The return by Erin Knightly

​"The return" by Erin Knightly - Wow!

This book is published by James Patterson’s BookShots (Penguin Random House UK) digital in 2016 and has 86 pages.  This is a book of Sunnybell series.  

Ashley had fallen for Mack head over heels when she was a teenager. But he broke her heart. Now Mack McLeroy is a professional Bull rider. Ashley Montoya wanted to become a barrel racer (a kind of obstacle horse racing) but couldn’t become professional barrel racer due to terminal illness of her mom. A Bull riding accident brings Mack back to Sunnybell for convalescing. They both need something from each other and it’s not love. They hate each other. 

What is it that Mack wants from Ashley? What does Ashley want from Mack? Will they help each other, kill each other or fall in love?

Book starts with a Bull ride. Man Vs beast. Beast wins! Man is injured badly. Professions of the lovers is the USP of the book. A very out of the way and interesting one. Author takes us to the heart of Texas with Bull riding, ranches, cowboys and horses. The tu-tu-main-main between the protagonist is endearing.  They are hurt, they hesitate in acknowledging the attraction and magnetic pull and shun or insult each other to overcompensate. 

Ashley is beautiful. She is still attracted towards him. She finds him sexy even when he is disheveled. She feels flutter in her stomach when he is around but she can’t forget how he has ditched her and broke her heart and wants to punish him for it. Mack has a reputation of a playboy but this girl still unsettles him. He regrets the way he treated her and considers her the prickliest girl in town. He is probably the most handsome Texan and is also good at heart.

It’s a love story. Being a BookShots book, it’s small and quick read. How to fit the love story in few pages? Do away with the lovers being introduced and attracted towards each other. They already know each other, rather hate each other, when the story starts. 

Author, Erin Knightly, has done a very good job. She has captured the emotions perfectly, be it lovers tiff, lust, love, attraction, insecurity, helplessness, and channeled them to make an effective story. Texan background gives it an exotic feel. Blurb of this book doesn’t do Justice to it. The blurb makes the story look shallow. In reality it’s sensuous. 

I found interesting English sentences worth mentioning in this book. They make the book exotic. Some of them are:

Frozen molasses made more progress than he had. 

Less fun than eatin’ dirt. 

Her sarcasm as thick as mud. 

As surely as a bear with a thorn in its butt. 

This book has little used words, used mainly in North America like Dang, stoked, britches, bronc, limber, daggone. It adds to the exoticism of the book. 

Why did I read this book? Goodreads rating.

What I didn't like? Umm….. 

What did I like? Everything

Definitely recommend reading.