While I do like her written I'm just not enjoying it like I use to .With that said I don't think she's the author for me any more, so as as right now I'm sad to say that I'm DNF her books

Youngest Grant brother and Athena have their journey to romance. Good series with the Grant brothers.

Nate had a very difficult time accepting someone else could possibly ride better than he did. He was the superstar after all. He was surprised he had to compete with Athena a former childhood friend. Embracing the life they were transforming together he tried to open up but was met with a brick wall. Will he knock down Athena’s walls as he falls in love with her or will he be forced to walk away? Great ending to the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the end of my particular ARC marathon, so don’t mind me if I seem drained and the review is a gibberish even harder to crack than a Illuminati puzzle. I’m going to need a rest from NetGalley and review my relationship with that site. It is great, but those damn request buttons are so tempting!! I will need to control myself next time, otherwise I will end with too many ARCs and too little time to read them… like this year. But enough about me, I’m not reviewing myself today (I would barely give me 2 stars right now, by the way…). Let’s put our hands all over the third Grant brother!!

We go back to that Texas town to meet Nate Grant, the rodeo celebrity who drives all woman crazy with his good looks and his womanizer attitude. He is back in town to take part in a rodeo competition that is just a PR stunt for him. But for Athena, that competition could mean her first step into a life as a professional. The weeks before the big day, Nate has several public appearances in order to promote himself. One of them is teaching in Athena’s class for little girls interested in rodeo. The special spark between the two of them is obvious, so Nate’s agents and producers decide that a reality show following both of them could be a great idea…

What the previous book lacked of, this last one has plenty of it. Well, maybe that is going too far, but the third book is way more lively with interesting situations happening almost in every chapter. And yet, I’m not 100% happy with it. Not even a 50%. In all these books I have read lately there were great ideas, nice starting points that could lead to something noteworthy. But in the end, everything is underveloped and the ending tends to be rushed and weird. This one is no exception. I love the idea of following the blossoming of a romantic relationship surrounded by PR stunts. That keeps the reader engaged wondering what is real and what is just pretending in front of the cameras. The tension keeps growing and growing until everything explodes. That climax is so epic, that the damage control should have taken waaaay longer than a half-hearted final chapter.

The length of these books is their greatest asset and their worst enemy at the same time. Due to the style of the author, I’m almost certain that longer books would be burdened with too many boring moments. I don’t want that to seem like hard criticism. These books fill masterfully the spot for extra-light summer readings where you don’t want to invest too much brain processing in order to truly relax during holidays. Nothing shameful about it! It is just that in order to achieve that lightness, some plot and character development must be cut down.

This time the characters don’t seem like a couple of sloths taking a nap as in the previous book. They have some personality that I’m thankful for. Nate is cocky, which helps in the daialogues due to the banter that is usually linked to that behaviour. But he is also humble enough to accept when he is wrong and to take notice of Athena’s emotions. Yes, he is pretty clumsy emotionally speaking; but he is always willing to learn from his mistakes, which makes him a good character in my book. I also like that Athena doesn’t drink the cool celebrity aid Nate is pouring for everyone. She has an opnion of her own and she is not afraid to let him know about it. But even though they have that kind of personality that could bring a lot of deadpan humor into a story, I’m afraid that spice is mostly ignored. Once again, we are in front of a lost chance for good sense of humor!

The development of the romance is OK until the ending, which happens all too fast. But I don’t really mind, because I was mad about another detail that kept my rage entertained. They are constantly bablbing about the competion during the festival. Nate vs Athena in an epic rodeo spectacle. I had great interest in it, because I have no idea what they have to do in that rodeo thingy. In my ignorance, I thought they were bullriders, but they actually ride horses… I was hoping for some enlightment and also to a good and healthy competition between the stars of the story. It pissed me off big time that that huge event was reduced to a couple of lines in a retelling of that day…

ARCs no more (for now)! Well, being honest I still have a couple, but they are the third and fourth book of a saga I have yet to start, so I’m not reading them anytime soon…

Yay Nate is finally home and Athena is going to give him heck and show everyone that girls can do anything that the boys can and show off her rodeo skills to boot. Sparks start to fly on the course and off. I loved going on this journey with them and so will you!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is book 3 in a series and reads well as a stand alone. This is Nate and Athena's story. Cute and fun. This was my favorite of the 3. I give it 3.5 stars. I think most romance readers would enjoy.

