He’s only got one shot at hooking her heart

Red Aldean has his sights set on his longtime friend, Emma, who seems more interested in her regency romances than dating. A renowned river, adventure, and fishing guide, Red is no stranger to a challenge. With his heart on the line, he turns to his trusty Texas guide to fishing—all he needs is patience, a plan, and the perfect bait.

Last Stand librarian Emma Corbyn prefers to find her romance in books. It’s much safer. While she’s not set on perfection, she needs honesty. When larger-than-life Red Aldean starts wooing her, Emma can’t help but let her guard down. And even this bookworm can’t ignore the sizzle that ignites when he’s near.

Emma feels like she can trust Red with her heart until she learns he’s keeping secrets. Does Red need a better lure to reel in the prize of his life?

Titles in the Corbyn Sisters of Last Stand include – Red Hot Texan – Texas Christmas Baby –Texan for the Taking –

Title:  Red Hot Texan
Series:  Corbyn Sisters of Last Stand #1
Author:  Katherine Garbera
Genre:  Modern Western/Contemporary Romance
Published:  August 27, 2020
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

‘Red Hot Texan‘ begins the ‘Corbyn Sisters of Last Stand‘ series with a couple you’ll fall for really fast and a romance that might hit a few potholes along the way but is so worth the ride for both Red and Emma.  Full disclosure: I have yet to find a story by Katherine Garbera that I haven’t completely and utterly loved – and this one is no exception to that hard-fast rule.  There is heartache ahead for this couple, but the love and the reasons are strong enough that with some understanding, patience, and maybe luck they can weather any storm – if they’ll take the risk of trusting in each other.

Red and Emma have known each other for most of their lives, perhaps on the surface in many ways but Red’s been harboring a crush on the town librarian that he’s finally ready to act on.  Now perhaps using his tried and true fishing manual as a dating guide might have been a slightly unusual wooing technique… but hey, whatever gets the girl in the end, right?  Unfortunately for Red what Emma values above just about anything else is honesty and he’s holding back something vital to the future of their relationship.  And like so many heroes, he believes that “now” is not the right time and when it’s right he’ll know it – until that time has come and gone… along with the woman he loves as well.

These days, Emma would rather find love and romance in the pages of a good book for that real-life emotion has left her nothing but heartache.  Red wears her down with his charm and she’ll agree to date secretly, for we all know how small-town gossip works, and perhaps those trust issues are rearing their unforgiving heads as well.  When that one little bit of information that Red’s been holding back from Emma comes to the surface she does what is natural for her – she walks away from what could be the love of a lifetime.

I hurt for this couple, and eventually, I rejoiced as they discovered what truly matters in any relationship – love, forgiveness, and a willingness to keep trying even when it’s so hard to do.  Without giving much away I adored how Emma dealt with her decision to leave Red.  It took courage, especially knowing her trust issues.  Red is a sweetheart, and if I wanted to shake him sometimes and say “Just tell her!”, well, characters never listen to my rantings anyway.  As a couple, they really work.  The love is there, the trust needs some work but it’s growing into something that can last a lifetime.

‘Red Hot Texan‘ is an excellent beginning to the new series.  And I cannot wait to fall back into this world for the next Corbyn sister’s romance.  If you love a good love story with realistic situations, believable characters, and a small-town full of quirky, caring residents who cannot help but get involved – then this one is perfect for you.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Tule Publishing. That does not change what I think of this story.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available for your favorite e-reader, mine is the Kindle