Member Reviews

Summer at Stallion Ridge, the third book in the Last Ride, Texas series by Delores Fossen, is a mixture of hilarity, tension, a troubled and troubling deceased resident, a yearly town tradition that opens a Pandora’s Box, and a heartwarming romance.

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

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Summer at Stallion Ridge (Last Ride, Texas #3). By Delores Fossen. 2022. HQN (ARC eBook).

I’m absolutely loving the Last Ride, Texas series! Emory and Matt have great chemistry. And the premise of the Last Ride Society’s quarterly project just continues to provide both, small town shenanigans and real emotional stories. Fossen’s writing is terrific. I look forward to the rest of the series.

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What a great all around story! Matt had only one reason to come back, his son, until Emory gave him something new to focus on.

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This is a Cowboy Romance with some suspense and family drama thrown in, and this is the third book in the Last Ride, Texas series. I have read and reviewed the first book in this series before picking this book up, but I do feel this book can be read as a standalone. This book had some funny and unique characters that I fell totally in love with. I really loved the storyline in this book, and they town's secrets/family secrets that comes out during this book makes this book totally worth reading, but I really loved the cute romance that was in this book. This was a super fun and cute read that had some drama to keep it interesting. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (HQN Books) or author (Delores Fossen) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

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Summer at Stallion Ridge is the third book in the Last Ride, Texas series by Delores Fossen. This is one of the wildest yet most engaging stories I've read recently! The characters are well-written and come in all varieties adding lots of tension to the plot. The drama and tensions build up with each page, making this one hard to put down.

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Matt Corbin was the boy from the wrong side of town,
The one who others liked to keep knocking down.
Because of his dreadful childhood and what happened then
He was determined to leave Last Ride and not return again.

He worked hard to leave his past far behind
But now has returned and is shocked to find
That his teenage crush is living in the cottage next door
To the ranch he was left by his grandfather who he adored.

The attraction between Matt and Emory is stronger than before
But is it too powerful for them both to ignore?
She's been given the task of recording his mother's life
This will bring him so much trouble and strife.

As they work together reading the secret diary of his Mum,
It seems others hope they won't discover what they had done.
Can they help to heal his horrendous past
And put away the rumours of his Mum at last?

Filled with family drama from the present and the past
This is a heartwarming story with the hope for love that will last.
For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
An engaging romance and mystery, and this is my honest review.

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SUMMER AT STALLION RIDGE – Delores Fossen
Last Ride, Texas, Book 3
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-94931-8
March 29, 2022
Contemporary Romance

Last Ride, Texas – Present Day

Lawman Matt Corbin left behind his life in Amarillo to move to the small town of Last Ride and a job as the sheriff to be closer to his young son. The town isn’t new to Matt, as he was born and raised here by his now dead mother, Candy, a woman known for her hell-raising days sleeping around with any man. Last Ride is also home to the Parkman family, one of which is Emory, who Matt had a teenage crush on. Emory is now a wedding gown designer and is noted for designing lucky gowns for brides—except for her as she has been unlucky at love twice. Matt tries to avoid Emory but is unable to when the cottage next to his house is rented to her. Now he sees her nearly every day, which leads to encounters—and an attraction that won’t die.

Meanwhile, there are rumors about Matt’s mother’s death from a drug overdose. Was it truly accidental or intentionally done by someone? Emory is doing research on Candy’s death and is given a box of her personal items taken from the death scene. Emory informs Matt that she has them, which includes a floppy disk indicating that it’s a journal about her final year. Will it offer clues as to who might have given Candy the drugs that killed her? As Matt and Emory work together on the case, their attraction grows—leading to kisses and wanting much, much more.

Emory’s family dislikes Matt because of Candy and her unsavory past. It doesn’t matter that Matt grew up to become a stellar citizen and is a lawman. For this reason, they don’t want Emory near him and aren’t happy that she’s now living next door to him. They will be even more unhappy if they learn that they’re attracted to each other! The research into Candy’s final year is uneventful until someone breaks into Emory’s house. What were they looking for? Is it related to the research? Is the answer on the floppy disk now in Matt’s possession? As they grow closer, Matt and Emory take their attraction to the bedroom. But will things go smoothly for them? Are they destined for a fling only, or can they make it work for a happily-ever-after?

SUMMER AT STALLION RIDGE is part of the Last Ride, Texas, series, which I hadn’t read before. But I had no trouble following along despite several characters that apparently have appeared in the prior two books. There are several minor characters in this tale who help provide chuckles and additional flavor, such as Tiffany, who keeps trying to marry her fiancé but ends up breaking up with him after he cheats on her…several times. Emory’s family hates Matt and tries to cause interference but she won’t be dissuaded into dropping her friendship—or romance—with the man she cares deeply about. While a tad confusing at first as to who is who, I soon settled in to enjoy Matt and Emory’s research into Candy and their burgeoning romance.

Matt was in love with Emory when they were younger and now, he gets a second chance. Will it be the real deal? Will they learn about what really happened with Candy? Find out all the answers by grabbing a copy of the entertaining and fun SUMMER AT STALLION RIDGE.

Patti Fischer

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Surviving scandal in a small, gossipy town

Matt is back in Last Ride not because he particularly wants to return to his grandfather's ranch, but his ex-wife has moved there with their son as she rekindles a high-school romance and he's not going to be any farther from his son than he has to be. Settling into his new role as the sheriff, he runs into his junior-high crush, Emory, who has been selected by the historical society to do a biographical report on Matt's late mother, Candy Lynn, who by all accounts lived to create scandal whenever and wherever she could.

Emory, a wedding dress designer, is a wonderful character, full of heart and compassion as she delves into matters that everyone would prefer to keep buried. She's careful to not make assumptions and tries to be as objective as possible. Turns out Candy Lynn kept a diary, and more than one of her acquaintances wants to make sure the diary never sees the light of day. There's a bit of suspense and intrigue here, as folks from all over Last Ride turn out to be mentioned in Candy Lynn's history and more than a few secrets are unearthed in both Matt's and Emory's families.

Matt and Emory have a gentle, heartwarming romance that sweeps them together despite their own past romantic failures that have made them each a little gun-shy about trusting in forever again. I loved the way they connected, and how they met the challenges brought by living in such a small town. I thought the way Emory handled the official report was brilliant. I loved the simple yet beautiful HEA, especially Matt's offer to make sure her wedding dress was as lucky as all the others she has made. I highly recommend this sweet and tender romance, and look forward to reading more from this author. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

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This is a good book. The two main characters are Emory and Matt. Emory has wedding dress shop and Matt is the sheriff. Matt is divorced and has a son Jack. They have known each other all their lives. They have a mutual desire for each other. They both have issues from break-ins, family matters, brides in weddings, and many other things. But with their declare of love and wedding promises they work their issues out.

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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 books to snuggle up with on any day.

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