The third book in this series has Nate the younger brother coming home from the rodeo circuit for the big festival in town. His name should draw in a lot of people for the rodeo and other business. The one person who is really not that happy to see him is Athena Moore, they grew up together and she has not been able to leave town because of her mother and she feels and knows she is as good as or better than Nate at the rodeo. They square off which is good for publicity and Nate helps at her camp for girls. The problem becomes more of an issue when they begin to have feelings for one another and then he finds out that he will be competing against her in the rodeo. They do get into many arguments and both of them have issues, but will they be able to get past all of those for the sake of love? Read this wonderful story to find out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Leslie North did a great job of creating a short romance around a country rodeo setting. From former friends to later loves, Nate helped to make this story a great romantic story. This is one book that I would recommend to my friends that are looking for a cowboy love story.

The third book in the series, and the story of Nate and Althena, who are competing for the rodeo title during the town festival. A fair story overall, and a quick read, but took a bit to get into at the beginning, and wrapped up too quickly at the end. Tends to be the norm with novellas, but distracting none the less. Overall all though, I enjoyed the story and would recommend for a quick summer read.

This is the third book in a series and had I read the first two I may have connected more with the story perhaps? I liked the writing style however I didn't feel much depth with the two main characters and for me there was very little chemistry.

Thank you to NetGalley & publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

A fun, fast paced funny and touching read. The characters have you gritting your teeth yet willing them on at the same time. Entertaining and enjoyable read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

For some reason, I just couldn't get into this one. I don't know if it was the characters or the storyline, but it just wasn't for me. It is quite a short story and I think that as a result, it did feel a bit rushed. There was no real development of the relationship between Athena and Nate. They seemed to go from arguing about everything to a happily ever after with nothing in between. Although it was made clear that they liked one another, there was little more than that. The chemistry just wasn't there. It's a shame because I liked the idea of two people who were competing against one another being attracted to each other, for me this was a bit of a lost opportunity.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Even though Nate was a bit of a butthead, I liked him a lot. I enjoyed him being vulnerable and of course he was so lovable. The banter and chemistry between Nate and Athena was absolutely fun. The writing was very well done.

The Third and final instalment in the Grant Brother series, this is Athena and Nate’s story. I enjoyed the story but would have liked to see more about the event that brought them together. Overall a good series and this was a good read

The Cowboy's Rodeo Rival is the final book in the trilogy of the Grant Brothers by Leslie North, and as with all Ms North’s stories, there is drama, miscommunication, attraction, and some enjoyable banter too. My one criticism of this particular novella, is the lack of visual around the “big event” that Athena and Nate are competing in. As this is the entire foundation of why this couple have been thrown back in each other’s path, there should have been a scene which outline the event, rather than a passing mention in the epilogue. Athena and Nate did have chemistry, but their relationship relayed a strong friendship rather than the “can’t keep my hands off you” type of passion that we’ve come to expected from these books. Overall a good story, but my least favourite of the series.

I actually found this book a little slow to start, and felt it dragged on a bit. The relationship between Nate and Athena was s bit exhausting with the constant ups and downs. Both seemed to lack any real maturity. It felt like the festival was too much sidetracked, and the main event wasn't described enough (never figured out exactly what the competition was). It just felt too abstract to fully enjoy for me. I dislike giving authors negative reviews, but this book just wasn't one of my most enjoyed.

Nate is back in town to get himself good PR for his rodeo career.
Athena wants to hate him for having all the opportunities she never got, and instead teaches rodeo in her home town.
Entertaining read as their rivalry leads to romance.

Nate is the youngest of the Grant brothers and had to find his own special place -- thus his career in the rodeo world. Now his career is on the rise and he returns home to do a promotional show at the local Strawberry Festival in hopes of landing a major sponsor. But when he arrives expecting to be welcomed as the hometown hero, he finds himself challenged by the hometown darling Athena Moore. Because of how she grew up Athena always felt that she had something to prove. Winning against Nate at the upcoming Strawberry Festival will show her girls that she trains and herself that they can do anything the boys could. Working with Nate will stir up feelings neither can ignore. But will this competition ruin things before they even start?

I love Athena's, I can do anything, attitude. Nate sure did have a lot to learn. I'm not sure how many times I shook my head and said "way to dig that hole deeper man". I enjoyed this series a lot.