ARC Review: The Devil in the Saddle

The Devil in the Saddle (Princes of Texas #2)

by Julia London 

Blurb:

 No one cheats on a Prince and gets away with it. And Hallie--Texas socialite, would-be ballerina, and the only daughter of Cimarron County's renowned Prince family--is ready to give her two-timing fiancé a piece of her mind. But fate plants hot, sexy ranch hand and ex-Army Ranger Rafael Fontana quite literally in her way. Her childhood friend is all grown up. He's sexy, he's handsome, and suddenly, after all these years, Hallie is taking notice.

Rafe has been in love with Hallie since they were kids, but he was always the help--and she was glamorous and popular, seemingly off-limits to a lowly cowboy. But now he's back at Three Rivers Ranch to help his family and Hallie is there too--and she needs his support. Of course, Rafe agrees, but soon long-buried feelings boil to the surface, and the desire between them is hot and palpable and undeniable. Rafe realizes he wants Hallie for keeps... he just has to convince her to give true love another shot.

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 3.75 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

The story of the Prince family continues, right where the previous one ended, with the story of the family princess and her road back from disaster. I am a huge fan of Julia London’s historical romances, though I have found that I don’t love her contemporary stories near as much, but I truly enjoyed Hallie and Rafe’s story despite that.  The previous novel in the story was definitely one I had to struggle through and, while there were a few slow moments, this story was a huge improvement and gave me a lot more faith in the series, so I am truly looking forward to the next in the series. Hallie and Rafe went through a lot of growing pains as they found their way into one another’s arms, but it is obvious that the chemistry they have both felt all along is something that neither of them were able to deal with until this exact moment in their lives. If you are looking for a realistic story of two people at crossroads in their lives that are getting a chance to find love, you will not be disappointed.

Hallie is dealing with a lot of change in her life and she has definitely lost her way, but she knows that when she finds her old friend Rafe back in her life she sees that she needs him in a way she never did before. Rafe has returned to the ranch he grew up on, as a temporary stop on the way to his new life, never expecting that he would find the princess of his youth drawing him in. Rafe and Hallie are both trying to find the way to their future and their place in the world but as they come together the passion between them is undeniable.  Soon their emotions are so deep that their old fears arise and they have to decide if they are willing to defy their pasts and find happiness together.

Hallie has spent most of her life as the spoiled princess of her family, but now that her father is gone and her world has shattered, she has to find out if she has enough backbone to stand on her own two feet.  There were a few moments where I really hated Hallie, but thankfully overall as she grew up and found her footing, I came to respect her and enjoyed getting to know the real her as much as she and Rafe did.  She was truly an intelligent, loving, brave, and determined young woman that came out of her shell and proved that she would be truly welcome contributing member of society. Rafe on the other hand was truly a dark and sexy knight in shining armor from the very beginning.  I loved seeing how sweet and charming he was, despite his fears and self-doubt.  It was obvious that he truly cared about the people he wanted to help and that he was devoted to his family.  He was willing to support Hallie and help her find her footing, even as he fell deeper in love with her even though he believed he had no chance of a future with her.  The way he worked toward a goal and refused to give up in despite the many, many problems that cropped up in his way, show that Rafe’s gentle stubbornness were a good match for Hallie’s.

Overall I liked this story a lot and while there were a few moments that were not my favorite, it really reminded me why I love Julia’s writing so very much. Hallie is a young woman in need of a compass to find true north and lead her to her path in life and she finds it in the man she has called friend all her life. She will find her way with his assistance but it will definitely not be an easy path and she will have to use every bit of her determination and skill in order to not fail epically at everything she has decided she wants out of life. Rafe on the other hand has always known what he wanted and what he was willing to allow himself to want, but once he lets himself give in to Hallie everything changes and he has to find out if he can trust in himself—and Hallie—to give in to his new dreams. I loved seeing these two break through their beliefs about themselves and their understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses in order to find out who they truly were.  The love and chemistry between them was hot but the sweetness of their emotional connection kept that flame from being so hot that it just spiked and burned out.  Despite a few tropes that are not my favorite popping up near the end of the story, I am looking forward to what comes next and I suspect I know who the love interest will be for the final Prince sibling. Julia London’s historicals will remain my favorite of her genre writing, but this story makes me a little more open to her contemporary writing and I am going to go into the next story with a bit more of an open mind for sure.

*eARC provided by author (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.