Ross Campbell always had a thing for Callie Jones when they were growing up, but she was one of the “Jones girls,” from the richest family in the county, far above him, untouchable. Now Ross, deputy for a corrupt county sheriff, finds Callie stranded in the pouring rain on the side of the road–on her wedding day.Ross gallantly gives her a ride, but when the wedding is a disaster, Ross is the rock … is the rock that keeps Callie standing. Her high-school crush has grown up to be a gorgeous, hard-bodied man, as considerate and charming as he is attractive.
Callie has always been warned to stay away from the Campbells, the wild cowboys nice girls like her shouldn’t want to want. But can they keep things casual when something far deeper is pulling at them, encouraging both Ross and Callie to surrender…
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This is a dream come true…Ross the youngest of roughneck “Campbell Boys” finally gets a chance with Callie, one of rich and popular “The Jones Girls”. He dreamed of her but she was untouchable and way out of his league in high school. Now he’s a Sheriff’s Deputy, deciding to risk his life helping people instead of risking his life to entertain them on a trick horse. He’s a good honest cop that people realize they can trust in contrast to the very corrupt County Sheriff.
When we meet Callie she’s on her way to her wedding to a big deal stockbroker Devon, to be the picture perfect trophy wife aiding her big shot husband in making deals. Devon is not the most patient guy and Callie always seems to be late. She’s late to her wedding because her two sisters forgot to pick her up. Then she gets a blow out on the way and lands in a ditch just as it starts to rain. You find yourself pulling for her from the onset. Ross rescues the damsel in distress, gets her to the wedding only to find she’s been stood up by the groom. He’s taken off to seal a deal that was business he included in their honeymoon plans. Ross again comes to the rescue taking her home.
And thus begins the tale of the cop and the debutante’s love story. Yum. We discover there’s more going on it town, meet a lovable juvenile delinquent and begin to see the unraveling of so many buried town secrets. I love how Jennifer takes her characters on a journey of growth with such richness. People learn to be brave, show forgiveness, gain maturity and open their hearts to love. Ross is a caretaker, caring for the people of the town as well as his family and those he loves. Callie finds that she can stand on her own, discover what she really wants to do with her life and her family can respect her for her choices. Along this journey we get moments of humor, heartbreak, kidnappings, corruption and payoffs. I loved every moment of this delightful tale. Thank you Jennifer for giving me the opportunity to read and review this story. Everything you write is a winner.
Ross started out saving Callie, the damsel in distress. I did be think this book was going to take me down the road I eventually traveled.
There was a bit of angst, a bit of drama, but not as much as I expected. I liked both Ross and Callie, and appreciated Luke’s addition to the story.
The small town drug and corruption story added some danger and suspense to Ross and Callie’s romance. The story of the ex and why he did what he did was totally unexpected.
I listened to the audio book and thought the narrator did a good job, but I enjoy Eric G. Dove’s work anyway. Some excitement, suspense, a twist, and an HEA.
I’ve read the entire series is Ross is my favorite, but each book is well worth the read.
This was a wonderfully sweet story, and Ross and Callie were perfect together! A little bit of suspense, but a whole lot of them getting to know each other. And falling for each other. And finally realizing that the other is who you have always wanted, and why nothing else has worked out for you. Ross and Callie were an absolute joy to watch as they fell in love!
Great. Made we go and by the rest of the series.
I love this series! Jennifer Ashley is one of my favorite authors…she’s an amazing writer. Ross is the youngest brother in this terrific family and I think he’s my favorite. Buy this book if you love wonderful families, romance and great writing!!
FINAL DECISION: Sweet and gentle, I loved this story. After a bunch of angst and drama filled installments, I loved that this is just two people getting to know one another. Yes, there is a dramatic closing set regarding the drug dealers in town, but the heart of of the story is two people discovering one another apart from their town reputations.
THE STORY: Ross Campbell is the “rebel” in the family, turning away from the family stunt business to work in law enforcement. He rescues a damsel in distress when her car goes off the road during a rainstorm. She’s on the way to her wedding and she happens to be Callie Jones, the girl Ross had a crush on in high school. When the wedding doesn’t happen, Callie turns to Ross as a calm in her crazy day.
OPINION: I loved this story. Ross is such a sweetheart. There is a bunch of external drama, but Ross and Callie are pretty stable people. These two are perfect for one another from the start and there isn’t a lot keeping them apart except for them getting to know one another and understand what each wants from the relationship.
The story felt like a sweet spring breeze — refreshing and cleansing with a joy. I loved these characters and how normal most of their relationship is. Yes, there is some external drama, but the two of them are centered and have such normal problems.
In fact, my only disappointment was that I would have liked to see how these two worked out some of their issues that were raised (Ross’ career, Callie’s horse rehab project) since those were important parts of the story.
This was a character centered story where the relationship was far more developed than the plot and I prefer a book with these tendencies. Of all the Campbell brothers, Ross is my favorite.
WORTH MENTIONING: Next up are the Malorys and we get a little preview in this book.
CONNECTED BOOKS: ROSS is the fifth book in the Riding Hard series. The romance here is a standalone although the series deals with characters in a small town so there is a lot of overlap of characters. Readers also get an update on the prior couples in the series.
STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.
NOTE: I received an ARC from the author. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.