★★ 3.5 stars! ★★

Having not read the previous books in this series, I knew I was taking a chance when I requested this one. The writing is great, the storyline is fun, but the stubbornness and barbs between the main characters felt over the top throughout the book. I kept waiting for them to finally move forward and found myself losing interest in whether they got together or not. I stuck it out and the last quarter of the story saved my rating. I will definitely read more from Lorelei James, but this one wasn't my favorite.

*4.5 stars *

Frenemies with all the angst and a whole lot of attitude…

Actually, I could be talking about just Riss actually. She’s a trucker with a mouth to go with the tough job and an independent streak a few miles long. She and Ike are best man/woman at their friends’ wedding and the truce they kept up for weeks was either going to crash and burn or turn into something unexpected…

Riss was a bold, in your face character, with a lack of self-confidence under all her bluster. At times over the top, but never mean, the sparks between her and Ike drove this story completely. Ike was the quieter of the two, calmly doing his thing while keeping his problems hidden, as he fell under her unintentional spell…

There was a lot of family in their lives and that spawned much of the drama they both faced. Career problems, money issues, neither was in a good place until Ike was suddenly her protector and Riss had his back. Riss fought every inch of the way and Ike wasn’t that much better though her vocabulary was a lot more (ahem) colourful… They made me laugh, made me shake my head, and kept me glued to their story all the way through. They grew and changed as their relationship did and it was a treat to watch each tentative step they made towards admitting their true feelings…

Steamy, funny and full of drama, this duo shouldn’t have worked. Yet they did, spectacularly. In fact, they could have written the book on dealing with adversity and real life with a lot of love and communication. Eventually (lol)… One of my favourites in the series.

I've heard amazing things about Lorelei James and couldn't wait to read this book, however, it wasn't for me. There is something about the style of writing that made it difficult for me to enjoy and connect with the characters.

I will try again, but at this point, I'm more than half way through and recognize that it may be for some people and not for others.

Racked and Stacked was another fantastic and sexy addition to Lorelei James' Blacktop Cowboys series.

Racked and Stacked is an enemies-to-lovers romance that, on paper, had everything that I loved, but somehow it didn’t quite come together for me.

Larissa Thorpe and Ike Palmer have clearly been at each other’s throats for the last several years. The animosity is strong enough that most people assume they’re actually sleeping together. They’re not, and they continue not to for at least 3/4 of this book. I’m fine with a slow burn, but it was different than other Lorelei James books that I’ve read. They’ve called a truce in the leadup to their best friends’ wedding, since she’s the maid of honor and he’s the best man, but the wedding happens in the opening chapter of this book, so the truce can officially be called off.

But then Riss breaks her arm, and Ike doesn’t think her older brothers are taking enough care of her, so he “rescues” her and brings her to his house, and the tension between them finally starts to boil over. Being in such close proximity to each other means that they’re forced to see each other in completely different ways. Riss is able to see that Ike’s bluster is all for show, hiding an insecurity about his education and place in the world. Ike starts to see that part of the reason Riss is so open and in-your-face is that she’s had to fight for her brothers to see her as an adult and take her seriously.

But they have a lot more in common than they expected, and those similarities are what they’re able to grasp onto and use as a foundation for their changing relationship. One of those similarities is a current lack of money, so they made a rule that their dates had to be free or as good as. I really like this aspect of their relationship. For some reason, money never seems to come up as an issue in romance novels, and even when it is brought up as an issue, it rarely seems to actually impact the character’s day-to-day lives. Riss and Ike actually worked to keep the dates as close to free as possible, and I loved the creativity they used to do this.

So why didn’t I rate this one higher? I couldn’t really connect with Riss and Ike. I liked them both, but in a neutral way. I wanted them both to get their HEA, but I wasn’t convinced it had to be with each other. I liked them together, but I didn’t love them. In real life, I don’t believe in the concept of one-true-love, soul mates, whatever you want to call it. I believe that you can be truly happy with multiple people, whether that’s all at one time or in a succession. In my romance novels, I believe the same thing, but I still want to believe that the two or three or twelve people in the relationship belong together, even if it’s just at this particular point in their lives. I didn’t get that feeling from Riss and Ike. I got the sense that they were each in a place in their lives where they wanted to settle down and they were each the most attractive and convenient option for the other.

I haven’t read the rest of this series, and maybe that’s part of the problem. Maybe if I’d read the earlier books in the series, I would have seen the relationship between Riss and Ike develop more, but this book should be able to stand on its own, and it didn’t.

Another great work by Lorelei James. She has hot cowboy nailed down and stored for future use! Can't wait to see what she writes next.

