4.5 stars.

The first installment in Kari Lynn Dell's Texas Rodeo series, Reckless in Texas is a sparkling romance between a rodeo contractor and a bullfighter.

Single mom, business manager and pick up man (er, lady), Violet Jacobs yearns to take her family's rodeo business beyond the borders of her home state of Texas. Hoping her decision to hire a replacement bullfighter from out of state will be the first step in expanding their horizons, Violet is stunned when the bullfighter who arrives is not the bullfighter she actually hired.

Joe Cassidy is a superstar bullfighter whose latest clash with his long time boss Dick Browning puts a premature end to his rodeo season. His partner and best friend Wyatt Darrington has been trying to convince Joe to end ties with Browning and he hopes working with another contractor will give Joe some much needed perspective. Joe reluctantly goes along with Wyatt's scheme but will his time with Violet make any difference in his plans to return to Browning's ranch after his contract with the Jacobs' family has ended?

Violet is a cowgirl through and through and although she loves working with her family, she dreams of making a bigger splash in the rodeo world. With a long track record of making ill-fated relationship decisions, the last thing she needs is an unwanted attraction to her temporary bullfighter. Immediately rubbed the wrong way by his cocky attitude and disparaging comments, Violet is dismayed by her sizzling attraction to Joe and she tries to keep her distance from him as much as possible. Once he loses the attitude and she sees the genuinely good-hearted man he keeps hidden, Violet finds him darn near impossible to resist. But fearing yet another public scandal, she is already reconsidering her decision to enter into a relationship with Joe when misunderstandings and miscommunications threaten to derail their budding romance.

Joe is a gifted bullfighter but he has big dreams of eventually becoming a partner in Browning's ranch. His relationship with the stock contractor is rocky and although they have gone through many ups and downs over the years, this latest altercation is, by far, the worst they have endured. Working with the Jacobs family is much more fulfilling on both a personal and professional level, but he finds it impossible to give up the goal he has worked toward for over half his life. Trying to live in the here and now, Joe would like nothing more than to explore his simmering desire for Violet, but he has no idea how to woo the single mom. Even worse, he fears losing the respect of her family if things go wrong between them and completely out of his depth, he makes a few missteps and mistakes that play into Violet's fears. When Browning gives him the opportunity to return to his Oregon ranch, Joe never hesitates to go back to the place he calls home, but will he find what he is looking for with the irascible rancher?

There is plenty of sexual tension between Joe and Violet and they come extremely close to giving in to their desire on several occasions. Underlying all of their interactions is a simmering attraction that deepens over time but it takes a good part of the novel for Joe and Violet to actually consummate their relationship. With both of them carrying around so much unresolved baggage, once their romance hits a major roadblock, neither of them knows how or is willing to break their impasse. Completely miserable apart, will either Joe or Violet work up the courage to resolve their differences?

With an absolutely charming cast of wonderfully unique characters and a sighworthy romance, Reckless in Texas by Kari Lynn Dell is a heartfelt novel that is quite captivating. Set against the backdrop of the rodeo world, readers will be delighted with the behind the scenes look into stock contractors, bullfighters and rodeo production. This engaging, fast-paced love story will leave fans waiting impatiently awaiting the next installment in the Texas Rodeo series.
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Reckless In Texas is the definition of home. A place where there is a close knit community, where family ties are abundant and where friendships are built to last. Kari Lynn Dell created a world where hard work is not frowned on and the good times are just as prevalent as the hard ones. Violet is a woman on a mission. To save the family business by any means necessary and be a good role model and a nurturing parent. I liked her strength of character and her fiery spirit. Her personality was a great outlet for Joe's arrogance. His cocky, standoff personality added to the friction of these two. The combustible energy hovered like a thunder cloud waiting to let loose. ( )

Reckless in Texas is book one in the Texas Rodeo series by Kari Lynn Dell.

Well this was my first Dell novel and I had a pleasant time. I felt like I was on a working farm as well as a working rodeo. It brought back memories of visiting and watching the local rodeo when it was in town.

Joe and Violet. These two didn’t hit it off and rubbed each other wrong from their first meet. I just loved that first meeting. It was a laughable scene in the novel involving a kid, water, and mud. The tension between them was fun to see it turn from irritation to lust and then to liking each other. Both are passionate about the rodeo and both are a little damaged when it comes to relationships. I liked seeing them work together at the rodeo and on their down time. As for Violet, she is a single-mom, but she has her family to help her and the kids dad is a family friend, so no bad feelings their, so we do get to meet her kid and those moments where sweet and funny. I will say I would have liked more interaction with Violets kid and Joe or with them all three together. We don’t really get that aspect and I wanted to see them come together their.

I loved the rodeo aspect. As I said it brought back memories. It was neat to see behind the rodeo scenes of what happens. I could feel the excitement like I was sitting in the stands or waiting on the side lines. The impact the rodeo has in their lives was well done.

And, last I’ve got to say these two had some really funny moments in the intimate department. Can I just say Blue Balls!!! They just couldn’t seal the deal. They had the worst luck every with interruptions or other things and it just took them a while to get their.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters we meet. They where sweet and help bring the story along. We can’t all go it alone and we need our family and friends to stand by us.

I had a delightful time with Reckless in Texas and I'm looking forward to picking up more books in the Texas Rodeo series.

Rated: 3.5 Stars

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If you like real western romance, accurate rodeo details and fully rounded characters you'll miss when the book is over, you're going to love this one!
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