Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I love the premise of returning home to face who you are when you really don’t want to. It’s an opportunity for humor, especially among siblings as Castro deftly illustrates. It is also an excuse to look back and forward which with a character like Toma it is worth the trip.

This is not to say that Eva doesn’t hold her weight, she does that and more. I am just seriously crushing on Toma.

Castro adds a slight mystery in the background which illuminates the issues of rodeo entertainment. Castro also addresses the patriarchal roles surrounding the sport and the people around it. It isn’t preachy, but it is real.

If all rodeos have Toma in the wheelbarrow and Eva glittering on her horse, then sign me up. I will follow them down their happy trails.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

This was a DNF around 30% for me. The characters were interesting, with the diversity and being essentially the only women in their fields but it was just a little too slow for me. I kept reading hoping it would pick up but it didn’t really and I was losing interest.

Thank you for the opportunity to review. All thoughts are my own.

Very middle of the road romance that has some delightful details about barrel racing. The characters are fine, and the plot is pace relatively well, but there is just something that didn't click with me about parts of the book. I think it tries to be angsty, but it doesn't linger on the issues that cause that angst. The romance is nice and filled with tension, but I thought it was a little to insta love for my tastes.

I liked that the the book focuses on cowgirls, specifically about the sport of barrel racing. From what I understand, it is a skills and agility competition that tests the abilities of both the horse and rider. But it is a women's sport, and in the world of rodeo, it is often over looked as something that is not important. I thought it was a nice touch to see how the men in the rodeo circuit can be casually dismissive of the sport, whether it is expressed in the mildly sexist manner of the color commentator for the rodeo's radio broadcast, or how the women's prize money is dispersed. Eva, the love interest of our protagonist Toma, is the top racer in her region, yet she had to earn a ton of money in order to have enough to even compete in the sport. Things like that, or how Toma is treated until she basically makes it impossible for the men in the sport to say no to her flit in and out of the story, but aren't as important as Toma's journey. And that's the problem; Toma doesn't carry the story well enough for me. Mostly Eva and what happens around them is what makes the story interesting, so her character growth didn't really matter to me, so the bulk of the story couldn't hold me with just Toma in the picture.

I do have to say that Toma is just the right type of tall dark and broody that should make the angst work, but we are told what happened to her, but not see the long term affects of the terrible things that happened to her (she was cheated on by her girlfriend and she walked in on her with her new paramour). Then there's the problem with Toma's family; we're told that she left because of a bad thing happening but we don't get an explanation, and her and her brothers seem to act normally with each other, because we don't get any more context.

If you like modern westerns with rodeos as the back drop, then this might be for you. While I enjoyed the details of the rodeo, I just wished the protagonists were fleshed out a little more. It is a fine enough read otherwise.

Prize Money presents a very interesting western setting, featuring the rodeo world, barrel racing and bullfighting. It was a new kind of atmosphere for me, which intrigued me a lot and made me want to read this book in the first plase. The slow burn romance is between the two main characters - Toma, a equestrian stuntwoman, and Eva, champion of barrel-racing - and I found it very sweet.

The writing style is quite pleasant and smooth, which made me read the novel rather quickly. All in all, though, I think it lacks a solid depth of the characters from the psychological point of view, which made them all look pretty flat and none of them particularly impressed or excited me.

It was my first time reading a book by Celeste Castro, and while I didn't appreciate everything from this novel to the point of giving it a rating higher than 3 stars, I have to say it intrigued me enough to make me want to read more from the author.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Interlude Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

It’s been over a decade since Toma’s been home for any length of time, over ten years since her father told her it hurt to look at her because she resembled her dead mother. And now Toma’s flying home because her father’s hurt and her family needs her. As one more reason to head home, Toma’s girlfriend has been cheating on her and she found out in the most stereotypical way — walking in on the pair of them in her bed. With all of these emotions in a tangle in her stomach, with her life falling apart, Toma just can’t fight the tears anymore. And it’s stupid, it’s so stupid. She’s a bull fighter, a stunt woman; she was one of the riders in Wonder Woman, in Vikings, in Outlander, and now she’s trying not to sob, hiding in the bathroom.

