Review for Relentless by Cheryl Douglas

Nikki Spencer is all grown up, but the world still sees her as the little girl she used to be. She's ready to prove to her adoring public, and a certain rough riding rodeo champion, that sweet little Nikki isn't as innocent as everyone seems to think.

J.T. McCall has a reputation as a rough rider, both on the bull-riding circuit, and in the bedroom. So what's he to do when an innocent, like country crooner, Nikki Spencer, sets her sights on him? He plans to do what any good old country boy would do, save the lady from herself. But who will save J.T. when this little firecracker sets his world on fire?

********************

Thus far, the Nashville Nights series by Cheryl Douglas has been an entertaining and highly emotional series of books.  While not as enjoyable as its predecessors, Relentless is still a satisfying read featuring two headstrong characters battling themselves to find love.

Nikki Spencer has always been surrounded by country music as the daughter of a famous country singer.  She has always wanted to sing and is finally making a name for herself when she again meets the bull rider who's been the star of many of her late night fantasies.  She'd love to make fantasy a reality if only she wasn't focused on her career.  I can truly understand her focus on her career but don't think that justifies not forming a relationship.  It feels like an excuse and it's giving in to her fears of trying and losing love.  She offers J.T. a fling, but the possessive cowboy starts an all out sensual attack to win her over when tragedy strikes that completely alters their relationship.

J.T. has always been considered the black sheep of his family because of his wild and womanizing ways.  Next to his successful brothers he's always felt like a failure and with the end of his career in sight that feeling's only gotten worse.  He's at a loss what to do in the future but knows he's ready to settle down and fantasy girl Nikki is exactly who he wants.  I admire how focused he is in going after Nikki, but his possessiveness started to become a bit over-the-top and almost crossed into obsessive.

Considering how hot these two are for each other there's surprisingly not a lot of sexual interludes.  There's a lot of talk and sexual tension between these two throughout the story, which allowed them to strengthen their bond, but made the story feel draggy.  The ending seemed to come out of nowhere and in contrast it felt extremely rushed.

The Nashville Nights series continues to satisfy with its likable characters and their emotional connections.  While not as good as the previous entries, Relentless is still a story worth reading and has set up some interesting possibilities with the ramifications from the events concluding this book.

My rating for this is a B-

*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.