The Talk of Coyote Canyon by Brenda Novak: Review

I’ve read so many books by Brenda Novak now and they’re always a nice blend of small-town romance with a little bit of suspense or friends to enemies type stories.

With this type of plot, she always delivers a story with a lot of twists that are far from boring. A new release is coming soon so check out my thoughts and full review below.

The Talk of Coyote Canyon by Brenda Novak
Publisher ‏ : ‎ MIRA; Original edition (November 28, 2023)
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0778334286

OVERVIEW:
She’s not here to make friends. She’s here to make trouble.

With her piercings, tattoos and spiky blond hair, Ellen Truesdale doesn’t quite fit in with the other folks in Coyote Canyon—and that’s just fine with her. She’s only here to put her father out of business, as payback for abandoning her when she was young.
Or is she more interested in finally proving that she was worth keeping?

Either way, she’s struggling to keep her rival well-drilling company afloat. And being a single woman in a male-dominated field has started to take a toll. So when Hendrix Durrant steps in to help, Ellen has no choice but to let him—even though he happens to be her father’s business partner and therefore her enemy. But the closer she works with him, the more she sees what she’s been missing…in life and love. And once she lets go of her anger long enough to learn the truth about her past, she might just find the family she’s always wanted.

The Talk of Coyote Canyon by Brenda Novak Review

This book is part of a series of books set in a small town in Montana. The type of place where everyone knows everyone along with lots of friends and enemies can be found in the neighborhood too.

While it’s not necessary to read prior stories, sometimes it does help bring things into context. There are references and friendships with other people from the first book as a crossover.

This book offers interesting twists because of the relationship portion the main character has with her estranged father and stepmother. In fact, this is almost like a forbidden romance of sorts, once you Figure out who her crush and love interest will be.

Because of her relationship with her estranged father, the story can actually make you feel sad and definitely explains a lot of her shortness and anger issues. Novak did a great job developing the female character with her tough exterior but mushy interior.

The story has a lot of complexity because of the relationships and inner connection with the main characters. There’s a lot of tiptoeing going around and the story also includes a little bit of mystery for a multi-dimensional read.

The Talk of Coyote Canyon is definitely a slow-burn romance and it takes a while to break down walls. The main male character’s love interest is wonderfully depicted, and I really enjoyed his sweet and kind character.

One thing that did disappoint me, however, was the ending. I felt a great opportunity was missed to bring this to a five-star review with an in-depth closure for these characters. The ending left me wanting so much more, especially the bombshell in the last paragraph.

The Talk of Coyote Canyon is a great collection of romance, relationship development, and family dynamics. It is a wonderful read with a slowly blossoming romance that will get you fired up along with them.

4 STARS!

Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.