STRADDLING THE LINE – Sarah M. Anderson
The Bolton Brothers , Book 1
Harlequin Desire #2232
ISBN: 978-0-373-73245-6
May 2013
Series Romance

South Dakota – Present Day

Josey White Plume is after supplies to help stock the Lakota tribal school she is helping to build and arrives at Crazy Horse Choppers for a meeting, only to learn the man she was expecting to meet with is out of town. She is “handed off” to the Chief Financial Officer, Ben Bolton, who isn't in the best of moods. Josey is after funding for her school, and Ben is all about the bottom line of the company, so they have a lot of compromising to make before they can meet in the middle.

Ben has the responsibility of trying to make sure his family's specialty motorcycle building company stays in the black, and giving away equipment or money isn't something to be done lightly. Yet the more he listens to Josey, the more he's intrigued, not only by her plans, but by the woman herself. The sparks fly hot between them, and after her initial resistance, Ben finally convinces Josey to go out with him, and soon nothing can stop them from hitting the sheets.

Ben has spent his life trying to please his father, while Josey has spent hers trying to “straddle the line” as half white/half Lakota. Both have felt that when they take one step forward, something happens that forces them back. Right now Josey is trying to get the school off the ground as part of her grandfather's dream, yet she still faces opposition from her Lakota “family” for being too much like the “white people.” It doesn't help when she introduces Ben to everyone—she is once again accused of choosing to abandon her tribe. Josey feels she has a responsibility to her family and everyone to get the school going, even if that will mean giving up Ben.

Ben has never felt this way before for a woman. His life has been mostly spent building bikes and crunching numbers for the business, and it takes getting involved with Josey to see that there's more to life than making money. The Lakota children face poverty and discrimination, and the new school will help them be able to learn on a par with other children. Josey figures Ben is just a confirmed bachelor, but soon she's seeing him in a new light, especially when she visits his home. And then there is her introduction to what it feels like to be on a motorcycle out in the wide open spaces. For the first time in her life, Josey truly feels free. Yet it scares her…

Two people from opposite sides of life meet and fall in love in STRADDLING THE LINE by Sarah M. Anderson. Josey feels she needs to prove to her family that she is more Lakota than white, while Ben wants to do what's best for everyone even if they get upset with him. It's an emotional journey neither expected in STRADDLING THE LINE and one that readers will enjoy reading. Pick up STRADDLING THE LINE for another enjoyable tale from Ms. Anderson.

Patti Fischer