Lil has one goal in mind - to save her family's ranch. How does she plan to go about it? She is determined to win a huge rodeo prize and that means beating undefeated rodeo champion AJ Garza, someone she has had a crush on for years.

AJ Garza does not know who Lil Sorrow is. The young cowboy, as that is what AJ thinks, is no way as skilled as he is. AJ desperately needs to win this rodoe tour as his program for wayward teens, CityBoyz, could fall apart if he does not win the prize. It was this very program that once saved him, and he will do his darndest to keep it running.

When AJ and Lil meet, imagine the shock AJ experiences when he realizes his petite opponent is a woman. In fact, when she is off course, and dolled up, she is a gorgeous little package that he is intensely drawn to. He is not sure why he is experiencing the strangest magnetic pull towards Lil. Not only are the two competing, but the event has drawn the attention of the media and the two are thrown together quite a bit.

How long will AJ and Lil be rivals? What about the strong pull of attraction the pair are experiencing? Who will make the first move? What about their goals for the prize money? If one of them loses, will they ultimately lose everything? All of these questions and more are addressed in this engaging first book in the Closed Circuit series. I really loved this book, especially since we have a strong female protagonist, one in a career that doesn't have all that many women competing in.

This sexy and exciting story was a delightful read. I loved the background of the characters and the diversity as well. The fact that this book focused on the rodeo, and had diverse characters was an excellent blend. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Many thanks to and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This was the first book for Marcella and I must say it was a really good one.

Marcella brought to life strong characters. A really modern storyline with a nod to reality TV and some romance. This story had everything I look for in a romance novel.

Lillian a farm-raised girl learns her grandfather and hero made a business decision that has huge consequences for her and the land she was raised on. AJ is a guy looking to give back. When these two go head to head for a prize they find themself winning more than just money.

I truly enjoy this book. Marcella gave me a beautiful character, a wonderful story, and a great blend of cultures to create a very enjoyable read.

The Wildest Ride is entertaining and an easy read. At times formulaic, it's still a great escape. AJ and Lili both have their own agendas, never dreaming that they'd fall for their main competitor. Their journey from the beginning of the rodeo contest to the end is fun to read about, and you're left cheering for their relationship to work out long after the competition is over.

Lilian Sorrow Island has sworn off cowboys, at least as love interest. After all, raised by her grandparents on the family ranch in Muskogee, Oklahoma she is more cowboy than most. It's in her blood, passed down from her grandfather and her father, although she has never known him since Lilian was product of a one night stand between her mother and a man who loved the rodeo circuit more than anything else in the world. Now Lilian is competing in an all-new closed-circuit rodeo tour with a million-dollar prize. Prize money that could be the only thing able to save the family ranch. The prize money won't come easy though as Lilian finds herself up against undefeated rodeo champion AJ Garza. AJ has a lot on the line as well as he is fighting to save the Houston rodeo program that gave him his start as a wayward teen. Close proximity leads to mutual respect, friendship, and more than a few sparks.

Contemporary cowboys? I didn't know I was a fan. Lilian is one of the most fierce contemporary female leads I've read this year. The attraction between her and AJ is fierce from the start (once he realizes she is a woman), but while he's ready and willing to see where things lead she's determined to be the one who walks away first. The alternating perspectives between Lilian and AJ is done really effectively and being inside both characters heads really gives readers a good sense of the inner turmoil they are working through. The mutual respect and friendship that develops into something more is special to see. Our tropes are friends to lovers and forced proximity. I am really excited to recommend "The Wildest Ride" to any and all romance readers. This is an excellent romance read that I think will appeal to a wide range of readers with a diverse cast of characters, a quick moving plot, and some steamy romance under the stars. I cannot wait to see what kind of wild ride Marcella Bell takes us on in book two of the Closed Circuit series.

This was a beautifully written classic boy meets girl, girl bests boy, boy gets the girl sort of romance. It was written with a lot of soul and heart, as the heroine, Lil, has to work her way through a competition as the first ever female rough stock rider in this particular rodeo organization. Her efforts at both rodeoing and resisting the hero are hard fought, though she excels at one and fails at the other... This was a traditional sort of romance, with non-traditional sorts of characters. I enjoyed learning about the Black Natives who made up the heritage of the heroine and the citified background of the Black hero. These are characters you can root for (as well as one you can happily boo) and a set up that is entertaining and interesting.

The cover on Marcella Bell’s The Wildest Ride does not do the story line justice. Yes, the book is a romance novel. Yes, there is a hot cowboy on the cover. Neither of these things tells readers what the book is about.

Lilian Sorrow Island is a cowgirl through and through but retired from rodeos when she realized she would never be given a fair chance as a woman. She has been working the family ranch until she finds out that her grandfather took out a mortgage on the ranch which could leave her family homeless unless she can pull in some serious bank in a short amount of time. After he grandmother signs her up for a rodeo reality TV show, she is determined to not only win the money to save the ranch but also show that women are more than capable.

Lil is a strong Black and Indigenous woman who, let’s be honest, kicks some serious a*se. This is the type of woman little girls would cheer on because she represents possibility while she bulldozes glass ceilings. Her main competitor, and love interest for the book, is a Black Latino hunk.

And for those things, the story is great. However, a woman who is still a virgin at age 27 due to the fear of unwanted pregnancy like her mother suddenly is all in for sex without contraceptives? Doubtful and definitely not a good idea. Some of the twists also lacked believability.

Read the book for the strong kick a*se female role model. Look elsewhere for steamy sex scenes. Available August 2021.

The first in a series, Wildest Ride focuses on the closed-circuit rodeo competitors AJ Garza and Lilian Sorrow Island. Both characters are diverse; AJ is Black and Latinx, and Lilian is Black and Muscogee Creek Freedmen. Knowing absolutely nothing about rodeo, or ranching, I was absolutely and utterly hooked by Bell's writing, and I had to know what was going to happen with our two love interests. I thoroughly enjoy that when the flirtation began, AJ was essentially a hearts-eyed emoji while Lilian was just "So we kissed, so what?" Fresh, new, and utterly different, this is a story that needs to be shouted from the rooftops.

I love cowboy romances. This one felt flat for me, I wasn’t invested in the characters or the storyline,

Woo hoo! Finally got this book downloaded lol this book was very interesting! It was a very unique story! I highly recommend reading it! This book was filled with intrigue, action, lots of heartache and heartbreak! Like I said a very very interesting story! Don't miss out! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Unique, intensely strong characters, and beautiful blend of cultures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the first book written by this author and I was intrigued by the synopsis. Farm raised girl taking on the rodeo circuit competing with the guys, definitely a story to be told.

Bell created wonderful characters and they just mashed together so nicely. The back stories were interesting and highly detailed. And that simmering heat flowing underneath everything was just perfect. yummm

The Wildest Ride has everything that a cowboy romance should offer. Fun, memorable, with the perfect amount of steam and passion! AJ is awesome and I really felt pulled into the story.

Bell has crafted a unique book with intense characters offering a beautiful blend of cultures. Highly enjoyable and not to be missed! Cannot wait to read more from her!