Please Me, Cowboy

Please Me, Cowboy by Megan Crane

Jonah Flint is the master of his world.  If he says "jump", everyone around him says "how high?"  He is admittedly cold and doesn't care about anyone...well, anyone except his too emotional twin brother, Jasper.  When Jonah hears that Jasper is planning to propose to a "nobody school teacher from nowhere", he makes it his personal mission to rescue his brother from the clutches of this Montana gold-digger and remind him of the life that he once lived.  In order to do that he needs an accomplice.  A woman as cold and cunning as he is who can convince Jasper that she and Jonah are for real, and can put Little Miss Montana in her place...in Jasper's rear view.

Gracelyn Packard never thought that she would see Montana again.  Because she never wanted to see Montana again.  Being raised as white trash on the Montana prairie, Gracelyn left the moment she turned eighteen and never looked back.  Well, that connection may have just gained her the greatest honor of her career, but does she really want to be used by her big, bad boss.  Being back in Montana is doing something to her, though, and maybe being used by Jonah isn't such a bad thing after all.

Megan Crane doesn't take the easy path when it comes to heroes, that's for sure.  A cold, egotistical, "CEO of the World", type-A, male chauvinist is not exactly your classic hero write-up.  Yet somehow she manages to leave room for something likable; something redeemable.  Sure Jonah is a jerk to everyone around him, even Jasper, but he does actually love Jasper.  Plus, there are some great emotional flips that lead to a great culmination at the end of the story.

The heroine is another tough cookie, but she is relate-able right from the get go.  There is a vulnerability that we see right away and we empathize with easily.  Though not many people have been in Gracelyn's shoes, I think most of us can easily imagine ourselves there.

Beyond the main characters, the only other character interactions are Jasper and Chelsea (with some exceptions at the end which I will not spoil).  The supporting character-light format usually bothers me big time, but I think that with all of the emotions flying around, fewer characters actually do make it better.

Over all, this was an intriguing read.  I liked it.  It was good, to the point, entertaining to be sure.

Continuity/Flow – 5
Sex – 4 

Characters – 4

Storyline – 4

Overall – 4

Kiss Me, Cowboy

Kiss Me, Cowboy by Melissa McClone

For Charlotte "Charlie" Randall, one kiss meant everything.  It was the beginning and the end.  It was the best and the worst.  It was the moment she fell in love with Zack Harris...and the moment she lost him forever.  Because no matter how are she tries to be "one of the guys", she cannot be anywhere near Zack if he can't see her as a woman he wants to be with.

Zack Harris knows the importance of family.  With his parents completely out of the picture and his army buddies scattered across the country, the only family he has left are the wranglers of the Bar V5.  That's why when he kissed Charlie Randall during a moment of weakness alarm bells sounded instead of wedding bells.  He could NOT let romantic feelings tear his family apart.  Yet now Charlie is leaving for Colorado and Zack has just a few days to convince her not to abandon the family they have all built together.  Except that might not be the only reason he wants her to stay.  Can he convince her to give the Bar V5 - and him - another chance?

I think that the Bar V5 could easily be at the top of my "Literary Places I Would Go If They Were Real" list.  I mean, who would jump at a chance to visit a ranch with hot cowboys that doubled as a spa?  This is the second visit Melissa McClone has brought us on, and I know that I hope and pray that there are MANY more.

Story-wise, this story is sweet and heartfelt.  Both main characters are on the same page with family history.  Yet their individual reactions to their similar upbringings could not be any more different.  Charlie knows that life is full of love and acceptance.  Zack is positive that he wouldn't know what to do with love, even if it were shown to him.  This spin is both old and new at the same time.  It is familiar, but with a twist.  I love how Melissa McClone has managed, as in many of her stories, to take a situation that many romance stories have utilized, and give is a fresh coat of paint for a refreshing take.

The main thing I love about this story is that the characters all genuinely care about each other.  They are close, and that closeness really breathes through.  The reader doesn't need to be told that the wranglers all love and respect Ty, because it is evident from the way the never question his authority yet treat him like a brother.  The same goes for the way the other wranglers feel about Charlie.  She is clearly respected as a senior member of the staff.

Overall, this is a perfect "comfort" book.  A book that you read when you want to know that there are places where everything is right with the world and things really do make sense.  The turmoil in the book is emotional, but there is no danger of being punched in the gut by it.  The world needs books like this.

