Really 4.5 Stars

I adore Sarah M. Anderson’s Native American books but this has to be one of my favourites. The amount of tension in the book is high with most of the conflict coming from the internal struggle both of the characters have with fitting in amongst their worlds. What surprised me was how, although the core of the issue was the same, the two situations couldn’t be more different.

After her time in the white world didn’t work out, Josey tries hard to fit into her Lakota world but her mixed heritage means that the rest of the tribe treats her differently. She takes the tribe’s project to renovate the school and decides that it is her way to prove herself. I got the impression that one of the reasons that she fought so hard to get the school up and running was so she could be worthy in their eyes. It was a noble cause but I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that she couldn’t be her own person. The day she walks into Ben’s office to try to get power tools for the school, she starts to realise that she might want things for herself and not just for the tribe. I loved the immediate chemistry between the two of them and the many ways that he encouraged her to be a woman without ever undermining her values. He encourages her to accept herself but first she has to accept that she has feelings for a white man.

Ben is an amazing hero! A CFO of his Father’s custom bike shop, he doesn’t quite know where he fits. Although he promised his mum he would keep the family together, he just doesn’t fit in his Dad’s world; a fact that he reminds him of in every opportunity. When Josey walks into his office, she gives him the opportunity to be himself, not what everyone else expects him to be. I loved the more vulnerable side of him, the man that gives his time and money to the school and wants to fulfil his Mother’s dream of a united family. I also enjoyed the damn sexy version of him who hunted Josey down from the second he laid his eyes on her outside of office.

Together, they were a combination of heat and love that was truly awesome to read. This is a Harlequin book (and the sex scenes fit the line) but the sex scenes are still erotic enough to cause me some hot flashes. There is a scene on a motorbike in an elevator.... *fans*. They brought so much to each other’s lives that I routed for them from start to finish. They both tried so hard to fit into one of their worlds that it was beautiful to watch them learn to try to walk in all of their worlds with the help of someone who accepted them no matter what. I loved them.

Ben’s brothers are up next and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for them. One is a true gruff biker and the other is a bit of a wild child.... it sounds like I’m in for some fun reads.

Overall, this book is a lovely tale of two people finding themselves whilst finding each other. With a hot biker man and a strong willed female, it was bound to be something I enjoyed but, due to the amount of conflict, it was became a book meaty enough to leave me wanting more. ( )

By: Sarah M. Anderson
Published By: Harlequin
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 5
Series: The Bolton Brothers #1
Review:

"Straddling The Line" by Sarah M. Anderson was a good contemporary read that I couldn't put down until the last word. This was the first in her series: The Bolton Brothers. The storyline is very interesting how this author was able to put the 'Native American'(Josey Plume) with him(Ben)...he's from a biker family. I love this! We find Josey is trying to get funds for a school for the reservation and Ben is having to deal with his father and two brothers with the custom bike business. There will be sparks the first time Josey and Ben meet due to the fact that they are both loaded down with some much stress in their life. What will happen when they finally cone together as they are trying to find happiness from the two different worlds? I thought all of the characters were well developed and captivating only to help give the reader a good read. So, to find out all about this confrontation from these two main characters you will have to pick up "Straddling The Lines" to get the jest of it all. Definitely, this author worked her magic with this novel only to give up a well written read that I would recommend and from the ending you will be left wondering what the next series will be about. ( )

Very good book. I liked both Josey and Ben. Both of them are trying to find their places in the world. Josey has returned to South Dakota from New York after breaking up with her boyfriend who tells her she doesn't "fit in" with his world. Unfortunately she also feels like she doesn't fit in here either. Because she and her mother both have white heritage along with their Lakota they are looked down on by their fellow tribe members. They are trying to start a charter school to help some of the youth with education and job training but are having a hard time supplying the school with enough to get it open. Josey goes to the Bolton's motorcycle business to ask for a donation of tools. She doesn't expect to get turned down flat and tries to convince Ben of the need. She also doesn't expect the intense and unwelcome attraction to him. The last thing she wants is a relationship to a white man when she's trying to fit in with her mother's people. But as she and Ben spend more time together it becomes obvious that he understands her and likes her just the way she is. She spends a lot of time and effort trying to get the people of the reservation to accept her before she realizes that Ben's statement that you have to know yourself first is very true.

Ben is another one who is looking for his place in the world. He is the middle son and the one who runs the financial side of the family business. He gets no respect from his father who doesn't believe in the money management ideas that Ben has. He is also the peacemaker among his brothers and father, trying to keep his promise to his mother to "keep the family together". When he meets Josey he is immediately attracted to her, but turns her request down, knowing that he'd never get his father to agree. He sees her again in his other world as the drummer in a rock band and the attraction is even stronger. He really wants to get to know her better but realizes it might be a bad idea. I loved the way that a conversation with his brother Billy makes him realize how important a thing it is that Josey is doing and causes him to rethink helping out the school. I loved his visit to the powwow and the way he was able to relate to the kids he saw there. I also loved the respect he had for Josey and her mother and the way it showed in his actions. His confrontation with his family at the end was fantastic and I loved the solution that they finally came up with.

It took a lot for both Josey and Ben to finally see that they didn't have to pick one part of their lives over another. They just had to find a way to make those worlds work together. ( )