Blurb
Colt Layne owns the Layne Horse Sanctuary. He lives an idyllic life, between caring for the animals and playing music with his band. That is until a stranger appears with unreasonable demands. When someone murders the man, Colt is arrested. He’s been framed, but by whom and why?
He needs to talk with his deceased grandfather. But that’s impossible. Or is it?
Sage Coventry is gifted with the ability to communicate with the deceased. Skeptical but desperate, when Colt consults with her, he gets more than messages from beyond the grave as she breezes into his heart with sweet patchouli fragrance and tempting lips he longs to kiss.
The race against time to clear his name and save the ranch launches them on a mission that brings shocking revelations.
Review
In book three of the White Rune series, cowboy Colt Layne runs a horse sanctuary on his departed grandfather’s ranch. After a shady man claims to be the rightful owner of the ranch and then later dies, Colt is framed for the murder and seeks the help of a local medium who can supposedly communicate with the dead.
Sage Coventry runs a new age shop and feels an instant connection with both Colt and the deceased people whom he loves—his grandfather and mother. She wants to help him find out who’s targeting him, but as they pour over his grandfather’s journals, they soon learn the man had deep secrets that could change everything.
What a great story! Colt and Sage had great chemistry, and their love scenes were sensual and beautiful. I loved how quickly they fell head over heels for each other. I connected with them both emotionally, but some of their actions didn’t make sense. Mostly, I just don’t understand why Sage didn’t psychically contact Jeremiah, the man Colt was framed for murdering, and why Colt didn’t watch the ranch’s security footage sooner. Besides that, I really enjoyed the story. I rooted for them to find their happily ever after the whole time.
The secondary characters really padded out the narrative. I kept jumping between a few particular characters, thinking he/she was the murderer, until the mystery started to come together. I felt sorry for Colt and his dad, but I liked how they tried to bond and rebuild their relationship with so many mistakes and years between them.
I haven’t read the previous books in the series, and that’s okay. This one stands well on its own.
Anyway, I loved the mystery and suspense about who was targeting Colt, and why. Saddled Hearts is a smart, well-written romantic suspense western with three-dimensional characters who are obviously meant to be together.
4 Stars
— If you’ve read this book, I’d love to know what you think of it. Please comment below.