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