Into the Fire

You know it's gotta be good if there's a cowboy on the cover, right? Think small town Texas with a big time hero, a cutting horse trainer and champion just like his grandfather (Pops) and the exact opposite of his deceased father who left this earth with the Four of Hearts Ranch heavily in debt from his extreme gambling. Think two hurting protagonists with secrets breaking their hearts and chemistry the size of a 4th of July fireworks display and there you have Betting on Hope by Debra Clopton. Yes, think "sweet little romance" – you know the kind I rarely read. Well, I'm not sorry I read this one.

I needed a break, a fun read, and I took a chance on this one. Experiencing some laugh out loud moments mixed with the occasional almost tearful scenes carried the story well. With funny expressions peculiar to the twang-y south, two frustrating protagonists, some ridiculous but endearing town folk, and tender incidents sprinkled throughout the story, all give Betting on Hope a real personality and small town feel.

Debra Clopton made her hero a stud with just the right amount of tenderness and stubbornness. You don't get to be a real horseman and a champion by being a pushover. Her heroine Maggie Hope is a newspaper columnist who answers letters to hurting readers and offers them hope in their difficult situations. Her best friend Amanda, the well known figure with her own morning television show, who got Maggie her job with the paper, is sick and unable to do the interview with heartthrob champion Tru Monahan in his hometown of Wishing Springs, Texas, a couple hours away from Maggie's home and job in Houston. Amanda insists Maggie do the interview over Maggie's protests, her stage fright real. Maggie's a beautiful klutz who stumbles, literally, through an interview with the handsome cowboy and inadvertently bets him on camera he couldn't do what he said he could.

The entire interview sparked national attention as it appeared on Amanda's morning television show. Now the bet is on and neither Maggie nor Tru is happy about it. Maggie moves in at the Four of Hearts Ranch, meets the Monahan brothers and their beloved Pops who's in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. She's required to keep her column and a log of her experiences as this bet is given a two month deadline.

Maggie and Tru have hidden pain of different kinds, things that propel them toward and away from the deep attraction they feel for one another. Their frustrations are muted until one or the other sparks and blows or in Maggie's case falls right into the cowboy's arms. It's a day to day struggle which they promise themselves to ignore but never can. Their denials cause them to do and say foolish things because of hurt and things they can't bring themselves to reveal to each other or anyone else.

Recognizing the genre within the genre here, this little romance pops with small town charm and the simmering UST between the hero and heroine. Faith plays in the background. Done very well by Debra Clopton, Betting on Hope is exactly what it's supposed to be and expecting it to be something else will only ruin the experience. It's a good story, and I enjoyed it.

Father, you've given Debra many stories to tell. I pray you will continue to supply her with even more. Please direct her steps and add whatever she needs to do as you ask. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.