellar citizen and is a lawman. For this reason, they don’t want Emory near him and aren’t happy that she’s now living next door to him. They will be even more unhappy if they learn that they’re attracted to each other! The research into Candy’s final year is uneventful until someone breaks into Emory’s house. What were they looking for? Is it related to the research? Is the answer on the floppy disk now in Matt’s possession? As they grow closer, Matt and Emory take their attraction to the bedroom. But will things go smoothly for them? Are they destined for a fling only, or can they make it work for a happily-ever-after?

SUMMER AT STALLION RIDGE is part of the Last Ride, Texas, series, which I hadn’t read before. But I had no trouble following along despite several characters that apparently have appeared in the prior two books. There are several minor characters in this tale who help provide chuckles and additional flavor, such as Tiffany, who keeps trying to marry her fiancé but ends up breaking up with him after he cheats on her…several times. Emory’s family hates Matt and tries to cause interference but she won’t be dissuaded into dropping her friendship—or romance—with the man she cares deeply about. While a tad confusing at first as to who is who, I soon settled in to enjoy Matt and Emory’s research into Candy and their burgeoning romance.

Matt was in love with Emory when they were younger and now, he gets a second chance. Will it be the real deal? Will they learn about what really happened with Candy? Find out all the answers by grabbing a copy of the entertaining and fun SUMMER AT STALLION RIDGE.

Patti Fischer