On the surface, Douglas D. Ross's LASSOED BY FATE seems much like the 1999 rom-com movie Notting Hill (one of the comparison titles used in the novel's own blurb).  A cricketer from Britain and a rodeo queen from Canada are thrown together far from either of their respective homes, and he spends the rest of the story trying to secure her. Shenanigans and grand gestures ensue, including trans-Atlantic banoffee (banana + toffee) pie deliveries and hyped-up polo exhibition matches.

While both camps have their merits, the British cast feels just a little more fleshed out and full of whimsy than the Canadian interlopers. Part of this is just the number of named characters on that side of the Atlantic, such as Nicky Noo, Barry the Bloke, Teapot Tommy, Helio Harry, and Bonsai Bob. Another part is that the British male love interests have more of a focus than their two Canadian leading ladies. That there are two simultaneous budding romances plays a part in making LASSOED BY FATE seem so packed. The similar starts and descriptions for offscreen intimacy make it harder to give each pair their own place to shine. Because so many characters are moving between different locations, often without the connective tissue to explain how or why, the pacing feels rushed.

From a technical standpoint, American readers might struggle both with some of the colloquialisms and the difference in punctuation standards. Meanwhile, the author’s writing style is sharp and witty, though the prose is more consistent than the dialogue. There are some excellent quips, such as "The last girl you had any moderate interest in had the emotional bandwidth of a paperclip," but other portions of dialogue feel almost wooden—to the point where a highly emotional scene comes across more like two side-by-side monologues than a true conversation. Describing one character’s struggle with dyslexia as “her little nuisance” and the ensuing foils from it also might strike some readers as ableist.

From Canadian rodeos to quaint British pubs to African volunteer camps, the characters certainly get around. So, despite the novel's flaws, fans of destination romances are still going to get the most out of LASSOED BY FATE.

While the world Douglas D. Ross creates in LASSOED BY FATE moves a little too quickly and feels too packed to form lasting connections with the characters, it's still a fun and almost whimsical romance.

~ Mary Richards for IndieReader