A city girl reins in the cowboy of her hottest dreams in Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Lauren Landish’s wild romance.As the eldest brother, the responsibility for the family ranch now rests on Mark Bennett’s broad shoulders. He wouldn’t have it any other way—he loves being in charge. Working hard on the land helps him stay focused and keeps him from noticing what’s missing … him from noticing what’s missing in his life—what he’ll never allow himself to have for fear that one small taste will break his careful control.
But a sweet blue-eyed blonde has just arrived in town, and the attraction between them is undeniably hot. So Mark tightens the reins around his heart—how can he tell her what he really wants?
Events planner Katelyn Johnson’s new gig is the wedding of a rodeo superstar. Right now, it’s tough not to focus on the rider’s tempting older brother. So far, getting beneath Mark’s gorgeously gruff exterior has been a pleasure.
What she needs to do is go a little deeper. But the closer they get, the more Mark pulls away. Katelyn’s not afraid of a challenge, though. Whatever deep desires he’s hiding, she wants in on his secrets.
All she has to do is get past his legendary reserve. With all her body, heart, and soul, there’s nothing she can’t handle.
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I loved Riding Hard, which is no surprise because I loved the first book in the series too. But Mark was so much more than I thought he would be. There was a depth to him, an internal struggle that not many authors can bring to life so realistically. Lauren Landish did that. I loved his quiet demeanor, it’s always the quiet ones who feel so much.
Katelyn was perfect for Mark in every way, even if he didn’t want to accept that at first. Not only their journey together, but Katelyn’s journey into a colorful world, and Mark’s journey to self acceptance, was beautiful.
This book touches a lot of feelings I think we have all had from one time or another which makes you tune in to the characters that much more. Katelyn has given up her beige life to take a chance as a events coordinator at Mountain Spirit Hotel leaving her boyfriend, her safe job, family and friends but she needs this.
Mark has resigned himself to making the Bennett ranch something his father would be proud of making money and making sure his mama is comfortable. When Mark has to go to the resort to pay for his brothers wedding he literally takes Katelyn down and a friendship is born at least that’s what he thinks.
Katelyn wants more with Mark but he is fighting her tooth and nail because he is convinced he doesn’t deserve her but Katelyn and everyone else sees a perfect match.
Loved this story and the characters are entertaining, plus it can be read as a stand-alone but book one is awesome too.
Reviewed on behalf of Once upon an Alpha
Riding Hard by Lauren Landish a five-star read that will break you. This is the second novel in the Bennett Boys Ranch series and they just get better and better, this time it’s the turn of big brother Mark and he really is the big brother. The characters are great and well written you really do care about them, they become like friends, Katelyn is new to town and soon becomes one of the locals and someone you adore, and you need to bring more colour into her life. To show her how great life can be, it helps that she has a bog strong cowboy to help. It may be a story that we have come across before but done in a great way that will bring a freshness to the story and writing that will blow you away, the transformation of Mark is so well done that you will see him blossom and grow as you read. I know I can’t wait for Luke’s story; these cowboys give you all the feels.
Riding Hard is the second book in Lauren Landish’s Bennett Boys Ranch series. We first met eldest brother Mark Bennett in book #1 of the series. To say Mark is quiet, steady and a little gruff would be a mild description of his personality. It seems his usual way to respond to a conversation is a “grunt” as an answer. But Katelyn Johnson, the new events planner at the Mountain Spirit Hotel & Resort sees a different side of Mark when she meets him and then gets to know him. Yes she finds him tall, handsome and oh so very sexy like the other ladies in the area, but she also sees a caring, passionate side to him as well. She just has to work on him a little bit (or maybe a lot) to get the real Mark Bennett to come out to play and to love.
I liked the first book in this series, Buck Wild. I really enjoyed this second book even more. I feel the author succeeded quite well in getting very deep into her main characters’ personalities which brought them to life very vividly. The storyline was very believable and led to quite a satisfying conclusion. She developed the conflict expertly and led to a sucessful resolution. It was fun getting to see characters from the first story again and to feel like the planning for the wedding and other activities in the story included me. I really enjoyed reading about Mama Lou again and her interactions with her sons.
So far the Bennett Brothers have found strong, passionate women to love. It intrigued me when Mark called Katelyn “Princess” from the very beginning of their relationship. This was an unexpected pet name from such a quiet, staid man. I look forward to seeing who is going to capture the heart of Luke, the third Bennett brother.