One Night Rodeo

James’s fourth Blacktop Cowboys erotic contemporary western (after Wrangled and Tangled) takes readers on a satisfying ride. Celia Lawson hit the barrel-racing circuit to make her way in the world when she realized her brothers would make a success of their inherited family ranch without her. After taking a rough fall and boosting the painkillers with booze, she wakes up the next morning in Vegas, hung over and—to her complete shock—married to her childhood tormentor, bull rider Kyle Gilchrist. She demands an annulment, but Kyle, who’s wanted her for years, thinks they should stick it out. After he inherits a ranch out of the blue, he seduces Celia with the promise of running it together and exploring their sizzling chemistry. While James is known for erotic interludes, she never forgets to bolster the story with plenty of emotional power. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group. (Aug.)