Rodeo Rivals Compete for $1 Million in Marcella Bell’s ‘The Wildest Ride’ [REVIEW]

He’s a big city Texan. She’s a ranch-raised girl from Oklahoma. Eager to win a televised rodeo competition and its life-changing cash prize, they are natural rivals. But off screen, things are heating up between them. Can they win at love when only one person can win the money? Find out in Marcella Bell’s The Wildest Ride.

When Lilian Sorrow Island and AJ Garza—the story’s main characters—meet, I could see the “why” behind the novel. Both characters want to win the $1 million prize for reasons dear to each of them: AJ wants to rescue the rodeo program that saved him as a wayward teen from bankruptcy and Lil wants to salvage her grandparents’ beloved ranch.

But for Lil and AJ to learn to be more than competitors, they must each take a chance and open their hearts so they can achieve something they could not otherwise be complete alone. Along the way, relationships are built, and memories are made.

As a result, The Wildest Ride reminds all of us to take risks and live in the moment. More than just a romance novel, this is a story which prompts us to open our eyes to life’s possibilities rather than dwelling on the past’s disappointments. The result can be a richer, more rewarding life. Maybe this is not what Bell had in mind while writing this novel, but it is my personal takeaway, one which I will carry with me on my journey through life.

If you enjoy sweet Western romances with compelling characters and a memorable point, you won’t want to miss The Wildest Ride. Bell’s debut novel is a solid start to her literary career.

Marcella Bell was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She is a registered yoga teacher, an avid reader, a honeybee enthusiast, and a lover of travel, corvids and karaoke.

A wife, mother and child of a multicultural household, Marcella is especially interested in writing novels that reflect her family history, as well as the people and places she’s known throughout her life.

To reach out, keep up or check in, visit MarcellaBell.com or follow her on Instagram.

THE WILDEST RIDE
By Marcella Bell
400 pp. HQN. $16.99.

Purchase The Wildest Ride direct from Jathan & Heather Books or one of these other fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Half Price Books, Harlequin, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Powell’s, Target, or Walmart.