FINAL DECISION: This is a nice romance about two people getting to know one another while living in a small town. I liked both of these characters and their romance felt normal and more real than I expected.

THE STORY: Kyle Malory is recovering from an bull riding injury when a bet with veterinarian Anna Lawler ends up with the two going on a date. As the two spend time together, two people who have known one another for a long time get to know one another for the first time romantically.

OPINION: This is a sweet small town contemporary romance. There is less drama than some of the other books in the series, but I liked how Kyle and Anna get to know one another. There is a great comfort here in the setting and the characters as Kyle and Anna circle around one another in a real way. No serious misunderstandings, no outside forces keeping them apart. Just two people getting to know one another and finding out whether there is something more than sexual attraction between them.

I really liked Anna who is sassy and no pushover. A woman who is constantly underestimated, she is strong and yet not harsh. I liked that she has her values and is willing to assert them but doesn’t demand that other people adhere to her beliefs.

I thought that Kyle was a sucker for her as soon as the two begin to interact. He is kind to her and certainly respects her. In an older fashioned romance, I would say that he is sweet on her from the start.

There is certainly some hot moments, but I really liked the little things between them — like Kyle trying a new food, getting himself dirty to help her, wanting to protect her reputation, Anna’s attack cat.

The book made me smile.

WORTH MENTIONING: There is overlap in the timeline for this book and the next in the series, RAY, so we get to see some of Ray and the woman who catches his interest.

CONNECTED BOOKS: KYLE is the sixth book in the Riding Hard series. The romance here is self-contained and thus the book can be read as a standalone. Characters, however, appear from other books and reading the series gives a reader a better sense of the relationships between all these characters.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book from the author. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.