The Devil in the Saddle
Princes of Texas, Book #2
by Julia London
ISBN: 9780451492371
Author Website: julialondon(.)com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Caro
Synopsis:
No one cheats on a Prince and gets away with it. And Hallie–Texas socialite, would-be ballerina, and the only daughter of Cimarron County’s renowned Prince family–is ready to give her two-timing fiance a piece of her mind. But fate plants hot, sexy ranch hand and ex-Army Ranger Rafael Fontana quite literally in her way. Her childhood friend is all grown up. He’s sexy, he’s handsome, and suddenly, after all these years, Hallie is taking notice.
Rafe has been in love with Hallie since they were kids, but he was always the help–and she was glamorous and popular, seemingly off-limits to a lowly cowboy. But now he’s back at Three Rivers Ranch to help his family and Hallie is there too–and she needs his support. Of course, Rafe agrees, but soon long-buried feelings boil to the surface, and the desire between them is hot and palpable and undeniable. Rafe realizes he wants Hallie for keeps… he just has to convince her to give true love another shot.
Review:
There cannot be a better follow up book to The Charmer in Chaps than The Devil in the Saddle. In the previous book, readers hardly got a glimpse into Hallie Prince’s character. The reader is briefly introduced to her as Luca’s twin sister that will be getting married soon. Now, in her own book, readers can dive deep and get to know the kind of girl Hallie really is.
“The dreams that happen just before waking, the ones that take weird turns into hippie-dippie landscapes, are the strangest of all.”
To begin off with, Hallie is no longer engaged. Her fiance cheated on her with one of her bridesmaids. The event reminds her of what her mother went through with her father and
Hallie does not desire to live that kind of life. Her fiance insists that he made a mistake and that it won’t happen again, stating that the distance between them drove him to his actions. Hallie’s past family’s experiences make up her mind and she breaks up her engagement and contact with her fiance. She also comes to realize that all he was looking for was a trophy-wife.
With no more wedding and new found time on her hands, Hallie takes advantage of a college email encouraging students to finish their degrees, to go back to school, and pursue their passion. She receives little support from her family but finds a great ally on her childhood friend Rafe. Rafe who is starting his new life after the military is back home for a while to help around the ranch. He has always had a crush on Hallie, but social statues always held him back from being anything more than a friend. Now, with Hallie’s new life maybe there’s a chance of something more.
I loved this book! As soon as I started reading it, I felt compelled by Hallie. She was going through all these emotional stages and I was there with her. After ending her engagement she was lost for a moment but found a great way to overcome it. And I liked that she realized that drinking was not the way to overcome a situation like hers. I also enjoyed the direction the author took her character. Hallie found the best ways to continue with her life and deal with how her ex-fiance was reacting.
“[…] You’re my sister, and I love you and I want to help you and I don’t like to see you hurt. It kills me.”
“I’m not a big fan of being hurt, either, but I’m over it. Now I’m just filled with rage and a very strong desire to be different. Plus, my instagram page is going viral and I need to add some stuff before I lose my audience.”
I also liked the chemistry and mischievousness between Hallie and Rafe. He knew what kind of person she was and always tried to make her see how good she was and her true talent. I was a little worried about how Hallie’s mother would react to her choices but Mrs. Prince is turning out to be a box of surprises. I’m interested in seeing her character develop in the next book. Mrs. Prince needs some peace in her life as well. And let us not forget the Prince’s grandmother, she is hilarious as ever! I want to go shopping with her to Walmart 🙂
This book was amazing from start to end. Hallie lost her father, her fiance, her relationship with her mother isn’t the best but they’re working on it, she had no job or a backup plan, but at the end everything worked out in an interesting sort of way. And Rafe is the best support she could have asked for. If you are not reading the Princes of Texas series, you are missing out on some great characters and a hilarious grandma.
