It Happened in the Idaho Desert

The rodeo clown: Brody wants the thrill of bullfighting and the wind at his feet.

The actuary: Rita doesn't want anything to do with a busted up cowboy--and odds are, Brody will be.

The mule: Socrates understands humans. And love, even if humans don't.

Can Socrates lead Brody to Rita's heart? Will Rita let herself take the biggest risk of all?

REVIEW

"It's sexy, sharp, witty and just plain fun!"

Jacquie Rogers has struck me for some time as a talent waiting to "happen". One of the problems with being a unique talent, is it's hard to land with a publisher. Editors are often unwilling to take on oddball i.e. risky projects because they fear not hitting target with mainstream sales. Once this sort of author does, they usually rocket straight to the top of bestsellers lists. Rogers is that sort of author waiting to make the jump. And she will. Watch. With this delightful book, she is one step closer. Her quirky talent and strong voice bring this wacky novel alive. She had me smiling and laughing aloud. Not many authors actually push me to full laughter, but Rogers does, allowing her to join the narrow ranks of Nina Bangs and Lynsay Sands. Set in the real town of Grasmere, Idaho, the clever author puts the town on the map with this romp through rodeos, matchmaking miniature mules, and people finding where they belong in life?and discovering it's not always where they thought they should be.

Brody is hiding out from the high-power, big-money world of Pettybottom Enterprises. And what better way to hide than in the guise of a rodeo clown! He loves playing the clown, figuratively and literally, loves the thrill of bull- riding, the roar of the crowd, thus he believes he knows where he belongs, and it's not behind some desk as CEO of a business that is dull and stuffy. He loves the small town life and the contentment he finds as far from Pettybottom's pressure as you can get.

Rita Markham is an actuary, a lady who crunches numbers. She finds stability, finds security in dealing with dull and stuffy facts. She loves big city sophistication. She might fall for the head of Pettybottom Enterprises, but never for a rodeo clown, no matter how sexy Brody is. Once, she shook off the dust of Grasmere, Idaho and her roots in the rodeo circle, and now wants nothing to do with another broken-down rodeo clown. But is the small town girl really that enamored with big city life, or is she, too, hiding from whom she really is?

Socrates the mule doesn't understand why humans have to make everything so darn complicated. He understands people, odd beings that they are, and even understands love, and is totally perplexed why humans just don't get it. It's up to Socrates to save the day and make Brody and Rita see what is real and what is important.

The author's talent shines, giving a fast-paced, humorous tale that marks her as an author on the rise. It's sexy, sharp, witty and just plain fun!

Reviewed by: Deborah Macgillivray
www.paranormalromance.org
PNR Staff Top Pick

EXCERPT

He opened the pickup door and grinned at her. She wished he wouldn't do that--he knew very well what his smile did to most women. Not her, of course, but most women.

"It's never hard on a man's ego when a woman thinks he'd be good in the sack."

Rita rolled her eyes.

"Well, it was the drugs talking, not Mom."

"You think so?"

Instead of getting in the rig, he strode toward her and put his hands on her waist.
She gazed into his eyes, darker in the evening light.

"I know so. I've never heard her say such things." She knew she should pull out of his grasp, but somehow her body didn't obey her mind.

"Doesn't mean she wasn't telling her real thoughts." His face drew nearer hers.

"Don't believe what she said about how I feel about you." Her voice breathless, she knew she should escape, but somehow she couldn't.

"No?" His hands tightened on her waist and his eyes darkened.
She held still, hoping he wouldn't kiss her, but not able to resist staring at his lips.

"Lord, help me."