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Breath Without Life #2

Let Yourself Run Free Again

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A discouraged rancher. A driven barrel racer.

One sees a dead-end future. The other plans to dazzle the world.

Fate dares to slam them together. Will they survive the collision?

Colt Cooper is besieged by the single women of Crook County, each fighting to stake her own claim on the handsome rancher. Women are a foolish waste of energy, his past has proven, so focusing on his horse training business and overworked brother is time better spent. Though when a feisty redhead shows up for one of his horses, his thinking falters. It seems her sites are set on only one goal, and it’s not him.

Betsy Murphy’s arrival at Cooper Bar-6 Ranch is all business; she needs to replace her injured champion. Colt must pick her a barrel racing horse, help her train it, and send her back to Texas in time for the Nationals. Now, if only she could concentrate on the horse and not the man…


467 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 21, 2018

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About the author

Janith Hooper

9 books64 followers
Janith Hooper lives with her husband
in Oakdale, California—Cowboy
Capital of the World. She has
four grown sons, Matthew, Nathan,
Paul, and Benjamin; three daughters-
in-love, April, Marisa, and Brooke; and
six grandchildren, Abbie, Maddie,
Wyatt, Avalon, Elliott, and Brylee. So far.


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5 stars
60 (58%)
4 stars
32 (31%)
3 stars
8 (7%)
2 stars
1 (<1%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Blossom Turner.
Author 12 books256 followers
September 18, 2020
What an enjoyable read. Do you want to get away from the mundane of life and love a good romance with strong cowboys, real men and feisty women? Then you will love this series about the Cooper men.
Janith Hooper is a gifted storyteller. The true-to-life family dynamics where each brother plays a role is so realistic. I come from a large family and know this to be true. Sparks always fly when a sibling wants to change up where the others want to leave him which is what Colt longs to do. He finds true freedom in God and in the special red-headed spitfire God has planned for his life. Just loved Besty’s personality and the way Colt lovingly used her middle name Rylee—his Irish Meadow. Sooooo, touching. I also loved reading about the rescue horses and the barrel races.
Now onto book three of the Cooper clan. Looking forward to "Let Your Love Flow Again" by this amazing author. She has me captivated.
3 reviews
August 7, 2020
Love the Cooper Clan

I so love the characters in the Cooper Family of ranch men. This book of one of the grounded brothers, Colt with barrel racer, Rylee is such a touching story. The writer obviously understands ranch life & weaves all of the day to day operations into a love story. I also especially enjoy her use of the Lord in her books, ever so slightly but it brings the real struggles to life & what faith & prayer can do. I am a fan.
Profile Image for Gina Ann.
548 reviews1 follower
October 18, 2018
Love this family......

The Cooper brothers are awesome, love how they get along and their knick names are funny. Good love story here, had to get the tissues out, wouldn't mind reading more about this series.
2 reviews2 followers
April 5, 2021
Another fun read from Janith Hooper! She writes engaging, clean stories with adorable cowboys!
Profile Image for Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review.
2,138 reviews29 followers
August 10, 2018
“Blue Eyes” and “Rylee”/“Irish”/“Spitfire” = fireworks 🎇

-‘But as sure as the breeze through the lot blowing against him, a thought sent spidery energy down his spine. Maybe the little Spitfire had been sent to help him live, not just breathe.’-

Colt feels the burden of responsibility for his family and the family ranch. He struggles to juggle his responsibilities, finances, his brothers and all their troubles, an ex-girlfriend with a penchant for revenge, and now a fiery redhead with a temper to match.
Betsy/Rylee is a woman struggling to make it in the world of barrel racing in a man’s world of rodeo competition. Determined to make a difference, she fights her abusive, cold-hearted father the only way she knows how: to prove herself worthy. She is bound and determined to win, even when obstacles keep blocking her way.
In the end, will Colt and Rylee find more than just partnership through rescued horses? Will they find healing from past hurts and learn to trust and to live again?

I just love this author’s work. I devour anything and everything she writes. If you want a good, clean storyline that is well-written with a solid plot and some romance, you can’t go wrong with Ms. Hooper. This story reminded me of Karen Rock’s series on ranching, especially with the rodeo element.Two very strong writers whom I admire a great deal.

-‘“And I think you need to let yourself run free again, brother. You haven’t done that since we were kids. Right now, what you need is a cute little redhead.”’-

This story is fast-paced, the characters are believable and strong. It’s a full-length novel which makes it attractive for the price. (It’s also a gentle, non-preachy Christian book.) I enjoyed seeing some of the characters from previous books in the series. This can be read as a stand-alone but is much more fun when read in order due to past characters making an appearance. And for those who read the other books a long time ago, it’s easy to remember who the characters are and how they fit it.