Continuity/Flow – 5
Sex – 4 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

Cherish Me, Cowboy

Cherish Me, Cowboy by Alissa Callen

Payton Hollis needs a man like she needs another sunny day.  That is to say...she doesn't.  Stuck in a drought and wracking her brain as to how she is going to keep her ranch afloat without enough water or food to supply her cattle, she sees a "city-boy" like Cordell Morgan as nothing but a nuisance.  Until he works his magic and helps an abandonned calf find it's way to a new mama's heart...and then works his way into hers.

Cordell Morgan is in Marietta, Montana for one thing only.  To convince a crotchety, former rodeo cowboy to lease him land for a friend's Angus heard to graze on.  But no matter how many times he tells himself that, he just can't stop thinking about Payton and her headstrong ways.  His past tells him to get in, get out, and run as far as he can, but his heart just might be singing a new tune.

This was a well written and special story.  Too many times everyone finds a point that they have to give up their ties to the past and realize they are only holding themselves back.  Whether it be trauma, fear of the unknown, or just being stubborn and set in their ways, many people falter when it comes to new experiences or allowing others into their lives.  This story gave so many great examples of that.

I loved that there was a bit of tragic excitement and mystery thrown in to add to the whole experience.  Those little touches truly make a good book great, and this was already a great book.  It is a sweet romance through and through, with very little need for overly sexy scenes that really wouldn't have fit anyway.

The characters in this book are a fabulous blend of old and new.  We see and hear from many characters from the previous Copper Mountain Rodeo Books, and we meet some characters who have only been mentioned in passing before.  The two main characters in this story are likable to the point that you truly do want to be their friends.

Overall, Alissa Callen crafted a wonderful story here that is great purely for it's own sake.  A definite recommended read both with and without the other books in the Second Copper Mountain Rodeo Series.

Continuity/Flow – 5
Sex – 4 

Characters – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

Tease Me, Cowboy

Tease Me, Cowboy by Rachael Johns

To the world Selah Davis has achieved the success she always wanted.  She is a top journalist for a popular women's magazine and absolutely loves her life in Seattle.  Home in Marietta to cover the 76th Annual Copper Mountain Rodeo, Selah wastes no time catching up with her childhood best friends celebrating the lives and loves they have found for themselves.  After many drinks Selah finally admits that her one regret in life was NOT sleeping with her high school sweetheart Levi Monroe.  This revelation sends the girls into a flurry of plotting to help Selah gain a second chance at a one night stand...because Levi just walked through the door.

Even after all of his success on the Rodeo Circuit - and with the ladies - Levi Monroe has never quite gotten over the hurt and shame of walking away from the best thing a teenage boy could have ever wanted.  Selah was always his one true love and seeing her laughing with her friends at Grey's Saloon brought back too many memories to handle.  When she approaches him the next day to interview him for her article he decides to take advantage of a chance to spend more time with her...and maybe plotting for a second chance of his own.

The characters in this story are familiar and fun.  As the first book in the second Copper Mountain Rodeo Series, there are many returning characters from the first series.  Chelsea, Sage, and Jenny are all on there, as well as some other characters we have come to know and love over the last year.  Em, Sam, and Cole McCullough, and Marly Ackers are featured players; Rachel (Murphy) Vaughn and Reese Kendrick both make appearances, as well.

The heart of this story is solid.  Regrets are awful things, but acting on regrets tend to make things worse.  Selah honestly believes that a one-night stand will solve everything, thanks to the convincing of her friends, who I don't believe for a second actually ascribed to this notion.  Levi seems to understand this perfectly and is fully prepared to barter for more than just one night.  I loved AND hated the dinner/hotel scene for the same reason:  it was passionate and childish.  Levi wanted to prove a point and he did, but at a cost to Selah's pride.  The one scene that made of for this was the final rodeo scene.  No spoilers, but the chaos of that scene just seemed to work.

Overall, this was a good read and a great start to yet another great Montana Born series.

Continuity/Flow – 4
Sex – 4 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 4

Overall – 4     

Marry Me, Cowboy

Marry Me, Cowboy By Lilian Darcy

Teagan Ashe had always dreamed of taking over the family ranch one day.  Unfortunately, during her time in America becoming a champion barrel racer, her father did the unthinkable:  he sold the ranch and retired.  Now, feeling cut adrift, she has no desire to go back to Australia.  However, that might be just what she has to do.  Her visa is about to expire and her green card wedding has just been called off.  Enter the groom's best friend...

Jamie MacCreadie has spent his life chasing something.  Scratching the proverbial itch before planning to settle down and help with his family's cattle ranch in Montana.  Now, after his best friend has dumped Teagan at the alter, he is faced with a tough choice:  step in and marry a woman he doesn't even like, or step away and make her mend her own fences while he mends his at home.