Eva, rodeo queen, activist, barrel racer, farmer, daughter, sister, cousin — and a dozen other titles, each as much a part of her as the others — can’t help but feel for the woman hogging the lavatory. But, she really has to go. But once that’s dealt with, Eva reaches out to take Toma’s hand and offers her compassion and the seat next to her. They can talk, or not. But Toma doesn’t have to be alone.

It’s a moment of weakness and a moment of trust when Toma takes Eva’s hand and lets herself let go.

When I read the blurb for this story — horses, rodeos, a Native American main character falling in love with a woman of Mexican decent — I was sold. Unfortunately, other than having it mentioned twice, once in a newspaper clipping, Toma’s Shoshone-Palute blood and heritage don’t ever feel like a part of her character. What is a part of her character is her grief over her mother’s death. When Toma was five, her mother had a stroke and sent her daughter out to get help. Toma, being a child, got distracted and, unfortunately, help didn’t get to her mother in time. No one holds it against her, not in the least, but Toma still feels the responsibility of it. Her relationship with her father was always strained and, after an argument, she left home, turning her back on him and her brothers. That, too, is a weight on her shoulders. And watching her work through this, finding some peace with her family and coming to terms with the betrayal of her ex-lover, with her ideas of what she wants her life to be, feels very organic and honest.

Eva, a firecracker of a woman who is and has always been active and prominent in her community, doesn’t feel the need for introspection. She’s always looking forward to the future, her future where she uses her barrel racing winnings to buy a training center where she can teach other girls to follow their dreams, where she can work with horses, be they barrel racers or mustangs, and have a life for herself made with her own hands and her own efforts. Toma sees in Eva someone as dedicated as she is, someone who shares her passions and her interests — horses; giant, extended families; teaching and training; and feeling the rush of excitement from dancing aside as a bull charges at her, or riding a fast horse, or kissing a beautiful woman — and sees with Eva a chance to be happy. More than happy, to be fulfilled.

This is a slow, languid love story between Eva and Toma, who go from friends to lovers. It’s low angst, low drama, low stress, and laid back. It’s an easy, simple romance, with more pleasantries than plot and a benign happy ending with a pastel background of a rodeo and sprawling outdoors. It’s also fairly tepid, and I didn’t really connect with the writing, which felt serviceable, with stilted, slightly formulaic dialogue. The pace is slow and lingering with a decided emphasis on the friendship between the two characters. And, to be honest, I found it uninspiring. Nothing really happened, good or bad, and everyone was more or less decent. There were friendly people, supportive family members, and Eva and Toma got along. Not every story needs fireworks and earthquakes, and sometimes what you want is just a nice, easy love story, but there was a lack of closure in a few areas. As a matter of personal taste, I would have preferred the rodeo to be more than a backdrop, and the ending fell flat and awkward. My two cents on the ending are in the spoiler.

The events happening as they did lacked any urgency or meaning, and it felt more as if the big event at the end was meant to allow both of them to settle for one another.

<Spoiler>

This isn’t a bad book. It just didn’t fully land, for me.

Slow burn romance between two women in their 30s.
3 out 5 on the sensuality rating scale.

The best part of this book is the dialogue. Toma grew up with five brothers, so there were many scenes with playful, bickering. My favorite scenes were the conversations between Eva and her grandma, because they were in Spanish and felt genuine.

Written in third person. It felt like each chapter tried to focus on the inner monologue of one of the main characters, but it was not consistent. Good pacing until the very end of the book when there was an abrupt change in tone and protagonists acted out of character. I was not a fan of the ending. It felt rushed.

Overall, a good lesbian romance novel for anyone interested in getting to know a professional barrel rider and a Hollywood stuntwoman.

3.75 Stars. A good book that could have been great! I’m not surprised that I enjoyed this read as I’m a sucker for horses, ranches, cowgirls, rodeo, and basically anything “western” when it include a sapphic romance. I love the setting and just the feel that it brings to a romance. I also had some high hopes since this book is by Celeste Castro. I have followed her since her debut and every book she writes is better than the last. I love authors that show consistent growth and are obvious about the fact that they want to keep improving. And for that reason alone I will never hesitate to read a book by Castro. Anyway, I really liked certain parts of this book. I started to wonder would this be my first 5 stars for Castro or at least a 4.50 rating, but while the story with all its potential was there, issues started to pop-up which affected my enjoyment and lowered my finale rating.

