#Review: Saddle Up by Victoria Vane - 4.5 Wine Glasses

Title: SADDLE UP
Series: Hot Cowboy Nights #4
Author: Victoria Vane
Format: Kindle, 322 Pages
Published: Sourcebooks Casablanca (June 7, 2016)
ISBN: ASIN: B01B1X78Z4
Links:  Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Award-winning author Victoria Vane lets loose the fourth in the Hot Cowboy Nights series

WILD HORSES COULDN'T BRING THEM TOGETHER...
With exceptional talent and looks, cowboy "horse whisperer" Keith Russo once had the world at his feet - until his career was unwittingly destroyed by an aspiring filmmaker. After being rejected by his family for exploiting his Native American heritage, Keith has no choice but to turn back to his humble beginnings as a wild horse wrangler.

BUT MAYBE THEIR PASSION CAN...
Miranda Sutton always dreamed of making films, until wild mustangs captured her heart. But turning her grandmother's Montana ranch into a wild horse sanctuary proves harder than she thought. She needs someone who knows wild horses. Keith and the mustangs need each other. And while working together to save the herd, Keith and Miranda discover a passion as wild as the mustangs they love.

Linda's Thoughts:

He'd cautioned her from the outset about snakes, scorpions, and even Gila monsters, but she never could have imagined that he'd be the greatest danger.

SADDLE UP by Victoria Vane is the fourth book in the author's Hot Cowboy Nights series, but it works very well as a stand-alone read if that is your preference. I would not do justice to this book to describe it solely as a captivating cowboy romance as it's so much more than that! It's a gripping expose on the plight of the wild horses and the desperate efforts to save them. It's the story of a broken half-white, half-Shoshone man and his difficult journey to find himself and his purpose. It's the story of a woman who dreamed of making it big in movies only to find that life was not what made her happy. SADDLE UP is a compelling, well-written, solidly plotted western romance featuring a couple whose attraction burns hot and steamy, but whose future is untenable at best. Two days after finishing it, I'm still day-dreaming about it.

Horse whisperer' Keith Russo was a man straddling two worlds. His native American grandfather named him 'Two Wolves' because he had a vision that a dark and light wolf were battling inside his grandson for control. Perhaps Keith had such a strong affinity with the horses because he struggled as much as they did to find his place in the world.

Besides his bond-ability with the horses, Keith also had a way with women; He had quite the womanizing reputation and never lacked for a female to warm his bed. He made good money as an equine clinician spellbinding both the animals and his women clients until aspiring filmmaker Miranda Sutton's boss put an end to his career with a film that distorted the truth about Keith - because Keith wouldn't sleep with her. Keith blamed Miranda - but Miranda had only wielded the camera. It was her boss who did the editing and who had the personal vendetta against Keith. To add insult to injury, Keith's native American tribe shunned him after the film was released because the film wrongly depicted Keith as exploiting his heritage.

The whole sad episode threw Keith into a downward spiral until Miranda entered his life once again when she took a job filming a round-up of wild Mustangs where Keith was the lead wrangler. Their attraction sparked immediately, but learning to trust each other and falling in love was a much slower - albeit never boring-  process. The horses are never far out of the picture; I found myself wanting to save them all.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from this read:

"You make me feel safe."
"Safe?" His thumb skirted softly over her lips. "Maybe you aren't as safe as you think," he added in a tone that made her shiver with anticipation.
---

"A good stallion woos his mare."...---
Being really well hung and turned on probably works in his favor," he added with a teasing smile.... "I've had a raging hard-on since you started this whole damned breeding discussion."
---

"I'm beginning to think even wild horses couldn't have kept me away from you."

SADDLE UP was an exciting, well-paced, action-packed tale. The strong characters - both human and animal - will capture readers' hearts. Be prepared for elements of danger that will have you on the edge of your seat. This is my favorite book in this series that I've read so far. That said, I hadn't realized that I'd missed reading the second book in this series until now, but I plan to rectify that omission quickly by reading ROUGH RIDER next! I highly recommend SADDLE UP to anyone who enjoys fresh, emotional, highly entertaining western romances.



Suggested Reading Order: 
Slow Hand (Book #1)
Rough Rider (Book #2)
Sharp Shootin' Cowboy (Book #3)
Saddle Up (Book #4)