Racked and Stacked was my first read by Lorelei James and I really enjoyed it.
It can be read as a standalone, but is part of a series. Each book is about a different couple.
It's a frenemy to love romance and made me LOL at the banter between Riss and Ike. Their chemistry is hot. Both are no nonsense and strong willed.
The writing is great and the storyline flows seamlessly. It's told in both Riss and Ike's POV.
I will definitely be adding Jade and Tobin's book to my TBR.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/F Romance

Riss and Ike have never truly seen eye to eye. They have best friends who fell in love, so their interaction was more forced than voluntary. The two of them like to take jabs at each other. So, when their friends make them maid of honor and best man, they decide a truce is in order.

Riss is used to dealing with sexism. Being a female truck driver, she has to be tough to stand her own ground. So, for her, Ike isn't an issue. She gives as good as she gets. She also has had a tougher life than most. Growing up in the shadow of all of her brothers, she loves them to pieces and would lay down her life for them, but she also wants to stand on her own.

Ike is a rugged cowboy who likes to push Riss' buttons. He raised his sisters and has always been there for them. What starts out as a truce suddenly changes into a friendship when Ike comes to Riss' aid. Ike has some tough lessons to learn, but Riss will be with him every step of the way.

The two of them are great with the banter. They also have great chemistry. It was a little drawn out in terms of their relationship and personal issues, but overall, this was an enjoyable story.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
The awesome telling of frenemies-to-lovers with all twists, turns, and heat that one has come to expect from Lorelei James.

I absolutely adored this book. The characters were well-written, the story believable, and the heat between the two arcing off the page.

Strong alpha females are often written as highly successful, career-oriented women, but in this instance you get the same focused character who happens to be like a lot of people – blue collar, hardworking, and doing the best that they can. If it means working two or three jobs to make ends meet, that's what they do. No complaining, no whining.

Same for men. Most men we read about are successful or upwardly mobile. Rarely do we see a male lead admit that his business is floundering, that he can't make it work. This rare glimpse into life as most know it is great because it shows that two people who are struggling with bills can find time for love and make it work.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the ninth book in the series, and whilst richer if read in order, this is an excellent story in its own right.

Riss and Ike are a fantastic couple, from when we meet them coordinating their respective best friends' wedding thanks to an agreed truce, to the wonderful ending – and every page in between. Whether you had met them in previous books or not, you would learn just why these two are how they are – and what it takes to change... everything!

Riss was brought up by her older brothers, and her view of herself is as a tomboy, she works as a trucker, and she views sex as recreational rather than emotional. We soon understand why, when we meet her brothers. I loved her – and when her strong independent streak results in her badly injuring herself and in need of care, unexpectedly Ike steps up to help.

Ike brought up his three sisters, and whilst he is attracted to Riss, he blows hot and cold, one minute older brother, the next sexy cowboy. Ike is also struggling with his career status, and it is lovely to see that he trusts Riss with the issues he is having and asks for her advice. This mixture of romance, business, the impact of family on both, and the unravelling of their feelings for each other is perfect. These are two people who have to work for a living, who are not perfect, and who don't get lots of lucky breaks. They worry about the cost of healthcare, the lack of spare money, and the future.

This is a really good read, thank you for another engaging installment.

As always with Lorelei James' books, the stellar dialogue and extremely well placed passion keeps my interest. Racked and Stacked takes off quickly and it's a relatively fast read. It is part of the Blacktop Cowboys series, it could stand alone, however I recommend the series as characters reappear, and prior situations are mentioned. The hero and heroine, Ike and Riss, strike sparks off each other and their chemistry is apparent. I appreciated that Ms. James drew them as multi dimensional humans with flaws and relateable life issues. The pacing is fast, the story entertaining and the happily ever after satisfactory. There is plenty of heat, though the passionate encounters actually serve to move the story along.

The Blacktop Cowboys series has been a real favorite of mine, kind of the lesser-known cousin to Lorelei James's powerhouse Rough Riders western contemporary family saga series, but no less heartfelt, emotional, sexy, and all the true-to-life highs and lows of ranching life in the wild country of Wyoming. The early books were especially my favorites, and though not every book or couple have resonated the same with me, I was ramped up for Larissa and Ike's story. The female truck driver and the stock contractor who bickered every time they were in the same place—and they found themselves having to work together more and more—and hated each other… I could not wait.

So it was more than disappointing to get their book in my hands and find out that all the hopes I had for their story were just not realized. A freak injury puts Larissa out of commission driving semis and making the hauls that are her much depended on livelihood, and somehow Ike ends up her caretaker, making them uncomfortable roomies of sorts. So for the majority of the book we don't get to see them in action on the blacktop, but rather day in and day out cooped up in Ike's house.

