Hello everyone!
I’m so happy that today you can read The Cowboy’s Prize. It’s the first book in my new series, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, but it’s come a few familiar characters from my six-book series the Three Sisters Ranch. Like all of my books, The Cowboy’s Prize can be read as a standalone, but it’s a lot more fun when you can recognize the people and places in the background.
The Cowboy’s Prize is a steamy tale of LeAnn Keller. Fans of my Three Sisters Ranch series will remember her from A Cowboy for Merry. LeAnn wanted to be the first woman’s bronc champion. In this book she’s still riding broncs, but she’s turned her attention to bull riding. Her sister, Dolly, is worried about her and hires Dylan Porter to help hone her skills and keep her safe.
There’s one slight hitch in that… Dylan and LeAnn had a one-night stand and things are a little … awkward between them.
LeAnn has three older sisters: Dolly, Reba, and Loretta. Their parents were huge country western fans. LeAnn was named after LeAnn Rimes and Lee Ann Womack. The songs from LeAnn Keller’s namesakes I think that would best suit her would be:
Can’t Fight the Moonlight by LeAnn Rimes and I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack.
In addition to bronc busting, LeAnn is also a barrel racer. Her horse’s name is Garth. He doesn’t have any songs that remind me of him. Not yet, anyway. If you think of some, let me know. My favorite Garth Brooks songs are Ain’t Going Down to the Sun Comes Up and I’ve got Friends in Low Places, which doesn’t really fit this horse.
LeAnn starts off the book, a little wild and a little desperate. But she really comes into her own through the love and support of her family and of course, the enigmatic Dylan who is fighting his own demons and guilt about a tragedy he feels responsible for.
In 1839, the first recorded instance of a woman riding a bull was documented in Texas. Women have been riding bulls professionally since the 1970s, though. In 1994, however, an athlete by the name of Polly Reich decided that she was going to ride the same bulls as them men. She got roughed up pretty bad. Then in 2012, nineteen-year-old Maggie Parker gave it a shot. At five foot, four inches she got on a 1,500-pound bull with the goal to ride him for eight seconds. She didn’t make it, but that didn’t stop her. In 2020, fourteen-year-old Najiah Knight was the first girl to ride a bull at Madison Square Garden in New York City. She beat all of her male competitors that day. These fearless women and a few more determined athletes inspired me to tell LeAnn’s story.
Here’s a little snippet of LeAnn’s first bull ride:
***
Whiplash’s hooves barely touched the ground. He jumped. He twisted. He bucked. He did everything possible to throw her off. LeAnn’s wrist hurt from gripping the rope so tight. Her other arm that was wildly trying to help her stay balanced felt like it was dislocated. She couldn’t touch the bull with it. She’d lose all her points.
Her thighs screamed at her as she fought hard to stay on. Her backbone ached as it slammed down on the bull not once, but twice. She could not stay on for a moment longer. She didn’t know if it had been eight seconds, six seconds, or just one long second. She hadn’t heard the buzzer over the roar of the crowd and the roaring in her own head. Then she was airborne.
At times like this, LeAnn wished she was a cat because she knew she wasn’t going to land on her feet. It always happened in slow motion, and she heard Trent’s voice tell her how to fall. Tucking her shoulders, she rolled as she hit the ground. Somehow, she used the momentum to get back up on her feet and threw her hands up in the air in victory. LeAnn knew she would feel the pain later. But right now, all that mattered was that she had done it.
Or had she?
***
It just gets more exciting from there … and did I mention this book is steamy?
About the Author.
USA Today bestselling author, Jamie K. Schmidt, writes erotic contemporary love stories and paranormal romances. Her steamy, romantic comedy, Life’s a Beach, reached #65 on USA Today, #2 on Barnes & Noble and #9 on Amazon and iBooks. Her Club Inferno series from Random House’s Loveswept line has hit both the Amazon and Barnes & Noble top one hundred lists. The first book in the series, Heat, put her on the USA Today bestseller list for the first time, and is a #1 Amazon bestseller. Her book Stud is a 2018 Romance Writers of America Rita® Finalist in Erotica. Her dragon paranormal romance series has been called “fun and quirky” and “endearing.” Partnered with New York Times bestselling author and former porn actress, Jenna Jameson, Jamie’s hardcover debut, SPICE, continues Jenna’s FATE trilogy.
I enjoyed this book. I loved LeAnn and Dylan. I was happy to see LeAnn and Merry becoming friends too.
Sounds like a good story. I love bull riding and would love to try it.