Review of Hang Tough (Blacktop Cowboys #8) by Lorelei James
Hang Tough is the eighth book in the Blacktop Cowboys series.
Garnet Evans is being railroaded out of her home and into assisted living. The Mud Lillies, a group of spitfire elderly women and her closest friends, are up in arms. Tobin Hale, the Mud Lillies' young friend, volunteers to move into Garnet's home to protect her from anyone seeking to force her out.
Jade Evans, Garnet's granddaughter, has been sent by her father to check on Garnet and see if she's capable of caring for herself well into her eighties. Jade arrives to find an antagonistic Tobin ready to defend Garnet.
Tobin and Jade argue and fight over their presence at Garnet's home, not expecting that the intensity between them would turn to attraction.
Tobin has been a background character from early in the series and a fixture at the Split Rock Resort where he works as a ranch hand, far below his education level. He enjoys the work but feels underutilized and is deeply lonely but sees no way out without making a big change.
He was one of my favorite periphery characters, and I hoped he would get his own story, so I was excited to see this book was his happily ever after. I was also delighted to get a close look into the life of one of the Mud Lillies, since they're some of my favorite fixtures in Muddy Gap.
Tobin was much the same as he has been in the rest of the series, only with much more detail. His cheerful demeanor and pleasant nature showed as his relationship with Jade became more romantic and less antagonistic, but that antagonism showed his deeply loyal side and how much he cares for the Mud Lillies. All of it produced a fiery, loyal, passionate character that was an extension of the Tobin I've known from the first focus on the Split Rock.
Jade was just as unhappy as Tobin, albeit for different reasons. She needed a fresh start, and her grandmother provided a break from her life in New York to reevaluate as she checked on Garnet. She turned out to be just as fiery as Tobin for the same reasons once she shed her shy demeanor.
Garnet's reaction to their fighting was hilarious, and she made me laugh whenever she appeared. I loved the peek into the interior of the circle of friends that is the Mud Lillies. The climax was surprising to me, but fit in perfectly with everything given to the reader about the characters.
As always, Lorelei James's descriptions were fantastic. I loved the look into the eccentric home of Garnet Evans and could picture it and her property. The Split Rock wasn't as prominent in this book because it mostly took place at Garnet's house, but the visits to the resort and all the other locales were easily pictured. The descriptions of the Mud Lillies were as delightful as the characters, and so were the descriptions of all the stars of previous books when Tobin and Jade attend a party.
The dialog was natural and evoked the emotions of the characters. The fighting was natural, as were the tender whispers. It all fit with the characters and the way they spoke as well as the emotions felt at the time. There was little cheese, or at least little that felt cheesy to me. It was all easy to read and sped the plot right along.
Another great addition to the series. I can't wait for the next one.
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