I loved the setting and just the atmosphere of being at the rodeo or sleeping under the stars with wild mustangs. Castro was so good at putting us in a “western” fantasy setting. The only problem with all this good is that I think Castro could have even gone further. I wanted more wild mustangs and more exciting barrel racing. I wanted to feel like I was on that horse, but these scenes didn’t quite have the depth and detail I needed.

Other reviews have remarked on this already but I have to mention that Castro missed out on a big opportunity. There was a mystery at the rodeo. While it was a little mystery, it was adding big moments of excitement. I had my mind asking, “who did it?” and I had my prime suspect picked out and I’m literally raising my perspective rating since I’m enjoying this… but then nothing. I don’t know what happened. It’s like everyone just forgot about it and moved on. All I can say is damn that was disappointing and a big miss.

Let’s get back to some good, the characters. I just loved the characters. Yes, the brothers where annoying and I could only tell 1 out of 5 apart, but I loved the mains and of course Grandma. This is the second book in a row I’ve read with great grandma characters and this one had me chuckling. When it came to the mains I thought they were super likeable and I loved them as a potential couple. This is a bit of a slow burn, but I found the chemistry to be great. I believed there was something there after only the first meeting. This was more of a “meet-cry” than a “meet-cute” but you could feel a spark from the first page. Because it is a slower romance, the ending rushes the romance some but I still really enjoyed it.

My last issue had to do with the books ending. I don’t mean the last 5 pages or so -which were cute- but I didn’t care for the overall ending. I’m not fan of formulaic angst at the end of a book. I don’t mind break-ups, but I wish authors would mix it up more. Unfortunately, it happens a lot in romance so I deal with it. But, what really bothers me is when the angst comes after the 90% mark. When it comes that late in a book, there is not enough time for the characters to get back together for a believable HEA or HFN. The Happily Ever After is why I read a romance so I hate when they are ruined or feel very rushed. I’ve realized I’ve had enough and in my own little protest, I decided that for 2021 and beyond, any book that has the big angst moment but come after the 90% mark, I’m automatically taking at least a half star off my finale rating. The angst moment in this book was very late so I had to deduct from my rating. Not only did this mess with my finale rating, but it made the ending weird. The characters didn’t seem to be acting like their selves, and it put a damper on a book I was enjoying so much.

Even with the problems I did still really enjoy this book. It’s just a bummer to me because I thought this was going to be a favorite of the year for me. It was so close but a few decisions just changed things and not in a good way. I’m still a Castro fan and will keep reading her, and I hope her next book will be that great story.

I chose this title in part due to the rodeo backdrop; it seemed unusual and unique. I don't live in a rodeo-centric state, so aside from bull riding (I think that's a thing?) and calf roping, I know precious little about what all goes on in a rodeo. And after reading this book, I still have no idea what goes on. In this story, the main character Eva is a barrel racer or something; she does something with horses and barrels, and is fast--which apparently earns her that titular "prize money". Toma, the other main character, was a stunt woman in the TV/film industry and returns home to join her brothers as a rodeo bullfighter. I couldn't tell you anything going on in these rodeo scenes; it's written with the assumption the reader has the same knowledge the author does. The romance is typical and not particularly chemistry-heavy. I did find it a bit odd that in this testosterone-heavy world of the rodeo, no one really seems to bat at eye at all of the queer women participating in and around it. The pacing and tone of the book needed more work. At the first rodeo, the pieces are set in place for someone intentionally trying to wreck havoc and maybe take out one of the other competitors--but that is tossed aside. In the final pages, rather than wrapping up the story the way it seems to have been set up, it takes a 180, throws in a heavy dose of out of character angst, then simple resolves that angst and ends. It is such a slap in the face to that character and to not have that resolution felt like a disservice to the reader.

