Prize Money

Two competitive women find love on the professional rodeo circuit in this exciting lesbian romance from Castro (The Taking). Equestrian stuntwoman Toma Rozene returns home to help run the family ranch after her father is injured in a rodeo bullfight. On the flight home to Idaho, she’s saved from breaking down with worry by the kindness of Eva Angeles, a professional barrel racer who offers to sit with her. Neither woman expects to see the other again after the flight, but fate has other plans, as the pair cross paths at a rodeo competition where Toma rescues Eva from the path of a raging bull. The incident sparks a fast friendship, and the women bond over their shared passions for horses and the outdoors—not to mention their undeniable attraction and deepening feelings for one another. But once friendship builds to romance, their love is tested as Toma and Eva realize how divided their plans for the future are. Castro clearly knows her stuff, capturing rodeo culture and the thrill of competition in action-packed scenes. The characters’ flirty banter and believable foundation of friendship, meanwhile, make up for a rushed ending that ties everything up a bit too neatly. Readers are in for a riveting ride.[em] (May) [/em]