by 
Title and Author: Hard Ride to Dry Gulch
by Joanna WayneSeries: Big “D” Dads: The Daltons #3
Print Length: 220 Pages
Publication Date: Mills & Boon Intrigue (July 1, 2014)
Language: English
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, Series
Book Review:
Faith Ashburn is troubled and the only thing that has been driving her for the last ten months is the search for her missing son, Cornell. Cornell Ashburn is a good kid and Faith thought she knew him until the day he disappeared suddenly without a trace.
Now Faith is desperate to do anything to find him and when the Houston Homicide Detective and the brother-in-law of her best friend, Joni, Travis Dalton offers his help, she agrees.
Is Cornell still alive?
How did he disappear? Is he being held captive or just decided to move out, away from his mother, as the cops think?
As Faith and Travis embark on the almost cold trail to find Cornell, there is danger at every step and mysteries that have the power to break Faith’s heart. Add all this to the unexplained attraction between them, everything hangs on finding Cornell!
“But if something happened to Cornell, would she ever be able to love anyone again?”
The cover is cute and I was intrigued by the blurb. It is catchy and attracts the attention of the reader.
Joanna Wayne is a bestselling author and just like her previous books, she impressed me in this book too. She captures the agony of a mother who has lost her only son so beautifully that you cant help but be totally invested in her grief. She keeps up the mystery of the disappearance and the thrill of the chase till the end. The plot is admirably conceived and executed. I loved her no-frills writing style. She writes simply and engagingly. The book mainly deals with the search of Cornell but still Joanna beautifully develops Faith and Travis’ relationship and also add on the Dalton base story which is carried forward in this book.
The characterization is expertly done and I could relate to the characters in the book. There is RJ, Travis’ father who is trying to make amends for all his past mistakes and unite his family before he dies from the brain tumor; Faith who is desperate and willing to go to any limits to find her son; Travis who hates his father for abandoning him and leaving him at the mercy of his abusive foster parents, he is also now falling for a woman, Faith, who, he knows will never be his unless her son is found safe; Cornell who is a good kid with a decent life but due to some unknown reason disappears, has he been abducted or has he run away of his own free will? No one knows and then there is Georgio, a man most dangerous who run all kinds of illegal businesses but has so far eluded the police. Apart from these characters, there are other characters also who play their parts in the story to perfection and feel real. The characters seem like people we can connect to and feel like we know them.
The story is fast paced and kept me at the edge of my seat. The suspense is maintained till the very end and I could visualize myself as a part of all the action going on in the story! The chemistry between Travis and Faith is intense but kept bridled by these characters which makes it all the more alluring to watch them fight their attraction and fail! I read this book out of order but didn’t feel as if I had missed much. The story is a standalone with a base story of Travis’ own family running which is explained all along the book by the author. So the reader will not feel out of sorts while reading this book. But still it is recommended that you read the series in order. I know I am going to buy and read the series in order! 🙂
All in all, I liked the book and felt satisfied after reading the book. It is a great leisure read which thrilled me, left me heart warmed and pumped me with excitement. 4 out of 5 to Hard Ride to Dry Gulch and I recommend this book to all lovers of romantic suspense. You will not be disappointed.
I received the book from the publishers, Mills & Boon Intrigue and NetGalley and I am very thankful to them. The above review is honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.
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****Series Reading Order****
Book 1: Trumped Up Charges by Joanna Wayne
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Book 2: Unrepentant Cowboy by Joanna Wayne
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| Amazon IN | Flipkart.com
Book 3: Hard Ride to Dry Gulch by Joanna Wayne
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Book 4: Midnight Rider by Joanna Wayne {Expected Release: December 2014}
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I have this one and need to read it so it's good to know it's a good one. 🙂