Deputy Tessa McKade is at the centre of this suspenseful tale. She's behind the scenes of a Texas rodeo, since she's a barrel racer, when a huge bull is loosed in her direction. Maybe it was an accident. But for Braden Hayes the RODEO STANDOFF incident could have gone very badly. Braden has retired from bull riding, and gone into law enforcement. Tessa specialises in crime scene investigation, but she never thought she'd be the subject of a murder attempt.

This is the second book in the McKade Law series, following book one, HOLIDAY SECRETS. The McKade family is concerned enough about the threat to ask Braden to stay by Tessa's side. The resourceful young woman is glad he can keep watch as she retrieves footprints, fingerprints, and lost items, all of which might or might not help to find the malicious person. She doesn't even know why this happened unless a rodeo competitor wished to narrow the competition. I was fascinated by the up to date techniques used in the CSI. I was also amused by the reference to Cowboy Christmas; at the Fourth of July time, many rodeos are held. There's also cowboy church, a simple service held in the arena.

Copper is Tessa's sorrel horse, a real champion, but he's getting older and she's already decided they'll both retire soon. Time for some great rides first. But this puts her in harm's way, and we get some nail-biting action. Braden's faithful horse Shadow enables him to ride alongside her in parades. The two don't intend starting a relationship, but before long they're sharing the danger. These two heroes are from opposite family backgrounds, which shows author Susan Sleeman has created them with depth and willingness to grow. I love the wealth of detail and the quite normal, everyday people we meet. This book is suitable for readers from teen to adult. Horse lovers and fans of romantic suspense can happily agree that RODEO STANDOFF is one of summer's most exciting sports stories.