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

Game of Brides

Game of Brides by Megan Crane

Emmy Mathis is over her childhood crush.  Isn't she?  Ten years after he left her naked a crying in his grandmother's barn, has completely moved on.  She graduated from college and got a job as a copywriter in an ad agency in Atlanta, so her life is moving right along.  Except it's not.  Not really.  Now, she has been forced by her hateful boss to take a leave of absence to help with her sister's wedding in Montana, and who should pick her up from the airport?

Griffin Hyatt is the epitome of being successful at something you love.  His passion for art and extreme sports segued into a highly celebrated athletic wear company.  If only his personal life was as successful as his business.  After being betrayed by the two people who mattered to him the most, he has been licking his wounds in Montana and finding himself stuck in a rut.  But after seeing Emmy for the first time in ten years, he suddenly realized that the annoying little girl trailing after him all of those years ago has become woman...and what a woman.  Is it possible that she was the one for him all along?

It was definitely a change of pace to find a character like Griffin in this series.  Up until this point I have been used to cowboys, or at the very least country boys.  While Griffin is not purely a "street-wise" city boy, he is more that than a country boy.  At first I was prepared to not like him, but he grew on me.  He was unapologetic about his actions, but he admitted that he might have been less than cavalier in his technique.

Reading Emmy's story is great because many people (men and women) feel the same way as she does.  Feeling like you need the create a controlled environment to prevent yourself from acting foolishly or getting hurt, but then you end up hating your life and can't find a way out.

The supporting characters are actually not terribly likable on their own.  It is only through the eyes of the main characters that you see them are people who are real and very much loved.  Margery is especially this way.  She may come off as a prime diva, but Emmy still loves her and would do anything for her, even risk her job.

Overall, this story definitely pulls you out of the box and makes you look at the world around you.  Not everything is as cut and dry, or final, as we think it is.  Bravo!

Ratings:

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

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 5 

Language – 3 

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

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