Toma, stuntwoman to the stars, comes home after 12 years of traveling around the world. After a teen/father argument, she stormed out and never looked back. But now her father needs her and it’s time to face up to her past in Caldwell, Idaho. A moment of compassion from a stranger opens a new path for Toma and life is changed forever. Eva is a glittery, phenomenally talented Rodeo Champion. She’s a wonder of a barrel racer, but much more, a decent human being. She’s determined to make her dreams of wild horses and life on wide open spaces come to fruition.

It’s a slow simmer of a romance as both women are acutely aware of Toma’s temporary stay and push down their feelings. Still, the chemistry is wonderful even if it takes seemingly forever.

If you’re looking for a smoothly told, hallmark-like sweet tale of two very likable characters from huge, affectionate families, this book is it. Oftentimes, Lesfic readers say, can we just get stories of two people falling for each other without the extra of coming out or anti-lgbtq narrative and here it is. The author also paints a fond picture of Idaho and rural life. Pickups, horses, and Patsy Cline slow numbers on the dance floor.

Speaking of Americana, Toma is Native American and Eva is American but of Mexican descent. Again, the author makes it a non-issue to have these women trying to live their best lives just like anyone else. There’s some Spanish integrated into dialogue, especially when Eva speaks to her devilishly irreverent grandmother, Aleida. It’s interspersed with English so it seems clear as to meaning but I’m fluent in Spanish so I can’t be certain how it will read to a non-speaker.

I’m giving the book 4.25 stars only because I wish there had been a bit more conflict or a harsher rival, just to give the story more urgency. Prize Money is a tender romance perfect to read on your porch one of these soft summer mornings or in front of a fireplace on a cool night.

This book was exactly what I needed to read this week. Prize Money is fun and sweet and I loved the lead characters from the very beginning. As they progress through the book, I absolutely adored watching that relationship grow and the obvious care that Celeste Castro put into creating their stories.

Toma Rozene, a deeply independent stunt woman, returns to Idaho following her father's accident and a bad breakup. On her flight, she meets a young woman who helps her through the overwhelming emotions she has been pushing down only to loose track of her immediately upon landing. When Toma takes her father's role to keep rodeo riders safe, who does she end up rescuing but Eva Angeles, one of the best barrel racers and Toma's companion from the flight. The two women strike up a quick friendship as they both work towards chasing and finding their dreams. But is there something more there?

Yes, of course there is. It's what we expect from a Celeste Castro book: fun, queer romance. Toma and Eva are perfect for each other. Prize Money wonderfully captures the joy and frustrations that comes with working for your dreams. I loved Toma and Eva and the determination and kindness they both carried through the book. The whole world of Prize Money was a great escape from my own busy schedule and grey weather.

Strong women and an enduring slow burn romance in this novel are the real winners. The beautiful writing that author Celeste Castro so easily produces is impressive. I would highly recommend!

This was a slow romance but very well written. I enjoyed all the memories it brought back of attending rodeos. I love the family fun and the love between the brothers. All the characters were brought together perfect. Just all around a great love story.

3.25 stars. Books with cowgirls on ranches have this attraction, the rugged outdoors I guess. This book features rodeo bullfighting and barrel racing, lots of horses and of course kickass cowgirls and I enjoyed reading it, but there were also some bumps.

Toma is a stuntwoman in LA who’s returning to her family ranch in Idaho to help out her family. The various reasons why she is leaving LA throw her into an uncertain state of mind and she doesn’t know where to go from there. Back at the ranch, she helps her brothers as the only female bullfighter in the state at the rodeo. Eva, one of the locals, is a is a barrel racing champion and one day Toma saves her from a bull on the loose….

The book is written in the third person from the POVs of Toma and Eva, but the accent lies mainly on the journey of Toma, as she has most issues to work through. Toma is fearless and tough as nails, but under the tough exterior she’s also very sensitive. Eva is sweet and seems to always sense what Toma needs and she’s dedicated to reaching her dream future. This is a super slow-burn romance and while there is a connection between the two mains, the built-up in chemistry and the actual move from the friendzone towards a romance happens rather late in the book. I would have liked this to happen a bit sooner. Nevertheless, I found that I did enjoy their easy friendship, and their day-to-day activities. I just had the feeling it could have been more intense.

