Book 5: Raw, Rough and Ready:
We step away from the McKay men in this book, to focus on Trevor Glanzer, who is already married to Chassie West, sister of Dag West. Trevor Glanzer made an appearance in book 1, as Colby's best friend and riding partner. At the beginning of the book, Trevor and Chassie are living on Chassie's family property, building a marriage and trying to make ends meet. Chassie has been essentially left without family. Her parents are dead, and her brother, Dag, was killed near the end of book 4 in a tractor accident.
Chassie is a sweetheart with a steel core, who is fully invested in her relationship with her husband. Early in the book, Trevor's old rodeo partner, Edgard, returns from Brazil for, they believe, a visit. This book takes on some delicate subjects very successfully, including the relationship between Edgard and Trevor. Because, of course, Edgard is in love with Trevor, and Trevor has a deep attachment to Edgard. Raw, Rough and Ready is not a book for the faint of heart, nor is it a book that will resonate with a person who believes that true love can only be found in pairs. Some of the subject matter is uncomfortable.
There is a tremendous amount of self-sacrifice in this book. Ultimately, while I enjoyed Raw, Rough and Ready, of all of the Rough Riders books, this one took the most risks. Ms. James is way on out a limb in this one. And, while I enjoyed it, I am not convinced that the relationship described in this book is sustainable on a long-term basis, nor did I feel that the level of acceptance experienced by Trevor, Chassie and Edgard was realistic, particularly given the setting of a conservative Wyoming community.
Book 6: Branded as Trouble:
The sixth book is about Colt McKay, troubled son of Carson McKay. When this book begins, Colt has been sober for three years, and is living proof that being a recovering alcoholic is not an easy row to hoe, especially when your family thinks that you are worthless drunk. His AA sponsor, and the heroine, is India Ellison, sister of Sky McKay, who is now happily married to Kade McKay. India is a tattoo artist who owns her own shop in Sundance, Wyoming. Colt is in love with India, but hesitates to let her know, because she is also his best, and in some ways only, friend.
This is probably the most complex of the series so far. For a slender little romance novel, it tackles big themes: failure and the ability to change, and challenging societal expectations, and, most importantly, what does a person do when they have changed, but no one notices or believes that the change is real? Because this is Colt McKay's story. One of my absolute favorite scenes in the series happens in this book, when Colt's brothers, Cord and Colby, are replaying their refrain about how many times Colt has let them down, and Cam, the war hero of the family, steps in to defend Colt. His impassioned and articulate defense causes Colt's family to see Colt in a whole new light. It was perceptively written, and made me want to cheer. Because dammit, I was sick of that family treating Colt like he was a worthless loser.
Which leads me to another point about this series. This family is dysfunctional, and James doesn't sugarcoat it. Casper, Carson's brother, is flat out a miserable jackass, a fact which becomes painfully apparent in one of the later books. Being a McKay is a blessing and a curse, and it is not all Wyoming sunsets and pretty scenery. James does a great job exposing her characters weaknesses as well as their strengths.
The romance between Colt and Indie demonstrates the depth of Colt's emotional growth and maturity over the series. Branded As Trouble was one of my absolute favorite books of the series.
Book 7: Shoulda Been A Cowboy:
This is one of two books in the series where the hero isn't a cowboy, the other one being Keely's story. This book focuses on Cam, the McKay brother who has returned from deployment a hero, missing part of his leg. He has been hired on as a deputy sheriff for Sundance.
This book takes place basically simultaneously with Colt's story. Cam's love interest, Domini, was introduced in one of the earlier books. Domini works as a cook in the restaurant, and is an orphan who grew up in a Ukrainian orphanage. Both of them feel like they are less than whole human beings.
I wasn't sure about Domini when she was introduced in the earlier books. She seemed to be a weak character, and I frankly wasn't looking forward to seeing her featured as a heroine. In the end, though, I really liked this book about two damaged souls who managed to find wholeness together.
Moving on to Book 8: All Jacked Up
which is the only book featuring a female member of the McKay family! Finally, Keely McKay -- youngest sibling of the Carson McKay branch of the family -- gets her own story.
Keely is accustomed to being underestimated by her family. It isn't easy being the youngest, and especially when the youngest is also the only girl in a family of rough and tumble boys. Keely is a scrapper, and is a very strong female character. It's probably not surprising that she would avoid cowboys, and end up falling for business man, Jack Donohue.
This book was, at times, hard to read. Jack broke Keely's heart over and over. There were times when, as a reader, I wanted her to walk away and not look back. There were moments in the book where he was outright mean -- not abusive, but mean -- to her.
There were some of the same themes in this book that James used in Branded For Trouble. Not the substance abuse themes, but the idea that sometimes who we are becomes so well established in our youth that it is hard to be taken seriously as an adult. Keely McKay left her wild cowgirl persona behind a long time before this book, and yet her entire family treated her like she hadn't grown up a bit. So did Jack.
The book left me feeling a little bit let down, to be honest. Jack's redemption didn't quite do it for me. She deserved better.
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