Goes for the heart and doesnt miss. Booklist(starred review)

Love is a wild ride. Hold on.
When life lassoes Josie and Shawn back together three years after their dreamy first date, their second chance at love is anything but easy. A big-hearted rodeo romance set in Houston, Texas, by the critically acclaimed Liara Tamani, author ofWhat She Missed, All The Things We Never Knew,andCalling My Name.This bold first-love story is for fans ofNothing Like the MoviesandHighly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute.
This aint Josies first rodeo. Her parents own several fancy restaurants in Houston, and they just opened a new one right outside the stadium. Josie is expected to stay inside the restaurant and help, and maybe take over their growing empire one day, but that isnt what Josie wants. Shed rather be at the rodeo itself than in a high-end restaurant next to it. Or eating funnel cakes and Texas-sized corn dogs at the carnival on the grounds. Or better yet, riding her horse at her grandparents ranch, the very place her mom wants to sell.
It aint Shawns first rodeo either. Hes been riding bulls since his mom died, doing everything he can to live up to his rodeo-champion stepfathers sky-high expectations. But as Shawns stardom rises, so do tensions in their relationship. His stepfathers drinking and gambling problems sure dont help.
After one unforgettable night leaves Josie and Shawn wanting nothing but each other, their lives become entwined in increasingly complex ways. Can they save Josies family land? Or will Shawns stepfather and his shady plan be the ranchs ruin? Will one wrong move cost them everything? Rodeo after rodeo, year after year, can Josie and Shawn keep their hearts open through the secrets, twists, and turns?
This Aint Our First Rodeois a contemporary western love story full of bulls, brawls, and horses. Its a tender second chance cowboy romance about family, friendship, mistakes, and the blessings of choosing to love anyway. Black cowboys and cowgirls like Josie and Shawn have long helped shape the American Westa legacy that shines in Liara Tamanis storytelling. Her writing is quick-witted, swoony, and authentic, with characters who are easy to love and hard to forget.