NO BULL

Author: Kelsey George ISBN: 141990745X 10/2006 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: CERRIDWEN PRESS

Diana Forsythe, DVM, wants nothing more than to be left alone to care for the animals. It's the interfering humans who will be her undoing. Josh Windom had always blamed Diana for the accidental death of her sister Jessica, his runaway fiancee, the woman he'd planned to marry nearly 20 years earlier. When Windomhall Ranch's prize bull kills while in a drugged rage and the drugs are found in Diana's clinic, she finds herself entangled in a web of cattle rustling, arson, drug trafficking and conspiracy to murder. Now, Josh is the only one who can stop this travesty of justice.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

NO BULL is a romantic mystery tailor-made for animal lovers. The heroine, Diana Forsythe, is an extremely talented thirty-something veterinarian with a close connection to and love for animals. She has bought a practice in her former Wyoming ranching town from another doctor, and is struggling to make ends meet and find her place in the world after a difficult start in life.

Suspicion has followed her, because her sister cheated on a local rancher nineteen years before and then died right before their planned wedding. Josh Windom, the rancher in question, has blamed Diana ever since for letting her sister die. Though Diana knew little about what was going on, and was only twelve years old at the time, her family basically discarded her and she's been alone ever since. She's fought both anger at Josh and her crush on him, even as she forgave him for his agonized accusations.

With few supporters, she's an easy target for a gang of cattle smugglers who frame her and systematically destroy her life. George's strong characters are brought nearly to their knees as they go through extremely difficult times. Local ranchers aren't willing to believe Diana's innocence, especially with Josh's obvious attraction to her upsetting his erstwhile girlfriend, a powerful rancher's daughter. Though not a big animal lover myself, I could clearly see the passion here, displayed by all the rancher characters and Diana herself.

Heather Hiestand