Shamrock Trinity

by Kay Hooper

[chymerra]

If you are looking to read a throwback romance, read Rafe the Maverick. What do I mean by throwback romance? Well, let me explain. Throwback romances are romances where the male character pursues the female character. Even if she flat-out tells him “Stay away from me. Not interested“. He thinks that by smothering her in his awesome presence, that she will come around. She usually does but sometimes she needs more persuading before declaring her love. I actually like reading throwback romances. They were among the first romance novels that I read when I was 13-14 years old. So I read them with a smile and a bit of nostalgia.

Rafe the Maverick starts off with Maggie O’Riley coming to work on Rafe’s horse ranch. Maggie is a gifted horse trainer with a goal. She wants to own her own ranch someday. She wants to prove to her father that she is as talented as he is. So accepting the job offer at Rafe’s ranch is the next step to achieving that goal. What she wasn’t expecting was the immediate attraction she had to Rafe. But her attraction to Rafe could cost her everything that she has worked so hard for.

Rafe Delaney wants the best for his ranch and that means hiring Maggie O’Riley. She has a reputation as a horse whisperer. When he sees her charm the hooves off of his stallion, Diablo, he knows he has made the right choice. What he doesn’t expect is falling for her his new trainer. And he definitely didn’t expect her to give him the cold shoulder. See, Rafe has a reputation as a heartbreaker, a love them and leave them kind of man. He is not used to women not wanting him. So when Maggie turns him down, he sees her as a challenge and sets out to win her over.

Rafe made me laugh. I couldn’t believe the length he was willing to go through to win over Maggie. He didn’t take no for an answer. I do think that his pursuit of Maggie started off because she flat-out told him that she didn’t want him. Then it morphed into love. I thought it was sweet. I thought he was sweet.

Maggie was so sweet but she also had a bite. She definitely knew how to hold her own with Rafe. She was also a talented horse trainer and Rafe was a stepping stone to her own ranch. She decided to ride out his infatuation. Which didn’t end up the way she thought it was going to. I didn’t know if I was supposed to root for her to get rid of him or to finally admit that she loved him.

The sex scenes were very tame compared to some of the books written in this era. I like graphic sex scenes but sometimes all you need the bare minimum. Written right, those scenes can have the same impact as a graphically written one. The sex scenes in Rafe the Maverick definitely hit all those sweet spots and then some.

The end of the book ended on a happy ending but I thought that the book wasn’t going to get there. All the storylines were ended in a way that did please me as a reader. I did like how there was an opening for book 2. Which I can’t wait to read.

Rafe the Maverick is your typical late 80’s romance novel. If you do read it, be ready for the stereotypes of that era and the sexism that went with it. I did enjoy reading it and loved the nostalgic feelings that I had when I read it. I thought the plot was very good but did think that the characters could have been fleshed out more. Other than that mild complaint, I enjoyed reading the book.

I would like to thank Kay Hooper, Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Rafe, the Maverick.

All opinions stated in this review of Rafe, the Maverick is mine.

I received no compensation for this review

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**