Whirlwind by Janet Dailey

This is a well written book delving into the world of bull riding. With Intrigue, sabotage heartbreak and romance. A well paced story even if there is a lot going on. A typical Janet Daily read. 3.5/5

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

Whirlwind, the first book in Janet Dailey’s The Champions series is a dramatic and suspenseful romance providing an immersion in the gripping sport of Professional Bull Riding (PBR)…both in the breeding and riding of the magnificent bulls at the highest level of competition.

This first story is of the youngest of the Champion sisters, Lexie, and her journey in getting her prized bull Whirlwind to the National Finals in Bull Riding in Las Vegas, Nevada…along the way she does what she swore she’d never do a second time, fall in love with a Bull Rider. Lexie and Shane story is sure to touch the reader’s heart on many levels…through the couple’s experiences and actions as they traverse this most captivating journey towards their HEA.

Rife with thrilling play by play rides…where through excruciating and exciting details the reader is given a glimpse into the experiences of both the Contractors (breeders) and Bull Riders of what is considered the most dangerous sport. Also setting the stage for further into the series, the Bullfighters…also known as Rodeo Clowns (the brave men who keep the riders safe from the bulls after the ride is over) role is spotlighted for more edge of your seat action.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

3.5 stars. This is a family sage type of story with a romance woven through. It's all about bull riding and it's fairly interesting, although not what I would choose to read too much about so I admit I skimmed some sections. The book is well written and the romance is pretty much sweet and only a small part of the story. There are a couple of brief sex scenes that are not described too much. There are multiple points view by all the main characters and each sister will have her own book I assume. There's a bit of mystery and the story is all drama with not many light moments. A solid read. My thanks got to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in return for my opinion.

Janet Dailey is almost a nostalgia read for me. I remember in my teen years my mom kept buying her Americana series—one book for every state. While her books are pretty simplistic in nature, I love them and it's probably due to the fact that I read them during my formative teens. My mom also loved watching the PBR so this really was a double doozie for me. It brought back a lot of memories, especially while she was talking about Bodacious the bull. Even people who didn't follow the PBR seem to know who Bodacious was! Obviously, these books are being released after Dailey's death. I wonder if they were drafts somewhere that the estate is releasing or whether they are being ghostwritten. Either way, Whirlwind definitely still has the Dailey flare.

Whirlwind is a different kind of cowboy romance read. It's not quite a ranch-style romance but somewhere between the two. Lexie and her sisters are running the ranch raising bulls after the death of their father.  Their brother also died quite horribly after the bull he was riding trampled him. There's a lot to unpack here though.  Shane is not only a bull rider, he also works for the "enemy", a big shot rancher who has a habit of buying what he wants in life and he has his eyes set on Whirlwind. Someone is also sabotaging the ranch. Is it the duplicitous ranch owner Brock or maybe someone closer to home?

Dailey has never shied away from the difficult and emotional topics and Whirlwind is no different. There's some rough stuff here. Not only did her brother die from being trampled, but a friend's bull riding husband also gets stepped on by a bull and ends up paralyzed from the waist down. The wife can't handle it and she decamps and divorces him. The friend's husband commits suicide. It's tragic but it sets up for Lexie having to watch Shane go down in the ring. 

I enjoyed the mystery of the sabotage. While it wasn't super difficult to figure out who-dun-it, it still made for an interesting read. There's a lot of action in and out of the bull riding ring.  A downside to the book was that a lot of the info about bull riding was in complete info dumps. I don't always mind that and in this case, if you don't know much about PBR or bull riding, I think it would be necessary to get a feel for what is going on. Still, info dumps aren't always the most fun to read through. The romance was pretty much instalove but eh, you can't have it all. It's not entirely believable either. Shane set Lexie up in the first few pages in a faux-dangerous situation at the instruction of do-anything-to-get-his-way Brock. I'm not sure that I could forgive someone who did that, much less as easily as Lexie seems to. Still, there is eventually a HEA for Shane and Lexie and I'm sure future Champions books will be touching on the sisters.

Sorry, due to being in college again I did not get the time to read this book before it expired. I will look out for it as it looks interesting.

This book was not what I was expecting.

First impressions are everything and within the first few chapters of the book I decided that I didn't like Shane. His actions said a lot about his character and from that moment on, I lost any hope of investing myself in the story or the romance.

The rodeo aspect of the story is something I've always enjoyed, but it became too much sometimes. It was interesting to me, but I've also read more than a few rodeo romances to be intrigue by all the going-ons.

The plot was intriguing and would have worked great along side the romance aspect of the story IF ONLY I could have gotten over my initial impression of Shane.

All in al, a good story. Sadly it wan't the book for me.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced book.

Lots of drama, intrigue, heartbreak, and romance in this book. At times, I was not sure if it was too much but the book moved along steadily and kept my interest until the end!

At first, I was not sure that I could like Shane after the dirty trick that he pulled in the beginning, even if it was not his idea, he went along with it. I am not sure that I would want to start a relationship with someone who was working with a man that wants to take away your livelihood and ranch.

Parts were hard, when you read about Cory - wow, that was so sad. And all I can say is wow, how can one woman know so many bull riders that get killed or badly injured?? Is this realistic?

I am hoping this is part of a series as the problems with Brock Tolman are not resolved and we are left wondering what will happen with Casey and Val.

I really enjoyed reading the book aside from all the observations that I mentioned in the review, the only thing that I really wished was different - the ending. Just wish it was a bit more and we could see the reunion between Shane and Lexie.

