A fast paced romantic suspense novel that is also a novel of second chances in more ways that one. Because sometimes the one that got a way doesn't need to be.

Rodeo Standoff was a fun romantic suspense read! While I haven't read the first book in the McKade Law, after reading this one, I now want to read it as I love the McKade family. I enjoyed the rodeo aspect and I loved the hero in the story. He was courageous and you could see how much he cared about the heroine.

I found the romance to be good. I liked the ending and how everything wrapped up. It wasn't too rushed and was just very well done. I also enjoyed the suspense, especially towards the end.

All in all, I really liked Rodeo Standoff and recommend it. I look forward to reading the next book in this series, as I own it and have it on my TBR.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

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This was such a good book. I pretty much spent my evening reading this book and I don't regret. I loved getting to know the characters and Bradens history. I loved how close knit Tessas family was and seeing how everyone was together. I loved that there was plenty going on to keep the readers interesting and how accidents kept occuring making the readers curious to see what would happen next. I loved that there was a clean romance in this book. If you enjoy a mystery book with a bit of romance you'll probably enjoy this book as much as I did.

Deputy Tess McKade finds herself trapped in an arena with an angry bull when Braden Hayes comes to her rescue.



Braden is in Lost Creek doing PR for the rodeo, he is a former PBR champion, and he instantly recognizes her as one of the barrel racers even though they have never talked. Tessa and Braden both now work in law enforcement, as she is a deputy and he is a homicide detective.



Tessa works with her family, her father is the sheriff, her brother is an investigator, and her sister works with them too, she doesn't want her family to know how much danger she is in. Tessa is cool in a tense situation and she welcomes Braden's support as they work to unravel who is targeting her and wants her dead.



Tessa and Braden get to know each other while working together on the weekend, Tessa discovers that Braden isn't tha shallow flirt that she had him pegged as. Braden is determined, hardworking, kind, and too charming for his own good. Braden admires her drive and dedication to see the case out to the end, and is impressed by her knowledge of forensics.



The McKade's welcome Braden to stay with them, and treat him like one of the family, which includes some matchmaking. Tessa and Braden are both believers, but they struggle with trust, a result of pain from the past. As they work together, they learn to trust each other in dangerous circumstances, and wonder if they might be able to give love a chance.



Overall, fantastic. It has a quick hook, lots of action, and great characters. Tessa is a strong resilient woman. Braden is a man of integrity, and is very quick thinking. Fantastic book I couldn't put it down. Full of twists and turns with a suspenseful ending!



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

Rodeo Standoff is a romantic suspenseful mystery. It is not mushy, it's powerful, lively and immensely Spiritual. You have Tessa who is being stalked by a murderer. Well not stalked but they have a target on her head but nothing will happen to her if Detective Austin has anything to say about it. Meanwhile they spend time together, will they guard their hearts too much or will they let GOD do HIS will for their lives?

Rodeo Standoff by Susan Sleeman has the perfect blend of mystery and clean romance. Rodeo Standoff is a Christian romantic suspense and the second book in the McKade Law series. The story stands alone and is a recommended read. The opening scene will have you holding your breath. Tessa is a deputy in a town where most of the law enforcement personnel are McKades. She is the forensics expert. She is also a champion barrel racer. Braden who is a retired champion bull rider comes to her aid when someone lets a bull loose in the arena with her. Braden retired from bull riding and is now a police officer in Austin. He becomes her body guard until the suspect is found. I enjoyed their mutual respect of each other from their rodeoing days. Their relationship developed naturally from there. The sibling banter between the McKades was a treat. I love a story with a big happy family. Even the grandma and grandpa added a certain charm to the story. They mystery and investigation were well done. There were plenty of suspects to keep you guessing.

What an exciting story with characters that jump off the pages. If you are not familiar with rodeos you will be after reading this action packed book. I am a Texan through and through and the author was perfect on her description of how a rodeo works. I don't think I would be as together as Tessa was after almost saying hi up close with a bull. She was quick to get out of the way, but it definitely was no mistake that the bull was loose in the arena.

I liked Tessa because she is a very smart deputy and doesn't back down to anyone. Her family is not happy that someone is trying to kill her and decide she needs a bodyguard. I can hear Tessa saying, " Y'all have got to be kiddin me. I'm a deputy. I can take care of myself." She talks a big talk, but her daddy knows best.

