Way back in 2012 I was binge reading of Lorelei James's Rough Riders series and along came book fourteen, yes, that's 14 in the series. In that book, we met Gavin and Rielle AND Sierra and Boone. Sierra is Gavin's daughter and a part of the McKay family and Boone is a West. The McKay and West families don't have the best relationship, where the older generations are concerned but that didn't really phase Sierra and Boone as they forged a very strong friendship.
I looked back at my review of Gone Country from four years ago and this was the last line of my review.
Well, cut to four very long years later (and even longer in the Rough Rider Legacy series) and we finally have Sierra and Boone's complete love story. I think after waiting a very long time for a book like this, most people want to know two things:
- Is it any good?
- Was it worth the wait?
The answer to both of those questions is resounding YES.
In typical Lorelei James fashion, she gives us the characters we know and love but as adults. If you've read Gone Country, you'll remember that they were (S&B) only teenagers and both had a lot to learn and a lot of living to do. Now, Sierra has gone to college and is working her first post-graduation job and Boone has been in the Army and is doing some medical training. So, they've gone their separate ways (as Boone made happen in Gone Country) and have become adults with experiences and responsibilities. Boone and Sierra end up in Arizona somewhat by chance. Sierra is there working for her father's company and she hangs around her cousins, Kyler, Anton and Hayden who are still in college at Arizona State University. Boone is friends with those guys as well, they all grew up around each other.
This is where the "New Adult" part kicks in and if I have a least favorite part, this is it. It's that whole college party, who is hooking up with who aspect. But, I realize that so much of this is our introduction to Kyler, Anton and Hayden as "men" when we've only known them as boys. It certainly intrigues me as to how Ms. James will develop their stories and I'm DEFINITELY looking forward to those books. And let's face it, these boys have some SERIOUS swagger and sexiness running through their DNA. GOOD LAWD. Seriously, Cord McKay (Kyler's dad) alone will make your Kindle sweat, smoke or burst into flames. (Cowgirl Up and Ride)
The second question- Was it worth the wait? You bet your ass it was. ;)
We learn the origin of Boone's quiet intensity and come to understand him as a man, even more, thanks to Ms. James taking her time and fully fleshing out his character. Sierra learns what he needs and it's lovely to see how she gives him that and how Boone learns to trust that love from Sierra. He, in turn, gives Sierra the freedom to make decisions about her career without feeling weighed down by him.
Now, let's say you've made it through this rambly bit of my thoughts and you HAVEN'T read the Rough Riders series. Well, I have two things to say to that.
- What are you waiting for? It's summer and what other excuse do you need to binge read one of the HOTTEST series ever written? There are a number of books in this series that I have re-read numerous times. Check out the RR series ----> HERE
- You don't have to have read the RR series to enjoy this book. Ms. James does an incredible job of filling in their history for those that are not familiar with it. And for those of us that have read RR and know their history, that filling in didn't feel too heavy-handed, in fact, we learn things we didn't know before.
So, yes, it was worth the wait, every single sweet and ridiculously sexy bit of it.
Purchase:
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