As I mentioned there were some bumps. During the rodeo some strange accidents started happening and I was getting really excited for perhaps a little mystery, it seemed to build towards something, but then the storyline sort of fizzled out. In my view this was a missed opportunity, I was already forming theories, so I was a bit disappointed there. The biggest issue for me though, was the ending. There is a moment after the 90% mark and the way the mains reacted to this and how it was resolved was something I did not like. It seemed over the top and out of character. As it happened so late in the book, the romance afterwards felt very rushed towards the end left some loose ends.

So, all in all there were parts that I enjoyed, the outdoors, the rodeo, horses, friendship, and some fun secondary characters. I liked the banter between Toma and her brothers and Eva’s abuelita was hilarious (even though half of the conversations were in Spanish, I got the gist of it). But there were also some parts that I would have liked to see played out differently.

I was very anxious to start reading this story. I thought WOW I'm going to get some insights and thrills about the rodeo world. But unfortunately I was disappointed. It started out with a little rodeo stuff. We hear that all the fans are thrilled with their new women bullfighter and she makes great moves but not enough description. Then I thought we were going to have a mystery about the open gates, but no that got resolved. How about raging competitors? Nope they all get along, even a helpful journalist. The romance was nice but started immediately. But then took a long time for the first kiss. At 90% there is the usual angst which is sad and one of the few surprises in the story, but the reaction of the injured character I found out of character. But then that got resolved as soon as the injured character slept for 3 days. And then there is the ending, of which there kind of isn't one. Oh yes, the romance gets resolved but, but what about.......we'll I don't want to spoil it for you.
The grandmother was a crazy character and I'm not quite sure why her dialog was in spanish? Usually the author indicates that English is not a characters native language by having them speak broken English. I stopped translating it after I realized it wasn't that important to the story. Also, I had some difficulty distinguishing who was speaking during some of the back and forth in the dialog.
Not my favorite for the new year.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was a bit hesitant to read this one because it takes place in a rodeo setting, something I know nothing of and have no interest in. But I am still glad I read it. The story is more about finding your place, trusting people and finding your person, and this just happens to be on a rodeo. There is mention of horses and bulls and arenas and all the stuff, but luckily nothing too technical and it’s just to set the scene, descriptors of the environment and the MCks jobs.

Eva and Toma meet on a plane, where Toma has a break down (later we find out it’s a panic attack) and Eva comforts her. Fast forward to a few days later where Eva is saved from a raging bull by Toma. Toma is back home after 12 years of being a stuntwoman for many blockbuster, now she joins her brothers in the family business because their dad is out of commission for a while. Toma never expected to see Eva ever again, let alone in this setting. Eva and Toma share a connection, at first they are determined to be friend, neither one of them ready for something else. But everyone around the, sees their friendship for what it is the start of a sweet romance.

Eva is of Mexican descent so conversation between her and her family switch from English to Spanish and some Spanglish. My understanding of Spanish is decent so I understood about 8o-90% of it. When the dialogue is in Spanish and the answers are in Spanish as well, I think you need more than a basic understanding of the language to make Senseo these conversations. Some of them take a page, this might too hard to understand without knowledge of the Spanish language. The story takes place over 6 months at the most and I think the re,arionship, the actual romance only happens in the last month or so, but they go from 0-60 in 1 second flat. I understand the chemistry and the inner turmoil of the the main characters, especially Toma has some issues to overcome, and the writer did a good job of showing her character development. The story and the romance is sweet, and cute, maybe not realistic for women in their mid thirties, but sweet nonetheless. My favourite character is actually Evans abuelita, her spit fire grandma who takes no prisoners and and has the funniest lines in the book.
Solid 3.t stars from me.

This book pleasantly surprised me. I have read Celeste Castro before and I know nothing about bullfighting so I didn’t know what to expect. But what I got was a winner. I loved Toma, a strong woman who was lost for quite some time and Eva, who wasn’t lost, was content and managed to save Toma by being thoughtful and supportive. Eva’s grandma, Aleida, is hilarious and I loved when I was reading scenes with her in it. I also loved the story, the pacing, the dialogue. This is a winner, I will be reading her other books, and I definitely recommend that you buy it.