First off, let me say that my favorite sub-genre of romance would be those set in the American West, while my second favorite is sci-fi romance. And, while I enjoy period pieces, I also enjoy modern westerns. Whether the romantic lead saddles up a Quarter Horse or a Ford F-150 doesn’t much matter to me. What matters in a romance is that the formula is there, but with some innovation or at least a bit of surprise here and there. Gotta keep things interesting, you know!

Burned, by Greta Rose West, entertained me until the last swipe of the page. In some ways, the book is standard fare: the romantic lead is a busy guy, with lots of problems, and he isn’t looking for love. The lady isn’t much of a lady, and she has a serious aversion to getting emotionally close to anyone. The point of view shifts with each chapter change, and the reader gets to know each party fairly quickly, which is necessary nowadays. Modern readers are not patient when it comes to character building or world building, for that matter.

In Burned, our male lead is Jackson Cade, the eldest brother and owner of a horse breeding operation. Yes, he is busy, and no, he isn’t wealthy, at least not in a monetary sense. He does have plenty of good company, as he lives with his four brothers, and he is the person on call for an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Mitchum. When she needs him to help her as she embarks on yet another course of cancer treatments, he responds to the call, despite his lack of time.

The female lead is Everlea, a volunteer at the local hospital, who has been tasked with assisting an elderly cancer patient. When Eve (short for Everlea) literally stumbles into Mrs. M’s room, giving herself a cut forehead and a concussion, Jackson ends up with two patients, Mrs. M, and her young helper, who isn’t to stay alone as she recovers from her concussion.

However, Everlea has secrets associated with a dark past, so she spends most of her waking moments trying to keep her lies straight. Perhaps this would be easy in a city situation, but the Cade ranch is on the fringe of the tiny town of Wisper, Wyoming, where everyone tends to know everyone else’s business. Before long, Jack realizes two things: Everlea isn’t what she seems, and he is falling in lust with her.

Since this is a western as well as a romance, there are horses to be born and named, there are scenic vistas to behold, and local decor is sometimes made of elk antlers. Everlea seems to enjoy it all, but she is ready to move on, with a packed “go bag” in her rented cottage. And, since this is also a mystery, there is a villain waiting to ruin Everlea, and he will enjoy killing anyone unfortunate enough to befriend her.

In hopes some of my readers will become West’s readers, I’ll skip the rest of the plot points and any spoilers. But it’s good, y’all.

After the epilogue, the author requests reviews. As an author, I get that. I’m not inclined to beg for those, but if more satisfied customers had written reviews, I would have been encouraged to write more books. So, Greta Rose West, here is a review by a very satisfied reader! Keep writing, please.