Ranching and football – such a great combination. Izzy and Dylan have a messy meeting, followed by moment in a bar, but the timing is terrible for both of them. Dylan is struggling to accept his football career is over and in a drunken haze, he buys a bunch of rodeo horses. When they arrive, they come with Izzy who is a ranch hand and will work with the horses for six weeks to settle them in.

Izzy is trying to make a life for herself and her daughter and it’s tough. While she cares for the horses at Dylan’s family ranch, he’s still drinking too much and mooning about at the football field.

It’s terrific to see Dylan get out of his own way and with the support of his family and Izzy, decide on his post-football life. Izzy is a delight – as is her daughter. Izzy is snarky and difficult, perhaps because the stakes are much higher for her than they seem to be for Dylan. I loved seeing them learn to communicate and compromise and they have swoony chemistry – so good! The combination of football and ranching is great fun. I hope for more stories in this series.

Thank you Bella North and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Laura Black is a romance editor, reader and reviewer based in Queensland, Australia. You can visit me on Instagram @laura_black_reads