Also, the trajectory from enemies to misunderstood, reluctant friends to agreeing to, slowly, try dating just feels like a missed opportunity. Any time you have an excellent, built-up honest-to-God enemies-to-lovers story in romance, the chance for hate f&%*!ing should not be passed up. I wanted to see Larissa and Ike going at it, in every sense of the word. I wanted to see the anger, the frustration, the pent-up passion that I'd waited for since they were introduced in the series. None of it was there.

Blacktop Cowboys began as an erotic romance series, and just as sure as Harper and Bran or Celia and Kyle, Ike and Larissa's story warranted an erotic romance. But it isn't. And what's worse, this wasn't the picture of the characters that I expected. Larissa rubs the wrong way more often than not, abrasive and surly. And Ike isn't really the manly man I hoped and expected he'd be given what we knew so far. And by the time Ike and Larissa get on the road, the book is nearly over.

There are bright spots, as I was invested in Larissa and Ike because of the way they'd been set up till now. I also love that they are true blue collar characters, and their real life situation being one major catastrophe away from total financial collapse is a truth more than a fair share of Americans deal with. I LOVE our truck driver heroine—I just wish we'd seen a lot more of what made these characters so irresistible and compelling until now, and there was something lost in this story.

So I think it may be time to hang up the hat on this series, much as I have dearly loved it.

http://smexybooks.com/2018/08/helyces-thursday-thoughts-things.html
As a long time fan of Ms. James, I jump at the chance to read anything to do with her hot and sexy cowboys. Her Rough Riders series featuring the Coleman family was so good! This series is good as well, but the previous book released in 2016 and that was just long enough ago for me to forget Ike Palmer and Riss Thorpe. I found myself confused and feeling like I was missing something for the first part of the story; but I continued on.

Ike and Riss have always antagonized each other, but they call a truce when they are thrown together in preparations for the wedding of their best friends. Over the course of wedding planning and associated parties they get along pretty well, and hold true to their truce. Following the wedding, they seem to hold on to their newfound friendship and when Riss suffers an injury that has her unable to work and needing extra help, she moves in with Ike who offers to care for.

This story could have been so, so good. I loved Ike. Super kind and caring, he’d raised his younger sisters after his parents died. He should have cut the apron strings a long time ago, but old habits die hard. He’s still the first person his sisters think to call when something is going on and he always drops what he is doing to take care of them. He puts that same love and care into taking care of Riss after her accident.

Riss had a similar upbringing, though it was her eldest brother who was tasked with raising Riss and their two brothers when their parents died. She grows up around boys, and she grows up tough, independant and not in any way your typical girly girl. She doesn’t need or want anyone to take care of her, but she also knows her limitations and is more than grateful for Ike’s help.

Once these two are under the same roof, all their previous walls come down as they get to know each other in a very different way. Ike shares the truth about what’s going on in his life and his business which is in trouble and Riss shares how she is has her own financial issues because of the fact that she is unable to work while she is healing. They come to an agreement that works for both of them, and through it find a partnership not only in business but in love as well.

For me, this story should have and could have been so much more. There is good sexual tension between Ike and Riss in some of the early scenes. They have so much in common and really make a good team, both in business and personally. They really just fit together perfectly. It just missed the mark along the way and I just can’t put my finger on it. I’m not sure if it was because I couldn’t place these characters in my memory for this series or I just didn’t connect with them strongly as I read. Something was just missing for me. I’m invested at 9 books in, however–so I’m sure I’ll keep reading.

Larissa "Riss" Thorpe is a strong-ass woman who is going to find her joy where she can and isn't going to be slut shamed by anyone. Though she might get annoyed by... certain people. Ike Palmer being the one who gets under her skin. And now the truce they've called to help them get through their friends' wedding is off. And then Riss breaks her arm and Ike feels a strange compulsion to rescue her from her brothers.
I quite liked this book and believe that regular James readers won't be disappointed.

Four stars
This book came out August 7
ARC kindly provided by Net Galley

James did an awesome job with this enemies to lovers trope novel. But then again, what else can you expect from the author who started this sexy series. Lorelei James had managed to keep each Blacktop Cowboys installment filled with lovable characters, sexy as hell scenes, and always tops it with good humor.

Riss and Ike have been at each other throat, but came to a truce during their friends’ wedding. After all, as maid of honor and the best man, they have to work closely together. Little did they know that their truce would come to be so much more.

Despite their mutual annoyance, Riss and Ike were very much attracted to each other. They tried to deny it, but anyone can see right through them. Even the sexual tension vibrated off the pages. Yes, as usual, James wrote a sexy novel, though I think this book is the least sexy of them all. James was also consistent with humor in this novel. There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and snarky banters. What I love most is how Ike new exactly how to care for Riss when she was sick. He also knew how to let Riss be the independent woman that she is while letting her know he is there for her. It takes a very confident man to let his woman take the lead.