It was okay. In many ways, it reminded me of an old school Danielle Steel book. More Women's Fiction than Romance elements.

Whirlwind by Janet Dailey is the beginning of a new series. I enjoy stories about cowboys and the interactions of their friends and families and this one didn’t disappoint. We meet Lexie and Shane and there is something there, but Lexie is resistant to this. Why you ask? Because he is connected with bull riding and while she is involved in procuring the bulls for the rodeo, she does not want to be involved with one of the riders and has strong reasons not to be. Well, guess how that works out! There is mystery, love and of course angst in the story. Will they work through their problems? Will they find out who is…well to find what is meant by that you need to read this book! You won; regret it!
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this story for an honest opinion of the story.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

This is a new series from Janet Dailey. Dailey was one of the best in women’s lit. The interesting thing is Dailey passed in 2013 but she did what she loved and wrote. Thankfully her family continues to share all the works she wrote before her passing.

I kept thinking as I read this book that somehow she wrote a (clean) version of Yellowstone before the tv show was released. There are cowboys, romance, drama, rodeo and mostly family.

Somehow Dailey catches you from the first moment and never lets go. I have been a fan for decades and I will keep reading her books until the family says there are no more. And even after as I reread her stories.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I've been told to try out a cowboy romance sometime.

This is my first. Probably not a typical cowboy romance. Whirlwind does have romance, but. the main focus is the mystery. of who is sabotaging Lexie's ranch. (The answer wasn't a surprise for me, but since I didn't expect a mystery I wasn't bothered by this.).
Information dump is a term writers/ editors use when a sentence or paragraph has too much detailed information on a subject. Information that isn't necessary for the story, but does show that the author did lots of research. I understand how after spending countless hours researching for a book, it is extremely tempting for an author to squeeze in everything learned. However, info dumps slow down the story and ideally avoided. I found this story to be full of info dumps on the bull riding industry. At times, the book began to read like an instruction manual. This may be. extremely interesting for some readers. It was too much for me.
The romance between Lexie and Shane was sweet.
The book is the first of a series and what lies ahead may be very interesting.
While this wasn't the right fit for me, I have no doubt there are readers who. will. love it.

Whirlwind by Janet Dailey is the first book in the Champions Series. It was well written and full of twists and turns. This is Lexie and Shane’s story. The characters were believable, and the storyline was strong. As well as a romance story this was also a family coming together, a mystery, and a family ranch trying to profit. It was an interesting story about a bull named Whirlwind with all the drama, life, mystery, and romance that occurred around him. I recommend this story as Janet Dailey does an excellent job with it.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley for giving me an advance copy of this book. This is a great start to a new series by Janet Dailey. The main characters in this book are interesting and diverse. I also learned a great deal about the rodeo business in particular the bucking bull part of it. We learn in this book about the rearing, training and logistics to delivering these bulls to the rodeos and how they come to be ranked. The love story in this book was special, but it also had many side stories to capture your interest as well as a bit of a mystery. All in all a very enjoyable read! Looking forward to the next books in this series!!

Ms. Dailey always has tough independent women and strong minded men in her books. Whirlwind has exactly that, as well as a prized bucking bull, Whirlwind. The family of women, since the dad died, have taken to raising bulls used in the PBR circuit.
There’s a suspense element here as someone is threatening the ranch and causing problems. The research done about bulls and the circuit was quite impressive. There are definitely hints of romance but the romance is definitely not the main topic. A wonderful start to a new series.

This is an exciting book that abounds with family, cowboys, bull riders, and rodeos. Throw in love, tragedy and suspense and you have a page turner you cannot put down. I really liked the two main characters of Lexie Champion and Shane Tully. Just when Lexie lets her guard down everything changed. Add in an enemy neighbor who would do anything to buy their family's prize bull including making it very hard for them to keep their ranch only added more to the suspenseful story. I look forward to the next book in the series. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

First I’ve read by Janet Dailey in a while and it did not disappoint. It definitely wasn’t a lighthearted cowboy read but I read it one sitting from start to finish. From the beginning, you find yourself rooting for the characters and just wanting good things to happen for them. Good start to a new series and I look forward to the next in the series.
3.5/5

Thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for the eARC.

Having been a fan of Dailey’s for a few years I always appreciate her writing style. She has tough independent women and strong minded men. Whirlwind is exactly like that, however the name comes from their prized bucking bull. I never would have imagined the story would revolve around a bull. The family of women, since the dad died, have taken to raising bulls used in the PBR circuit. There’s a suspense element here as someone is threatening the ranch and causing problems. The research done about bulls and the circuit was quite impressive and much appreciated, always a plus to learn something. There are definitely hints of romance but this is beautifully done in a classy way. A wonderful start to a new exciting series. My copy came through Netgalley and my review was given voluntarily.

Janet Daily was my favorite author when I was younger, and she still is one of the best. Her stories always have intrigue as well as romance. Lexie is a strong heroine. She loves her bull. Guess the bulls name! Shane works for the most hated man of her family. When a tragedy brings these two together sparks fly!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Lexie's trying to save the family ranch. Whirlwind is the bull she hopes will do it. Shane is a bull rider whose boss wants to buy Whirlwind, which Lexie won't sell. You know this is an enemies to lovers sort of story, don't you? I liked Lexie who has, as the saying goes, spunk. I'm not sure who actually wrote this - Dailey died in 2013- but it's a good diverting read for fans of the genre. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.