My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it
THE COWBOY’S CATCH by Kimberly Krey
When Jason Keller bids on a date with Marlee at the town’s annual fundraising event, she’s quick to turn him down. First of all, an evening with Marlee was never on the table; just dates with each of her younger sisters. Beyond that, Jason Keller—a man with Hollywood ties—is the last cowboy in town she’d go on a date with. Being abandoned because of her own mother’s Hollywood pursuits taught her well. But when the Keller Cowboy offers a hefty sum for the charities in question, in front of half the town no less, Marlee’s compelled to accept. It’s just one date after all, and it’s not like she’d ever fall for a man like him. Or so she thinks.
SELLING HER RANCH, STEALING HIS HEART by Annette Lyon
Teresa adores her job as manager of the J-Bar-D Ranch, which boards horses and offers riding lessons. The owner, Dorothy, has become like a grandmother to Teresa. But when Dorothy passes away unexpectedly, the ranch is put up for sale by none other than Dorothy’s only grandson, Derek. Even with the obvious chemistry between them, Teresa refuses to consider dating the guy who’s going to turn her beloved ranch into a strip mall. Derek wishes more than anything that he didn’t have to sell, but Grandma Dorothy ran the ranch into deep debt, and Derek’s own mother has ongoing medical bills. Without selling the ranch, he can’t pay off the debts or take care of his mother. If only he’d met Teresa had met at in a different time and place, they might have a future.
THE COWBOY’S SECOND GO by Cindy Roland Anderson
When recently divorced Callie Stewart, an aspiring country music artist, confronts the dishonest talent agent who stole her new song, he turns the tables on her, and her world spins out of control. Without proof she composed the hit song, Callie is forced to take her twin boys with her, move out of Nashville and live with her aunt in Montana. Having her dreams shattered leaves her trying to figure out how she will support her little family. Reconnecting with Ty Carter, her long-ago crush from high school and the guy who broke her heart, has her questioning her resolve to leave romance out of her new life. Ty isn’t just a good-looking cowboy, he’s sweet to her boys and makes Callie feel beautiful and alive. As her feelings for Ty grow stronger, the music reawakens inside her, inspiring her creativity and the desire to sing. Giving love a second chance might be the key to a forever love, and the start of a new music career…but can it be both?
My Review
I really enjoy cowboy stories, both historical and contemporary, I think because of the Louis L'Amour books I read as a teen from my dad's collection. All three of these stories embody what's special about the cowboy ideal- tough yet vulnerable, hard working and hard playing.
In The Cowboy's Catch, I liked seeing Marlee try to keep Jason at arm's length, only to discover that her prejudices about him weren't accurate. They had great chemistry, but the author's choice of verbs in a few instances threw me- she used "crooned" and "purred" and "mumbled" to describe the ways Jason spoke to Marlee, supposedly romantically... and it came off very odd to me. I would use "crooned" to describe the way someone sings, "purred" for a sound someone makes while getting a massage, and "mumbled" for something you say under your breath that you don't want the other person to necessarily hear. "Murmured" might have been a better choice in that last case. Other than my verb issues, it was a fun story ;)
The next story by Annette Lyon also has the female lead making unfair assumptions about the male lead. Teresa feels so strongly about the ranch she works at that she doesn't do a good job of listening to Derek, opting to storm off instead of face the situation. It was nice to see Derek prove her wrong as his time reconnecting with the ranch helps him get in touch with his love for the countryside.
My favorite of the three was The Cowboy's Second Go, seeing the journey Callie goes through as she returns to her hometown, faces her unrequited love and finally overcomes the awkward moment of young heartbreak she never forgave Ty for. He is such a sweetheart (now) and I enjoyed the wonderful scenes as he endears himself to her again and her two young boys.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