I highly recommend anything this author writes, and “Let Yourself Run Free Again” is no exception! I loved it.
Profile Image for Robin.
Author 2 books29 followers
October 26, 2021
Solid 4.5 Star Romance

Janith Hooper's style takes a little getting used to if you're not real familiar with Harlequin romance novels of the 60s. That's kinda how these read IMO. And that's a good thing, actually. While people looking for super-sweet, Hallmark-movie-style stories will want to avoid these, those who enjoy a more accurate portrayal of the struggle to live the Christian life will want to at least give her work a try. This is the second book I've read by this author. I still find the delivery a little jarring sometimes, but I do want to read a couple more books in this collection. In both books, she presents a heroine trying to make her way as an independent woman during the 60s. The hero in both books is a strong man with a more open mind that learns the value of having a strong woman by his side. In this particular story, I like how both MCs grew and learned what it was to truly love someone. I also liked how the heroine started out doubting God's existence but learned to trust Him again.
If you like inspirational retro romance, cowboys, and stories which are more true-to-life, give this book a try.
23 reviews
Read
April 5, 2020
This story is rich and concentrated. It didn't focus only on the romance but expounded on lots of other things. From horses to rodeo amongst others. If you don't read in between the lines you're bound to miss some important information. And truthfully I was just as attached to the horses as I was to the two main characters. I loved seeing someone who will ruffle Colt's feathers. They were really two tough mindedcharacters. The love was real not sappy. And one great lesson learned was that God hears us when we pray about tough situations. He doesn't always take away the problem but gives us strength to weather it thus making us stronger. I learned that lesson from Betsy. It was a really captivating read. I loved it. A definite 5 star rating.
Profile Image for Merle.
2,271 reviews1 follower
November 25, 2018
This series pulls you in, even though it may be miles away from your normal genre. The 1960 time frame and the atmosphere of a family with lots of stress and not nearly enough love is a tough sell.

There is always hope, though, and I think that is Hooper's point. It's definitely worth the ride, especially to find out who the saboteur is.
1,649 reviews18 followers
February 11, 2024
It is not our circumstances that keep us from running free. it is the way we view our circumstances. Freedom means to receive God's gift of acceptance instead of waiting for acceptance from someone who may never give it. Freedom is choosing not to be bound by what others tell us to do when we need to do what is right for us. Very well done!!!
78 reviews
May 20, 2024
Another excellent book by Janith Hooper! The story of Colt and Rylee was inspiring, amusing and meaning a lot with the aspect of the love and guidance of God - although suttle. - throughout the determination of both characters for integrity in all their ways and being overcome with a true sense of love.
314 reviews
August 22, 2018
Colt and Rylee are too stubborn for their own good some times. At times you just want to grab them and shake some sense into them but during their trials Colt does introduce Rylee to God.
This is one of those love stories where you taken on several rollercoaster rides in their relationship.
44 reviews
July 4, 2021
I really liked this story. I do wish Colt's character remained as it was described in Book 1 of the series. I felt that it was changed in order to provide conflict at the end of the story. It was distracting and too bad. Rylee was a great character and was drawn as an interesting person with enormous personal growth. The story was good, but I didn't see enough of Colt's 'Old Soul'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kim.
667 reviews13 followers
November 22, 2021
Intriguing rancher brothers and strong female protagonists combine with mysterious acts of sabotage and unpredictable animals to create an interesting series from Janith Hooper.
136 reviews1 follower
November 29, 2021
Cowboy blues

This was a very good book.I really like the western theme as I love horses.It was a clean written love story.This was a book for any age !
Profile Image for Sandra.
1,392 reviews24 followers
October 30, 2024
First book by this author. I totally enjoyed reading it and can't wait to read my next. Interesting characters and believeable plot.
1 review
August 24, 2018
I have received a free copy of LYRFA, and I gotta tell ya, Jan has outdone herself with her books. I had to go back the next day and re-read it at a slower pace, lol, it was that good I just couldn’t put the book down. Jan’s books are clean books and I let my 15year old daughter read them and she loves them.
I don’t usually read books like Jan’s, I’m more of a thriller, werewolf, vampire murder mystery book lover. But I fell in love with Jan’s books. Her characters come alive while you read. It’s like you are there with the characters. Colt is an old soul with the love of horses, and Irish has a temper that matches her red hair. But these two will but heads more than once. Colt just wants to get his business going and rescue horses and Irish wants to win National at barrel racing. Find out more when you turn your own page in Jan’s books. Thank You Jan, your heart goes into your books and it shows.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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