I do wish there was more of the previous characters in this book. The Mud Lilies and the precious couples made their cameos but not nearly as much as before. They were there, but not as much as I would like. Nevertheless, another entertainingly good read.

Racked and Stacked
A Blacktop Cowboy novel book #9
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Review copy provided by the publisher

Nothing gets me more excited than a brand spanking new Lorelei James book! This book hit the ground running. Larissa (Riss) and Ike have a unique relationship. They start out as "frenemies" with some amazingly funny banter and name calling! I found myself laughing a lot throughout the whole book. Riss is pretty creative in her story telling and cussing. A girl after my own heart!

When Ike and Larissa end up as roommates, things to start heat up. But it was slow, so damn slow. And here's where my frustration began. I get not hopping into bed right away. I understand letting the lust burn a bit, but holy hell, this was slower than the second coming of Christ. I kept look at the page number on my kindle and thinking that it must be coming any minute now. But still I waited. And waited some more.

When these two FINALLY hit the sheets it was amazeballs. I think actually released a breath of relief!

I'm not gonna lie, Riss isn't my favourite Lorelei James heroine. She was a little too flakey for my liking. And sometimes a little too rough around the edges. But like I said, her sassy mouth kept me interested and laughing.

As always in a Lorelei James book, the writing and plot kept me engaged and interested...for the most part. I felt like the ending dragged on a bit more than it needed to.

While this wasn't my favourite book in this series, it was still crazy entertaining! Ike and Riss have a way of communicating that kept me smiling and anticipating their next conversation.

I really had trouble getting into the book initially and getting caught up in the emotions of the characters. The storyline was good, but it just didn’t stand out in my mind amongst other books in the genre. The blurb was great, but overall the book just fell flat for me.

Growing up with three older brothers, Larissa "Riss" Thorpe and being called a tomboy never bothered her until she met sexy cowboy Ike Palmer. Riss can tell that Ike prefers his women soft-spoken and feminine. And since she is obviously not his type, it's unlikely that they'll mix business and pleasure when they're in close quarters together.

Former cattle broker Ike Palmer was ready for a new chapter in his life as a stock contractor when he started working with Riss, a sassy truck driver who gets under his skin at every turn. But Riss is unlike any woman he's ever met and her candor inflames him in the most unexpected ways.

I had high hopes for this book despite the fact that I normally don't like many cowboy story lines.
Ike is a sexy cowboy who meets sassy Larissa and the I-don't-like-you, you-don't-like-me banter between the two is cute. Ike has broken away from being a cattle broker and is trying to find his way in the job as a contractor. After Riss has an accident her and Ike decide to call a truce. The attraction flies between the two as they are forced to spend time in close quarters. Although the characters had depth, the story line really didn't hold my attention that much. The steam between the two was enjoyable, and for those who want a nice beach read, this is your book, I did love the sweetness of it, I, personally would have enjoyed it more with a little more spice added in. all in all an enjoyable read.

Racked and Stacked is a juggernaut of sexual tension that builds to a maximum level. The relationship building of Riss and Ike in this book is painful and sweet at the same time. I really enjoyed hearing their journey and that it wasn't all smooth sailing. How do two people work through their own issues and come out with a healthy relationship? Would definitely recommend this book for romance lovers.

Ike and Larissa at one time wanted to tear each other’s throats out, but after being in a truce they’ve come to sort of like each other. On the eve of their friend’s (Tobin & Jade from the last book) wedding the Mud Lilies pull them aside to give the third degree. Thinking their previous hate has turned into lust making assumptions that aren’t true, but get Ike and Larissa thinking about each other in a new, interesting light.

As these new thoughts are circling, an unexpected accident throws Larissa and Ike together in close quarters and they struggle with mutual attraction. Heated looks, accidental brushes, and a few steamy kisses make staying apart an impossible feat. All that pent-up desire turned into fiery hot pleasure once they gave in! Larissa and Ike’s romance was fun, sassy, and at times sizzling hot! Ike was a dirty talker and followed through with action!

But this was more than just a romance. Both Ike and Larissa are at a turning point with their jobs. Larissa because her injury may end the career she loves and Ike because his company is on the rocks. Problems that real people face every day in life. I’m glad they didn’t wallow, they each helped each other look at things realistically and come up with workable solutions. They came up with cheap dates to have fun while not breaking the bank, all the while growing closer and closer, and I just knew these two were in it for the long haul.

With Racked and Stacked Lorelei James once again captured my heart, made me laugh, and got me all hot and bothered! I loved every minute!

Blacktop Cowboys Series is not my favorite from Lorelei James (Rough Riders is my fav). That being said, I have enjoyed books in this series, but this one not so much. I just couldn't connect with the characters and I really wanted to! Oh well. I do look forward to reading more in this as well as other series Mrs. James writes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. #RackedAndStacked #NetGalley