This is the second book in the Copper Mountain Rodeo series and the first book to feature the MacCreadie family (Jamie's parents, Rob and Melinda, are featured in Rodeo Sweethearts; his aunt, Kate, is featured in Late Last Night).

Teagan is fairly straight forward and "salt of the earth".  She not only doesn't shy away from hard work, she expects to carry her own load.  Her anger at her father and resentment of her step-mother come out in some fairly ugly ways, but she is smart enough to keep those feelings under wraps, all things considered.  She misses Australia, but feels that there is nothing for her to go back to.

Jamie is partially estranged from his own family.  He has never understood his parents' relationship; his mother is upbeat and scatter-brained (not ideal for a rancher's wife), while his father is hard working and quiet.  He also has a strained relationship with his older brother, RJ, who seems to resent his life style.

I have to say this was not one of my favorite stories by Lilian Darcy.  She has a way of making chemistry come out of extraordinary circumstances.  It just didn't seem to work in this case.  I didn't really connect with Teagan, and I didn't find Jamie very heroic.

That being said, I did enjoy the end of the book, which definitely made up for the lack of emotional response in the rest of the book.  The characters finally lived up to their promise at this point and made this book worth reading in the end.

Overall, I would say buy the book, hang in there to the end, and you shouldn't be disappointed.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 3 

Language – 4 

Storyline – 3

Overall – 3

  

Promise Me, Cowboy

Promise Me, Cowboy By CJ Carmichael

Sage Carrigan is in a good place.  Running a very successful gourmet chocolate shop in her hometown of Marietta, Montana takes up nearly all of her time.  Thanks to this she has finally been able to put her painful history as a barrel racer behind her and move on to a quieter and safer future.  So why is Dawson O'Dell standing in her store drudging up the past?  And since when does he have a daughter?

Dawson O'Dell is trying to make things right.  Five years ago he betrayed a woman he had come to care deeply for, and that betrayal led to something much worse.  Now he is in Sage's hometown for the 75th Annual Copper Mountain Rodeo.  Can he finally set his life on the right course for his sake and his daughter's?  And can he ever convince Sage to trust him again?

This is the third novella in the Copper Mountain Rodeo series and the first story in the Carrigans of Circle C series.

For someone who has never competed in a rodeo, I can't imagine what goes through the heads of the cowboys and cowgirls that ride the circuit.  To get a glimpse of that and know that some of them are terrified of it, but do it anyway, really messes with my logic.  I know that this happens.  There are people everyday who hate their jobs, but still go to work because that is what is needed and expected.  But the reality of someone being afraid to do something that could kill them, and they still do it willingly is beyond me.  Mind blown.

Sage as a character is pretty straight forward.  Her fears, hesitations, dreams, desires, and relationships are all understandable and well explained.  That is pretty rare in a romantic heroine, and very refreshing.

Dawson on the other hand is a meat-head!  I guess someone had to balance out Sage's uncomplicated character because this guy is a knot of complexities and contradictions.

Now for the important stuff:  CHOCOLATE!  There is actually quite a bit of detail about Sage's obsession with single-source chocolate, and how she turned it into a business.  I dare you not to drool.

Overall, I enjoyed this story.  It introduced the Carrigan Family, which is way more complicated than Sage, and hinted about mystery to come.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 4 

Language – 4 

Storyline – 4

Overall – 4

Tempt Me, Cowboy

Tempt Me, Cowboy By Megan Crane

Chelsea Crawford Collier is your typical goody-two shoes.  A high school history teacher, she always does exactly what is expected of her.  By her friends, her neighbors, and especially her mother.  For this reason, she is on a collision course with Marietta's newest property owner.

Jasper Flint has never done what was expected of him.  His whole life he was told exactly where he couldn't go, and what he couldn't be, and he delighted in proving everyone wrong.  So when a prim and proper local gets her nose in a twist about his latest real estate transaction, he can't help but take up the challenge of tempting her...and proving her wrong about him.

While this was a quick read, it was a delight.  With this story we get our first real glimpse at the world of Marietta, Montana, a small town steeped in history and situated in the shadow of Copper Mountain.  It's the type of town where kids grow-up either dreaming of leaving it behind or knowing for certain that they never will.

Chelsea in one of the latter, and for that she comes off more admirable than sad.  She might have harbored a few fantasies of far off places, but in her heart she knew where she belonged.  Her mother is a nightmare, and her ex-boyfriend deserves a slap upside the head, but all of this adds to her character, and to that of the book.

Jasper's character is pretty much what holds the whole story together, so it is hard to give too much insight on who he is without giving too much away.  We'll just say he is much more than even he gives himself credit for.

Overall, the book was satisfying and fun to read.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 4 

Language – 4 

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5