Braden is exactly what you expect from a cowboy. He is a tall drink of water like us Texans say. It doesn't hurt that he is a famous bull rider. The ladies swoon all over him and I laughed as Tessa rolled her eyes at all the attention he got. Braden is also a detective from Austin, Texas which makes him perfect as a bodyguard. Okay, well the family thinks it is a good idea. He did save her life so he must be good at his job. Someone means business when Tessa continues to face danger. Who did she make madder than a wet hen?

I loved the connection between Tessa and Braden as they slowly started to depend on each other. Tessa's family is one you want to eat Sunday dinner with after church. Their values are what makes their family so special. They love horses and it makes the story so real when you read how well they treat their animals. I loved the bond Tessa had with her horse and how much she trusted it when she did barrel racing. There is a part in the story about Braden when he was growing up that brought me to tears. I won't spoil it, but the author did an excellent job of showing his vulnerable side.

I just have to mention one thing Braden said to Tessa in a tense moment. When he whispered, "It'll be okay, darlin, " When a cowboy says that you know you will be safe. It's a perfect story complete with rodeo clowns, intrigue and intense danger that brings the story to an action packed ending.

I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion.

This is the first of my time reading anything by Susan Sleeman, but I've been a long time fan of LoveInspired Suspense reads, and was excited to read this one. From the opening scene, I knew I would enjoy her writing style. From the beginning Tessa is in danger, and Braden quickly comes to the rescue. I enjoyed the whole McKade family, and am excited this is part of a series!

The criminals in this one are all interesting, and they all had reasons to want to hurt Tessa, and to cost her another championship. I enjoyed the fact that this story kept me guessing, and I was surprised at the end.

I also enjoyed how Tessa and Braden are both guarded, and not looking for anything romantic, though it seems God has other plans. They learned to accept and respect each other as friends and co-workers before anything romantic. I feel it added another layer of depth to their relationship, and to the story in general.

A wonderful addition to the Love Inspired Suspense collection! The characters were realistic and the plot line was very much captivating. This was a quick read and I read it in one sitting. Can't wait for another! Great job from the author!

I got into this book from the start. Turning around to find yourself facing a ticked off huge bull would be heart-stopping. Tessa is not used to being in the arena with bulls, just her barrel horse. I loved how she and Braden meet. I also like that they've been around each other before but never ran in the same circles. Each of them thought they knew what made the other tick but maybe they are both wrong.
Tessa's family dynamic made the book even better. I love her grandparents! They remind me of mine and that made it even better. I can only imagine what it would be like growing up in a family of law enforcement officers and being female. This is the second book about this family but as it focused on Tessa and Braden, I didn't feel like I was missing anything. (I do plan on going back and reading the first book though) Both of the main characters being law enforcement was great and I loved that each wasn't trying to 'one up' the other but rather both had their own specialties.
It was a 4/5 for me. I love the rodeo!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Enjoyed This book from the very first page to the very last. This is a new author for me but she had romance and mystery throughout this story. Can’t wait to find other stories from this talented author. Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for allowing me to read this book

I read the Love Inspired Suspense line whenever I get the opportunity, but, as far as I know, I have never read a Sleeman book.  This story seems to show good research into the world of rodeo. The characters are well developed, and has a solid resolution. There is some choppy dialogue in the story and some contrived plot elements, like both characters being in rodeo and both characters are now also in law enforcement, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment.  The suspense kept me guessing. All in all, I give this a 4 star rating and hope to read more from this author.

"Rodeo Standoff" is a Christian romantic suspense novel. The suspense came from physical danger to the heroine, as someone kept trying to kill her while she was performing at the rodeo. This was her last barrel racing contest, and the danger was distracting plus she had to do her crime scene investigator job as well. I appreciated that the heroine was willing to listen to sensible advice and that both the hero and heroine were willing to admit when they were wrong.

The hero's parents had serial dysfunctional marriages, so he's determined never to marry even though women are attracted to his fame as a bull riding champion. The heroine came from a loving family, but due to a cheating ex-boyfriend, she's not willing to trust her heart to a popular man. This mutual resistance to marriage stood between them despite their attraction to each other.

The Christian element was consulting God's leading in marriage. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense novel.